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#39 - Part 1

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 1

>>22225665 Peter Dutton blasts Labor and international community on Christmas Day - Peter Dutton says the “sheer ­magnitude” of the nation’s anti-Semitism crisis threatens to overshadow Hanukkah, as he accused the Albanese government and the international community of the “shameful” treatment of Israel for 14 months. Wednesday marked the first time the beginning of Hanukkah and Christmas Day had coincided in 19 years, with hundreds of thousands of Jewish Australians celebrating despite the threat of growing anti-Semitism. Referencing the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, the Opposition Leader denounced what he described as a “sordid moral inversion” by the Inter­national Criminal Court, accusing it of unfairly targeting Israeli leaders while ignoring acts of ­terrorism. Mr Dutton’s message comes just weeks after a Melbourne synagogue was firebombed and one of Sydney’s biggest Jewish suburbs was attacked by anti-Jewish ­vandals.

>>22225685 Festival of Lights much needed for Melbourne’s Jewish community - The story of Hanukkah is based on events that took place in ancient times, but for Jews living in Melbourne, the festival’s meaning is particularly poignant this year. Less than three weeks after the Adass Israel synagogue was firebombed in Ripponlea, Jewish leaders say their festival of lights is much needed at this moment. This year, Hanukkah starts on Christmas Day, beginning on Wednesday evening. Although it always occurs towards the end of the year, it is relatively uncommon for the festival to coincide so neatly with Christmas. Adass Israel synagogue board member Benjamin Klein said it had been a difficult time for his community since their place of prayer was set alight this month. But the arrival of the “kid-oriented” festival was most welcome, he said. Children at his synagogue mark Hanukkah by singing songs in a choir, and they receive Hanukkah “gelt” (money in Yiddish) and gifts.

>>22238703 ALP inaction on anti-Semitism shocking, says Nova Peris - Former senator Nova Peris has decried rampant “un-Australian anti-Semitism”, slamming the government’s failure to properly respond to the ancient hatred as the Jewish community celebrated Hanukkah and moved with “optimism” into the new year. Gold medal-winning Olympian Ms Peris -- a vocal supporter of the Jewish community – has lambasted anti-Semitism masquerading as “anti-Zionism”, saying that Jewish people had always been falsely accused as the “villain of the day”, which had now “taken hold” in Australia. Writing in Friday’s The Australian, Ms Peris called for greater solidarity among Indigenous people towards Jewish Australians and slammed her former Labor colleagues in the federal government for failing to address the “growing hatred”. “As a nation we cannot ignore our beating heart,” she said. “Who are we? What are we becoming? Are we not a Western country founded on morals and values? “Australia has long prided itself on being a land of safety, freedom, and mutual respect. Anti-Semitism is a betrayal of these values. It is un-Australian, accelerates moral decay, and must be confronted head-on.”

#39 - Part 2

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 2

>>22238734 Indigenous lore shares common cause with Israel’s struggle - "As an Aboriginal woman, I understand that profound connection between people and land. Aboriginal Australians have maintained this bond for over 60,000 years, despite displacement and colonisation. Similarly, the Jewish connection to Israel spans more than 4000 years. For those who question the Jewish connection to Israel, even the Koran - written over 600 years after Jesus – acknowledges the Jewish people’s divinely ordained link to the land. The term “Israel” appears in the Koran in reference to the Children of Israel (Bani Isra’il in Arabic) approximately 40 times across various chapters. Israel did not suddenly emerge in 1948. For centuries, the region was under colonial rule of the Ottoman empire. After World War I, the British mandate ended, and the United Nations voted for a two-state solution: one Arab state and one Jewish state. Israel’s legitimacy is historically, legally and spiritually grounded. Denying this connection is not only inaccurate but harmful. It is akin to denying the spiritual bond Aboriginal Australians have with our lands. Earlier this year, I stood in Israel and witnessed the pain following the Hamas terror attacks of October 7. That horror underscores the threats Jewish people face globally. The federal government’s failure to address this growing hatred has bolstered extremists. What began as hateful graffiti has escalated to violent acts, such as the burning of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne. These acts echo the horrors of 1930s Germany. The narrative of Jewish dominance, such an embedded trope of anti-Semitism, is a baseless conspiracy theory designed to vilify and isolate Jewish communities. If Jewish people truly controlled governments, as extremists claim, international bodies such as the UN would not consistently criticise Israel, while ignoring Hamas’s atrocities, including the holding of more than 100 hostages to this day. Anti-Semitism accelerates our moral decay. Australians must unite against this rising hatred by rejecting false narratives and fostering understanding and compassion. As billions across the world have just celebrated Christmas - the birth of a Jewish baby, Jesus – let’s reflect on the power of truth and love to overcome hate." - Nova Peris, former senator, dual Australian Olympian and gold medallist and inductee into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame - theaustralian.com.au

>>22254814 Cost to rebuild firebombed Adass Israel synagogue soars, police yet to make arrests - The cost of rebuilding the Adass Israel synagogue has soared to tens of millions of dollars, with police yet to make any arrests four weeks after the terror attack. Rebuilding the Melbourne ultra-Orthodox synagogue to its former glory is now estimated to cost between $25m and $40m, with the building requiring state-of-the-art security systems, including cameras, bollards and guards, to prevent future attacks. So far, more than $2m has been raised in a campaign that had an initial target of $1m, with some of the largest donations being made by News Corp founder ­Rupert Murdoch, the Herald Sun, the Pratt Foundation, and the Gandel Foundation. A visibly shaken Prime Minister previously vowed to help rebuild the Melbourne synagogue during his visit on December 10, but Jewish leaders are yet to find out how much money the federal government will provide.

>>22301069 Ice hockey world championships canned in Victoria in fears of anti-Israel protests - Ice Hockey Australia has abandoned holding world championship matches in Melbourne over fears Israel’s presence would make it too dangerous for players and fans, sparking accusations the government is destroying the nation’s global reputation. In a “strictly confidential” email obtained by The Australian, IHA president and director Ryan O’Handley advised the International Ice Hockey Federation’s executive body on December 30 that the World Men’s Division II (Group A) championships would be canned due to safety and security concerns associated with Israel’s participation. The event, originally scheduled for April-May, was expected to be a landmark occasion for Australian sports, marking the first time since 2011 this country would host the division championships. At this stage, there has been no official announcement from the IIHF or the Australian federation. Victoria Police said it had provided feedback about current protest activity in Melbourne, but any decision to cancel the event “was one for Ice Hockey Australia”.

#39 - Part 3

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 3

>>22301099 ‘Don’t point fingers at us’: Israeli ambassador’s message to Australians - Israel’s top representative in Australia has declared that mounting pressure from the Albanese government and the international community will not accelerate the creation of a Palestinian state as he insisted antisemitism was the main driving force behind global criticism of Israel. In a rare interview, Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon said he believed many Australians fail to grasp the seriousness of the security threats his nation faces. He vowed to do a better job telling Israel’s story to the Australian public. Maimon’s extended interview with this masthead at the Israeli embassy in Canberra came after a turbulent year in the once-close Australia-Israel relationship that culminated in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashing out at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on social media. Asked what he would say to ordinary Australians who feel anger at Israel over the high civilian death toll in Gaza, Maimon said: “I will tell the average Australian that he is asking the wrong guy because the war could have been over on October 8 if Hamas had released all the hostages and laid down their arms … I think that to point the fingers towards Israel is simply wrong. You are criticising the ones who were attacked, you are criticising the ones who were butchered.”

>>22301109 ‘How can I do better?’ Israeli ambassador’s candid confession - Amir Maimon is no stranger to diplomatic challenges. Israel’s ambassador to Australia began his foreign service career in Ethiopia in the early 1990s, when the sitting government in Addis Ababa was on the verge of being toppled by a coalition of left-wing rebel groups. Maimon, a retired lieutenant colonel who served for 14 years in the Israeli military’s paratrooper unit, used his experience to co-ordinate the daring airlift of 14,325 Ethiopian Jews to Israel in less than two days. He arrived in Canberra as Israeli ambassador in January 2022 on a mission to refocus the relationship from the conflict with Palestine towards trade, defence and technological co-operation. Maimon spoke to the National Press Club after the October 7 attacks, but he has maintained a low public profile, granting only occasional interviews and preferring to engage directly through meetings with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and other senior government figures. However, with a year remaining of his posting in Canberra, Maimon knows he must do more to tell Israel’s side of the story to the Australian public and stop a once-close bilateral relationship from spinning out of control. Domestically, the war in Gaza has strained social cohesion, with Jewish Australians startled by a surge of antisemitic attacks, and other Australians aghast at the civilian death toll in Gaza.

>>22301124 Anti-Semitic attacks continue as car graffitied in Sydney - An anti-Semitic graffiti attack has left the Jewish community in Sydney reeling over a “lack of decisive action” after a car was spray painted with the slogan “F*ck the Jews” in the early hours of Monday morning at Queens Park, near a Jewish school. The attack is under investigation by Eastern Suburbs Police and is believed to have occurred between 7am on Sunday and 5.45am on Monday, when police were alerted. The owner of the vandalised car Stuart Veron believes it was a random attack and he “just got unlucky” that his vehicle was the target. He condemned the perpetrator as a “rat” and said the community “would be disgusted” by the hate crime as “there’s no place for that in this community or anywhere in Australia”. Clinical psychologist Sharon Greenberg, 64, reported the incident to police despite feeling “frozen” but said she is not shocked by the incident as there continues to be a lack of decisive action against perpetrators of anti-Semitic hate crimes. “I keep saying … to myself, I wish I was shocked but I’m not shocked because this has been the climate for over a year here,” Dr Greenberg told The Australian. “The holocaust didn’t start with crematoriums, it started with cartoons, slogans, people shouting out hate statements, and in the end six million people died.”

#39 - Part 4

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 4

>>22307893 Albanese minister to fly to Israel to mend fractured relationship - Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus is preparing to travel to Israel within weeks in a bid to help mend the fractured relationship between the Albanese and Netanyahu governments. Dreyfus, who is Jewish, is one of the strongest supporters of Israel in the Labor caucus and his planned trip would be the first by a government minister since Foreign Minister Penny Wong visited the Middle East almost a year ago. Tensions between the two nations boiled over last month when Netanyahu accused the Albanese government of fomenting a rise in antisemitism in a fiery intervention just days after Australia’s ambassador to Israel was summoned by the nation’s foreign minister for a rare dressing down. Dreyfus, one of Labor’s most senior ministers, planned to travel to Israel last year for the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack but had to cancel the trip when Iran launched missile strikes on the nation. Local pro-Israel groups were angered that Wong did not visit a kibbutz that was attacked by Hamas terrorists on October 7 during her trip, with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry describing the omission as “insulting and deeply concerning”.

>>22307909 ‘Apologist for appalling government’: Mark Dreyfus slammed over planned Israel visit - Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, a prominent Jewish member of cabinet, will visit Israel to help mend frosty relations between the two countries, Anthony Albanese has announced. Prominent opposition Jewish MP Julian Leeser has slammed the move as a “pre-election gimmick” and said Mr Dreyfus is an “impediment to addressing anti-Semitism in this country”. “The Prime Minister is not sending a champion of the Jewish community,” Mr Leeser said. “He is simply replacing one apologist for this appalling government with another. Sending Mark Dreyfus to Israel will not change the underlying failure of this government - which is the weak leadership of Anthony Albanese and hard-left policies of Penny Wong,” he said. “In sending Mark Dreyfus, the Prime Minister thinks he is sending someone respected by the Jewish community to pour oil on troubled waters. He is not. Dreyfus’s silence on Israel is deeply felt across the Jewish community. Not only has he remained in Labor’s cabinet and gone along with every anti-Israel policy of the Albanese government, but as the minister responsible for Royal Commissions, the AFP and the Human Rights Commission, he has been an impediment to addressing anti-Semitism in this country.”

>>22314338, >>22314350 ‘Very thankful’: Top Palestinian envoy praises Australia for breaking with Israel - The departing de facto Palestinian ambassador to Australia has predicted a re-elected Albanese government would recognise a Palestinian state as he praised Labor for daring to repeatedly anger Israel and break with the United States in its stance on the Middle East. Izzat Abdulhadi will end his term as head of the general delegation of Palestine in Australia next week after more than 18 years in the role. Abdulhadi forcefully rejected claims by Israel’s ambassador to Australia, made in an interview with this masthead, that Hamas should be held responsible for the death toll in Gaza, arguing Israel had waged the war with reckless disregard for civilian lives. “This attack by Hamas [on October 7] does not justify this mass killing, the burning of hospitals, the killing of women and children who do not support Hamas,” he said from the West Bank. “It is beyond imagining what is happening there … even if Hamas uses human shields, this does not justify Israel killing the shields.” Almost 46,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the war began in 2023, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, including 49 people killed in Israeli air strikes on Monday.

#39 - Part 5

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 5

>>22327980 Video: Allawah synagogue in southern Sydney vandalised with swastikas, Jewish community leaders call for swift action - A synagogue in southern Sydney has been vandalised with several swastikas spray-painted onto exterior walls in what NSW Police have described as "offensive" graffiti. Police are investigating the incident at the Allawah synagogue and said it likely happened in the early hours of Friday morning. In red paint next to one of the swastikas was the message "HITLER ON TOP ALLAH…". It follows a number of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic graffiti incidents in Sydney's east in recent weeks. Last week, a car was spray-painted with the phrase "F*ck the Jews" in Sydney's east at Queens Park, and last year a synagogue in Melbourne was the subject of an arson attack. NSW Police said the latest incident was believed to have happened about 4:10am on Railway Parade in Allawah, with police from St George Area Command investigating the incident. Police released CCTV footage on Friday which shows two people dressed in black hoodies approaching the building. In a statement police said they would like to speak to a man who may be able to assist with their investigation. "He is described as being of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, of medium build, and with a long brown beard," it said. "The man was last seen wearing a black hooded jumper, black pants with a white stripe on the side, and aviator-style sunglasses."

>>22328004 ‘Bastards’: Angry premier condemns new graffiti attack on Sydney synagogue - A southwest Sydney synagogue has become the latest target of anti-Semitic vandals who spray-painted swastikas and the words “Hitler on top” on the building early on Friday morning. Red and black swastikas defaced the white walls of the Synagogue on Railway Ave, Allawah, with police at the scene searching for leads to identify the vandals. Two men in dark clothing and facial coverings were reportedly seen loitering around the synagogue at early hours of the morning. Police from St George Police Area Command are investigating and believe the incident occurred between 3.55am and 4.30am on Friday morning. NSW Premier Chris Minns arrived at the synagogue, which is in his electorate, on Friday morning and was seen speaking with leaders of the synagogue and police officers. Mr Minns called the perpetrators “bastards” and individuals who “have got hate in their hearts, that are determined to divide our community in two” at a press conference. Mr Minns said the perpetrators “should be ashamed of their actions, not just in southern Sydney but across metropolitan Sydney in the last few months” and vowed to continue strengthening laws and putting resources towards crime prevention.

>>22328013 AFP reveal More than 100 anti-Semitic attacks on Jews in one month - The Australian Federal Police have received more than 100 reports of anti-Semitic attacks targeting Australia’s Jewish community in just one month, new figures from Operation Avalite reveal. Since December 9, 2024 the AFP has received 124 reports of crime for potential offences under the commonwealth legislation. Of these, 102 reports are under investigation and 22 reports have not been accepted for further investigation. Anthony Albanese said at the time the taskforce was established in response to three anti-Semitic attacks: the terrorist attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea, an attack on Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns’ electorate office, and an incident in Woollahra in Sydney where a car was torched and buildings vandalised with anti-Israel messages. Under Operation Avalite, investigation teams were placed in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne, with authorities able to use legislation to investigate and prosecute offending that criminally targets the Australian Jewish community and federal parliamentarians. The Prime Minister has faced immense pressure to step up the government’s response from the opposition, who have accused Labor of allowing anti-Semitism to go unchecked.

#39 - Part 6

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 6

>>22328027 Labor pro-Palestine faction calls for ‘clarity’ on A-G’s Israel trip - A Labor factional group supporting Palestine has called on the government to “clarify the purpose” of Mark Dreyfus’s trip to Israel, revealing a deepening split over the Middle East conflict within the party. Labor Friends of Palestine has declared the group holds “deep concerns” about the Attorney-General’s week-long visit, citing Israel’s “ongoing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem”. The left-wing faction has demanded the only purpose of the relationship-mending visit should be to make clear that Australia “stands unequivocally with international law”, calling on Israel to stop its “genocidal actions or face comprehensive sanctions”. The strongly worded statement referred to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “fugitive under ICC arrest warrants”, after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest order in November for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

>>22333635 Josh Frydenberg: Anti-Semitism being unchecked in Australia is an election issue, Anthony Albanese - "Ever since the barbaric Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, our governments, federal and state, have done too little, too late, to protect the community from the rising tide of hate, preferring to turn the other cheek, avoiding the hard decisions and hoping the problem will just go away. But it hasn’t. It has become only worse as those who hate and those who harm have been emboldened by the inaction. But now, with the new year upon us and a federal election soon to be called, we the voters have an opportunity to hear from our leaders what they will do differently to take back the streets and protect the public from the mob. Unlike previous electoral cycles, this time social cohesion is on the ballot paper - and the party that promises real action will be rewarded. More of the same will not cut it. Neither will more empty words. What is required is the law to be enforced and, where necessary, the law to be strengthened. No more tolerance for people who openly call Jews “Nazis”, celebrate the atrocities of October 7, wave terrorist flags, chant “globalise the intifada” and call for the abolition of the state of Israel. Australia has a proud history as a tolerant, harmonious, multicultural nation. But across the past 15 months our reputation has been tarnished as our leaders have failed to act. Now, as we start a new year and approach the federal election, politicians and the public alike have an opportunity to turn a new page and reclaim what has been lost." - Josh Frydenberg, former federal treasurer and host of the Sky News documentary, Never Again: The Fight Against Antisemitism - theaustralian.com.au

>>22333651 ‘Monstrous:’ Sydney synagogue, home hit with anti-Semitic graffiti a day after another was vandalised - Vandals have graffitied a synagogue in Sydney’s inner west overnight, a day after swastikas were sprayed on the Southern Sydney Synagogue in Allawah. Police were called to a home that was covered with graffiti on Henry St in Queens Park about 6.30am on Saturday. An hour later they were notified the Newtown Synagogue on Georgina St had also been vandalised. Offensive comments were also written on a poster at Marrickville Rd in Marrickville, which police allege is a separate incident. A NSW Police spokesman said an investigation into the incidents has commenced. “The NSW Police Force takes hate crimes seriously and encourages anyone who is the victim of a hate crime or witnesses a hate crime to report the matter to police,” a spokesman said. “It is important that the community and police continue to work together to make NSW a safer place for everyone.”

>>22333662 Video: Sydney synagogue and house targeted with swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti - Police are investigating after offensive graffiti was found spray-painted on a synagogue and a house in Sydney. About 7:30am on Saturday morning, police were notified after graffiti was spray-painted on a synagogue on Georgina Street, Newtown in Sydney's inner west. Several red swastikas were painted along the front fence of the place of worship. On Friday morning, the Allawah synagogue in southern Sydney was vandalised with several swastikas spray-painted onto exterior walls in what NSW Police have described as "offensive" graffiti. Also on Saturday morning, officers attended a house on Henry Street, Queens Park in Sydney's east, after being notified about 6:30am that an anti-Semitic slur had been spray-painted on the front of the property. The words "F*ck Jews" were sprayed on the outside of the home.

#39 - Part 7

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 7

>>22339463 Dutton pledges to repair Australia’s ties with Israel - Peter Dutton will make calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu one of his first priorities if he wins this year’s federal election, as he launched his broad pre-poll vision for the nation on Sunday. Flanked by his senior team in the target Melbourne seat of Chisholm, the Opposition Leader declared the Albanese government was “worse than Whitlam” and warned the nation will never recover if Anthony Albanese is re-elected. And as he set out priorities on tax, migration and education, Mr Dutton said he would move personally to repair the nation’s relationship with Israel. “Every incident of anti-Semitism can be traced back to the Prime Minister’s dereliction of leadership in response to the sordid events on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. Anti-Semitism should have been stopped there and then,” Mr Dutton said in Glen Waverley. “This government is so morally confused it treats our ally, Israel, like an adversary. “And in the first days of a Coalition government, I will call the Prime Minister of Israel to mend the relationship that Labor has trashed.”

>>22363017 ‘Long-overdue’: World leaders react to Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has joined British PM Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in calling for a ‘permanent, political solution’ in Gaza, and an influx of aid after Israel and Hamas agreed on a 42-day ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza . The deal, set to begin on Sunday, has raised cautious hopes for an end to 15 months of devastating conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, left much of Gaza in ruins, and seen more than 250 Israeli hostages taken, with 33 set to be released in the first stage of the deal. Mr Albanese on Thursday welcomed the ceasefire, calling it a “constructive step towards peace and stability in the region.” “Today must mark the beginning of a new chapter for the Israeli and Palestinian ,” Mr Albanese told reporters. “We hope it will allow the Palestinian people the opportunity to rebuild, reform their governance which is most necessary to pursue self-determination.” In an earlier joint statement, Mr Albanese and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong described the deal as “a constructive step towards peace and stability in the region”. In their statement, they urged all parties to “respect its terms and safeguard a lasting peace”, stressing the importance of ensuring “the immediate release of all hostages and unimpeded and sustained increases in humanitarian assistance to all parts of Gaza”.

>>22363030 ‘Acknowledge Palestine now’: Labor activists’ post-ceasefire call as Anthony Albanese rules out recognition - Labor activists have demanded Anthony Albanese immediately recognise Palestine and impose sanctions on Israel until it withdraws completely from the Palestinian territories, despite the Prime Minister’s attempt to neutralise the conflict as an election issue post-ceasefire. Mr Albanese on Thursday ruled out formally recognising a Palestinian state before the next election, signalling he will only back such a move if terror group Hamas plays no future role in the Middle East. But Labor Friends of Palestine spokesman Peter Moss said hours later that the Albanese government must follow the ALP constitution and fast track formal recognition regardless. “Labor Friends of Palestine calls on the Australian government to implement official platform policy and immediately and unconditionally recognise the State of Palestine, joining 146 UN member states, including Ireland, Norway and Spain,” Mr Moss told The Australian. “Australia and the international community should apply comprehensive sanctions under international law, in line with the (International Court of Justice) July 2024 ruling, until Israel ends its illegal occupation.”

#39 - Part 8

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 8

>>22363037 Mark Dreyfus plans to visit southern Israel amid fence-mending trip - Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus plans to visit southern Israeli communities devastated by the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants, unlike Foreign Minister Penny Wong who avoided the area during her trip to Israel a year ago. The Attorney-General spent his first day in Israel as part of the Albanese government’s attempt to improve the fractured relationship with the Netanyahu government in Jerusalem meeting his counterpart Justice Minister Yariv Levin. Mr Dreyfus also met two relatives of Israelis held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, saying in a social media post that they “speak for all of us when they demand the return of all hostages to their families. The ceasefire must make that a reality.” His trip marks exactly one year since Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s controversial visit to Israel, a diplomatic encounter that left many in Israel questioning Australia’s commitment to its longstanding ally. “Australia-Israel relations are at the lowest point I have seen them,” said Senator Dave Sharma, a former Australian Ambassador to Israel. Under Senator Wong, Australia has supported UN resolutions condemning Israeli settlements, reinstated the term “Occupied Palestinian Territories” and called for Israel to cease its “unlawful presence” in those territories. These moves have sparked backlash from Israeli leaders, who view them as a significant policy shift and led to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late last year attacking the Albanese government’s position on Palestine that he warned was fuelling anti-Semitism back in Australia.

>>22370306 Video: ‘Evil at work’: Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin slams attack on former Dover Heights home - Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin says there is an “evil at work” across the nation fuelling horrendous anti-Semitic attacks, calling on Australians to “speak up” on “wickedness” after his former property was at the centre of the latest strike. Mr Ryvchin, whose former family home was doused in red paint early this morning, said he was deeply concerned that someone will soon die as a result of the escalating hatred of Australian Jews and growing number of anti-Semitic incidents. Police and emergency services were called to Dover Heights in the early hours this morning, following reports cars were graffitied with shocking slurs, two vehicles were set alight, and Mr Ryvchin’s former family house was doused with red paint. One of the cars destroyed by fire, a Mercedes, had “f*ck Jews” sprayed on the side and a Honda had “f*ck Israel” vandalised on its rear windscreen and trunk. Both vehicles were towed this morning as police investigated the scene and sourced CCTV of the horrific strike. Officers are inquiring as to whether the incident was targeted at Mr Ryvchin. The Australian understands the current residents of the home are not Jewish, but of Asian descent.

>>22370423 Video: Sydney home vandalised in anti-Semitic attack previously owned by prominent Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin - A home in Sydney's eastern suburbs vandalised in an anti-Semitic attack was previously owned by Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of Executive Council of the Australian Jewry. The prime minister and NSW premier have condemned the incident on Military Road at Dover Heights just before 4am. Emergency services arrived to find two cars alight, at least one of those cars was spray painted with "f*ck Jews", two others damaged and the garage and front wall of a nearby house splashed with red paint. NSW Police are investigating the incident and said they "take hate crimes seriously" and urged anyone with information to come forward. "I can't say with certainty whether the people who did this deliberately targeted me and my family, but … for them to hit this house, my former house of all the houses … will be one hell of a coincidence," Mr Ryvchin said. "There is an evil at work in this country and we have to recognise that there are people who are so consumed by hatred that they would seek to burn people because they disagree with their words. "How we respond to things like this will determine the future of the country."

#39 - Part 9

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 9

>>22370472 Minns condemns ‘animals’ over attack on former home of Jewish community leader - NSW Premier Chris Minns has called the perpetrators behind Sydney’s latest anti-Semitic attack “animals” with “hate-filled hearts” and said the overnight strike in the eastern suburbs, which saw cars set ablaze and a house doused in red paint, was “barbaric”. Mr Minns also announced concrete changes to protest laws to protect places of worship and, significantly, a strengthening of the state’s hate-speech laws to possibly outlaw the incitement of hatred, not just violence. It comes after two cars were torched and others vandalised with “f*ck Jews” graffiti overnight in Dover Heights, a prominent Jewish suburb in Sydney’s east. The former home of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive, Alex Ryvchin, was sprayed with red paint, in what authorities said was unlikely a coincidence and Mr Minns called “horrifying scenes”. “There are horrifying, anti-Semitic, violence attacks,” Mr Minns said. “I never thought I’d see this kind of naked racism and anti-Semitism repeating itself on Sydney’s streets in such an organised, horrifying manner. Incidents of anti-Semitism and violent behaviour are increasing… (and) we have to stand together to condemn it unambiguously and send a clear message to these animals that their actions will not be tolerated.”

>>22370522 Muslim, Jewish leaders call for peace as Dutton writes to PM on anti-Jewish hate - Muslim and Jewish leaders have made a united call to rebuild relations between their communities to counter antisemitic attacks as the Albanese government warns that extremists feel emboldened to perpetrate hate crimes in Melbourne and Sydney. Prominent Lebanese Muslim leader Jamal Rifi said fringe actors within Sydney’s Muslim community had “militarised” anger over the war for political gain. Putting a stop to the repeated targeting of synagogues and Jewish areas in Melbourne and Sydney required governments to urgently bring together leaders of both communities, Rifi said. “We need a sense of unity,” he said. “I call on everyone to not just rely on the passage of time and a ceasefire. We need a proactive approach to bring the community together now.” Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler endorsed the call for dialogue but cautioned that a mere photo opportunity would not fix the “waves of hatred online and on our streets” after a series of attacks on Jewish homes, schools and synagogues. “I’m sure a small group of dedicated community leaders - meeting even for private discussions alone - could do a world of good, but only if everyone is prepared to take antisemitism seriously,” Leibler said.

>>22370553 Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke launches $106m plan to stop extremism - The federal government is pouring $106m over four years to counter terrorism and violent extremism through a new strategy that mandates every state to strengthen measures against politically motivated violence. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke introduced the strategy on Friday as he condemned the latest anti-Semitic attack in Sydney that targeted a home once owned by Alex Ryvchin, one of the nation’s most prominent Jewish leaders. Australia’s terror threat alert was raised from possible to probable last year, with security agencies at the time warning that Australians were becoming radicalised faster and younger, and that terrorism incidents could occur with minimal warning. Mr Burke on Friday said the nature of radicalisation had changed drastically in the past few years and it now required an “evolved” strategy to deal with it. Mr Burke laid out four main measures that required change. He said the first and most significant was the nationwide support and intervention program, developed in partnership with states and territories and designed to prevent individuals from transitioning from radicalisation to engaging in acts of violence. “Effectively this is where someone is identified as a specific risk,” he said. “In those instances, we need to make sure that we have a significant increase in resources.” The second area was what he called the ‘Step Together’ program, where parents are encouraged to seek support for their potentially radicalised children. The third measure was providing resources about safety in online gaming and the final area was to improve pathways for consultation, development and evaluation of all of these programs.

#39 - Part 10

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 10

>>22370597 Ceasefire brings ‘cautious optimism’ for Australian Palestinians, Muslim leaders - Palestinians in Australia have said a “long-awaited” Israel-Hamas ceasefire would be a lifeline for their loved ones in Gaza as the country’s peak Muslim bodies “cautiously but optimistically” welcomed the developments. It comes as the US and Qatar on Thursday said Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire deal that could begin on Sunday, and would see some hostages return and fighting halt in Gaza. Mahmoud Kaskeen, born and raised in Gaza, moved to Sydney seven years ago, founding the Gaza Australian Program to help settle Palestinian refugees arriving amid the conflict. “Any opportunity for peace and an end to violence is something we all hope for,” said Mr Kaskeen, whose sister arrived in Sydney after fleeing the conflict. “(A ceasefire) could provide much-needed respite for those who have been enduring incredible hardship … (and) an opportunity for humanitarian aid to reach those who need it the most, and for Gaza to rebuild.” Mr Kaskeen was concerned, however, given ceasefires were “often fragile” and could break down. “The root causes of the conflict need to be addressed for lasting peace to be achieved,” he said. “A temporary halt in fighting doesn’t necessarily resolve the deeper issues that led to this cycle of violence.”

>>22370619 Muslim Vote and Fatima Payman promise to keep heat on Anthony Albanese over Middle East at election - Muslim independents, Labor ­activists and pro-Palestine protesters will work to block Anthony Albanese’s attempts to take the Middle East off the election agenda post-ceasefire, as they demand Labor spend federal money on Gaza’s reconstruction and support attempts to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu. The Prime Minister on Thursday ruled out formally recognising a Palestinian state before the next election, signalling he will back such a move only if terror group Hamas played no future role in a new nation. He also flagged the need for Palestinian “reform”, observing there hasn’t been an “election in Gaza or West Bank for almost two decades”. But a pair of pro-Palestine independent candidates eyeing Labor ministers’ seats in western Sydney and rogue ex-ALP senator Fatima Payman said on Thursday they would not stop campaigning against the Albanese government until Israel’s democratic government was “held accountable” for alleged war crimes. Mr Albanese on Thursday said, no matter the outcome of the six-week staged ceasefire process, there could be no future Palestinian state with Hamas at the heart of it. “Hamas is the enemy of the Palestinian people, not just the enemy of the state of Israel,” Mr Albanese said. His comments come as independent candidates, backed by the Muslim Votes political movement, prepare to challenge Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and Education Minister Jason Clare in their western Sydney seats of Watson and Blaxland at the upcoming election. Watson candidate Ziad Basyouny said Australia should enact sanctions against Israel, and Blaxland independent candidate Ahmed Ouf said Israel must be held accountable for the “tens of thousands of lives lost, homes destroyed and the atrocities inflicted on innocent families”. Senator Payman, who quit the ALP to form her own party, called Australia’s Voice, also urged the Albanese government to place sanctions on Israel, divest from “Israeli companies implicated in the occupation”, and support an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories.

>>22379024 Defensive Albanese promises ‘action’ on anti-Semitism as ceasefire nears - A defensive Anthony Albanese has stressed Australians wanted “action not meetings” to combat the escalating anti-Semitism crisis as NSW Premier Chris Minns conceded imminent hate-speech law reform was a year late. It comes as world leaders watched and waited ahead of Sunday’s imminent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that he would resume the war if negotiations broke down. The Prime Minister and NSW Premier issued the update on both governments’ response to Friday’s latest anti-Semitic attack - where cars were torched and vandalised in Sydney, and the former home of Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin doused in red paint – while announcing a $1bn funding tranche to upgrade the Fifteenth Ave transit corridor linking to the new western Sydney Airport. “I’m devastated by what happened (in Dover Heights on Friday) and to what happened to Mr Ryvchin’s former home,” Mr Albanese said. “I spoke to Alex on Friday … And me and the premier have been constantly talking about these issues, and people want to see action.”

#39 - Part 11

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 11

>>22379048 ‘Celebrate what?’: Melbourne protests won’t stop for Gaza ceasefire - Pro-Palestinian protesters have vowed to continue the rallies in Melbourne’s CBD, hours before a phased ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was set to come into effect, prompting renewed calls from the state government and business lobby for the weekly marches to end. After 15 months of rallies, hundreds of people again gathered at the State Library on Sunday wearing keffiyeh scarves and using watermelon imagery as a symbol of Palestinian resistance, calling for boycotts, sanctions and liberation. Palestinian activist Mai Saif said the ceasefire deal - due to take effect at 5.30pm on Sunday (AEDT) – did not bring her peace, nor did it bring relief to the tens of thousands of people killed in the war. Under the deal, fighting in the Gaza Strip would pause, while dozens of hostages held by Hamas would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. “It doesn’t give relief to every single home that’s been destroyed, every memory, essence, the society, the culture, history, our heritage, our lands, our trees,” Saif said. “They want us to cheer and celebrate - for what? They want us to celebrate and say thank you. We are not thankful.”

>>22379102 Burgertory boss Hash Tayeh among high-profile Palestinian organisers to pull pin on protests - The organisers of Melbourne’s weekly pro-Palestine protests have split over the post-ceasefire future of the rallies, with Burgertory boss Hash Tayeh and others pulling out after this week. The Australian can reveal organisers had a private meeting on Saturday to discuss the continuation of weekly protests following a blowback from Victoria’s peak business lobby, who say families have been discouraged from venturing into the CBD in recent times. It’s understood a number of high-profile activists will cease to attend weekly protests from next week, a move that came as a surprise for supporters of the movement. Among them is Mr Tayeh of the Liberation Crew, who will stop attending protests from next week as he shifts his focus to “advocacy, rebuilding, and accountability” efforts both locally and internationally. Hardline activist Ihab Alazhari of the ‘Sit-Intifada’ will also cease to attend weekly protests from next week.

>>22379359 Horrific anti-Semitic attack caught on CCTV - CCTV footage has emerged of the moment two dark-clothed and hooded figures doused two cars in petrol and splattered red paint on the former home of a high-profile Jewish community leader on ­Friday. The vision shows a charcoal-coloured hatchback slowing down out the front of the former family home of Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin, before two figures emerge with a fuel container and what appears to be a paint spray gun. One assailant then sprays the home - now occupied by non-Jewish residents – with red paint as the other pours a trail of petrol to the other side of the road before ­igniting a fire. One car destroyed by fire, a Mercedes, had “f*ck Jews” sprayed on the side; a Honda had “f*ck ­Israel” on its rear windscreen and trunk. NSW police are investigating whether the attack was targeting Mr Ryvchin and his family in a shocking new development in an anti-Semitism crisis that began to spiral more than 15 months ago. Colin Rubenstein, executive director of the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, called for “unreserved condemnation” by Australia’s political leaders and for “law and order” to be restored in the nation.

>>22387511 Dutton promises mandatory jail time for Hamas, Hezbollah flag wavers - Australians who wave flags of listed terrorist organisations such as Hamas or Hezbollah would face minimum year-long jail terms under a Coalition government, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pleads with people to lower the heat on domestic debate over the war in Gaza following a ceasefire. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, Coalition frontbencher James Paterson and Jewish MP Julian Leeser released their proposals for tough new laws to clamp down on antisemitism following a string of attacks on synagogues and Jewish parts of Melbourne and Sydney in recent months. Speaking at Bondi’s Central Synagogue, Paterson said people found guilty of terrorism would face a minimum six-year jail-term. Displaying the flags of terror groups - as seen in the streets of Melbourne and Sydney after the death of Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah – would attract a minimum of a year behind bars under a proposed amendment to federal wage symbols laws that were passed in 2023. Mandatory minimum sentences are controversial in the legal establishment because, critics argue, they prevent judges considering individual circumstances.

#39 - Part 12

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 12

>>22387524 Mark Dreyfus called out over Labor’s ‘clearly ineffectual’ response to anti-Semitism - Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister personally took Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to task over Labor’s “clearly ineffectual” handling of anti-Semitism and its turn against the Jewish homeland in the United Nations. Despite Mr Dreyfus earlier saying he had been “warmly welcomed” in all his meetings in Israel, Sharren Haskel said she had expressed to him “disappointment with the shift in the Australian government’s attitude towards Israel”. “I emphasised our deep concern regarding the shocking rise in anti-Semitism in Australia and the clearly ineffectual response from the Australian government and state governments,” she wrote in a post on X. “There is no doubt this has been caused in part by the Australian government’s ongoing campaign against Israel. I expressed my expectation and hope that Australia’s policy towards Israel will return to reflecting our longstanding relations based on shared values and interests.” Mr Dreyfus, the most senior Jewish cabinet minister, last week travelled to Israel as part of the Albanese government’s attempt to improve its fractured relationship with the Netanyahu government. When contacted for comment, a spokesman for Mr Dreyfus disputed Ms Haskel’s characterisation of the meeting. “Australia’s friendship with Israel is strong and enduring,” the spokesman said. “The Attorney-General does not agree with Ms Haskell’s sentiments, and they are not reflective of the remainder of his meetings in Israel with senior ministers including the President of Israel.”

>>22400411 Video: Childcare centre set alight, graffitied with anti-Semitic words at Maroubra in Sydney's south-east - A childcare centre has been set alight and graffitied with anti-Semitic words in Sydney's south-east overnight. NSW Police said the Storey Street building at Maroubra was set alight just before 1am on Tuesday. Firefighters found the ground floor of the building, which was unoccupied, well involved in fire. Police said the building was extensively damaged before firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze. The fence of the childcare centre was spray painted with "F*ck the Jews". A crime scene has been established at the childcare centre, less than 200 metres from the Maroubra Synagogue on nearby Anzac Parade, and an investigation is underway. NSW Premier Chris Minns described the vandalism as "disgusting" and said the "vicious hate crime" was the subject of a major investigation by police. "The scene of a torched out childcare centre on the same block as a synagogue is completely heartbreaking," he said. "These bastards will be round up by NSW Police."

>>22400465 ‘These bastards will be rounded up’: Fury after Sydney daycare centre torched in antisemitic attack - An antisemitic attack on a childcare centre in Sydney’s east has been labelled “evil”, “despicable” and a potential act of terror after the centre was set alight and graffitied with an offensive slogan, with community leaders warning it may be a prelude to further violence. Premier Chris Minns has vowed to round up the “bastards” who torched the Only About Children childcare centre on Storey Street in Maroubra just before 1am on Tuesday in the latest antisemitic attack to blight Sydney. Video of the centre ablaze showed the words “F*ck the Jews” sprayed in black paint on a wall. The building was unoccupied at the time, and there were no injuries. It’s unclear whether the multifaith facility was the intended target of the antisemitic attack. It was owned by an eastern suburbs Jewish family until 2023, and it is situated near Maroubra Synagogue and Mount Sinai College -- an Orthodox Jewish school and preschool. Detectives combed the area on Tuesday morning, with an accelerant detection dog brought in to sniff the crime scene.

>>22400536 NSW police taskforce doubled after anti-Semitic ‘scumbags’ torch Sydney childcare centre - NSW police have doubled the number of detectives on its hate crimes taskforce after a childcare centre was firebombed and vandalised in Sydney’s latest anti-Semitic attack on Tuesday. The attack on Maroubra’s Only About Children daycare -- the second firebombing in the eastern suburbs in less than a week – prompted Anthony Albanese to convene a national cabinet to address the crisis, as NSW Premier Chris Minns slammed the “bastards” who had plunged to new “lows”. On Tuesday evening, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb announced she had allocated Strike Force Pearl, the unit investigating the hate attacks, a further 20 investigators, effectively doubling its staff-power. Education Minister Jason Clare vowed to split any additional costs of the centre’s rebuild that wasn’t covered by insurance on a 50-50 basis with the state government, asking which “sort of scumbag” would attack a childcare centre.

#39 - Part 13

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 13

>>22400575 Video: Police believe ‘overseas actors’ may be behind antisemitic attacks, paid for in crypto - Federal police are investigating whether malicious foreign actors are paying local criminals to carry out violent antisemitic acts in the streets of Sydney and Melbourne, forcing an urgent meeting of police chiefs after a wave of hatred that federal police chief Reece Kershaw said was causing Jews to hide at home. As the prime minister and state leaders agreed to a new national antisemitism database during a late afternoon national cabinet meeting, Kershaw issued a striking statement floating the possibility that Australians were being paid in cryptocurrency to target synagogues and houses in Jewish suburbs. “We are looking into whether overseas actors or individuals have paid local criminals in Australia to carry out some of these crimes in our suburbs,” he said in a written statement, adding that he was talking to law enforcement agencies in Five Eyes nations of US, UK, Canada and New Zealand. “We are looking at if - or how - they have been paid, for example in cryptocurrency, which can take longer to identify. We are looking into whether any young people are involved in carrying out some of these crimes, and if they have been radicalised online and encouraged to commit antisemitic acts. Regardless, it all points to the same motivation: demonising and intimidating the Jewish community.”

>>22408603 National cabinet agrees to set up anti-Semitism database as AFP says foreign influence may be behind attacks - Australian Federal Police have told a meeting of national cabinet they are investigating whether overseas actors have paid local criminals to carry out anti-Semitic attacks, including by radicalising young people online. Commissioner Reece Kershaw said in a statement police were still "building evidence" about what was behind the spate of anti-Semitic hate crimes in recent months, but pointed to "intelligence" informing investigations, including whether Australians had been paid using cryptocurrencies. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the snap meeting of national cabinet on Tuesday after anti-Semitic graffiti was sprayed and arson attempted at a childcare centre in Maroubra. The meeting saw leaders agree to improve data collection. A joint statement from the leaders following the virtual meeting said a new national database would track anti-Semitic crimes, incidents and behaviours "to better inform and co-ordinate responses." The leaders also re-affirmed their intention to co-operate to "stamp out" anti-Semitism in Australia.

>>22408619 Anti-Semitic incidents in Sydney could shape future of hate crime laws as more detectives committed - The nature of recent anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney could shape the future of hate crime laws in NSW, as police concede policing alone won’t eradicate the problem. Investigations are ongoing after a childcare centre in Sydney's south-east was firebombed and a wall was vandalised with the phrase "F*ck the Jews" on Tuesday. It’s the eighth suspected hate crime in Sydney during the past few months relating to anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment. In response to the attack on the Maroubra centre, NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said police have had the number of detectives doubled from 20 to 40 to help investigate a slew of similar incidents in recent months. Premier Chris Minns also vowed on Tuesday that "these bastards will be round up" and has previously flagged legislative reform to tackle hate crime. Meanwhile, even local governments are taking action with the Randwick City Council, which covers the suburb of Maroubra, calling for additional CCTV cameras in Sydney's east.

>>22408655 Video: NSW Police charge man over anti-Semitic attack and attempted fire at Sydney's Newtown Synagogue - NSW Police expect to make a second arrest over an attempt to set fire to a synagogue in Sydney's inner west earlier this month. On Wednesday, police announced they had arrested 33-year-old Camperdown man Adam Moule after executing search warrants at two addresses on Pyrmont Bridge Road. He is the ninth person to be charged under Strike Force Pearl, which was established in December to investigate several anti-Semitic incidents in Sydney in recent months. Several red swastikas were also graffitied along the front fence of the Newtown Synagogue on Georgina Street on January 11. Police said at the time that officers were looking for two people in connection with the alleged anti-Semitic attack. Police Commissioner Karen Webb on Wednesday morning said the matter was still under investigation but a second man is expected to arrested and charged "shortly". A day after the incident, Commissioner Webb said that those responsible used a "clear liquid" to ignite a fire, which extinguished itself.

#39 - Part 14

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 14

>>22408692 Video: AFP suspects organised crime behind some anti-Semitic attacks, but no known terrorist links - Australian Federal Police (AFP) suspect organised crime groups with foreign funding are carrying out some of the anti-Semitic attacks in Melbourne and Sydney, but have not uncovered any evidence of involvement from terrorist organisations or foreign governments. After a statement on Tuesday suggesting the recent spate of anti-Semitic hate crimes could be financed overseas using cryptocurrencies, AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw on Wednesday clarified investigations were not yet complete and he was "not ready to rule anything in or out". But he confirmed in a prepared statement, police were investigating whether "some individuals have been paid to carry out some anti-Semitic acts in Australia". "We believe criminals for hire may be behind some incidents, so part of our inquiries include - who is paying those criminals, where those people are, whether they are in Australia or offshore and what their motivation is," he said. Domestic intelligence agency ASIO is also assisting federal and state police with their investigations, but so far, no intelligence has been uncovered linking foreign governments or terrorist organisations to any of the recent attacks in Australia.

>>22408724 Rabbi pleads with Rudd in Washington to help end Melbourne’s pro-Palestinian CBD protests - Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, has been asked to convey to Canberra Jewish concerns about the impact of the weekly pro-Palestinian demonstrations in central Melbourne. At a meeting in Washington last week with Rabbi Abraham Cooper, an expert on online hate and terrorism with the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, the former prime minister agreed to make representations to the Australian government on whether the protests could be shifted away from the CBD streets. The high-level diplomacy, held amid a series of firebomb attacks targeting Jewish communities in Melbourne and Sydney, was in response to the Simon Wiesenthal Centre’s decision last month to issue an “extreme caution” travel advisory to Jews planning to visit Australia. The January 14 meeting between Cooper and Rudd at the Australian embassy in Washington was confirmed by the rabbi and the embassy. Rudd did not respond to questions about his discussion with Cooper. Speaking to this masthead from the centre’s headquarters in Los Angeles, Cooper said that while freedom of speech was sacrosanct, the regular Sunday protests in Melbourne had turned the CBD into a “no-go zone” for Jews. “It is a tactic to bully Jews into silence and take over physical locations,” he said. “The net result is to cede control of a specific part of the city to one group, at the exclusion of other people.” Cooper said the antisemitic arson attacks should be investigated for potential links to global extremist groups. The fire that destroyed the Adass Israel synagogue is being investigated by Joint Counter-Terrorism Team detectives.

>>22408749 Video: Israel accuses Albanese of dragging feet on anti-Semitism after childcare arson - Israel has launched another broadside against the Albanese government, accusing it of sitting on its hands and letting anti-Semitism fester across Australia. The Israeli government's latest criticism follows another anti-Semitic attack in Sydney, where a childcare centre was set alight and vandalised. In an exclusive interview with the ABC in Jerusalem, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel described the Albanese government's own policies as fuelling violence against Australia's Jewish community. She said Australian authorities had been too slow and too cautious in investigating incidents across the country, allowing the problem to get worse. "Obviously the attitude of the current Australian government towards Israel is inflaming a lot of these emotions and giving, I guess, some acceptance when you do not fight it," she said. "Words are not enough, we've passed that long time ago, words are not enough. The Jewish community needs actions, and only through that, through deterrence, through investigation, prosecution - you have to fight it. I mean, what are they waiting for? For someone to die? For someone to be murdered?" Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke refuted claims the government had not acted. "The concept that we are waiting is frankly wrong," Mr Burke told ABC Radio National. "There were no laws against Nazi symbols and the Nazi salute in Australia … we changed the law. There were no laws about doxxing … when doxxing was used as a form of anti-Semitism, we brought in laws. We have legislation in parliament now about hate crimes. There have been visa cancellations I have personally done. With respect to those comments that this government is somehow waiting is simply not right."

#39 - Part 15

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 15

>>22416549 Video: ‘James Bond’ enlists local criminals in botched Sydney Jewish deli attack - Two Sydney men charged by NSW Police’s anti-Semitism task force were seemingly hired by an unknown nefarious criminal referred to as “James Bond” to carry out a firebombing on a Bondi brewery they mistook for a Jewish deli with a similar name. After realising they may have inadvertently torched a different Bondi establishment that shared a “Lewis” in its name with the deli, the attackers said: “I’m starting to think he (James Bond) has sent us to the wrong place lol”. The Australian can reveal footage of Curly Lewis brewery in Bondi being set alight after the two criminals, appearing to take orders from an unknown Australia-based man via encrypted messaging platform Signal, seemingly mistook the business for the nearby kosher deli of a similar name, which was firebombed days later. Authorities are attempting to understand who may be orchestrating and funding some of the attacks behind the scenes, with this latest revelation only furthering authorities’ belief that some perpetrators may be criminals for hire. On October 17, Bondi’s Curly Lewis brewery was set alight, sustaining about $80,000 in damages. A few days later, on October 20, the Jewish-run kosher deli, Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, was torched a kilometre away from the brewery. NSW Police’s Strike Force Pearl established to “investigate hate crimes with an anti-Semitic focus” – charged Guy Finnegan and co-accused Craig Bantoft, 37, before arresting and charging a 40-year-old and 26-year-old in January for their involvement in the incidents. The force have linked the two fires and four men, with the brewery torched in a case of “mistaken identity”, with the deli the intended target. After the pair torched the brewery -- Finnegan and Bantoft poured petrol under its front door, before then throwing lit paper, which set it alight – they conversed on encrypted messaging chat Signal, revealing they had taken the orders from the unknown man under the alias “James Bond”.

>>22416572 Video: Men accused of anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish deli won’t hand over phones - Two men involved in what police say was an anti-Semitic related incident that ended in one of them setting fire to a Jewish deli in Bondi are allegedly refusing to provide passwords to allow investigators to forensically examine the contents of their mobile phones. It follows allegations in The Australian on Thursday that two other men were initially hired to firebomb the same alleged target - Lewis Continental Kitchen – by a man they only called ‘James Bond’. They mistakenly hit a Bondi brewery which had a similar name on October 17, telling each other in an encrypted group chat: “I’m starting to think he (James Bond) has sent us to the wrong place lol”. Three days later, on October 20, Wayne Ogden, aged 40, who has never held a license, allegedly stole a BMW in Arncliffe in Sydney’s inner south about 2am, drove it to Bondi Beach, and then lit Lewis Continental Kitchen on fire. While detained on remand in Silverwater prison, Mr Ogden then allegedly “failed to comply with a digital evidence order” related to handing over his password which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Police allege Mr Odgen’s co-accused, Juon Majok Mal Amuoi, attended the Campbell Parade deli five days earlier, on October 15, dressed in black and armed with a sledgehammer “with the intention of causing damage to the property”, before he was scared off by a security guard who alerted police. He has not been charged in relation to the October 20 firebombing. Mr Amuoi is also allegedly refusing to hand over his phone password to police and is facing additional charges for “failing to comply with a lawful direction given under the order by an executing officer”.

>>22416604 Son of murdered Comanchero bikie boss Mick Hawi charged in connection with anti-Semitic incident - The son of a murdered Comanchero bikie boss is one of the nine people charged in connection to a wave of anti-Semitic attacks across Sydney, as police investigate the possibility of foreign actors and organised crime being responsible for the spate of incidents. Adam Hawi, the son of the former national president of the Comanchero Mick Hawi, was charged last week regarding his alleged role ahead of an incident in Woollahra in November. The incident which saw close to $100,000 worth of damage caused involved a ute being set alight, multiple cars being damaged and Matt Moran’s Chiswick restaurant being graffitied with anti-Israel messages. Detectives will allege Hawi’s car was used in the attack before refusing to tell detectives who was driving it.

#39 - Part 16

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 16

>>22416629 Second alleged Newtown synagogue vandal arrested - A second man has been arrested for his alleged part in the attempted arson of the Newtown synagogue, as the man police will argue was his accomplice prepares to face court. NSW Police released a statement on Thursday afternoon saying they had arrested a 37-year-old man in connection with the anti-Semitic vandalism attack. He was found at a hotel on Pyrmont Bridge Rd at about 1pm, though charges are yet to be laid. During his arrest, the man was tasered, with paramedics treating him at Day Street Police Station. Video provided by NSW Police shows officers from the dedicated anti-Semitism taskforce Strike Force Pearl leading the alleged vandal being escorted from the site of his arrest to a paddywagon. Both in Pyrmont and upon his arrival at Day Street he is hunched over and shirtless, with what seem to be bruises along his lower back. It comes after NSW Police arrested 33-year-old Pyrmont man Adam Moule on Tuesday for allegedly vandalising Newtown Synagogue in Sydney’s inner west with Nazi symbols and trying, unsuccessfully, to set it on fire. He was taken into custody at 7.40pm and charged with multiple offences, including destroying property using fire and stolen goods.

>>22416640 Nazi symbols graffitied on Nationals candidate's country NSW billboard - Nazi symbols have been graffitied onto a politician's billboard in the New South Wales central west. Swastikas were on Tuesday found to have been drawn onto promotional material for federal Nationals candidate for Calare, Sam Farraway, in Orange. In a statement posted on social media, Mr Farraway said he hoped the perpetrators "cop the full force of the law". "Far right extremism and neo-Nazism has no place in our country," he said. "[It is] disappointing to find it in our backyard in the central west, a region that is home to many people, races and cultures." The symbols have since been removed from the billboards. In a statement the New South Wales Premier Chris Minns condemned the attack. "There is absolutely no place for racism, bigotry, or anti-Semitism anywhere in New South Wales," Mr Minns said. "Civil society stands united in condemning this flagrant racism. We will be doing everything we can to catch these thugs."

>>22428559 Video: Josh Frydenberg, Deborah Conway and Alex Ryvchin: Our Australians of the Year fight hatred for all of us - None of them thought they would ever have to fight this fight in Australia. Not in our lucky country, land of opportunity and easygoing mores, where old-world prejudices and enmities were to be left where they belonged: far, far away. But the fallout of the October 7, 2023 strike on Israel destroyed that notion for this nation’s Jewish community. Outrage at the paroxysm of murder, rape and abduction unleashed by Hamas 15 months ago soon gave way to something else - something hateful that Jews in Australia had never experienced. A wave of anti-Semitic attacks on their homes, synagogues and schools. The doxxing of Jewish creatives, violating their privacy and personal security, exposing them to threats of the vilest kind. The harassment of Jewish students and academics on campuses nationwide. And at every turn, bewilderment in Australia’s deeply patriotic, 116,000-strong Jewish community that the country they loved seemed to have abandoned them. The hate-inspired attacks represent more than a threat to social cohesion, public safety and the rule of law. They also challenge the very essence of what it is to be Australian, warns Josh Frydenberg, this masthead’s joint 2024 Australian of the Year. “For me, this is about much more than the Jewish community and their safety,” he said. “I believe this is Australia’s fight. We are defending Australian values.” Together with singer-songwriter Deborah Conway and Jewish leader and author Alex Ryvchin, the former federal treasurer has been recognised for calling out the anti-Semitism that surged here after Israel hit back at Hamas and launched its bloody invasion of Gaza 15 months ago.

#39 - Part 17

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 17

>>22430394 Australia playing into Iran’s hands on Palestine, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister says - Israel has accused Labor of playing into the hands of Iran and called on it to back the only democracy in the Middle East, as Anthony Albanese defends sending Foreign Minister and critic of Israeli foreign policy Penny Wong to the year’s most important Holocaust memorial. Benjamin Netanyahu’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel has criticised Labor for failing to support a democracy and tackle anti-Semitism. Ms Haskel on Saturday called on Australia as one of the “world’s great democracies and multicultural nations” to back the Jewish state as it battles forces that represent the “antithesis of Australian values”. “Israel is fighting for its survival against the murderous proxies of Iran who embody the very antithesis of Australian values - it’s high time the Australian government recognised this fact and acted accordingly and supported the one true democracy in the Middle East, Israel,” Ms Haskel writes in The Weekend Australian.

>>22430407 ALP’s woeful actions are encouraging anti-Semitic attacks - "A synagogue in Melbourne has been firebombed, there has been an attempted arson attack at another synagogue in Sydney. Jewish Australians have been attacked in the streets, and now cars, houses and a childcare centre have been vandalised, firebombed or destroyed. Enough is enough. Since October 7, 2023, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, Jew-hate has exploded in Australia. Anti-Semitic incidents have risen in Australia by 738 per cent since October 7. This is a disgrace. The Australian Jewish community is rightly scared and as Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister I am duty bound to call out these terror attacks aimed at fellow Jews. It’s extraordinary that in 2025 there have been 13 major anti-Semitic attacks in NSW alone in January, including the firebombing of a childcare centre at Maroubra. This attack happened just around the corner from where I used to live. I welcome the announcements of arrests by NSW Premier Chris Minns for those alleged to have committed recent anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney. I note, however, that the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and other Australian ministers are refusing to accept any responsibility for the shocking recent surge in anti-Semitic terror in Australia. There is no doubt the rise in anti-Semitism in Australia has been caused in part by the Australian government’s ongoing campaign against Israel. Australia is one of the world’s great democracies and multicultural nations. I expect the Australian government to find its voice in stamping out the scourge of anti-Semitism domestically, and to support democracies wherever they are threatened, like Israel. Israel is fighting for its survival against the murderous proxies of Iran that embody the antithesis of Australian values. It’s high time the Australian government recognised this fact and acted accordingly and supported the one true democracy in the Middle East - Israel." - Sharren Haskel, Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel - theaustralian.com.au

>>22430571 Peter Dutton says Penny Wong should not represent Australia at the Auschwitz commemoration - Peter Dutton says Penny Wong is “the most inappropriate person” to be representing Australia at the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz because she has “trashed” the relationship with Israel. The Foreign Minister and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus will attend the commemorations in Poland next week. “Penny Wong has real issues in relation to this issue. The relationship with Israel has been trashed,” Mr Dutton told reporters in Adelaide. “Penny Wong can’t go to Israel and Mark Dreyfus was there under sufferance and frankly was shown some courtesy but I suspect having been to Israel recently myself, I don’t think he would have been receiving the warmest of welcomes.” “I think she is the most inappropriate person to go and represent our country,” Mr Dutton said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended Senator Wong against Mr Dutton’s attack while appearing at the National Press Club in Canberra. “Foreign Minister Penny Wong is someone who understands racism and discrimination,” the Prime Minister said. Mr Albanese said it was “appropriate” that the Foreign Minister attend the event alongside Mr Dreyfus and Australia’s anti-Semitism envoy, Jillian Segal AO. “They will be Australia’s representatives for the 80th anniversary,” of the liberation of Auschwitz, Mr Albanese said.

#39 - Part 18

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 18

>>22444477 Auschwitz-Birkenau 80th commemoration: Mark Dreyfus slams opposition over politicising Holocaust, anti-Semitism - Australia’s Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has labelled opposition criticism about Australia’s representatives attending the 80th commemoration of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau as “grotesque” and said “we need to get politics out” of combating anti-Semitism. Mr Dreyfus stood alongside Foreign Minister Penny Wong -- who has been heavily criticised for coming to Poland for such a significant anniversary – demanding a bipartisan approach to tackling the scourge of anti-Semitism that has risen across Australia. His comments came after the two politicians conducted a tour of the Jewish Community Centre in Krakow on Sunday, meeting Holocaust survivor Zofia Radzikowska and where Mr Dreyfus remembered his great-grandmother Ida Ransenberg who died at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Ida’s husband Albert Ransenberg died in another Nazi death camp Theresienstadt. Mr Dreyfus’ other great grandmother Paula Dreyfus took poison on the eve of being deported to Theresienstadt. While there has been no criticism of Mr Dreyfus’s attendance here in Poland for Monday’s commemoration, the inclusion of Senator Wong in the official delegation has angered Australian Jews upset at Australia’s changing relationship with Israel following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023 and subsequent war in Gaza. Opposition leader Peter Dutton said Senator Wong had trashed Australia’s relationship with Israel and has questioned why Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had sent her as Australia’s representative.

>>22444496 Learn Holocaust lessons and act on anti-Semitic hatred, says Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin - As leaders come together at Auschwitz-Birkenau to commemorate 80 years since the liberation of the Nazi camp where 1.1 million people, mainly Jews, were murdered, The Australian’s co-Australian of the Year Alex Ryvchin called on the community to remember how the Holocaust began. He said Australia’s unique value of mateship had become an empty slogan and urged people to speak in support of Australia’s Jewish community to rid the country of anti-Semitism. “If we become a nation that is passive in the face of hatred, then our national characteristic, that mateship, just simply washes away,’’ he said, adding that the 80th commemoration reminds people of the lesson of history. “When we talk about collaborators, when we talk about bystanders, when we talk about those who maybe had it in their power to do something to prevent the charge of racial hatred and extremism (in World War II)”, it is a significant reminder that the majority of people can’t stand apathetic, ambivalent and silent. “We learned from the Holocaust that that’s all that’s needed for horrors to be perpetrated,’’ Mr Ryvchin said. “The circumstances now are entirely different: we’re not living in a time of fascism in Australia, people can stand up, they can speak to the Jewish community, they can defend us and support us. And sadly, it’s not ­really happening.”

>>22444509 Video: LIVE | 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz - "On 27 January 2025, we will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz. Until the liberation of some 7,5 thousand prisoners remaining at the site of the camp by soldiers of the Red Army, approx. 1.1 million people were murdered in Auschwitz, mostly Jews, but also Poles, the Roma and Sinti, Soviet prisoners of war, and people of other nationalities. The broadcast is available to all, providing an opportunity for joint commemoration and global reflection on the significance of the events of the past. All institutions and organisations around the world are encouraged to join the commemoration by organising a space in their locations where the broadcast from the Memorial can be watched together. Such a form of commemorating the anniversary in different parts of the world is both a mark of respect for history and a call to take moral responsibility for the future, a key component of which is the memory of the Auschwitz tragedy. Planning and announcing a joint viewing of the broadcast in Your institutions can be an important element in uniting Your community around the memory. Join us on January 27." - Auschwitz Memorial

#39 - Part 19

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 19

>>22450985 Video: Australian shares Auschwitz survival story as world marks 80th anniversary - When Yvonne Engelman was 14 years old, she made a promise that would shape every day of her life after that. "My father told me, 'I don't know where we are going but I want you to promise me one thing, that you will survive'," she said. "I found it a very strange request, but I positively said, 'Of course, I will survive'." It was 1944, and the teenager, her mother and her father had just arrived at the Auschwitz concentration camp and extermination centre in German-occupied Poland, after being rounded up with other Jews in Czechoslovakia. A German SS officer with a baton in his hand then gestured for the family of three to separate. "They went to the left and I went to the right, and that was the last time I saw my parents," she said. Now 97 and living in Sydney, Mrs Engelman can still recall what happened next in devastating detail. "We had to strip off our clothing, shave our heads, and many of us were ushered into a room which had a lot of showers, but no water and we were locked up there all day and all night … but the gas didn't work," she said. The teenage girl had survived mass murder and day one at Auschwitz because of a malfunctioning gas chamber. She was then put to work searching garments that the prisoners had been forced to discard, in case valuable items were sewn into them by their owners. Every day was punishing - prisoners were starving, lice-infected, had scurvy, freezing for much of the year, and living with an unshakeable dread. "We worked 10 hours daily with a great fear that maybe we would be the next [gas chamber] victims," Mrs Engelman said. "The cruelty and the hatred that I have experienced, and the hunger, I have never forgotten." However, with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops, she told the ABC she wanted people to know one very important thing about her: it never broke her. "The Germans never, ever succeeded to break my spirit," she said. "I had a promise to fulfil, and I was determined to do it."

>>22451006 At Auschwitz, a solemn 80th anniversary ceremony is held amid global rise in antisemitism - Survivors of a notorious Nazi death camp have warned that a global rise in antisemitism is laying fertile ground for another Holocaust, as world leaders gathered to mark 80 years since Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by the Soviet Army. Marian Turski, who was 14 when he was forced to the Lodz Ghetto and then deported to Auschwitz, where his brother and father were murdered, used his speech to condemn a “huge rise in antisemitism” around the world since the outbreak of war in the Middle East 15 months ago. The focus of the milestone commemoration in Poland was on the survivors, most in their late 80s or 90s, who spoke movingly of their own tales of endurance and hope, of the despair of losing loved ones, as well as a sense of incredulity at the efficiency of the Nazi state-sanctioned killing machine. Turski, 98, said: “Today and now we see a huge rise in antisemitism, and that is the precise antisemitism which led to the Holocaust.” “Let us oppose the conspiracy theories saying all the evil of this world results from a plot started by some indefinite social groups, and Jews are often mentioned as one such group,” he said.

#39 - Part 20

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 20

>>22465895 Video: Jewish school, house in Maroubra vandalised with graffiti in latest antisemitic attack - NSW Police are investigating after a Jewish school in Sydney's eastern suburbs was spray painted with antisemitic graffiti overnight. The Mount Sinai College and a property next door in Maroubra were targeted. One wall was tagged with "Jews are real terrorists". A NSW Police spokesperson told ABC News that Eastern Beaches Police are aware of and are responding to the incident. It is the latest in a string of antisemitic attacks that have occurred across Sydney's east since October. The school is located around the corner from the Only About Children childcare centre, which was set alight and graffitied with antisemitic words last week. NSW Premier Chris Minns condemned those behind the vandalism of the school. "Another naked example of racism in our community, completely antithetical to everything that Australia represents in 2025," he told ABC News Breakfast. "I think it's just appalling that there's evil people in our community that attack someone else, a complete stranger, on the basis of their race or religion." The premier said the government would "throw all our resources at tracking down people responsible for malicious damage, for hate crimes". "The vast, vast majority of Australians stand united against this appalling behaviour and condemn it completely," he said. Later in the day, the premier said the graffiti "tells you everything you need to know about how appalling these bastards are".

>>22465935 Video: Albanese says antisemitic ‘cowards’ will be ‘hunted down, locked up’ - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has branded the perpetrators of antisemitic attacks “cowards” who will be “hunted down and locked up”, as Israel’s foreign minister accused Australian authorities of allowing attacks on Jews to run rampant. While police probed the discovery of a caravan packed with explosives and containing the address of a Sydney synagogue, the federal government’s special envoy on antisemitism, Jillian Segal, declared the finding of the vehicle a chilling reminder of the hatred that led to the Holocaust. “There’s zero tolerance in Australia for hatred and for antisemitism, and I want any perpetrators to be hunted down and locked up - it’s as simple as that,” Albanese said on Thursday as he defended his government’s handling of antisemitism. “They have no place in this sort of engagement. It’s designed to create fear and terror in the community, and it will not succeed. Because our community is stronger than the cowards who engage in this sort of activity.” Albanese’s comments came after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the caravan discovery was “intolerable” and declared that an “epidemic of antisemitism is spreading in Australia almost unchecked”. “This joins a long list of antisemitic attacks in Australia, including setting fire to a childcare centre in Sydney, firebombing a synagogue in Melbourne, and many other antisemitic attacks,” Sa’ar said in a post on X. “We expect the Australian government to do more to stop this disease!”

>>22481988 Police believe caravan plot linked to ‘orchestrated’ antisemitic attacks as ‘puppet masters’ pull strings - Police believe an apparent plot to target a Sydney synagogue with mining explosives is linked to months of “orchestrated” antisemitic attacks, as authorities scramble to make arrests amid calls to contain a growing threat to the city’s Jewish community. Information indicating the locations of the Great Synagogue in Sydney’s CBD and the Sydney Jewish Museum in Darlinghurst was found alongside the explosives, the Herald understands. The possible targets, which police on Thursday declined to publicly name, were first identified by Sky News’ Sharri Markson during her program, Sharri, on Thursday night. People associated with the venues were informed about the link to the caravan discovery earlier that day. It’s still uncertain whether the explosives were ever bound for either location, or any other. Several people “on the periphery” of the caravan plot, which was uncovered on January 19 at a Dural property in Sydney’s north-west, are in custody facing unrelated charges laid under NSW Police’s Strike Force Pearl, but have not been charged over the potential mass-casualty event. Jewish groups said it was clear those apprehended were not the ringleaders and warned the community was unsafe until the “puppet masters” were hunted down by a state and federal counter-terror task force.

#39 - Part 21

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 21

>>22482035 ‘Huge rise in antisemitism’: Top cop says thousands of officers deployed to hotspots in Melbourne suburbs - Thousands of police officers have been deployed to patrol Melbourne suburbs to tackle what Chief Commissioner Shane Patton describes as a “huge rise” in antisemitism across Victoria. Patton detailed the heavy police response in an interview with The Age on Thursday, following revelations a caravan was discovered in Sydney’s north-west packed with enough explosives to cause a “mass casualty event” and a note with the address of a synagogue. As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese branded the perpetrators of a spate of antisemitic attacks cowards, vowing they would be “hunted down and locked up”, Patton moved to reassure Victorians. He said there was no evidence or intelligence linking the Sydney caravan to recent antisemitic attacks in Melbourne, including the December firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue that has been deemed by police as an act of terrorism. “There’s nothing to suggest there’s any threat here in Victoria whatsoever or that it is tied to anything down here,” Patton said on Thursday about the caravan discovery. NSW Police believe the apparent plot to target a Sydney synagogue with mining explosives is linked to months of “orchestrated” antisemitic attacks. Several people “on the periphery” of the caravan plot are in custody facing unrelated charges, but none have been charged over the potential mass-casualty event.

>>22482080 ‘Alarming breakdown’: Albanese under pressure to reveal when he learnt of terror plot - Anthony Albanese is under mounting pressure to reveal whether authorities kept him in the dark about an apparent plot to target a Sydney synagogue with explosives, as a senior Jewish leader accused the prime minister of a “moral failure” for not visiting Sydney’s Jewish community after the discovery. With the opposition demanding details about exactly when the prime minister learnt about the apparent plot, Albanese refused to answer several questions on Friday probing whether he had been briefed about the discovery of a caravan packed with explosives in north-west Sydney before news of the investigation broke. “I do not talk about operational matters for an ongoing investigation,” Albanese told reporters in Melbourne. “I have no intention of undermining an ongoing investigation by going into the details. What I will do is continue to prioritise two things: the first and most important is keeping Australians safe; the second is making sure that I provide support to the police and intelligence agencies for them to do their job.” Opposition Home Affairs Minister James Paterson said he was shocked by reports that NSW Premier Chris Minns knew about the plot before it was revealed to the public, but Albanese did not. “If true, this is an alarming breakdown of our national security architecture,” Paterson said. “If the PM and ministers are not told about a planned terrorist attack, how can they make the necessary policy decisions to protect the community from other threats?”

>>22490495 ‘Astounding’: Dutton turns up heat over PM’s knowledge of caravan plot - Peter Dutton has declared it astounding that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may have been kept in the dark about an apparent major antisemitic plot in Sydney, as the opposition vowed to take on key Donald Trump ally Elon Musk over the growth of neo-Nazi and other extremist content on social media. The opposition leader’s demand for more detail on when Albanese was notified about the potential caravan explosives attack came as NSW Police said it had established crime scenes in Sydney’s eastern suburbs after antisemitic graffiti was sprayed on cars and homes in Randwick and Kingsford on Saturday night. “I don’t think there’s been a true and honest account of what’s happened here,” Dutton told the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday. “If the prime minister of our country is not across what was potentially the biggest terrorist attack in our country’s history essentially until the public found out about it, I think that is an absolute abrogation of his responsibility, and we do, I think, deserve to hear the answers.” Albanese has refused to answer questions about when he learnt about the explosives discovery, saying: “I do not talk about operational matters for an ongoing investigation.

#39 - Part 22

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 22

>>22490509 Fresh anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney’s east prompt calls for tougher penalties - Anti-Semitic graffiti has been plastered on multiple homes and cars in Sydney’s east overnight. Police said that about 7am on Sunday, officers from Eastern Beaches Police Area Command attended See Lane, Kingsford and King Lane, Randwick, after receiving reports that multiple vehicles, garages and properties had been spray painted. Police have established crime scenes at both locations and investigations have commenced under Strike Force Pearl, which has been conducting investigations into other anti-Semitic attacks in NSW. Saturday night’s incident comes as similar slurs were spray-painted on a school property and a nearby home in Maroubra on Thursday, the day after it was revealed that police had discovered a caravan laden with explosives on the side of a road on the outskirts of Sydney. More than 100 police have been thrown into the investigation after the caravan was found packed with Powergel explosives suspected to have been stolen from a mine site and containing a note with the addresses of Jewish targets. The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies on Sunday said penalties for anti-Semitic graffiti attacks “must be strengthened so that any would-be assailant is deterred” following the defacement of cars and homes in Randwick and Kingsford.

>>22490520 Police slam anti-Semitic graffiti in riverside Perth suburb of Dalkeith - Western Australian police are investigating anti-Semitic graffiti attacks in the riverside Perth suburb of Dalkeith, home to mining billionaires and some of the city’s most successful businesspeople. A swastika and the phrase “F*ck Jews” was spray painted on the front wall of a residence in Viking Road, Dalkeith. More graffiti was found spray painted on a For Sale sign outside another residence on Viking Road. That sign had been removed on Sunday. A resident reportedly told The West Australian it had been daubed with the words “WA Labor Nazis”. “It is believed the damage occurred between 6.30pm on Saturday, 1 February and 7.30am on Sunday, 2 February,” police said in a media statement on Sunday. “WA Police takes any report of racial or religiously motivated crimes extremely seriously. There is no place for this kind of behaviour in our community and we will not tolerate crimes that undermine our way of life in Western Australia.” Anthony Albanese told The Australian on Sunday: “There is absolutely no place for this kind of hatred and anti-Semitism in Australia. We are stronger than the cowards who did this,” the Prime Minister said. “This is a crime and I look forward to seeing the perpetrators caught and charged.”

>>22496643 Online ‘Terrorgram’ network to be hit with tough counter terrorism sanctions - Tough financial sanctions will be slapped on an online white supremacist network - Terrorgram - by the Federal Government on Monday. Terrorgram is an online network of Telegram channels which promotes white supremacy, anti-Semitism and other racially motivated violence. In the network, Terrorgram openly advocates for the commission of terrorist acts, and users share neo-fascist content, as well as instructions and guides on how to conduct racially motivated violent acts. Under the new sanctions, it will be a criminal office to use or fund Terrorgram, with penalties including up to 10 years in prison and heavy fines. The sanctions are the first time an Australian Government has placed counter-terrorism financing bans on an online entity. As part of the sanctions, the Government has also extended the listings of four other groups - National Socialist Order, the Russian Imperial Movement, Sonnenkrieg Division and The Base. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the decision to place the sanctions on the groups were part of a continued effort to stop the radicalisation of Australians online. “This demonstrates the Albanese Government’s commitment to disrupting the activities of terrorists and violent extremists and preventing them from recruiting and radicalising people online,” she said. “There is no place in Australia for antisemitism, hatred or violence.” Hizballah’s new Secretary-General and leading spokesperson Naim Qassem has also been hit with sanctions. “Hizballah is responsible for the deaths of countless civilians in Lebanon, Israel and across the Middle East,” Senator Wong said.

#39 - Part 23

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 23

>>22504231 Opposition mounts over Allan’s new hate laws - Premier Jacinta Allan is facing a Jewish backlash over her signature policy to combat antisemitism, with community groups lobbying the Victorian government to ditch a broad “genuine political purpose” defence inserted into its proposed expansion of anti-vilification laws. The Liberal party room will meet on Tuesday to formalise its likely opposition to the Anti-vilification and Social Cohesion Bill, which is designed to make serious vilification a criminal offence punishable by jail. The government this week brought debate forward on the proposed laws against the backdrop of a series of attacks on Jewish-owned properties and counterterrorism investigations into the Adass Israel synagogue fire in Melbourne and discovery of an explosives-packed caravan in Sydney. Liberal frontbencher David Southwick, Victoria’s most prominent Jewish state MP, questioned the insertion of the political defence, which he said was done without public consultation. He fears that if the defence becomes law, it may have the unintended consequence of emboldening the antisemitic hate speech Allan is vowing to stamp out. “I don’t see how this legislation, as it is currently drafted, offers any protection against serious vilification. The ‘genuine political purpose’ defence is so broad it almost makes the proposed laws meaningless,” Southwick said. “If anything, passing this bill without amendments could make a bad situation worse and green-light some of the recent hate that we have seen against the Jewish community.”

>>22504287 Video: Melbourne preacher warns young Australian Muslims ‘falling to liberal ideologies’ - A cleric at a newly established ­Islamic centre in Melbourne backed by radical Sydney ­preacher Wissam Haddad has ­lamented that young Australian Muslims are being “brainwashed … falling victim to liberal ideologies”, and that the first words ­spoken by a child shouldn’t be ­mother or father but “Allah”. The Al Bayyinah Islamic Centre was established late last year in Springvale, in Melbourne’s southeast suburbs, renting space in a hall for Friday prayers. It is backed by Sydney’s Al ­Madina Dawah Centre and its owner, Mr Haddad, also known as Abu Ousayd, who is being sued by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. Established in mid-October and initially based at Springvale’s Edinburgh Hall, the Al Bayyinah centre has been spruiked by Mr Haddad on social media. He has urged his “Melbourne brothers” to show their support and attend its weekly prayers. With a slick social-media footprint, a preacher known as ­Brother Abu Ahmad warned Al Bayyinah’s congregation - and followers on YouTube and TikTok – that young Australian Muslims were converting to “liberal ideologies” and becoming ­“desensitised” to what was forbidden in Islam. “My dear brothers, it is saddening to tell you that we continue to hear stories of our youth falling victim to liberal ideologies and being confused, brainwashed by so-called logical thinkers,” ­Brother Ahmad told the congregation in January. “Our youth are turning away from Islam and are turning to other ways of life right under our noses. My dear brothers, Tawhid ­(Islamic monotheism) needs to be instilled in our youth from the ­moment they utter their first word. We have neglected our children. Instead of teaching them to say the name of Allah first, we teach them to say mama or baba. We didn’t set their priorities.”

>>22513120 Video: Anthony Albanese says Australia’s position on Gaza is ‘unchanged’ after Donald Trump suggests US should take control - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has refused to endorse US President Donald Trump’s radical blueprint to take over the Gaza Strip, insisting that Australia still supports a two-state solution. Mr Trump stunned Middle East experts on Wednesday when he announced a plan to take control of Gaza to ensure it can become the “Riviera of the Middle East”. He said the Palestinian people would need to be “relocated to other countries” for the plan to work, unveiling the plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. President Trump called for nearly two million Palestinians to permanently leave Gaza for neighbouring countries and for the US to take long-term control in a sweeping break with decades of US policy. But speaking in Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia’s longstanding position had not changed. “I’ve said before that I don’t intend to have a running commentary on the President of the United States’ statements,’’ Mr Albanese began. “What I would say is that Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year and it was 10 years ago and it was under the Howard government. The Australian government supports, on a bipartisan basis, a 2-state solution in the Middle East.”

#39 - Part 24

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 24

>>22513142 Hezbollah condemns Australia’s blacklisting of Shiekh Naim Qassem - Hezbollah has condemned Australia’s “unjust decision” to impose sanctions on the movement’s Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, stating that the move proves Canberra is being used as a tool to advance the US-Zionist agenda. “This unjust decision has no legal or moral basis, but rather represents a clear bias in favor of the Zionist entity and serves as a cover-up for its aggression and terrorism,” the movement said, referring to the genocide in Gaza. The measure against Sheikh Qassem was announced on Monday by the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the pretext of “terrorism financing.” Australia had previously designated Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist organization in 2003 and blacklisted the entire group, both its military and political branches, in 2021. Hezbollah said Canberra should have instead taken action to “punish the Zionist murderers” and stand “with the oppressed Lebanese and Palestinian peoples.” The group said the decision would not affect the morale of its loyal supporters in Lebanon, nor Hezbollah’s stance and its natural right to resist, defend Lebanon, and support the just cause of the Palestinian people. “Rather, it will strengthen our determination and steadfastness to continue the efforts in confronting the occupier,” the statement read.

>>22521566 Dutton praises Trump as a ‘big thinker’ who wants peace, after president’s Gaza plan - Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has praised Donald Trump as “a big thinker” who wants peace after the US president shocked the world by proposing an American takeover of the Gaza Strip, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remained muted in response. Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States could assume control of Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” in a call to expel the territory’s Palestinian inhabitants to neighbouring Arab states. Both neighbouring nations and Palestinians have rejected the idea. Dutton said Trump was “a big thinker and a dealmaker”, while later reiterating his party’s stance was still for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. “He’s not become the president for a second time by being anything other than shrewd; you’ve seen it in his business life, and the art of the deal is incredibly important to him … that nobody’s ripping each other off,” Dutton told Nine’s 2GB radio. “I think there’s a desire for peace here from every reasonable person, and hopefully, it can be achieved.” Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday he would not respond to Trump’s comments directly and reiterated Australia’s support for a two-state solution. The prime minister repeated his position during media appearances on Thursday morning. “I’m not going to run a commentary on the president’s motivations every day,” Albanese told the ABC. His neutral stance differs from the reaction of other world leaders, such as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who told the House of Commons that Palestinians must be allowed home.

>>22521585 Broadmeadows man to face court accused of waving flag of terrorist group Hezbollah at CBD protest - A man accused of waving the flag of a declared terrorist organisation at a CBD rally is expected to face court next month. Federal police allege the Broadmeadows man waved the flag of terrorist group Hezbollah during a protest in Melbourne’s CBD last September. Pictures of the man, released by the Australian Federal Police on Thursday, allegedly depict the 34-year-old waving the yellow flag while wearing a green headband. Publicly displaying the Hezbollah flag or symbols of known terrorist groups was outlawed in January last year. Hezbollah was officially declared a terrorist organisation in December 2021. The man accused was one of thousands who gathered in cities and towns across the country following the death of Hezbollah senior leader Hasan Nasrallah in September. The Broadmeadows man was this week served with a notice for the offence of the public display of a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol. That offence now carries a maximum penalty of 12 months’ behind bars. The 34-year-old has been summoned to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on March 19. He became the second Melbourne man charged over allegedly waving the Hezbollah flat at that city protest last year. A Ferntree Gully man, 36, is also accused of waving the yellow flag throughout the CBD and is expected to face court next month.

#39 - Part 25

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 25

>>22521601 Australia introduces mandatory jail time for hate crimes following surge in antisemitism - Australia has introduced strict laws to combat hate crimes, introducing mandatory minimum sentences for a range of terrorism offenses and displaying hate symbols, following a spate of antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. The new laws passed Thursday toughen punishment for hate crimes, including minimum six-year prison sentences for terrorism offenses, and at least 12-month sentences for less serious hate crimes - such as giving a Nazi salute in public. The legislation also creates new offenses for threatening force or violence against targeted groups and people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion or ethnicity. The changes were first proposed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government last year amid an uptick in antisemitic attacks and calls for tougher penalties for offenders. At the time, the proposed legislation didn’t include mandatory sentencing, which Albanese has previously vehemently opposed. However, this week the government finally relented following criticism from Albanese’s political opponents that he wasn’t doing enough to combat antisemitism. When asked if he’d “backflipped” on the issue, the prime minister told CNN affiliate Sky News he wanted people “engaged in antisemitism to be held to account.” The Law Council of Australia said it was “extremely disappointed” that mandatory sentencing had been included. “Mandatory sentencing laws are arbitrary and limit the individual’s right to a fair trial by preventing judges from imposing a just penalty based on the unique circumstances of each offense and offender,” council president Juliana Warner said in a statement.

>>22521616 NSW Labor slammed for ‘cruel’ new hate speech laws that won’t protect LGBTIQ community - Expanded hate speech laws in NSW have been blasted as “cruel” by influential MP Alex Greenwich, after Premier Chris Minns conceded LGBTIQ+ groups would be excluded from protection under the reforms, with the independent revealing he has been the subject of a series of violent homophobic threats. After weeks spent foreshadowing new anti-vilification laws in defiance of a recommendation from the state’s expert legal body, Minns announced on Thursday that he would move to criminalise hate speech when parliament resumed next week. The changes - part of a suite of measures including new laws which will ban protest outside places of worship, and changes making it a jailable offence to graffiti a Nazi symbol on or near a synagogue — follow a spate of antisemitic violence in Sydney. But Minns admitted that faith groups and the LGBTIQ+ community would not be covered by the new laws, conceding making wholesale changes to the state’s anti-vilification legislation would be too difficult to achieve quickly. Instead, only speech which intentionally incited race-based hate would be outlawed, a distinction he said was necessary because an outbreak of antisemitic activity against Sydney’s Jewish community. “We were faced with a situation where we’re looking at naked racism on our streets today,” he said. “I made a decision that I wanted to progress the hate speech laws as it applies to race immediately.” That decision was described as “cruel” by Greenwich, a key member of the NSW crossbench.

>>22536592 Israel praises 'controversial' new Australian laws as critics warn of 'serious injustice' - Israel has welcomed new Australian laws that will jail people found guilty of some terrorism offences or displaying terror symbols, but some advocates have warned they could disproportionately hurt marginalised Australians. The legislation, which cleared the Senate on Thursday, will create offences for threatening force of violence against particular groups, including on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or political opinion. Mandatory minimum prison sentences were folded into the bill at the eleventh hour after Labor caved to the Opposition's demands for stronger action against antisemitism, against the backdrop of a rise in antisemitic behaviour and attacks. This means the display of Nazi or terrorist symbols will carry a one-year mandatory prison sentence, three years for financing terrorism and six years for other terrorism offences, under amendments put forward by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. "We welcome Australia's decision to pass legislation against hate crimes in response to the alarming rise in antisemitism," Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement. "No Jew in Australia - or anywhere in the world — should have to live in fear." As Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke revealed Labor's position on Wednesday night, he said the changes "send a message to the nation that these forms of hatred are not who we are".

#39 - Part 26

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 26

>>22536643 Anthony Albanese reveals ‘sit back’ plan to deal with Donald Trump - Anthony Albanese says he is taking a “sit back” approach to responding to Donald Trump’s policy pronouncements, arguing the US President’s position can change within days. The Prime Minister sought to fend off questions for a second day on Mr Trump’s plan to “take over” Gaza, arguing it was “different” to the two-state solution advocated by Australia. He said he was “not going to ­respond to every statement” by Mr Trump, arguing the President’s rapid about-face on his tariff threats in recent days showed a more cautious approach was needed. “There’s been two different positions in the last week on Canada and on tariffs, and that points towards the need to sit back, not comment on every statement that is made every day,” Mr Albanese told ABC News. He said Australia’s support for a two-state solution was unwavering, despite Mr Trump’s proposal. “We support the same position today that we did yesterday morning and the day before. Our position has been long standing and bipartisan - two states in the ­region,” Mr Albanese said. His comments came as senior members of the Trump administration sought to soften elements of Mr Trump’s plan to take “long-term” ownership of Gaza, relocate its people, and turn the territory into a new “Riviera”. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Mr Trump only wanted to temporarily move Palestinians out of Gaza for the enclave to be rebuilt, while the US President’s Middle East envoy said there was no intention to put “boots on the ground” or spend American money on the territory. Peter Dutton noted the shift, lauding the President as a master negotiator who was trying to leverage a grand bargain.

>>22536968 Chief judge Andrew Bell condemns anti-Semitism and criticises Elon Musk - The chief judge of Australia’s largest jurisdiction has called for perpetrators of the “distressing and terrifying” rise of anti-Semitism to be punished, and accused tech billionaire Elon Musk of “trivialising” the historical mistreatment of Jews. In a speech officially opening the legal year, NSW Chief Justice Andrew Bell said the growing number of targeted attacks on Jewish Australians “must not be permitted to stain the soul of our city”, and the display of Nazi or terror symbols is “not an acceptable form of political protest”. “That does not mean that political protests may not occur but, in a civilised, democratic society, there are peaceful and respectful ways for that to occur that do not involve invoking the terror and callous inhumanity of one of the darkest periods in human history,” he said. The speech marks a significant intervention from the Chief Justice in the crisis gripping the state, after multiple attacks on prominent Jewish suburbs in Sydney, the firebombing of cars, vandalism of homes, synagogues and schools, and a plot involving an explosives-laden caravan. Chief Justice Bell also took aim at Mr Musk -- whom he referred to only as the Tesla chief executive – for supporting far-right German political party AfD, saying it is a “matter of great concern” that Mr Musk has “unaccountable political power” in the US. “The recent promotion and apparent endorsement of a reportedly far-right political party in Germany by the chief executive of Tesla, who also controls a vast communications network and asserts and appears to exercise substantial but unaccountable political power in the United States through proximity and patronage, is also, and should be, a matter of great concern,” he said.

>>22544317 Claire Chandler pledges review into grants to anti-Israel artists - Opposition arts spokeswoman Claire Chandler will review the allocation of government funding to artists who express anti-Semitic views if the Coalition wins this year’s election, declaring that the sector has unfairly earned a “bad reputation” for being too left wing. In her first interview since being elevated to shadow cabinet in the government services, digital economy, science and arts portfolios, Senator Chandler said she was “deeply concerned” by reports of funding being allocated to artists peddling anti-Semitic content. Declaring Australians can trust the Coalition to take a strong position in “supporting Israel and stamping out anti-Semitism”, the Tasmanian senator said she was still considering what an arts funding “review might look like”. “There are some serious concerns that have been raised around appointees to government boards that have been putting out anti-Semitic content on social media, and I know that some of this exists in the art space,” Senator Chandler told The Australian. “I am deeply concerned by some of the reports around where some arts funding is going in that regard.”

#39 - Part 27

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 27

>>22551645 Teen vandal charged over anti-Semitic attack on MP’s office avoids criminal conviction - A 17-year-old boy charged over a vandalism attack that caused more than $100,000 worth of damage to Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns’ electorate office has avoided a criminal conviction. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly struck the glass facade of Mr Burns’ St Kilda office 14 times with a sledgehammer during the attack, which occurred on June 19. The boy and an 18-year-old woman were charged over their alleged involvement in the 3AM group vandalism spree that left windows smashed and slogans, including “Zionism is fascism”, spray-painted on the Barkly Street office and fires in the telecommunications pits outside. On Monday, Magistrate Elizabeth Langdon discharged the boy after he successfully completed his diversion plan. “Having read the diversion report, together with the supporting materials… I do acknowledge that I am satisfied that [the boy] has successfully completed the diversion program,” Ms Langdon said. Ms Langdon had agreed to the boy undertaking the diversion plan, which was supported by the prosecution, at a hearing in November. President of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, Philip Zajac, said the council was happy with Monday’s outcome. “The alleged perpetrator went through the court system,” Mr Zajac said. “At that young age, hopefully he will learn his lesson and hopefully the diversion plan was successful.”

>>22569145 Footage appears to show NSW nurses bragging about killing Israeli patients - The NSW Health Department has called in police and launched an urgent investigation into social media footage allegedly showing two nurses at Bankstown Hospital bragging about killing and refusing to treat Israeli patients. Premier Chris Minns said the pair were identified on Wednesday morning and had been stood down pending a full investigation. Israeli social media personality Max Veifer posted a video on Instagram and TikTok showing him talking to the two nurses. Asked what would happen if an Israeli patient came into the hospital, the woman says: “I won’t treat them, I will kill them.” NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the footage, which has been shared widely on Instagram, made him feel “sick to my stomach”. “The comments are vile, dehumanising and unacceptable,” Park said. Park said police were en route to Bankstown Hospital, and both the NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb and the Health Care Complaints Commission had been informed immediately. The pair are expected to be fired. “Those people subject to that investigation will not ever be working for NSW Health again. There is no place, no place in our hospital and health system for this sort of view to ever, ever take place,” he said.

>>22569170 NSW nurses Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh say boast about killing Israeli patients ‘a joke’ - One of the two Sydney nurses stood down over a video allegedly declaring they would refuse to treat Israeli people and instead “kill them’’ has claimed the comments were a “joke” and a “misunderstanding”. Ahmad “Rashad” Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh have been identified as the two Bankstown Hospital nurses who allegedly boasted about killing Israeli patients in the video that circulated across social media on Wednesday. Both have been stood down and NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said they “would never work for NSW Health again”. The video, uploaded by popular Israeli influencer Max Veifer on Wednesday morning, allegedly showed the two nurses saying that Israelis would not just be refused treatment but be killed under their watch. Mr Nadir allegedly boasted that Mr Veifer “had no idea” the amount of Israelis who had attended Bankstown Hospital who he had sent to “hell”. Mr Nadir told The Australian outside his Bankstown home that he planned to publicly apologise to the “Jewish community and anyone I’ve offended”, but first he needed to speak with police. “It was a joke, a misunderstanding … I will use social media, anything, to apologise but I need to go and see the detectives first,” he said, adding he “didn’t mean to offend”. When asked why he recorded a video so damning of Israeli people, Mr Nadir said: “It wasn’t meant to be like this”. Although police are investigating the pair, no charges have -- at the time of publication – been laid, but Mr Park said earlier on Wednesday that the pair “would never work for NSW Health again’’.

#39 - Part 28

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 28

>>22569192 Video: Nurse ‘sorry’ for anti-Semitic diatribe, now having panic attack - Sarah Abu Lebdeh, the female nurse accused of threatening to kill Israeli patients at Sydney’s Bankstown Hospital in a shocking video, is “sorry” for her anti-­Semitic ­diatribe and now is ­suffering “an extreme panic attack”, a man who identified ­himself as her uncle revealed on ­Wednesday. “I’m trying to calm her down to see what the f*ck happened”, the uncle said, speaking outside the young woman’s house. “She’s been a nurse for God knows how long. She’s never done anything to hurt anyone.” Ms Lebdeh and another nurse, Ahmad “Rashad” Nadir were stood down on Wednesday after the anti-Semitic video filmed ­during a night shift on the ward went viral. Ms Lebdeh is believed to have graduated with a Diploma of Nursing five years ago and to have begun nursing at NSW Health in February 2021. Ms Lebdeh was not a threat to Israelis, the uncle said. “No, she would never be a threat,” he added. Asked whether she was sorry, the uncle said: “Of course she is, of course she is. She will come out and make a statement when she’s ready, but you can’t talk to her now because she’s having a panic ­attack, an anxiety attack. We might be calling the ambulance for her.” He said he did not know if Ms Lebdeh had spoken to police.

>>22569218 After 71 weeks, city-stopping pro-Palestine protests to wind down - The weekly pro-Palestine protests that have brought Melbourne’s CBD to a standstill every Sunday for a year and a half will become monthly after this weekend’s rally following the ceasefire in Gaza. However, organisers have vowed to demonstrate more frequently or call snap actions if the Israel-Hamas ceasefire breaks down and Israel bombs Gaza again. Protesters, often in the thousands, have been congregating in the city centre calling for a Palestinian state and condemning the Israeli government’s military response to Hamas’ attack on southern Israel in October 2023. While the protests have largely been non-violent, they have attracted widespread public scrutiny. At a rally last September, several people waved flags with symbols of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group and sponsor of terrorism with staunch anti-Israel views. Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said he was proud that Melbourne was the only city in the world to have protested every week since October 7, 2023, with this Sunday’s protest to be the 71st consecutive rally. He said the frequency and consistency of the rallies - which at their peak attracted more than 20,000 protesters – had a measurable impact. “What they’ve done is created a space for a movement for justice in Palestine to grow,” he said. “Palestine has never been an electoral issue in Australia before. We will see in the upcoming (federal) election that it will be a vote-winner and a vote-coster for those who don’t have a principled position on Palestine. The move to monthly is about creating a space where we can think more deeply about more strategic actions,” he said. “It doesn’t preclude snap actions - I imagine as the ceasefire falls apart and the genocide continues that we will be out in the days and hours after.”

>>22573752 Video: Bankstown Hospital nurses Ahmad ‘Rashad’ Nadir, Sarah Abu Lebdeh: Police to investigate full, unedited footage of anti-Semitic threats, full patient records - NSW Police are set to talk with nurses Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh as they prepare to examine the full, unedited recording of their conversation with Israeli influencer Max Veifer, before considering if, or what, charges could be laid. In the shocking video, Mr Nadir told Israeli influencer Max Veifer he “had no idea” the number of Israelis who had attended Bankstown Hospital who he had sent to “hell”. Ms Abu Lebdeh said she would not treat Israeli patients but “kill them”, telling Mr Veifer he would “die the most disgusting death”. Calling it “critical” to Strike Force Pearl’s investigation into the two nurses’ comments, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the anti-Semitic tirade appeared to be a “hate crime”. Neither Mr Nadir or Ms Abu Lebdeh have been charged at the time of publication. Speaking on Thursday afternoon, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the process had begun to do a full analysis on patient records at Bankstown Hospital. “There’s nothing that is standing out, but that’s an ongoing process,” he said. “I want to restore trust and faith, particularly for the Jewish community… We’ve let them down.”

#39 - Part 29

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 29

>>22584281 Nationwide ban for ‘kill Israeli’ nurses Ahmad ‘Rashad’ Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh who have declined to be interviewed by police - Health authorities are trawling through thousands of hospital patient records in a bid to establish whether two Sydney nurses ever acted on threats to kill or harm Israeli patients, as police weigh possible “hate crime” charges against the pair. Suspended nurses Ahmad “Rashad” Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh went underground on Thursday after their shocking anti-Semitic tirade - filmed while wearing scrubs in Bankstown Hospital – went viral. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said detectives would examine the full, unedited recording of the nurses’ conversation before considering what - if any – charges could be laid. The nurses had bragged on a chat forum to Israeli influencer Max Veifer how they would send Israeli patients at the hospital to “hell”, vowing “not to treat them but kill them”. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler confirmed the pair had been banned from practising nursing “anywhere in Australia, in any context”. “Their sickening comments - and the hatred that underpins them - have no place in our health system and no place anywhere in Australia,” he said. Mr Nadir and Ms Abu Lebdeh on Thursday were deregistered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of NSW, and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency automatically updated its record immediately after. “Health workers have a solemn duty to treat and heal everyone who comes before them needing help. The overwhelming majority hold to that oath. The idea that you would single out a particular group in our community and indicate you wouldn’t care for them, let alone actively threaten their lives, runs against every single principle in our healthcare system.”

>>22584432 Video: Longer video released of Sydney nurses bragging about killing Israeli patients, police await unedited version - The Israeli content creator who recorded two Sydney nurses threatening harm to Israeli patients has published what he claims is the "unedited" online chat with the pair, after police requested the full version. Max Veifer posted another clip from the interaction, which runs for about two-and-a-half minutes on Friday morning, captioning the video with: "I have nothing to hide". He acknowledged police had requested the "unedited version" and said "here it is and if they tell me where to send it I will send it to them". NSW Police confirmed they are in contact with Mr Veifer but have not yet been provided an unedited video directly from him. In the filmed conversation, which took place on cam chat app Chatruletka, Bankstown Hospital workers Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh bragged about refusing to treat Israeli patients, killing them and saying they would go to hell. The two have been stood down pending investigation. Mr Veifer's publication of the longer video comes as Mr Nadir was taken to hospital due to concern for his welfare. Police said emergency services were called to the home of the 27-year-old on Thursday night and that he was taken to hospital for assessment. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency confirmed Mr Nadir and Ms Lebdeh's registrations were suspended. They have not been charged and NSW Police officers attached to Strike Force Pearl, which is investigating antisemitic incidents, visited Bankstown Hospital. The ABC understands both nurses have engaged lawyers and have declined to be voluntarily interviewed by police at this stage.

>>22584566 Investigators raid home of ‘kill Israelis’ nurse Ahmad Nadir as police await raw footage - Strike Force Pearl investigators raided the home of Bankstown Hospital nurse Ahmad “Rashad” Nadir on Friday night, executing search warrants as they weigh up charges over the video in which he and fellow nurse Sarah Abu Lebdeh bragged about killing Israeli ­patients. It is not known whether Mr Nadir was at home during the raid. Emergency services had rushed to his Bankstown home on Thursday night because of welfare concerns. He was taken to hospital for ­assessment. It is unclear whether search warrants have also been executed in relation to Ms Abu Lebdeh. Mr Nadir and Ms Abu Lebdeh have hired lawyers and, at the time of publication, were understood to be refusing to talk with police. NSW Police’s Strike Force Pearl - a unit focusing on crimes of an anti-Semitic nature – launched investigations on Wednesday, with Commissioner Karen Webb saying the full, unedited version of Israeli influencer Max Veifer’s recording of the nurses would be “critical”. On Friday morning, Veifer released on Instagram what he said was the unedited video clip, which lasts 2½ minutes - writing that he had “nothing to hide” and would send the video to police.

#39 - Part 30

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 30

>>22592957 Video: Twist in the investigation of NSW nurse who went on anti-Israeli rant as morphine vial allegedly found in Bankstown Hospital locker - There has been a major twist in the investigation of two NSW nurses who went on an anti-Israel rant and claimed they would kill Israeli patients. 7NEWS can exclusively reveal that after Ahmed Rashid Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh were sacked, police allegedly found one vial of morphine in Nadir’s personal locker at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital in Sydney’s southwest. Nadir had allegedly asked a former colleague to empty his locker. That staff member reportedly felt uncomfortable with the alleged request and instead called police. That vial was seized and will now form part of the investigation after the shocking video surfaced earlier this week. The video, in which they appear to claim they won’t treat Israeli people and boast of sending them to hell, sparked shock and outrage from other nurses, government officials and the wider community. On Saturday, police raided Nadir’s house in western Sydney and removed bags of potential evidence. “Officers attached to Strike Force Pearl executed a search warrant at a home in Bankstown about 6pm (on Friday), in connection with an ongoing investigation,” a police statement read. “A number of items were taken for further examination.”

>>22599130 Melbourne business Gottlieb’s latest target of anti-Semitic attack - The grandson of Holocaust survivors whose family business was targeted in an anti-Semitic ­attack says hate is “festering” within the Australian community. Yehuda Gottlieb - grandson of Holocaust survivors Herc “Harry” Gottlieb and his wife Mala – said it was “confronting” to find a swastika and the words “gas the Jews” scrawled on the side of his family’s building supply store in Melbourne. He said there was a “genuine level of unease” within the Jewish community, with many people feeling “unprotected” amid an anti-Semitism crisis. “My grandparents are Holocaust survivors, my parents are children of Holocaust survivors and it’s not something they would have ever expected to see in Australia,” he said. “We practise our Judaism and my name is inherently Jewish. We don’t hide it, and we’ve never had to hide it because we’re living in a free Australian society … Australia took care of (my grandparents) and gave them the freedom they had, and now it feels like it is tightening. I think there is a genuine level of unease from the Jewish community.” Mr Gottlieb’s grandparents came to Australia in 1947 from ­Poland, opening Gottlieb’s Builders Supplies on Melbourne’s Dandenong Road. He said the attacks were being met with “silence”, and that it “feels like no one in leadership is taking it seriously”.

>>22599179 Video: Fatima Payman: WA Senator calls out ‘double standards’ on anti-Semitic nurses’ comments - Fatima Payman has spoken out on the backlash against Western Sydney nurses Ahmed ‘Rashid’ Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh after they were captured making anti-Semitic remarks on an online webchat forum. The pair, dressed in NSW Health scrubs during a night shift at Bankstown Hospital, were caught telling influencer Max Veifer they would “kill” Israeli patients under their care in a clip that quickly went viral. Senator Payman took to Instagram on Sunday to express her stance on the remarks that shook the nation, claiming it to be a “double standard”. Acknowledging the nurses comments as “wrong”, adding she was relieved no Israeli patients had been the killed, the West Australian politician said the “elephant in the room” still needed to be addressed. “They made a terrible comment yet are being treated as if they have committed the absolute worst crime imaginable,” Senator Payman continued. “These individuals have been fired, banned from ever working as nurses again, raided by police, placed under the most intense public scrutiny and now (they are) the ones being hospitalised; they’ve apologised, they have been punished. “What is the end goal here? What exactly are we trying to achieve? Justice or just public humiliation? “We never see the same level of anger and vitriol when the roles are reversed.”

#39 - Part 31

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 31

>>22599278 Mainstream bodies, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Muslim Vote independents, radical preachers barrack for sacked Bankstown nurses - The Muslim Vote has partnered with extremist group Hizb ut-­Tahrir and mainstream Islamic bodies to uphold two sacked Bankstown nurses who claimed to have killed Israeli patients as ­victims of “manufactured outrage” in a campaign to silence Palestinian voices. While the NSW government criticised the “divisive and un­welcome” comments contained in a joint communique, and the ­federal ­opposition chastised mainstream bodies for aligning with known radicals, neither Anthony Albanese nor Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke responded to questions about the statement ­supporting the healthcare ­workers. The unlikely alliance - which included pro-Palestine independent candidates, and hardline ­Islamic centres and radical preachers – comes after footage of NSW Health nurses Ahmad ­“Rashad” Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh vowing to “kill” Israeli ­patients led to their immediate ­dismissals and sparked an investigation by a state police anti-­Semitism taskforce. The communique was put ­together by “Stand 4 Palestine” – a group established and largely run by Hizb ut-Tahrir operatives. It criticised what it called “co-ordinated outrage” and claimed the response to the two nurses’ comments was “manufactured” to serve a “political narrative”. “The most revealing aspect of the reaction to the nurses’ video is not the (footage) itself - but the speed, intensity and uniformity of response from certain political leaders and media outlets,” said the statement, endorsed by more than 50 bodies or leaders. The intervention puts into sharp focus the tightrope authorities must tread as they seek to balance faith in the health system with the anger of parts of the Muslim community over apparent double standards in the governments’ response to anti-Semitism.

>>22604566 Political defence exemption dropped from proposed hate laws - Bigots charged with criminal vilification under the Victorian government’s proposed hate laws will no longer be able to rely on a defence of political purpose to avoid conviction and jail. The government has dropped the defence after concerns were raised by Jewish and Islamic community groups that the “genuine political purpose” exemption drafted into plans to toughen Victoria’s protections against vilification would green-light hate speech rather than legislate against it. The Opposition, while welcoming the change, said it still wouldn’t vote for the legislation in its current form. Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny on Tuesday tabled two amendments to the Anti-Vilification and Social Cohesion Bill being debated in parliament. The first removes a clause that provides a broad defence against a new criminal offence of inciting serious vilification if the accused can show they “engaged in the conduct for a genuine political purpose”. The second government amendment, drafted in response to the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and other religious groups, expands a proposed religious purpose exemption to include proselytising and preaching. Zionist Federation president Jeremy Leibler on Tuesday urged parliamentarians to support the amended legislation. “This bill will do important work,” he said. Zionism Victoria president Elyse Schachna said the proposed laws would “send a message that extreme hate has no place in our community”. The amendments will also ease fears among the Catholic Church, made clear by Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli in previous comments to The Age, that the original legislation would erode freedom of religious expression.

>>22611080 Video: Teen to fight criminal charges over vandalism attack on Jewish MP Josh Burns’ office - A teenager charged following a vandalism attack on Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns’ office will face criminal charges without the prospect of a diversion after a failed attempt at mediation. Matilda McDermott, 19, sat slumped in the back of the Melbourne Magistrates Court room on Tuesday, clutching a large hat with an N95 mask obscuring her face. Ms McDermott was charged with two counts of criminal damage and one of burglary last year after Mr Burns’ office was vandalised in the early hours of June 19. At the time, police said at least five people broke windows and splashed paint on the walls with political slogans, including “Zionism is fascism”. Mr Burns’ image was also defaced. On Tuesday, Ms McDermott’s lawyer Domenic Care, from Dowsley & Associates, told the court an attempt at “resolution” with the prosecution had been refused, leaving them “back at square one”. The failed resolution was in relation to a diversion - where young and low-risk offenders avoid a criminal record – but prosecutors indicated the request from defence, which was lodged late last year, had been rejected.

#39 - Part 32

Middle East Conflict - The Australian Perspective - Part 32

>>22604514 Video: Israeli influencer confident police have enough evidence to investigate antisemitic video - A social media influencer who posted a video allegedly showing two nurses threatening to kill and refusing to treat Israeli patients is confident police now have enough evidence to proceed with the investigation, as detectives work with him to finalise his statement. Max Veifer last week posted the video, captured on online chat room Chatruletka, showing Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital nurses Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh allegedly saying they would refuse to treat and threatening to kill Israeli patients. In an Instagram post on Tuesday afternoon, Veifer said he spoke with Strike Force Pearl detectives on Monday, and while he could not provide details about the investigation, he was “confident they have enough evidence”. Veifer said he hoped investigators were “doing everything they can to bring the truth to light” after reports morphine had been found in Nadir’s hospital locker. Veifer thanked followers who shared the video, urging them to “stay united to face the challenges ahead”. “Let’s make Australia a safe place for Jewish people. We’ve had enough. The Jewish community in Australia [has] had enough.”

>>22617518 Man charged over arson attack on former home of Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin - Police have charged a 37-year-old man with the arson attack that destroyed two cars last month outside the former home of prominent Jewish community leader Alex Ryvchin in Dover Heights, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. On Wednesday detectives from Strike Force Pearl arrested Leon Sofilas, who was already in a correctional facility after being charged with the attempted arson of a Newtown synagogue on 11 January. Mr Sofilas has now been charged over the 17 January Dover Heights attack with being an accessory before the fact to damaging property by means of fire or explosion. Cars were graffitied with anti-Semitic slurs, two vehicles were set alight, and Mr Ryvchin’s former family house was doused with red paint. One of the cars destroyed by fire, a Mercedes, had “f*ck Jews” sprayed on the side and a Honda had “f*ck Israel” vandalised on its rear windscreen and boot. Mr Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, had sold the Dover Heights property three years ago. Mr Ryvchin, holding a press conference at the crime scene, said he could not be certain the perpetrators knew it was his old house, but “it might be the world’s biggest coincidence if of all the houses in all the streets of this neighbourhood, they hit my former home by accident”. Police allege Mr Sofilas was also involved in another anti-Semitic attack on January 11 when five cars and two homes were vandalised with offensive graffiti in Henry Street, Queens Park.

>>22629927 ASIO chief Mike Burgess says Australians should pause and reflect on the need to tackle the scourge of anti-Semitism - ASIO chief Mike Burgess says all Australians should pause to reflect on the scourge of anti-Semitism and ask how it has been allowed to flourish in this country. In his strongest comments yet on the issue, the nation’s most powerful spy says anti-Semitism is a form of hate that defies logic, is un-Australian and is likely to get worse, posing an unacceptable threat to Jewish Australians. Mr Burgess’ strident comments came after delivering his the most grim security assessment in almost six years as head of the country’s domestic spy agency. He said this week that “Australia has never faced so many different threats at scale at once”, outlining a fast-growing range of threats, from traditional terrorism, espionage and foreign interference to newer security challenges such as forced repatriations, including attempts at state-sponsored murder, and the rise of AI. But in an exclusive interview following his speech, Mr Burgess revealed deep frustration about the rapid rise of anti-Semitism and the inability of some to separate the politics of Israel from Australian Jews. “It defies logic, does it not, that actually people in our country can hold Jewish Australians to account for the actions of the Israeli government?” he said. “(It also) defies logic that they can hold state or territory governments, let alone the federal government (responsible), for the actions of a sovereign nation, Israel.” Mr Burgess said although anti-Semitism had sadly always been present in Australia, it was shocking to see how quickly it raised its head at a Sydney Opera House protest days after the October 7, 2023, massacre by Hamas, “even before the Israeli government responded”. Mr Burgess said the rapid escalation of anti-Semitism since that time, with intimidation or attacks on synagogues, schools, homes and prominent Jewish Australians was “totally unacceptable”.

#39 - Part 33

Australian Politics and Society - Part 1

>>22225438 Video: Australian soldier Oscar Jenkins has been captured by Russia. What happens now? - This week, a hostage video emerged of captured soldier and Australian man Oscar Jenkins being detained and interrogated by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. While diplomats say they are still working to confirm the 32-year-old's location and conditions, the ABC learnt that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) was alerted to concerns regarding his whereabouts last month. Ukraine has been enlisting foreign volunteers into its international allegiance since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. At least seven Australians are believed to have died fighting in Ukraine since, but Mr Jenkins is believed to be the first Australian soldier to be captured and held as a prisoner of war. So, what happens now? And what legal protection do people who joined Ukraine's forces have if they are captured by Russia?

>>22225435 Video: Australian soldier Oscar Jenkins may have been 'missing' in Ukraine for months - Australian authorities were alerted to the "disappearance" of Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins weeks before a hostage video emerged of the captured soldier being interrogated by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. The ABC has learnt that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) first learned of concerns for the welfare of the 32-year-old last month, with those close to the former teacher not knowing his whereabouts for months. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday refused to say if the government would consider a prisoner swap deal, but reiterated that they had made representations to the Russian government on Mr Jenkins's behalf. A diplomatic source familiar with Mr Jenkins's case said the Australian government did not doubt the authenticity of the hostage video that emerged on the weekend, but said authorities were yet to determine precisely when it was recorded.

>>22225443 ‘Your typical Aussie cricket boy’: Why Oscar Jenkins went to fight in Ukraine - On the cricket field, Oscar Jenkins was “your typical Aussie”, his former Melbourne teammates say: a formidable all-rounder, easy to chat to - though perhaps more deep thinking than most. Some had seen him as recently as this year, at a cricket reunion during a visit home - from teaching in China, they assumed. But those at Jenkins’ old Toorak Prahran Cricket Club were stunned on Monday when they learnt he had been captured by Russian soldiers on a Ukrainian battlefield. In footage that began circulating online on Sunday, Jenkins - with his hands tied – is paraded before the camera by Russian soldiers. The 32-year-old is seen being slapped across the face and questioned. In broken Ukrainian and English, he explains he has been fighting in the Donbas region to help Ukraine. It’s unclear how long Jenkins - who left Australia to teach and travel in China in 2015 – has been fighting with Ukrainian forces. He is the first Australian known to have been captured by Russia.

#39 - Part 34

Australian Politics and Society - Part 2

>>22225652 Video: The Bike Boy Scandal (Dan Andrews Car Crash) - Christmas Message to Cath and Dan Andrews - A Christmas message to Catherine and Dan Andrews from the Bike Boy campaign - Dec 25, 2024

>>22228776 Kremlin attacks ‘Russophobic policy’ in acknowledgment of captured Australian - The Russian government has acknowledged the capture of Australian Oscar Jenkins along the Russo-Ukrainian frontline for the first time, grandstanding on Australia’s dogmatic adherence to Western allies amid a tense diplomatic negotiation. In a briefing by the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry, spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the Kremlin had been contacted by Australian officials regarding Mr Jenkins’ capture, confirming government officials were investigating the matter. As reported by Reuters, relaying information from Russian news agency TASS, Ms Zakharova took a swipe at Australia for “obediently (following) in the footsteps of the collective West, which pursues a Russophobic policy” in the same briefing on Wednesday. “Efforts are currently under way to verify reports of the captured Australian citizen,” she said. “We are monitoring the situation alongside the relevant agencies. The Australian political establishment (has a) hostile stance towards Russia. Canberra obediently follows in the footsteps of the collective West, which pursues a Russophobic policy.”

>>22228920 Aussies fighting in Ukraine: What we know - Officials are urgently seeking information about Oscar Jenkins, the Australian man fighting in Ukraine seen captured, hit and taunted by a Russian soldier in disturbing video. Working through the embassy in Moscow, the government hoping for more clarity about Mr Jenkins’ case in the coming 24 hours. The delicate diplomatic situation is further complicated by concerns about Russia seizing on the attention surrounding Mr Jenkins to fuel its propaganda efforts about the war in Ukraine. Mr Jenkins is not the first Australian revealed to be fighting against Russian’s invasion of Ukraine. In July this year, it was reported that a 24 year old man from Queensland, Brock Greenwood, had been killed in the conflict. Australia’s travel advice for Ukraine explicitly states citizens should not travel to the war torn country under any circumstances. “There is a serious risk to life,” the official federal government advice says.

#39 - Part 35

Australian Politics and Society - Part 3

>>22238673 Ukraine flags prisoner swap for taken Aussie Oscar Jenkins - Captured Australian Oscar Jenkins will be classified as a prisoner of war in diplomatic negotiations with his Russian captors, providing a pathway to a prisoner swap despite concerns his nationality could complicate dealings. Speaking to The Australian, Ukrainian ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko confirmed Mr Jenkins was a serving member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, saying his government would assist in his safe return as it would any Ukrainian soldier under Russian captivity. Having relayed the same confirmation to the Australian government on Friday, Kyiv has urged Russia to exercise all the restraints mandated by international war in its treatment of POWs. The Australian understands Australia will not have consular access to Mr Jenkins, meaning it cannot communicate with him during his imprisonment, and will instead use the Ukrainian government as a go-between. Non-government organisations such as the Red Cross will also act as emissaries to provide welfare checks on the 32-year-old Melburnian. It is a process in line with the treatment of American and British nationals made POWs.

>>22238792 Video: Federal Liberals heavily involved in elevation of Brad Battin to the Victorian leadership - Not since Jeff Kennett was re-elected to run the party in 1991 has a Victorian Liberal leader been handed such a winnable path to government. Brad Battin’s ascension to the leadership on the third attempt is a triumph of persistence over the toxic malaise that has gripped the Victorian party for decades. It is also a triumph over petty internal snobbery that questioned whether a former cop and MP who ran a bakery could be handed the keys to what was once a treasured Liberal position. Battin, the bloke from the suburbs, will be sold as an aspirational success story who understands the basic concerns of basic people. The bigger picture is that Peter Dutton needs to win seats in Victoria if he wants to win government. He and others were deeply worried the Spring Street cancer would spread into the federal sphere. To that end, what Battin offers is straightforward politics driven by unity, the cost of living, crime, and servicing the growth corridors. It is these outer-suburban growth areas where Dutton and his backers believe there is blue sky for the Liberals.

>>22254832 ‘We’re both former cops’: Brad Battin reveals why he admires Peter Dutton - New Victorian Liberal leader Brad Battin believes he shares strong political values with Peter Dutton and is preparing to campaign shoulder to shoulder with the Opposition Leader in next year’s federal election. In an interview with The Australian, Mr Battin said he admired Mr Dutton for taking strong policy positions during his three years as federal Opposition Leader and because both Liberal leaders were former police officers, they had a shared history. Mr Battin revealed Mr Dutton telephoned him when he was appointed state Opposition Leader last Friday after the collapse of John Pesutto’s leadership in the fallout from his defamation case loss to Liberal MP Moira Deeming. He said the federal leader’s message was one of “congratulations, you have got an opportunity” and “it takes a lot of hard work in opposition”. Mr Battin said he was looking forward to campaigning with Mr Dutton, particularly in Melbourne’s outer suburbs and growth corridors, which both leaders have identified as being central to the future of the Liberal Party.

>>22254863 ‘Gutter politics’: Victorian Labor attacks the Duttons in smear campaign - The Victorian ALP has been accused of getting into “gutter” politics after launching a highly personal social media attack on Coalition Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and his wife. With Labor’s polling share falling sharply in Victoria ahead of next year’s federal election, the Victorian ALP manipulated a five-year-old newspaper report on the Duttons to attack them. The post went up about 11am on Monday under the heading “We all know that one couple” and a secondary line stating “Justifying dating your new partner to your friends who don’t like him” above a 2019 newspaper photo quoting Ms Dutton saying of her husband: ‘‘He’s not a monster.’’ The original Queensland-based Sunday Mail newspaper front page was headlined “My Pete’s no monster’’. Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson, a Liberal senator from Victoria, has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to take “this grubby meme down immediately”. “This is just grubby gutter politics from a desperate government slipping in the polls,” Mr Paterson told The Australian shortly after the post was published.

#39 - Part 36

Australian Politics and Society - Part 4

>>22254878 Australian Defence Force recruitment officially opens to Five Eyes - Canadian, American and British citizens will be eligible to join Australia’s defence forces by the end of the week, as the government reveals 400 New Zealand residents have applied to be part of the ADF since July. The program allowing Five Eyes partners to join the ADF was announced this year, in the wake of figures revealing the nation’s defence force was facing a shortfall of nearly 4500 troops and was not on track to reach Defence Department goals of having 69,000 men and women in uniform by the early 2030s. On top of offering $40,000 bonuses for personnel to remain in the ADF, Labor announced New Zealanders, Canadians and people from the US and UK would be able to join up as long as they had lived in Australia for at least 12 months, had not served in a foreign military within the previous two years and passed security vetting. As the ADF recruitment scheme officially opens to the Five Eyes, Labor continues weighing up a Pacific recruitment plan, despite having hit a stumbling block with Papua New Guinea, which is wary of a proposal that would force those who join to become Australian citizens.

>>22254892 Vladimir Putin a problem for all, Australian Brigadier warns - Australia’s top military officer in London has warned Russia’s use of North Korean and Iranian forces to destroy democratic Ukraine is “everyone’s business” and declared our nation’s role in holding back Vladimir Putin’s ambitions in Europe is “so important”. As US President Donald Trump looks to wind back US involvement in the years-long conflict, Brigadier Grant Mason has issued a clarion call for supporting the Ukrainians and said it is a bigger and more devastating war than either the 1950s Korean War or the more-than-decade-long conflict in Vietnam. Brigadier Mason is moving from his command of an increasingly important Australian mission in London three years after overseeing Australia’s defence in the region. As he comes home to lead a strategic review on what the Australian Defence Force can learn from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Brigadier Mason said in an exclusive, wide-ranging interview that Russia’s move to use its worldwide coalition in Europe makes this a fight the nation must be involved in. “The concern now is Russia is relying on other countries like Iran, North Korea and China in a conflict that was localised initially to Western Europe,” he said. “We are engaged because there is a connectedness between those two areas: that’s ­really clear and therefore that is our fight. When Russia started leaning on other allies like it has to try and win an illegal war over the illegal invasion of Ukraine, that becomes everyone’s business.”

>>22254943 Elon Musk trolls Sydney Morning Herald for predicting he will be 'forced to hand over the reins' at Tesla in 2025 - Elon Musk has hit back at the Sydney Morning Herald after the masthead wildly predicted the billionaire would quit Tesla in 2025. SMH published an opinion piece by technology editor David Swan on Sunday evening which shared a series of predictions for tech in the new year. One of the predictions centred on Musk and whether his busy list of commitments would force him to part ways with Tesla as he focuses on a new role in 2025 as the joint lead of the Department of Government Efficiency in the Trump administration. "To be juggling leadership roles at X, Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, the Boring Company and Neuralink was already unsustainable," the SMH op-ed read. "Musk has already found himself at loggerheads with MAGA diehards like Steve Bannon over immigration issues, and the inauguration is still weeks away. He’s also been at loggerheads with the justice system, after a US judge blocked Musk’s $US56 billion ($90 billion) pay package from Tesla. After constant controversies and distractions, it will all come to a head in 2025, and Musk will be forced to hand over the reins at Tesla, a company many mistakenly think he founded." The 53-year-old hit back with a tongue-in-cheek reply on X, after a Musk supporter shared the article's headline with a quote from the prediction. "I predict that the Sydney Morning Herald will continue to lose readership in 2025 for relentlessly lying to their audience and boring them to death," he said.

#39 - Part 37

Australian Politics and Society - Part 5

>>22262445 ‘Gutter politics’: Peter Dutton forces Anthony Albanese to order Labor post be removed - Anthony Albanese has been forced to order a highly personal attack against Peter Dutton and his wife be scrubbed from the ­Victorian ALP’s social media ­accounts. The Prime Minister’s intervention came after Mr Dutton called on ­Mr Albanese and Labor to show his family respect and avoid an election campaign dominated by personal attacks, after the Victorian ALP targeted him and Kir­illy Dutton in a “gutter politics” social media post. With the election to be called within months, and possibly as soon as the end of January, the Opposition Leader vowed that his campaign would be clean and would not target family members such as the Prime Minister’s fiancee, Jodie Haydon. “I can assure you: the Liberal Party I lead will not be targeting Jodie Haydon,” he said in a statement. “I respect and like Jodie but she is not an elected official and will not be the subject of humiliation, attack ads or public smear by the Liberal Party. “I would ask the PM to equally respect my wife.” The post was taken down from the Victorian Labor Party’s social media feed less than an hour after Mr Dutton’s statement. A spokesperson for Mr Albanese on Monday night said: “When the tweet was drawn to his attention, the Prime Minister demanded it be taken down. Families should be off-limits.”

>>22262471 Labor ministers admit Dutton marriage meme is stupid and mean - Labor minister Jason Clare has joined campaign strategists across the political spectrum in condemning the meme cooked up by the Victorian Labor Party mocking the marriage of Peter Dutton and his wife, Kirilly, describing the Facebook post as stupid and unfair. But state secretary Steve Staikos has defended the decision to upload the post to the party’s Facebook page on Monday, saying it was not designed to attack Dutton’s wife but to be a meme. NDIS Minister Bill Shorten and Clare, the education minister, condemned the post. “It’s mean and it’s dumb,” Shorten told The Nightly. “There is no way Albo would approve of this … it steals the political oxygen from the government.” Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Clare said: “I think it was stupid and it was wrong, and I’m glad it’s been taken down. A family should be off-limits. “We’re on the ballot paper, not our partners, and that’s why when the prime minister saw it, he demanded that it be ripped down, and I’m glad it has.”

>>22262503 ‘Families must be off-limits’: Jacinta Allan slams Labor’s Dutton attack - Premier Jacinta Allan has joined federal Labor and Liberal politicians to condemn a Victorian ALP social media post attacking Peter Dutton’s wife as party chiefs privately admit to an error of judgment ahead of next year’s election. Just one day after declining to criticise her own party’s social media attack on the Dutton family and describing it as a matter for ALP head office, Victoria’s Labor leader has now joined the wave of bipartisan criticism directed at the “grubby” and “gutter” political attack. “The post has been removed, that’s appropriate. Families must be off-limits,” Ms Allan said in a statement to The Australian. The Premier’s about-face followed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s dramatic intervention on Monday night to demand Victorian Labor pull the social media post down. Senator Henderson, the shadow education minister, slammed Labor’s social media post. “This was a disgusting smear against Peter Dutton and his family which shows Labor has given up governing with no solutions to the cost-of-living crisis Victorians are suffering,” she told The Australian. “After destroying the Victorian economy, we can expect to see more gutter politics from Labor in the lead up to the election which will confirm it has nothing to offer except incompetence, fear and division.”

#39 - Part 38

Australian Politics and Society - Part 6

>>22262535 John Howard and Peter Costello challenge Anthony Albanese on Donald Trump’s ‘possibly illegal’ tariffs - John Howard and Peter Costello have attacked Donald Trump’s plan to levy a tariff of 10 to 20 per cent on goods imports to the US, including from Australia, and questioned whether it might be ­illegal under international law given the free-trade agreement signed in 2004. In exclusive interviews with The Australian ahead of the release of the 2004 cabinet papers from the National Archives of Australia on Wednesday, the former prime minister and treasurer urged the Albanese government to argue strongly that Australia should be exempt. The inauguration of Mr Trump as president on January 20 will present a significant challenge for both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton, with the imposition of tariffs and the future of the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement key policy matters to discuss with the incoming US administration. Mr Howard, who negotiated the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement 20 years ago, labelled Mr Trump’s tariff proposals as “ridiculous” and “crazy” and said they would damage the international economy. Mr Costello added that Australia would also be collateral damage from the president-elect’s proposed 60 per cent tariff on Chinese imports to the US given Australia’s $200bn annual exports to China, including iron ore, natural gas and gold. “A lot of our raw materials end up being put into manufactured goods by the Chinese and exported to the US,” the former treasurer said. “So, I am not in favour of tariffs. That would not be good for Australia. It’s certainly, in my view, not in the spirit, if not the letter, of the free-trade agreement, and we should be doing everything we can to try and convince the Americans of that.”

>>22262558 Woolworths reverses decision to stop selling Australia Day merchandise - Woolworths will be proudly celebrating Australia Day in January after its decision to ditch celebratory merchandise such as flags and thongs triggered a tsunami of protests, eventually leading its chief executive to resign. Learning the lessons of last Australia Day - which triggered a call from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to boycott the supermarket giant – Woolworths will once again make room for flags and other paraphernalia in its stores as well as heavily advertise the event to shoppers as they walk through the doors. “We will be celebrating Australia Day as a team, and with our customers,” a Woolworths spokesman told The Australian on Tuesday. The supermarket giant had acknowledged the mistake when the retailer said it would no longer stock Australia Day merchandise due to a “gradual decline” in sales. Many saw the decision as a sop to activists who have long called for January 26 to be dumped as Australia Day, as it represented the “invasion” by British colonists of a land inhabited by Indigenous people. “While we did make changes to our merchandise range last Australia Day due to decline in demand in our stores, we listened and recognised that many customers and teams wanted us to do more to help them celebrate the day,” the spokesman said on Tuesday. “In our supermarkets we will do this through the lens of great Australian food that is perfect for the day, while Big W will also showcase products perfect for family and friends coming together over the Australia Day long weekend. Our store team members are also welcome to celebrate the day in-store. We respect everyone’s choices in how they choose to spend the day.” Even Woolworths’ Australia flags will be made in Australia instead of China.

>>22268298 ‘It’s embarrassed Labor’: Bill Shorten blasts Dutton meme - Bill Shorten has branded Victorian Labor’s social media misfire against the Dutton family as an “embarrassment” to the ALP. The former federal Labor leader and Victorian ALP veteran conceded on Wednesday that the Facebook post attacking Peter and Kirilly Dutton was an own goal that damaged the party. “Whoever did it has caused embarrassment to the whole Labor Party,” he told The Australian. State and federal Labor MPs and party figures are questioning how Victorian Labor -- long considered the best political campaigning operation in the country – has found itself amid a crisis of its own making. Victorian Labor has come under sustained criticism from Labor and Liberal MPs since it attacked the Duttons on Monday with a meme based on a five-year-old newspaper report. Labor sources said there were a lot of serious questions being asked internally about how the “stuff up” was allowed to happen and concerns were emerging about the possibility it could be symptomatic of deeper problems within Victorian Labor. “People are asking, is it a one-off stuff-up or a sign of a deeper malaise?” one Labor figure said.

#39 - Part 39

Australian Politics and Society - Part 7

>>22262642 Four years after the Capitol riot, why QAnon hasn't gone away - "After a mob of pro-Trump protesters breached the U.S. Capitol through a broken window on Jan. 6, 2021, a lone Capitol Police officer, Eugene Goodman, diverted the group away from the Senate chamber. The pack of protesters then chased Goodman up a staircase. The man leading the mob was wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with an eagle inside of a large red, white, and blue "Q." Douglas Jensen later told the FBI he read content about the QAnon conspiracy theory online daily. He said he had worn the shirt and put himself at the front because he "wanted Q to get the attention." Most of the rioters who stormed the Capitol that day were inspired by then-President Donald Trump's calls to be there. But many also cited or were adherents of the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory. Over the past four years, the online extremist community has continued to be subtly courted by Trump and some of his most powerful allies. The theory, which emerged in 2017, claims that Trump is involved in a secret battle against evil members of the alleged deep state, or in other tellings, a powerful cabal of government and Hollywood elites engaged in satanic child abuse. Some QAnon claims and themes echo longstanding antisemitic tropes. An anonymous source called Q, who supposedly had access to high level intelligence, posted cryptic clues, known as Q drops, on online message boards. Mike Rothschild, the author of "The Storm is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult and Conspiracy of Everything," said the QAnon movement showed there was a market for "instantaneous conspiracy content creators" who churn out fresh conspiratorial content on social media pegged to the news of the day. Influencers learned they could "make money by getting shares and replies and responses and retweets to this outlandish stuff that they put out," Rothschild said. There haven't been new Q drops in years and there appears to be less interest in online content analyzing those drops in the way there once was, said Rothschild. But ideas QAnon helped popularize, like the idea of a battle against an evil deep state, and anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, have become common ideas on the right. "QAnon as a movement based around secret codes and clues and riddles doesn't so much exist anymore," Rothschild said. "But it doesn't need to exist anymore because its tenets have become such a major part of mainstream conservatism and such a big part of the base of people that reelected Donald Trump."" - Jude Joffe-Block - npr.org

>>22262653 Q Post #3466 - These people are stupid. Enjoy the show! Q - https://qanon.pub/#3466

>>22268309 Social media companies have no ‘moral lens’: Dutton - Peter Dutton says tech giants like Facebook “basically gave us the middle finger” when the former government sought to curb the boom in child exploitation material online, describing the experience as “a real eye opener” that has informed his policy for under 16s to be banned from social media platforms. The Opposition Leader, who was home affairs minister when the Australian Centre to Child Exploitation was set up, said it had become clear to him that social media platforms saw users as young as 14 as nothing more than a “revenue model”. “That (centre) was concentrated on trying to stop pedophile networks from distributing graphic content and children being sexually abused,” Mr Dutton told the Diving Deep podcast. “When we dealt with the companies at that stage, with Facebook and Meta and others, they basically just gave us the middle finger and said that we’re not going to help you in stopping that information being distributed between theses networks. Some advocates, including those from the disability sector, have raised concern with the world-first ban, which they warn could isolate young people who rely on the social media platforms for connection. However, Mr Dutton said he envisaged the tech giants creating separate and safer platforms for young people, allowing them to still have access to social media but with limits around what they can see. “There’s a lot of harm that’s been done and a huge rise in mental health issues in Australia … I think social media has a real case to answer here,” Mr Dutton said. “For some kids under 16 it’s a real torture.”

#39 - Part 40

Australian Politics and Society - Part 8

>>22268316 The day Jimmy Carter told Australia he was sorry - A concerned Jimmy Carter apologised to Australia after America’s first space station exploded as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, scattering debris across the outback in a spectacular display of sonic booms and flashing lights. The little-publicised apology from the 39th US president, who died on Sunday at the age of 100, took place in 1979, during his first and only term in the White House. “I was concerned to learn that fragments of Skylab may have landed in Australia,” Carter wrote in a message to then prime minister Malcolm Fraser, referring to the 77-tonne space station operated by NASA and the US government. “I am relieved to hear your government’s preliminary assessment that no injuries have resulted. Nevertheless, I have instructed the Department of State to be in touch with your government immediately and to offer any assistance that you may need.” Skylab’s return to Earth marked the end of the $US2.6 billion ($4.2 billion) project, launched in May 1973 in a bid to prove that humans could live and work in space for extended periods. The space station was occupied by three groups of astronauts who conducted nearly 300 scientific and technical experiments on board, including medical experiments to study the effects of zero gravity on the human body. Skylab re-entered the atmosphere several thousand kilometres further from its orbital track than planned - sending flaming debris into the West Australian desert – after a command was sent to alter its path away from the US in a bid to “avoid risking American lives”.

>>22268338 Ukrainians reunite in Australia in shadow of major POW release - Ukrainian diplomats and community leaders are hopeful a New Year’s Eve prisoner exchange between Russia and their homeland may pave the way for the release of captured Australian Oscar Jenkins. The swap in northern Ukraine on Monday was the 59th since the conflict began in 2022, with 187 soldiers from ­either side returned along with two civilians. It brings the total number of freed Ukrainians to 3956, with 1358 released in 2024 according to Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko. With Mr Jenkins captured by the Russians last week after months fighting for Ukrainian forces, Mr Myroshnychenko told The Australian that he had renewed confidence the former Melbourne Grammar boy could be exchanged in a future POW swap. “It gives me hope that we will get Oscar Jenkins exchanged as well. However, there is no kind of clear timeline of when and how that will happen,” he said. “It gives me confidence that we have a clear mechanism for exchange, and we have successfully approved it many times now.”

>>22268355 Here’s why Elon Musk changed his name on X to ‘Kekius Maximus’ - and what it means - Elon Musk bizarrely changed his X profile name to “Kekius Maximus” on Tuesday - sparking a flood of questions from supporters and critics alike. The world’s richest man, who boasts nearly 210 million followers on the platform he has owned since 2022, also switched up his profile avatar to feature an image of the popular Pepe the Frog character clad in gladiator-like armor. Musk, a confidant of President-elect Donald Trump, has yet to offer a full explanation for his sudden name change. But there are a few hints. Elon watchers online have suggested that the new moniker is a bizarre combination of Pepe the Frog and Russell Crowe’s character, Maximus Decimus Meridius, in the 2000 blockbuster “Gladiator.” Musk’s new profile image shows Pepe the Frog clad in golden armor while holding a video game controller. Pepe, which started off as simply a cartoon in the “Boy’s Club” comic series, allegedly became associated online with white supremacists and the alt-right during the 2016 presidential election. The Anti-Defamation League dubbed the character a hate symbol and described it as the “Alt Right’s favorite meme.” However, Musk and many others who are chronically online have always rejected those claims.

#39 - Part 41

Australian Politics and Society - Part 9

>>22268370 Scott Morrison spends New Year’s Eve with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago - Former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison and his wife have spent New Year’s Eve at US President-elect Donald Trump’s exclusive members-only club, Mar-a-Lago. Morrison posted a photo of himself and Jenny, dressed in formal evening wear, alongside Trump and his wife, Melania, on social media with the message “HNY 2025 from Mar-a-Lago”. Morrison and Trump developed a bond during the US president’s first term in the White House and the former prime minister has retained close links with senior figures from Trump’s first term in office. The former MP for the Sydney seat of Cook launched his book, Plans for Your Good, at an event last year hosted by US ambassador Kevin Rudd. Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, and his former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, were on hand for the launch. Morrison and Trump met up in May 2024 when Trump gave his “warm” support to the AUKUS submarine deal during a private meeting at Trump Tower in New York. “Trump is often accused of being isolationist, but he just doesn’t like the US being taken for a ride and we cannot be accused of that,” said Morrison in a reference to the billions of dollars Australia will spend to help the US industrial navy base as part of the AUKUS deal.

>>22276573 Hindu community leaders’ warning for Anthony Albanese on religious hatred - One of the country’s top Hindu leaders has warned the nation is “incubating religious intolerance” with its failure to clamp down on anti-Semitism, claiming those who hate Jewish Australians “hate people of all faiths ­except their own”. It comes as Hindu leaders strengthened bonds with Jewish Australians amid 2024’s rampant anti-Semitism and that community’s “453 days of nightmares”, which came to a head in November and December with attacks in Sydney and Melbourne, only months before a federal election set to be dominated by the Israel-Hamas conflict’s domestic reverberations. The Hindu community has been one of the strongest supporters of Australian Jews and Hindu Council of Australia vice-president Surinder Jain said it was “heartbreaking” that threats toward that community were coming from “within Australia itself”. “The past 453 days have been a nightmare for Jewish Australians,” he said. “A constant barrage of threats, vandalism and hate speech has created a climate of fear … chants of hate and slogans calling for the eradication of Israel have become all too common.” But Mr Jain said anti-Semitism was a “symptom” of a broader disease plaguing the nation - namely, “religious intolerance”, which had incubated in Australia after a year of rising hatred. “This is not just a problem for Jews, but for people of all faiths and for Australia. We must take firm action to stamp out anti-Semitism, just as we would any other form of hatred.”

>>22276588 Clive Palmer applies to trademark ‘teal’ and ‘Clive and Pauline Party’ - Billionaire Clive Palmer has applied to trademark the terms “teal” and “Clive and Pauline Party”, sparking condemnation from independent MPs. Applications submitted to IP Australia reveal the founder of the United Australia Party applied to trademark “teal”, “teals”, “the teal party” and “AusTeal” on December 2 and sought to trademark “The Clive and Pauline Party” on November 18. A spokesperson for the billionaire declined to say why these applications were made. Teal independents such as Kooyong MP Monique Ryan were not aware of Palmer’s applications until contacted by this masthead. “I would have thought Clive Palmer would have a full dance card in 2025 re-registering his own party, fighting fraud charges and rebuilding the Titanic,” she said. “Having said that, there’s no doubt that he and Pauline would make a lovely couple.”

#39 - Part 42

Australian Politics and Society - Part 10

>>22276602 New Apache helicopters may be tied with drones - The Albanese government has signalled the army’s planned $5bn fleet of Apache attack helicopters will be teamed with armed drones to keep crews safe and extend the aircraft’s lethal­ity, as it pushes back against critics who argue the aircraft could soon become obsolete. The first of 29 new Boeing Apache helicopters will be ­delivered this year, amid evidence from the war in Ukraine that manned helicopters are ­increasingly vulnerable to attack by missiles and drones. The government is forging ahead with the purchase as Japan moves to retire the platform and the US axes its next-generation attack-helicopter program. The US Army continues to operate the Apache but has begun partnering them with armed Gray Eagle drones, giving the helicopter’s crew access to their weapons and sensors from up to 110km away. Defence has not confirmed if it will buy the General Atomics Gray Eagle, telling The Australian the AH-64E Apache is a ­superior capability in its own right. But it flagged the helicopters would operate with drones in the future as part of a $4.3bn-$5.3bn investment in uncrewed systems over the next 10 years.

>>22276667 Former Australian prime minister details God's faithfulness amid trials: 'He's always been there' - The former prime minister of Australia explained to The Christian Post how God sustained him when he led his country through an especially tumultuous time, and explained how he has learned to find his value not in power, but in God's love for him. Scott Morrison, a Christian who served as Australia's 30th prime minister from 2018 to 2022, detailed his faith journey in his 2024 book, Plans For Your Good: A Prime Minister's Testimony of God's Faithfulness. The book posits three main questions based on Jeremiah 29:11, exhorting readers to consider "Who am I?," "How should I live?," and "What should I hope for?" The book provides pastoral reflections on how to answer such fundamental questions while weaving compelling stories from his own life and time in office. Morrison emphasized to CP that the book is not a political memoir, but rather a message of hope to readers facing their own doubts and struggles. "It's not a political book," he said. "If I wanted to write a political book, it probably would have been three times longer and would have been full of defenses and advocacy of my political agenda. That's what I did in politics, and I did that for a long time." Morrison said his faith was not something he went into very often in great depth while serving as prime minister, but that leaving the public stage has offered him "an opportunity for me to just to be very open about my Christian faith and to declare it."

>>22276711 Scott Morrison as popular as Rolf Harris: Simon Holmes a Court - Activist and businessman Simon Holmes a Court has compared Scott Morrison’s popularity to that of sex offender Rolf Harris after the former prime minister spent New Year’s Eve with Donald Trump at the president elect’s Mara Lago Resort. In a repost of Mr Morrison’s photo with Mr Trump, the Climate 200 founder said that, should the former prime minister ever read the replies to his tweet, “it’ll be the second time he’ll have wished he could stay in the US and avoid ever coming back home”. “(Mr) Morrison is almost as popular as Rolf Harris,” Mr Holmes a Court said. The comments were seized upon by opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson, who demanded the teal independents that Mr Holmes a Court funded should explain their position. “That Simon Holmes a Court believes meeting with the democratically elected leader of our closest ally is in any way comparable to child sexual abuse says more about him than Scott Morrison,” Senator Paterson said. “Teal MPs should explain whether they endorse the unhinged views of their chief fundraiser. If they held the balance of power after the next election, what influence over Australia’s foreign and national security policy would he wield?”

#39 - Part 43

Australian Politics and Society - Part 11

>>22288283 After US election, Elon Musk could turn focus to Europe and Australia - The world's richest man just helped Donald Trump return to the White House, but Elon Musk isn't just interested in the future of the United States. The billionaire is increasingly injecting himself into European politics. Over the past six months, Musk has been outspoken about issues far beyond America's borders. The billionaire has argued that Britain is "turning into a police state" and claimed that the once-shunned German far-right political party Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) is the country's "only hope". He's also called for a new election in the United Kingdom, despite one being held in July last year, and argued that "only Reform can save Britain". Some experts are warning Musk could be interested in Australia's federal election, which must be held on or before May 17. In November, the tech tycoon took a swipe at Albanese over the Labor Party's plan to ban children from social media. "Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians," Musk replied to a post from Albanese on X. Professor Michael Cox from the London School of Economics says the global influence Musk wields should be taken seriously. "The underlying facts are this is a very, very rich man, highly ambitious, and he wants to have much more than just influence in the United States," Professor Cox said.

>>22288461 ‘Not a place for respectful debate’: Chris Bowen quits X - Climate Change and Energy minister Chris Bowen has quit Elon Musk’s social media platform X for Bluesky, saying X is “no longer the place for informed and respectful conversation”. On Friday, Mr Bowen told The Australian: “In considering my approach to social media in 2025, I reached the view that X is no longer a place where you can have an informed, respectful conversation on important issues like climate change. So despite having more than 140,000 followers, entering 2025 saw the deactivation of my X account,” he said. Mr Bowen used the platform formerly known as Twitter to underscore his political messages, attack the opposition and sometimes to document life outside work such as a trip to the theatre. Last year on his first Father’s Day since the death of his dad, he wrote: “it’s not an easy day for many”. In recent days Mr Bowen has begun posting regularly on Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky, which describes itself as “social media as it should be”. His BlueSky posts appear identical to those on his other social media accounts such as Instagram.

>>22301142 Defence reserves ‘understrength’; to be trained like Ukrainian fighters - A new approach to training Australian Defence Force reservists would be modelled on a five-week program to train Ukrainian nationals to fight Russian forces, allowing the ADF reserves to “rapidly scale” in the event of a “crisis”. A 78-page strategic review of the ADF reserves the nation’s part-time soldiers, who represent 33 per cent of the total ADF workforce – found it was “understrength”, with a recruitment shortfall of more than 1070 personnel forecast for 2023-24. It noted that future recruitment targets would not be met “without significant reprioritisation and resource allocation”. In 2023 alone, Australian rotations trained more than 1200 Ukrainian soldiers in the UK under Operation Kudu. Ukrainian recruits graduate following an intensive five-week training course that teaches basic war-fighting skills, first aid, explosive hazard awareness and marksmanship. The Albanese government has agreed to this “minimum essential training” model as part of the review and, once implemented, Australian reserves would ideally take no more than six weeks for initial training where it has previously taken up to two years. The review also found many reservists are employed in essential civilian roles that will exempt them from call-out in the case of an emergency, and the government needed to determine in which cases the reserves’ roles trumped their civilian employment, calling it a “significant and unquantified risk” to the ADF.

#39 - Part 44

Australian Politics and Society - Part 12

>>22301165 The bromance of two of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters, Elon Musk and Nigel Farage hits a rocky patch - In an extraordinary intervention, Elon Musk, one of the world’s richest men and the confidante of incoming US president Donald Trump, has called for a new political leader of one of Britain’s political parties. Mr Musk called for Nigel Farage, whose leadership of the British political party Reform UK has elevated it to be a serious rival to the Conservative Party, to stand down insisting he “doesn’t have what it takes”. Mr Musk has apparently taken umbrage at Mr Farage’s refusal to allow far right protagonist Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the English Defence League, to become involved with Reform UK. Robinson is serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court after breaching a court order not to defame a Syrian refugee. Mr Musk tweeted on Sunday: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.” Mr Farage said Mr Musk was a “remarkable individual”, but reiterated that Robinson, currently in jail for contempt of court, was not a suitable fit for the party. Mr Farage replied to Mr Musk on X: “Well, this is a surprise! Elon is a remarkable individual but on this I am afraid I disagree. “My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles.”

>>22307831 Anthony Albanese shrugs off tariff concerns on pre-election road trip blitz - Anthony Albanese has been urged to meet with Donald Trump imminently after the US president-elect returns to the White House, as the Prime Minister shrugs off suggestions Justin Trudeau’s demise could hold political lessons for him. After the long-serving Canadian Prime Minister resigned following a caucus revolt in part ignited by the proposed tariffs, Mr Albanese said he had “made the case” to Mr Trump that Australia should not be subjected to trade barriers. Strategic Analysis Australia director Michael Shoebridge said Mr Trudeau’s demise was a “nasty precedent for Mr Albanese to ponder”. “It shows the real risk for Anthony Albanese if he can’t establish a working relationship with Donald Trump, because a bad relationship with Donald Trump has proven radioactive to Trudeau’s leadership,” he said. “The obvious risk for Mr Albanese is that Trump sees him as weak and problematic, just like you did Trudeau, and the result is massive damage to the bilateral relationship and corrosive damage to Mr Albanese as a leader.”

>>22307865 PM praises ‘good friend of Australia’ Justin Trudeau after resignation - Anthony Albanese has praised Justin Trudeau after the Canadian Prime Minister announced he is resigning amid haemorrhaging support within his party. Mr Trudeau’s popularity has plummeted in recent years, with polls painting a grim picture for the governing Liberal Party’s chances at the general election in October. Mr Albanese on Tuesday called his outgoing Canadian counterpart “a good friend of Australia” who had “worked closely with both Labor and Coalition governments”. “I will say this as well about Justin Trudeau, every single time that has been a natural disaster in Australia, we have had Canadians on the ground here, whether it be flooding events, bushfires,” he told reporters. “I wish Justin Trudeau all the very best in whatever he chooses to do next in his life. “I regard him as a personal friend but he is a great friend of Australia.”

>>22314374 Albanese defends teen social media ban after Zuckerberg's Trump embrace - Plans to give Australia's eSafety watchdog new powers are moving ahead even as the federal government braces for hostility from the Trump administration's tech backers over what they regard as "censorship". Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg declared a "new era" for his company this week, ditching fact checkers and accusing foreign governments of "going after American companies and pushing to censor more" in a bid to ingratiate himself with the incoming president. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose child social media ban and other online safety initiatives have placed him at odds with US tech giants, said on Wednesday platforms had a "social responsibility" and defended his approach. "I know that our strong action is being watched right around the world because other leaders that I've spoken to have indicated that they applaud [it]," he said.

#39 - Part 45

Australian Politics and Society - Part 13

>>22314386 Australia commits $100m to build more army Bushmasters at Thales Bendigo - The federal government has announced a new $100 million contract for Bendigo defence manufacturer Thales Australia to build another 40 Bushmaster protected vehicles. Thales has built 130 Bushmasters for the army over the past two years. The deal will supply vehicles to the army's Second Long-Range Fires Regiment at the Edinburgh Defence Precinct in South Australia. The vehicles will support a multi-mission phased array radar battery to provide critical command and control functions. Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Minister Pat Conroy said the contract responded to a regional arms race and great strategic uncertainty. "We need to deter anyone who has any thought of threatening Australia. The best way of doing that is to let them know we have the weapons and the range to strike back," he said. "It's the best armoured truck in the world. We've seen it save lives in the Middle East and it's saving lives in Ukraine right now." The Bushmasters rose to notoriety in Ukraine's war against Russia after Australia donated more than 100 to Ukraine. The federal government is currently running a tender to put missiles on army vehicles, with the Bushmaster one option under consideration.

>>22315461 The next Australian government needs a bolder plan for the navy - "The past year brought a renewed focus on Australia’s deteriorating security situation and maritime capability. Despite the maritime emphasis in Australia’s 2024 defence announcements, the country remains far from being adequately positioned to defend its extensive sea lines of communication, subsea cables and broader national interests at sea. With a federal election due by May, the next Australian government must spend on the navy, address the capability gaps and make timely decisions on future capability. Australia’s surface combatant fleet has been reduced from 11 to 10 with the decommissioning of HMAS Anzac because of its age. The mine-hunting fleet also has been diminished, leaving only two vessels remaining after a mid-year decision to cancel their replacements. Australia’s two tankers, critical for replenishing fuel, food and ammunition for naval ships, have been laid up for most of 2024 because of defects. Additionally, much of Australia’s hydrographic capability, vital for surveying beneath the surface of the water, has been decommissioned, leaving only one ship in operation. These issues are the product of decades of delayed and indecisive decision-making compounded by a lack of investment. The increasing frequency of attacks in the maritime domain, coupled with the absence of strategic warning time for a potential regional conflict, highlights the urgent need to address Australia’s waning maritime power. This is not simply a nice-to-have but an essential requirement for an island nation when global security norms are being redefined." - Jennifer Parker - aspistrategist.org.au

>>22320843 Anthony Albanese’s bid to claim Trump card and China ace - Anthony Albanese says he is ­better placed than Peter Dutton to forge a productive relationship with Donald Trump, arguing his close ties with Indo-Pacific leaders would be valuable to the US president-elect in an era of competition between major powers. The Prime Minister signalled he would not change his approach with China if Mr Trump launched a trade war, lauding the reopening of trade with Beijing as an economic win for Australia. “We are a sovereign nation and we will act in terms of our economic interest,” Mr Albanese told The Australian. “We believe in free trade, not protectionism.” The Coalition has argued that there is a risk to the US relationship if it is left to the Albanese government to deal with Mr Trump, as Mr Albanese and several cabinet ministers have previously voiced strong criticisms of the president-elect. Mr Albanese said it was he who was better placed to forge close ties with the incoming administration, arguing the relationships he had forged with regional leaders would carry weight with Mr Trump.

#39 - Part 46

Australian Politics and Society - Part 14

>>22320883 ‘I’m strong, I’m pro-Israel, I can work best with Donald Trump’: Peter Dutton hit backs at Anthony Albanese’s diplomacy claims - Peter Dutton says it is “comical” to think Anthony Albanese can be a better global partner for US president-elect Donald Trump than he would be, pointing to recent Australian votes against Israel in the United Nations and the Prime Minister’s past comments on Mr Trump as marks against Labor in pursuing a relationship with the Republican. Mr Albanese told The Australian on Wednesday that he is better placed than the Opposition Leader to forge a productive relationship with Mr Trump, arguing his close ties with Indo-Pacific leaders would be valuable to the new administration. But Mr Dutton hit back on Thursday, saying he had already worked with Mr Trump’s first administration and accused the government of failing to engage the US president-elect since he secured the White House last November. The Liberal leader also brought up Mr Albanese’s comments, made at the start of Mr Trump’s first term, that the the billionaire had scared “the shit” out of him. “President Trump is not somebody to be ‘scared’ of, but somebody that we can work very closely with - and that’s exactly what the Coalition under my leadership will do,” Mr Dutton told The Australian.

>>22320949 WA Premier Roger Cook: we are ‘proudly independent’ from federal Labor - West Australian Labor Premier Roger Cook has declared his ­government is “proudly independent” and that his focus is on ensuring re-election rather than helping Anthony Albanese shore up crucial WA seats. In his first sit-down interview of the year, and on the eve of the Prime Minister arriving for the first of many visits to the west ahead of this year’s federal election, Mr Cook noted there were differences of approach between WA Labor and its federal counterparts on a “whole range of issues”. In comments that will do little to dispel the impression that WA Labor wants to put distance between itself and a struggling federal government ahead of two elections due in as many months, Mr Cook said he would not be distracted from his own campaign. “I’m just going to make sure I focus on the eighth of March, and making sure that we communicate to the West Australian people what our plan for the future is, how we’re going to keep the economy strong, how we’re going to maintain strong growth in jobs. While I understand the Prime Minister has his own race to run, we are focused on our election at the moment, and that will obviously be soaking up our entire bandwidth between now and the eighth of March.” The next federal election must be held by May 17.

>>22320983 Michelle Rowland slams Meta over fact check decision and backs news outlets - Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says the need for ­access to trusted information has “never been more important” after tech giant Meta abandoned independent fact-checking on its social media platforms in the US. After tech billionaire and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg announced he was scrapping third-party fact checkers on Facebook and Instagram, Ms Rowland declared the antidote to online misinformation was “quality, fact-checked information” from public broadcasters. Meta’s shift towards X-style “community notes”, where users comment on the accuracy of posts, comes just weeks ahead of Donald Trump’s returns to the White House. The president-elect -- a close ally of tech billionaire and X Corp owner Elon Musk – has previously criticised Meta for hindering free speech and censoring right-wing views. Meta’s changes to third-party fact-checking are occurring only in the US at this stage, not in other jurisdictions such as Australia. With the Albanese government increasingly at odds with Mr Trump over a push to place limits on social media access and combat online misinformation, Ms Rowland said Labor was committed to “high quality and diverse public interest journalism”. “Misinformation can be harmful to people’s health, wellbeing, and to social cohesion,” a spokesman for Ms Rowland said. “Misinformation … is complex to navigate and hard to recognise. Access to trusted information has never been more important. That’s why the Albanese government is supporting high quality, fact-checked information for the public through ongoing support to ABC, SBS and AAP.”

#39 - Part 47

Australian Politics and Society - Part 15

>>22321028 Telstra and Musk ink deal to bring texting to Australia’s dead zones - Major telco Telstra has signed a new deal with Elon Musk’s satellite network Starlink, allowing customers to send a text message from almost anywhere in Australia -- including rural and regional dead zones. Under the deal announced on Thursday, Telstra customers will be able to use Musk’s low-earth orbit satellites to communicate with other users across Australia. It marks a new foray into the direct-to-handset technology for Telstra, whose network covers all but 0.3 per cent of the Australian population. Telstra’s global network and technology executive, Shailin Sehgal, said the technology would be “particularly relevant” for customers in regional and remote parts of Australia without a reliable mobile connection. “Technology is always evolving, and we’re committed to staying at the forefront of innovation,” Sehgal said. “Australia’s landmass is vast and there will always be large areas where mobile and fixed networks do not reach, and this is where satellite technology will play a complementary role to our existing networks.” Telstra customers with an iPhone 14 or later model will be able to access the technology, which can be used wherever there is a direct line of sight to the sky. Thick tree canopy or a vehicle cover will block access, though cloud cover shouldn’t pose an issue. Australians could use Starlink’s low-earth satellite to communicate with emergency services or text those who can assist with a pressing matter. Initially only text messaging will be available, though Telstra hopes to expand to voice messaging and data as the satellite service evolves.

>>22328053 High commissioner to snub Australia Day for a second time - Australia’s high commissioner to Britain, Stephen Smith, has signalled to organisers that he will not attend an annual Australia Day gala dinner, a year after he cited sensitivities around celebrating the day. Mr Smith, hand-picked by Anthony Albanese, has indicated he may not be in London for an annual gala dinner to celebrate Australia Day, sparking criticism from organisers and attendees that he was abandoning the national day. The then-newly appointed high commissioner ignited uproar last year when he informed organisers he would not be opening the doors to the Exhibition Hall of the Australian high commission in London for the fundraising event. The black-tie gala, run by the Australia Day Foundation, has been a fixture of the London social calendar for two decades, and has been attended by some of the nation’s most prominent business and industry leaders living in Britain. This is the second year the event has been affected by controversy, after Mr Smith told organisers it would not be appropriate to hold the gala around January 26, which marks the First Fleet’s landing in Sydney in 1788. The event is traditionally hosted on the closest Saturday to Australia Day, which has been dubbed Invasion Day by some Indigenous campaigners and become the subject of protests.

>>22328065 Richard Alston slams UK envoy Stephen Smith over Australia Day ‘activism’ - Former Australian high commissioner to Britain Richard Alston has accused his successor Stephen Smith of “indulging his own prejudices”, “alienating every Australian in London”, and hating socialising after he backtracked on his plan to skip Australia Day celebrations. After Mr Smith sparked uproar when he informed organisers he would not be attending a gala dinner celebrating the national day because he may not be in London, before reversing his position, Mr Alston declared the high commissioner “clearly doesn’t enjoy the job and hates the socialising”. The high commissioner said he had been “able to rearrange his official travel plans” following revelations in The Australian that he would snub Australia Day celebrations for a second year in a row, after he signalled to organisers he may not be in London for the event. Mr Alston said Mr Smith’s backflip was clearly the result of pressure from the government over his “misguided activism”. “His refusal to come clean on his real reasons suggest that he is off on a frolic of his own, and that both DFAT and the Prime Minister do not support his misguided activism,” Mr Alston said. “His caving is clearly a result of pressure from the government back home, and is a big slap in the face to him.”

#39 - Part 48

Australian Politics and Society - Part 16

>>22328090 Anti-Voice band back together as Price, Abbott back Warren Mundine for key seat - Australia’s conservative establishment has mobilised in a bid to secure Nyunggai Warren Mundine, one of the key Indigenous advocates against the Voice to parliament, the prized Sydney seat of Bradfield that the teal movement is hoping to win. Former prime minister Tony Abbott, former deputy prime minister John Anderson and senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price are lobbying local branch members to back Mundine, who is in a tight contest to be the Liberal candidate for the wealthy northern Sydney seat. Mundine, a former federal Labor president who switched parties and ran unsuccessfully for the Liberals in 2019 on the NSW South Coast, helped deliver the party a major political win as a director of the main group opposing the Voice. Price said she travelled across Australia with Mundine leading the anti-Voice movement that generated big momentum in Liberal branches in 2023, helping to grow the profile of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. “I truly believe with him [Mundine] as one of our candidates, we have a better shot at winning this next federal election,” Price said in a video sent to party members and obtained by this masthead.

>>22331028 Video: Proud Aussie - Celebrate being an Aussie on the 26th of January - kunce.orsum - https://www.tiktok.com/@kunce.orsum/video/7445120070977654036

>>22333774 Official Australia Day website wipes January 26 ‘history’ section, references to British colonisation - January 26 represents a painful day in history for many First Nations people - but for the official Australia Day organising body, it seems the solution is to literally erase that history altogether. A new arrival to Australia, wanting to know more about the national holiday, may learn from the official Australia Day website that January 26 “is an important date” in the country’s history “that has evolved over time”. But why is it important? And how has it evolved over time? Anyone hoping that these vague allusions will be expanded upon will, it seems, have to search elsewhere for answers. The National Australia Day Council (NADC), the government-owned not-for-profit which coordinates Australia Day events and the Australian of the Year Awards, has quietly stripped all mention of British colonisation and the history of the holiday itself from its website.

>>22333788 Federal Election 2025: Coalition targeting Teal seats nationwide - The Coalition is ramping up a major attack on Teal MPs, including Dr Monique Ryan, in a bid to claw back vital seats at the upcoming federal election. New campaign material obtained by the Herald Sun seeks to lift the lid on the independent, exposing her voting records, “hypocrisy” and weaknesses. The assault comes as Liberal leader Peter Dutton will on Sunday kick-start the election year with a rally in Melbourne, where he will outline his priorities and plan for the nation. A scathing pamphlet being released this week in Kooyong, as part of the Coalition’s “Teals Revealed” campaign, highlights that Dr Ryan has voted with the Greens the most often. It reminds voters about her workplace drama, pointing out that she was “sued by a female staffer, after Ryan allegedly tried to sack her because she refused to work unreasonable hours”, and that Dr Ryan has refused to say who she would back in a hung parliament. It also accuses her of supporting higher taxes, being “weak” on crime and union corruption.

#39 - Part 49

Australian Politics and Society - Part 17

>>22339443 Dutton makes case to become PM, rallying Liberal faithful at launch - Liberal leader Peter Dutton has made his case to become prime minister, rallying the party faithful at an event in Melbourne, where the Coalition must make in-roads to win back government at the federal election. The Coalition hopes to make the Albanese government the first one-term government in almost a century, and has eaten away at Labor's popularity over the past 12 months, according to polling trends. In his first speech of the year at a Liberal event in Mount Waverley, in Melbourne's east, Mr Dutton laid out his party's priorities if it can win this year's election: fighting cost of living pressures, supporting small business, establishing nuclear power, improving housing supply, "rebalancing" migration levels, lifting general practitioner numbers, a tougher approach to crime and a closer relationship with Israel. In an homage to president-elect Donald Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again", Mr Dutton stood in front of a podium stamped with "Get Australia Back on Track" - directly lifted from his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon's campaign. Borrowing from Trump's successful campaign playbook, Mr Dutton asked voters to consider the past three years, and whether they could "afford" another term of Labor government.

>>22339502 Penny Wong to represent Australia at Donald Trump’s second inauguration alongside Kevin Rudd - Foreign Minister Penny Wong will represent the nation at US president-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration in Washington, with Anthony Albanese’s closest confidant to use the visit to expand co-operation with Mr Trump’s second administration on economics and security. After concerns the Albanese government has not moved as fast as other allied countries like Britain, France and Italy to forge a relationship with Mr Trump, Senator Wong will go to the president-elect’s swearing in on January 21 with Australian ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd. Senator Wong on Sunday said she was honoured to be invited by Mr Trump’s inauguration committee to the event, and that she would use it to meet with senior members of the incoming Trump cabinet. The Foreign Minister has previously told ABC radio in 2021 - before Labor returned to power - that Mr Trump had been prepared to trash alliances for “personal political interest.”

>>22345205 Dutton pitches suburban battler roots, calls for ‘education not indoctrination’ - Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has highlighted his suburban battler upbringing during his unofficial election campaign launch in the Melbourne seat of Chisholm, where he nominated public safety, lower inflation, cheaper energy and affordable housing as policy priorities for the Coalition. Speaking to supporters in an electorate his party lost to Labor in 2022, Dutton was eager to talk up his working-class background before outlining how he intended to get Australia “back on track”, in line with the Coalition’s election slogan. He told the crowd about his plans to ease inflation by lowering government spending; he outlined changes to immigration and foreign ownership in a bid to improve housing affordability; he expressed his desire to address community safety; and he committed to “push back on identity politics”. “The expensive Panadol policies must stop,” he told the supportive crowd consisting largely of volunteers, candidates and sitting MPs. “The necessary economic surgery to stop wasteful spending must start.”

>>22345214 Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton trade personal attacks as gloves come off - Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have escalated personal attacks against each other, with the Prime Minister declaring the Opposition Leader “represents a cold-hearted, mean-spirited, sometimes just plain nasty response” to governing. Mr Dutton hit back by saying Mr Albanese had been the “weakest prime minister since Federation”, as he dismissed the Labor leader’s negative campaign against his personality while conceding it would continue as the federal election gets closer. Attempting to convince voters of the benefits of Labor’s first term in power, Mr Albanese said Australia needed “leadership with a heart”. “Peter Dutton represents a cold-hearted, mean-spirited, sometimes just plain nasty response and that’s not going to help people. We’ve provided that immediate cost-of-living relief, plus setting Australia up by producing two budget surpluses, putting that downward pressure on inflation that is so important,” Mr Albanese told ABC radio. Mr Dutton said the last 2½ years had been “lost years” under Labor but acknowledged Australians would hear more personal attacks from Mr Albanese and Jim Chalmers in the days and weeks ahead.

#39 - Part 50

Australian Politics and Society - Part 18

>>22345238 PM dodges Australia Day stoush with Dutton, calls him ‘nasty’ - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has sharpened his character assault on Peter Dutton, branding him a mean and nasty opposition leader, as the Coalition ignites new culture wars by attacking Labor’s record on antisemitism and Australia Day in an increasingly personal election campaign. Dutton revived a political clash over Australia Day on Monday when he vowed to reinstate a rule, scrapped by Labor, forcing councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26, following his claim on Sunday that “every incident of antisemitism” in Australia since late 2023 could be traced to Albanese’s weak leadership. Albanese, who has promised to “do politics better”, sought to sidestep the vexed debates but escalated a personal attack on Dutton by labelling him “cold-hearted, mean-spirited [and] sometimes just plain nasty” in an ABC Melbourne radio interview on Monday morning. The character attacks in early January suggest negative personal politics will feature heavily in this year’s election campaign, despite polls showing the economy will be voters’ top priority, as Dutton tries to force Albanese onto his turf by pursuing culture war topics under the banner of uniting the country.

>>22345254 Mayors back Peter Dutton’s citizenship vow - Mayors across the nation are rally­ing around Peter Dutton’s plan to reinstate the requirement for local councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, hailing it as a courageous step to bring the country together. In Melbourne on Monday, the Opposition Leader vowed to make the changes in his first 100 days in office, as he blasted the ­Albanese government’s approach to the celebrations and accused Anthony Albanese of flagging to councils that the date “didn’t matter” and was “something to be ashamed of”. Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner said it was “right” for Australians to celebrate on the country’s national day. “Australia is the best country in the world to live in, which is why so many ­people want to call it home,” he said. “I think it’s right that Australians continue to celebrate the freedom and opportunities they enjoy on our country’s national day. “Welcoming new citizens on Australia Day is a tradition we’ve long held in Brisbane and it’s something our council intends to continue.” Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate also agreed, saying the Glitter Strip had always held citizenship ceremonies on January 26 and would continue to do so, regardless of federal politics. The City of Melbourne will host nine citizenship ceremonies in 2025, including some on January 26. Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the council “continues to hold citizenship ceremonies on 26 January”. “In September 2022, council endorsed its position on 26 January, which includes advocating to the federal government to change the date of Australia Day.”

>>22345280 COMMENTARY: No value to nation in deconstructing Australia Day - "As we approach Australia Day, we know the country will be engulfed in controversy about whether we should use January 26 to celebrate our country’s achievements. I have visited more than 100 countries around the world and I know of none that combines as well as Australia does a high standard of living for most people, extensive individual freedom of choice and expression, and almost unequalled multiracial harmony. To suggest this isn’t something to celebrate is just ignorance. Mocking Australia Day, calling it invasion day and demonstrating only offends people. Councils that have cancelled Australia Day ceremonies irritate the majority of people. Trying to cancel our national day of celebration is not a contribution to reconciliation. It’s one of many divisive symbolic mistakes made by Indigenous activists. The other is using excessively the imported practice of acknowledging traditional owners. There’s a time and a place to do something like that, and all Australians certainly agree the whole nation, including Indigenous Australians, deserves respect. But inserting an acknowledgment at the beginning of every speech, every public event and even at private events is pretentious, patronising and insincere. More importantly, it is starting to irritate people, thereby becoming counter-productive. The hard-left political activists who have campaigned for Indigenous rights over the past two or three decades have often embraced the deconstructionist political philosophy. It has achieved nothing. And it’s legacy is one of polite irritation throughout the mainstream of Australian society. They’re quiet about it but look how they voted on the voice." - Alexander Downer, former foreign minister and high commissioner - theaustralian.com.au

#39 - Part 51

Australian Politics and Society - Part 19

>>22345317 Australia Day poll conducted by the Institute of Public Affairs reveals support for celebration - A “vibe shift” against corporate activism has led to a surge in support for celebrating Australia Day on January 26, a new analysis has found, with increasing numbers of younger Australians saying the nation should keep the date. The latest results of the Institute of Public Affairs’ annual poll of attitudes about the holiday reveal that 69 per cent of Australians agreed with the statement, “Australia Day should be celebrated on January 26”. This figure was up six points from last year, when 63 per cent of Australians said they supported celebrating the holiday on January 26, marking the arrival of the First Fleet at Port Jackson in 1788. Among Australians aged 18-24 the swing was even larger. In 2024 just 42 per cent of Australians in that age group polled by the IPA said they supported celebrating on the 26th. This year, that figure shot up to 52 per cent, meaning that every age bracket polled now supports Australia Day staying where it is on the calendar. The poll also found that a whopping 86 per cent of respondents that they were “proud to be Australian”, while 68 per cent agreed that Australia has “a history to be proud of”. “The vibe and energy around Australia Day have shifted,” said Daniel Wild, the IPA’s deputy executive director. “It should give the entire community great hope that despite relentless indoctrination taking place at schools and universities, young Australians are growing in civic pride.”

>>22351441 Crucial face-to-face with Donald Trump? It’ll be a journey to the Quad summit - Anthony Albanese has pointed to a Quad leaders meeting that could be months away for his possible first face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump, as former foreign minister Julie Bishop cast doubt on how long Australian ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd will last. As concerns grow that the Prime Minister has not moved fast enough to develop a connection with the incoming US president, former ambassador Joe Hockey said Mr Albanese and Peter Dutton should consider offering Mr Trump a state visit to Australia. While Mr Trump prefers bilateral meetings over multilateral forums, Mr Albanese referred to the Quad leaders summit this year between Australia, the US, India and Japan when asked when he anticipated his first face-to-face meeting with the president-elect and whether there was an upcoming summit he might attend. No date has been locked in for this year’s Quad summit, after US President Joe Biden hosted the leaders in Delaware in September. “There is a summit this year, which will be the Quad summit. I note that all the Quad foreign ministers will be visiting President Trump’s inauguration on January 20, including Penny Wong representing Australia,” the Prime Minister said.

>>22351454 Albanese warns Musk: Stay away, we’ve got foreign interference laws - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pre-emptively warned the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, not to get involved in the upcoming federal election, noting that Australia has anti-foreign interference laws. Musk backed President-elect Donald Trump with $US277 million ($447 million) during the US election and is supporting far-right parties in the United Kingdom and Germany, where the billionaire’s posts on his X platform have generated debate about mass migration, crime and identity politics. Asked in an interview about Musk’s interventions, Albanese said his job was to focus on Australia’s national interest. “We have foreign interference laws in this country and Australian elections are a matter for Australians,” Albanese said. “I have no intention of being a … commentator on what people overseas want to engage in. People will make their own judgments and have their own views about that.”

>>22351506 Everything to know about Donald Trump's inauguration - Next Tuesday morning, Donald Trump will take his second oath of office to become president again. Trump is only the second president to be elected to two non-consecutive terms. So what is there to know about his second inauguration. What time is the inauguration? - What will happen at the inauguration ceremony? - How will Donald Trump be sworn in? - How long will Trump speak? - Will Trump swear the oath on the Bible? - Where does the inauguration take place? - Who will be at the inauguration? - The rest of the day

#39 - Part 52

Australian Politics and Society - Part 20

>>22357731 Video: Fears captured Australian soldier Oscar Jenkins has been executed by Russian forces - An Australian volunteer soldier in Ukraine is believed to have been killed after being captured by Russian forces on the frontline - the first Australian Prisoner of War to be put to death in more than 70 years. Sources in Ukraine have told 7NEWS that the body of 32-year-old Melbourne teacher Oscar Jenkins has been found. The Australian Government says it is making urgent enquiries, even confirming on Monday the Russian Ambassador was called in to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade “to seek information and reiterate Australia’s expectations that Russia will comply with its obligations under international law”. If confirmed, it’s expected Canberra will react with fury over the incident. Ukrainian authorities have been contacted and Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence is understood to be working to confirm the truth of the reports. There is speculation that a body has been recovered but it is yet to be officially identified. At least six Australians who’ve volunteered for the Ukraine cause have been killed since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. But Jenkins would be the first to be captured and executed by the Russians.

>>22357744 ‘All options on the table’ after reports of Australian’s death at Russia’s hands - Foreign Minister Penny Wong says all options will be on the table, including expelling Russia’s ambassador to Australia, if it is confirmed that Russian soldiers killed Oscar Jenkins, a Melbourne man who was captured while fighting for Ukraine. Wong said that the government held “grave concerns for Mr Jenkins’ welfare” and was “making urgent inquiries following the reports of his death”. 7News cited Ukrainian sources in a report on Tuesday who said Jenkins’ body had been found. Jenkins, a former teacher, had been fighting with Ukraine against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of the democratic country. Wong said she was thinking of Jenkins’ family in Australia, telling ABC radio on Wednesday morning: “They’ve lived with the fear and uncertainty of a loved one in the middle of a foreign war for many months. I know these reports will be devastating to them, and they are in my thoughts and, I’m sure, the thoughts of many Australians.” Asked whether Australia could expel Russia’s ambassador to Australia, Alexey Pavlovsky, Wong said that “all options are on the table”. “Russia is obliged to treat all prisoners of war in accordance with international humanitarian law,” she said. “This includes humane treatment and the right to a fair trial.”

>>22357749 Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton warn Russia of strongest action possible if Oscar Jenkins has been executed - Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese have presented a bipartisan threat of the “strongest possible action” against the Kremlin if Australian foreign fighter Oscar Jenkins is confirmed to have been executed by Russian forces, following his capture in eastern Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference in Tasmania on Wednesday, the Prime Minister upped the ante after Foreign Minister Penny Wong asserted that “all options are on the table”, including the potential expulsion of Russian ambassador to Australia Aleksey Pavlovsky, should Mr Jenkins be dead. “If there has been any harm caused that is absolutely reprehensible and the Australian government will take the strongest action possible,” Mr Albanese said. “I spoke with the Ukrainian ambassador on Monday in my office. We call upon Russia to immediately confirm Oscar Jenkins’ status, we remain gravely concerned. We will await the facts to come out.” The opposition leader, speaking at a press conference in Halls Gap, Victoria, urged Mr Albanese to send Mr Pavlovsky packing should diplomats prove Mr Jenkins was executed. “We should send a clear message to Russia and to other similar minded regimes that Australians are sacrosanct, they deserve to be protected by their government and if they are harmed in this way and brutally executed as seems to be the suggestion in this case … There should be a strong reaction,” Mr Dutton said.

#39 - Part 53

Australian Politics and Society - Part 21

>>22357751 Friends serving with Oscar Jenkins in Ukraine believe Australian killed shortly after capture - Soldiers who served alongside Oscar Jenkins in the Ukrainian armed forces say they are convinced their Australian comrade was killed by Russia's military shortly after being captured last year. Numerous foreign fighters and Ukraine supporters have told the ABC they believe the 32-year-old is dead. But while authorities say they hold "grave fears" for the prisoner of war, they stress they have had no formal confirmation of his fate. In December, a hostage video emerged of the captured Melbourne man being interrogated by Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine, weeks after Australian authorities were alerted to his "disappearance". An American soldier who previously served alongside Mr Jenkins in Ukraine's armed forces said he was notified of his Australian friend's death last week. The foreign fighter, who asked to be identified by his call sign "Forrest", said he believed his Australian comrade had been killed, and described his grief at losing his "best mate". "During the identification process they used the tattoo he had, and it was shown it was him … he had the word 'vegan' tattooed on his hand," he told the ABC. Another Australian with links to Ukraine's armed forces said he had been provided "unnerving information" that pointed to Oscar Jenkins being killed soon after being captured. "Oscar's body was discovered by my friend's sister squad. It appears that they were executed," said the military figure who is currently based in Ukraine. "Oscar's body was with three or four others who were from the same squad. [They were] all found in the same area where the video was taken," the Australian figure told the ABC, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

>>22357756 Anthony Albanese invited Donald Trump to visit Australia in first phone call - Anthony Albanese invited ­Donald Trump to Australia in their first phone call a day after the incoming US president won the November 5 election. The invitation emerged amid warnings the Prime Minister will find it difficult to fit in a face-to-face meeting with the president-elect before the federal election. As the Coalition accuses Mr Albanese of being missing in action in dealing with Mr Trump, The Australian has confirmed the Prime Minister told the president-elect he looked forward to welcoming him to Australia at the first available opportunity that was convenient for him. Mr Albanese spoke to Mr Trump the morning after he was re-elected, but it wasn’t known until now that an invitation had been made. The Prime Minister on Monday pointed to a Quad leaders summit, which could be months away, for a possible face-to-face meeting with the incoming president, with doubts he will be able to see Mr Trump before calling an election unless the government can organise a quick bilateral meeting.

>>22357770 Dutton set to legislate January 26 Australia Day as more councils back plan for citizenship ceremonies - Peter Dutton will look at legislating January 26 as the nation’s holiday, as mayors in Labor and independent-held federal electorates back his proposed Australia Day citizenship ceremony crackdown on progressive councils. The Opposition Leader had called on Anthony Albanese to “stand up to mayors” in local councils that were no longer holding citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day after Labor loosened the rule in 2022 to allow ceremonies three days before or after January 26. Last year 81 councils changed that date of their citizenship ceremonies. Mr Dutton was asked on Tuesday if he would legislate to permanently recognise January 26 as Australia Day to protect it from changes. “I’m happy to look at the suggestion and we have to make sure we continue to be proud of who we are as a country,” he said in Ipswich, Queensland, on Tuesday morning in the “must-win” seat of Blair. Mr Dutton escalated his war of the words with Anthony Albanese, saying he did not want to be told “by woke CEOs and a weak Prime Minister” that he cannot celebrate Australia Day.

#39 - Part 54

Australian Politics and Society - Part 22

>>22363073 Corporate Australia downplays Australia Day for greater flexibility around public holidays - Big business will shun Australia Day and allow staff to work on January 26, placing some of the country’s largest employees at odds with opposition leader Peter Dutton, who has vowed to protect the national day should the ­Coalition be elected. Corporations including Telstra, Commonwealth Bank and AustralianSuper allow staff to work Australia Day and other public holidays for another day off - perhaps one culturally important to them – championing the move as a win for employees after flexibility around their time off, despite few taking up the offer. Other businesses including Woodside and EY, which also offer flexibility around Australia Day, will avoid holding any major celebrations and have instead put an onus on employees. International tourists will also be shielded from Australia’s nat­ional day, with one of the country’s largest travel groups, Intrepid Travel, opting to focus on the Indigenous side of January 26 on tours held on that day. Intrepid Travel Australia and New Zealand managing director Brett Mitchell told The Australian that about 50 per cent of staff opt to work Australia Day, which was the catalyst for its flexible public holiday policy, adding it was the right decision to not celebrate. “As part of our reconciliation journey, we’ve listened a lot to what our First Nation partners think about this particular date and also our staff,” he said. “The more businesses can provide that flexibility and show empathy, it adds up. Allowing staff to not partake in days like Australia Day is one way that ­allows us to foster an inclusive environment, and for us to show solidarity with the community and our partners.”

>>22363078 COMMENTARY: Look out, there’s a new vibe about our national day - "Last Australia Day, down at Bondi Beach, I noticed something weird: not a single Australian flag in sight. Sure, a helicopter flew one over the beach a few times (God knows who paid for that), but no flags on towels, bikinis, or even the backs of sunburnt blokes. Australia Day isn’t seen as a day of celebration anymore. For many, it’s morphed into a public exercise in self-flagellation. Even my father, proudly displaying an Australian flag in our front yard, was asked by a friend’s wife: “Why do you have that swastika in your yard?” A few years back, Cricket Australia announced it would avoid referencing Australia Day during its matches, only to backtrack after a public outcry. Meanwhile, in 2017, councils in Fremantle, Yarra and Darebin stopped holding citizenship ceremonies on January 26, prompting backlash from then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Last year Woolworths said it would no longer stock Australia Day merchandise, only to reverse that decision recently, announcing Australia Day products will return in 2025. Woolworths clearly feels the vibe shift of 2025. And it’s not just Woolworths. I’ve spoken to people around the world who sense it too. Without us even realising it, it feels like celebrating Australia Day is becoming acceptable again. It’s not just the holiday itself - it’s what it represents. Historian Niall Ferguson argues that this shift is thanks to Donald Trump’s re-election, and I agree. His victory signalled that ordinary Americans want to prioritise their country and are tired of woke ideology and its shame-driven identity politics. No doubt, Australia Day will still see protests. Your social media will be full of keffiyeh-clad arts students calling it Invasion Day. But I’d bet good money that Bondi Beach will have more people decked out in Aussie gear than last year." - Zoe Booth, content director at Quillette - theaustralian.com.au

>>22370640 The Ahmadiyya Muslim community will brave the heat to hold nationwide Australia Day celebrations - Australia’s Ahmadiyya Muslim community has vowed to celebrate Australia Day proudly at its mosques as a moment for the community and all Australians to come together. During events nationwide the Ahmadiyya Muslim community will hoist the Australian flag, hold performances of the national anthem by their children, host speeches from dignitaries to give thanks and enjoy free barbecues. The community also will offer prayers for the prosperity of Australia. Despite 35C on January 26 in Sydney in 2024, the group still came out en masse, donning Australian flag-covered hats for a day of celebration. The community’s national president, Imam IH Kauser, said: “We, the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, always pray for the progress and development of our homeland, Australia. In keeping with our traditions, we will celebrate Australia Day at all mosques across the country. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our nation, government and fellow citizens because our religion teaches us that love for one’s country of residence is a part of faith.”

#39 - Part 55

Australian Politics and Society - Part 23

>>22370665 Australia’s 2035 emissions target timetable up in the air as agency considers the Trump effect - Australia is on course to head to the polls without Labor setting a 2035 emission reduction target, as the agency tasked with advising the government is yet to appoint an expert panel, amid expectations US president-elect Donald Trump will slash US climate change ambitions. Labor had promised to deliver its 2035 targets by February, in line with the Paris Agreement, but it must first receive advice from the Climate Change Authority, which is now chaired by former NSW Liberal treasurer Matt Kean. Mr Kean late last year insisted that advice was on course to be delivered to Labor by the end of 2024, but the election of Mr Trump as US president saw the CCA rethink its timetable. Mr Kean said the agency would need to re-examine its modelling in the wake of the election of Mr Trump. During his first term, Mr Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement and during the recent campaign he said he was likely to do so again, putting global plans to fight climate change into disarray. With the inauguration of Mr Trump less than a week away, The Australian understands the CCA has yet to finalise its technical expert advisory panel. The delay will see Australia technically fall foul of its Paris Agreement target, but analysts have said it could be advantageous to head to the polls without a contentious target that could focus voter attention on the cost of reducing emissions.

>>22370868 Australia’s ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd meets US President-elect Donald Trump - Australia’s ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd met Donald Trump last weekend in a bid to build a positive relationship with the President-elect, after his allies suggested he may not last in the top diplomatic post. It is understood the brief meeting - the first one-on-one engagement between the pair since the former prime minister became Australia’s ambassador almost two years ago – took place at Mr Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. In what was believed to be a positive and normal exchange, Dr Rudd conveyed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s good wishes and said he and Foreign Minister Penny Wong were looking forward to attending his inauguration in Washington DC next week. Mr Albanese earlier revealed Dr Rudd had “direct contact” with Mr Trump during the transition after he won November’s presidential election in a stunning political comeback. “That is a good thing that that has occurred,” the Prime Minister told the ABC of the talks. “That has been very positive.” During last year’s election campaign, Mr Trump fired an extraordinary broadside at Dr Rudd, saying he had heard he was “a little bit nasty” and “not the brightest bulb”. The former president had been asked in an interview about the ex-Labor leader’s attacks on him prior to his appointment as the ambassador, including calling Mr Trump “nuts”, “the most destructive president in history” and “a traitor to the West”. “If he’s at all hostile, he will not be there long,” Mr Trump told GB News.

>>22370892 Australia will work Trump’s network of influencers, says Wong - Australian ministers, diplomats and military officers will fan out across the US bureaucracy and engage with Donald Trump’s “broader network” to influence him, as the Albanese government prepares to navigate the next four years of dealing with the mercurial president-elect. As she prepared to depart for Washington to attend Mr Trump’s inauguration on Monday (Tuesday AEDT), Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed confidence that the “all of the above” approach Australia would take to engaging with the White House would protect the national interest. “It’s a fact that president Trump has an ‘America first’ agenda, which will have implications for all countries,” Senator Wong told AFR Weekend. “We know he does things differently, and of course, there will be issues to address - but in reality, that’s the case in all our international relationships, under any administration. Australia should be calm and confident in our ability to navigate the national interest. That confidence should be reinforced by the fact that we are one of the small handful of foreign governments invited to be there on day one at the inauguration.”

#39 - Part 56

Australian Politics and Society - Part 24

>>22371065 From the classroom to war, how Australian Oscar Jenkins fought for Ukraine - From biology classrooms to the battlefields of Ukraine - Oscar Jenkins was a regular citizen when he joined the Ukrainian International Legion. Now the Australian government has been making "urgent enquiries" with Russian authorities about a report the 32-year-old teacher from Melbourne had been killed. A video surfaced in December showing Mr Jenkins being interrogated and hit by Russian forces. At least seven Australians are thought to have been killed while fighting for Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion of the country began in February 2022. But Mr Jenkins, who had been living in China since 2017, would be the first Australian prisoner of war killed by a foreign power since World War II. So how did he end up fighting with the legionnaires?

>>22371114 Video: New video warning for Australian soldiers joining Ukraine against Russia: ‘We’ll kill all you, f*ck it’ - A horrifying video has emerged warning Australian soldiers that if they dare to join Ukrainian forces in the war against Russia they will be killed. The confronting post, uploaded to social media platform Telegram, comes amid worldwide reports Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins was executed by Russian forces after being captured while fighting for the Ukrainian International Legion. The 17-second clip, posted online, also shows piles of dead bodies -- some still wearing their combat uniforms – as voice issues a stern warning to Australians that if they decide to team up with Ukrainian soldiers they will suffer the same fate. “Here is what is going to happen to you f*cking Australian recruits - we’ll kill all you, f*ck it, you are all lying here, some f*cking legion,” the voice can be heard saying in Russian. “You will die all of you here.” On a sun-drenched trailer, the video shows what appears up to a dozen soldiers sprawled across one another. Blood is spattered on some of the corpses, many of them naked. One of the dead, with no clothes on the upper half of his body, lays face down with his arms crossed above his head. In one corner of the trailer, there is a pile of guns and other military equipment stacked up. The video - narrated in Russian - has not been verified by officials but has been widely shared on the social media platform.

>>22387534 Here to help, Mr President! Wong, Rudd launch Australia’s mission to Trump - The Albanese government has moved to shore up its relationship with Donald Trump, with Australia’s US ambassador Kevin Rudd seeking to smooth over tensions with the incoming president as Foreign Minister Penny Wong prepares to meet with his pick for top diplomat. On the eve of Trump’s inauguration, Wong, who is in Washington to attend the historic event, said the government was looking forward to working with the new Trump administration to advance their shared economic and security interests. Noting that “every new presidency is a day of profound importance to the world”, Wong said that China, trade and the AUKUS submarine pact would be on her agenda when she meets with Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and other members of Congress during her visit. “If you look at how I and others have spoken about the challenge and opportunity that China presents, including for the stability of the region, I think there’s a lot of similarity in the way in which we can discuss China,” she said. Rudd, who has been working overtime to foster strong relationships with both sides of politics since he took on the job as ambassador, also met briefly with the incoming president at his Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

>>22387539 Australia foreign minister says Quad in Washington shows 'iron-clad' commitment - Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong met her Indian and Japanese counterparts in Washington and said the invitation for Quad foreign ministers to attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration showed an "iron-clad commitment" to close cooperation in the Indo Pacific region. Republican Senator Marco Rubio appears on track for confirmation as Trump's secretary of state on Monday, clearing the way for a meeting of Quad foreign ministers the following day, people familiar with the matter previously said. The grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. was formed amid shared concerns about China's growing power. "It's a demonstration of the collective commitment of all countries to the Quad, an iron-clad commitment in this time where close cooperation in the Indo-Pacific is so important," Wong said on Sunday of the foreign ministers' invitation to Washington. Wong said she would also meet Rubio and other members of the Trump administration, adding the U.S. alliance was critical to Australia's defence and economic prosperity.

#39 - Part 57

Australian Politics and Society - Part 25

>>22400178 Unprecedented Comeback:Donald Trump sworn in as 47th US president, denouncing ‘American decline’- Donald Trump has been sworn in for a second term as president of the United States in Washington, DC. Trump used his inaugural address to reiterate his grievances against his political opponents, saying he would “liberate” the country from a “radical and corrupt establishment”. Declaring that government faces a “crisis of trust”, Trump pledged in his inaugural address a brighter future under his administration. “Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced,” he said. Trump claimed “a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal”, promising to “give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed their freedom”. “From this moment on,” he added, “America’s decline is over.” Trump also unveiled a series of executive actions he plans to take in quick succession after his inauguration. The executive orders are the first step in what Trump is calling “the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense”.

>>22400241 Video: Moments after he was sworn in, Trump wasted no time demonstrating his presidential power - It was an inauguration that set the tone for a second-term presidency more emboldened and unchecked than the first. Six months after he was almost assassinated, Donald Trump embarked on one of the most expansive demonstrations of presidential power in years, using his inauguration speech to unveil a blizzard of executive actions that he said would usher in a new “golden age” and a “revolution of common sense”. “America’s decline is over,” he said. Speaking in the Capitol rotunda - the same building his supporters stormed four years ago as they tried to stop Joe Biden’s election victory – Trump vowed to immediately declare a national emergency at the US-Mexico border and send the military to ensure illegal immigrants stayed out. He said he would end government programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), ramp up energy production across the US and set up an external revenue service to collect tariffs he plans to impose on foreign countries.

>>22400310 International reaction to Trump's inauguration - The following is reaction from global leaders to Donald Trump being sworn in as U.S. president on Monday. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: "President Trump is always decisive, and the peace through strength policy he announced provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and just peace, which is the top priority." - BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: "I believe that working together again we will raise the U.S.-Israel alliance to even greater heights." - JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: "Congratulations, President Trump. Canada and the U.S. have the world’s most successful economic partnership. We have the chance to work together again - to create more jobs and prosperity for both our nations." - AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER ANTHONY ALBANESE: - "I congratulate President Trump on his inauguration, it is a significant achievement to be elected President of the United States of America, not once but twice now, and I look forward to having a constructive engagement with him."

>>22400357 Donald Trump says he was 'saved by God' to rescue America as he returns as president - Donald Trump pledged a "golden age of America" following what he described as years of betrayal and decline as he was officially sworn in as the 47th US president. As he embarked on his second term in the White House, he said he was "confident and optimistic" and had "a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal". He also used his inaugural address inside the US Capitol to portray himself as a national saviour, as he reflected on two assassination attempts and said: "I felt then and believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason: I was saved by God to make America great again." Within hours, the incoming president was expected to sign a raft of executive actions, including 10 focused on border security and immigration, with others aimed at ending diversity programs and bolstering domestic energy production. Mr Trump said his top priority was illegal immigration as he declared a "national emergency" on the US-Mexico border, with officials saying troops would be sent there immediately to tackle the issue.

#39 - Part 58

Australian Politics and Society - Part 26

>>22400387 Penny Wong’s golden ticket to the Trump show signals Australia’s strength - Penny Wong and Donald Trump: the cerebral, cautious champion of Labor’s left and the brash real estate tycoon turned Republican hero. It hardly sounds like a match made in political heaven. Yet there was Australia’s foreign minister, in prime position at Trump’s inauguration in the Capitol Rotunda, seated next to his elder sister, Elizabeth Trump Grau. Wong stood out in a crowd dominated by leading figures from the global right. Former British prime minister Boris Johnson was there instead of the UK’s current leader, Labour’s Keir Starmer, who didn’t score an invitation. Argentinian President Javier Milei and Italian leader Giorgia Meloni, both populist conservatives, were there too. Wong, one of only a handful of foreign dignitaries in the room, received a golden ticket to the event despite the crowd size being dramatically cut back when the inauguration was moved indoors because of freezing temperatures. Countries with far bigger populations and economies than Australia’s - such as France and Germany – didn’t make the cut. It was “such a privilege and honour to be the first Australian foreign minister to be invited and to attend an inauguration”, Wong enthused after the ceremony.

>>22408778 Foreign Minister Penny Wong holds talks with Donald Trump’s new US Secretary of State Marc Rubio - Australia’s argument to avoid Donald Trump’s tariffs and maintain the AUKUS pact was successfully delivered on the first full day of his administration in his top diplomat’s first foreign engagements. Foreign Minister Penny Wong - who was invited to the White House while moving vans were still parked outside – declared there was “a great deal of optimism and confidence” for the US-Australia alliance after her talks with new Secretary of State Marco Rubio. She said he had recognised her pitch to spare Australia from tariffs on its imports, while also offering strong backing for the AUKUS deal to deliver US nuclear submarines down under. The pair were also part of a meeting of the Quad foreign ministers in Washington DC, along with their counterparts from India and Japan, with Senator Wong suggesting the partnership that had already riled China could take on a tougher security role in the Indo-Pacific. “It was important for what we discussed and important as a signal of the priority that the Trump administration places on the Indo-Pacific, and this is a good thing for Australia’s interests,” she said.

>>22408794 Uluru Dialogue director Geoff Scott warns politicians to keep Australia Day off their agenda - Director of the Uluru Dialogue Geoff Scott has warned federal politicians against using Australia Day as a means to coerce local governments to hold celebrations on January 26, saying a “one-size-fits-all” approach is not suitable for a diverse nation. Mr Scott, who has more than 30 years of experience working in Aboriginal affairs, criticised Peter Dutton’s plan to legislate the nat­ional public holiday for January 26 if elected this year, saying councils should not be “threatened or coerced or intimidated”. “Australia Day has become a source of division these days, which is unfortunate,” Mr Scott told The Australian. “But every Australian chooses how to celebrate Australia Day, and councils are no different.” He described the ongoing debate as emblematic of how politics had devolved into divisive and ­coercive strategies. “It’s sad when everyone is sort of forced into doing things the way some people want it, and there are many councils who support Mr Dutton’s approach and ideas, and there are many who do not.” His comments come as the Victorian state government along with Melbourne City Council revealed they would not deviate from existing Australia Day policies this year, despite an uptick in public support to celebrate the ­national day. While the City of Melbourne will host nine citizenship ceremonies, it is still council’s official position to advocate for the federal government to change the date of the national holiday away from January 26.

#39 - Part 59

Australian Politics and Society - Part 27

>>22416688 Pro-Palestinian and Invasion Day groups join forces for Australia Day rallies - Pro-Palestinian activists will join forces with ‘Invasion Day’ protesters in opposition of Australia Day this weekend, as they ramp up their bid to get the public holiday scrapped with tens of thousands of people gearing up to rally for the second year in a row. With the Australian Open men’s singles final to be played on Sunday, Tennis Australia and Melbourne businesses have been warned about potential disruptions with up to 30,000 protesters preparing to march through the city, opposing Australia Day and advocating for Palestine. A social media post from War Collective Victoria - the group behind 10 Invasion Day rallies in Melbourne – has urged people to “grab your mob” and “clapsticks” ahead of the demonstration which kicks off at the Parliament House. Several pro-Palestinian groups, including Melbourne’s largest factions -- ‘Free Palestine Coalition’, and ‘Free Palestine Melbourne’ – have pinned the post to their homepage and invited supporters to join. Separately, the Disrupt Wars group who organised numerous pro-Palestine rallies in Melbourne over the last year, including the Land Forces protest, called on people to march as an act of “solidarity with Indigenous peoples in their ongoing struggle for justice”. “As we approach Invasion Day, it is more important than ever to learn and act with a deepened commitment to steadfast and genuine solidarity with First Nations’ leadership and revolutionary demands for decolonisation,“ the group said. Business owners say they have been told to take steps to secure venues and staff, amid concerns more than 30,000 people could take to the streets.

>>22416701 Video: Melbourne CBD traders warned to brace for 30,000 strong Invasion Day protest, protesters vow to target AO men’s singles final - Jacinta Allan has hit out at protesters plotting to target the Australian Open on Sunday, calling such plans “disgusting”. The Premier urged people wanting to stir trouble on Australia Day to steer clear of the tennis tournament. “To target the Australian Open would be a disgusting act,” she said. “That would really break the patience of the public.” Police are bracing for a mass convergence of anti-Australia Day and pro-Palestinian protesters in the city on Sunday. Police say a separate smaller pro-Australia Day protest is planned for outside the tennis. “Police have engaged with the event organisers; and they have provided information around their plans,” a police spokeswoman said. Ms Allan maintained Victoria Police was equipped with the tools and resources they needed to handle large protests. She said police would not hesitate to arrest people who become violent at protests. “Let’s be clear, Victoria Police are operationally ready. They will be there in large numbers,” she said.

>>22424258 Pauline Hanson Tweet: Peter Dutton has ruled out withdrawing Australia from the Paris Climate Agreement, despite President Donald Trump showing strong leadership by pulling the United States out. Dutton has let Australians down by caving in to the climate agenda. Staying in the Paris Agreement means higher power prices and less reliable energy. A government that remains tied to this agreement cannot deliver the cheap, reliable energy our country needs.

#39 - Part 60

Australian Politics and Society - Part 28

>>22427841 Vandals condemned after Captain Cook statue maimed, doused in paint - Police are investigating after a Captain Cook statue in Sydney’s east was doused in red paint and maimed for the second year in a row ahead of Australia Day. The statue in Randwick, which sits atop a pylon that reads “Captain James Cook … Erected by Captain Thomas Watson 27th October 1874”, had its face and hand ripped off in the attack, with splashes of red paint strewn across it. The attack has been condemned by Randwick councillors, including Liberal councillor Andrew Hay, who labelled the vandals “low lives”. “The Captain Cook Statue has been vandalised again,” he said in a statement. “They’ve broken the sandstone and cut off his hand and nose. Low lives in Randwick know no bounds, or have any reverence for great people of history, and will vandalise him to make a political point that he’s not directly related to.” Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker said he “condemns this vandalism of the heritage Captain Cook statue”. “Vandalism has no place in public discussion,” the Labor Mayor said. “Vandalism is an illegal act that does a disservice to progressing your cause, a disservice to the community and a disservice to reconciliation. Council will clean and restore the statue. The statue was cleaned and restored last year after a similar incident in February 2024.”

>>22427866 Video: Captain Cook vandals roundly condemned (except by Greens, of course) - A Sydney Greens councillor says a statue of Captain Cook is a “painful reminder of the devastating impacts of colonialism” and has urged its council to “look at other options” after it was vandalised. Police are investigating after the Captain Cook statue in Sydney’s east was doused in red paint and disfigured for the second year in a row ahead of Australia Day. The statue in Randwick, which sits atop a pylon that reads “Captain James Cook … Erected by Captain Thomas Watson 27th October 1874”, had its face and hand ripped off in the attack, with splashes of red paint strewn across it. The attack has been condemned by the NSW Premier, Randwick’s Labor mayor and a number of Liberal councillors, including one who labelled the vandals “low lives”. However Greens councillor Philipa Veitch said it was “time to look at other options”. “The statue is a painful reminder of the devastating impacts of colonisation, which continues to this day,” she said in a statement. “It’s time to look at other options, including its placement in a museum. I’m sure there are many local artists who could be commissioned to create a much more appropriate and inclusive work.” NSW Premier Chris Minns said “national days are important for the state and for the country” as he condemned the attack, adding “there is no tolerance for vandalism”.

>>22427961 Prime ministers' heads severed and stolen from bronze statues in Ballarat Botanical Gardens - Police are searching for the vandals who removed the heads from two statues of Australian prime ministers and damaged 18 others in Ballarat on Thursday. Twenty of the bronze busts, which line the famed Prime Ministers Avenue, were damaged in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens on Wendouree Parade in the early hours of Thursday. The busts of former Labor leaders Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd were severed by an angle grinder and stolen in the spree. The nameplates of the remaining statues were covered in spray paint. Police have released photos of four people that were allegedly in the area in a silver ute between 1am and 2am on Thursday. Authorities said the ute was seen in the southern part of the gardens on Wendouree Parade at 1.23 am, before leaving the area 24 minutes later. Ballarat senior sergeant Brad Hall said the total damage bill was estimated at $140,000. "Most of the busts had red crosses painted on them, there was other commentary around 'The Commonwealth will fall" and other political rhetoric," he said. Sergeant Hall said given the vandalism appeared to be politically motivated, there would be extra local police presence in the Ballarat Botanic Gardens in the lead-up to Australia Day.

#39 - Part 61

Australian Politics and Society - Part 29

>>22428194 Change the date? No, say an increasing majority of Australians - Australians have strongly backed January 26 as the national day after years of argument about changing the date, lifting support to a clear majority amid calls to enshrine the date in federal law. Support for January 26 has leapt from 47 to 61 per cent over the past two years despite objections from Indigenous Australians about celebrating the nation’s history on the anniversary of white settlement. An exclusive survey also shows that 52 per cent of voters back the idea of passing a federal law to make January 26 the official day, a key proposal from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton before the federal election. The findings mark a shift in sentiment across the electorate after the defeat of the Indigenous Voice at the October 2023 referendum, showing that support for January 26 increased over the period when support for the Voice declined. While 39 per cent of voters wanted to change the date when asked in January 2023 - a point when the federal government believed there was strong momentum for the Voice – this slipped to 33 per cent in January 2024. The latest survey, conducted for this masthead by research company Resolve Strategic, shows 24 per cent wanted to change the date when asked over the past week. Dutton declared this month that one of his first acts as prime minister if he won the election would be to enshrine January 26 in law so that local councils would have to hold events on the day.

>>22428278 Kennard Self Storage boss Sam Kennard slams corporate ’virtue signalling’ around Australia Day - Business leaders have warned against companies boycotting Australia Day, saying corporations are yielding too much power to political activists and their human resources departments. Big business has increasingly moved to boycott the national holiday despite renewed interest in January 26, with the likes of Commonwealth Bank and Telstra allowing staff to work and take another day off, championing the move as a win for employees seeking greater flexibility. Other businesses including the Australian Venue Co, which last month was forced to walk back from its controversial boycott of Australia Day, have instead promoted it as the “January long weekend”. Kennards Self Storage chief executive Sam Kennard said businesses should be agnostic around politics and the interests of political activists, calling out Australian Venue Co as making a mistake. “It’s virtue signalling to a small constituency,” he said. “If a business doesn’t want to celebrate Australia Day, like a hospitality group, they’re probably missing out on revenue from people that love this country and want to celebrate. In my view that’s a huge mistake.”

>>22428316 Ignore woke and don’t go broke: businesses backing in Australia Day see customers spending big - Patriotic businesses that celebrate Australia Day are adhering to the “go woke, go broke” rule and cashing in on strong public support for our national day. Amid a major public backlash over corporate decrees on the apparent insensitivity of January 26 as a day of celebration, other businesses are enjoying a bonanza by throwing their unabashed support behind the date in line with majority opinion. Hotel giant Australian Venue Co sparked anger last December when it declared Australia Day would not be observed at its 234 nationwide venues - a position it first recanted amid a public outcry but strangely reaffirmed this week, despite having previously apologised for the distress caused. The company’s ham-fisted tactics have created an opening for other pubs which are going all out in celebration mode, with the Kent Town Hotel in Adelaide’s inner east now promoting an entire month of Australia Day Celebrations. “The team at the Kent Town Hotel reckon one day is not enough to celebrate Australia Day,” their advertisements state, promising $7.50 Coopers pints, 1kg buckets of Port Lincoln prawns for $49 and a special “Aussie BBQ” mixed grill for $22. Owner Tom Hannah told The Weekend Australian that patrons were “sick and tired” of being lectured to about how they should and shouldn’t behave and think. He said the backlash against the actions of Australian Venue Co had created an opening for others who see themselves as “publicans not preachers”. “As Napoleon Bonaparte said, never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake,” Mr Hannah told The Weekend Australian.

#39 - Part 62

Australian Politics and Society - Part 30

>>22430614 Australia wasn’t utopia before British arrival, but it has gone close since - "We should celebrate Australia Day. By various definitions this has been one of the most successful nations in the world. During the past two centuries our nation has had far more successes than failures, though the failures can’t be overlooked: they offer lessons. Most Australians have pride in the nation, present and past. Today, in contrast, the most vocal opponents of Australia Day offer a gloomy version of our history and many even believe Aboriginal people were, in a variety of ways, better off before 1788 than they are today. Especially in Victoria, they are officially rewriting history and adding a strong racial emphasis. A view is widespread - even though still a minority view – that Australia will lack legitimacy until it makes continuing reparations to Aboriginal people for the land and way of life taken away from them. It is also argued that our nation will be redeemed only if Aboriginal people are permanently and undemocratically given more political power than other Australians. The nation has recorded a strong No to that argument in the 2023 voice referendum. Many who dislike or resent Australia Day glamorise Australia’s first people. They see the hunter’s and gatherer’s life as a utopia: they think war was a rarity, that the male elders were praiseworthy without exception, that the old people belonged to a caring society and that most tribes or mini-nations continuously held their own land for 50,000 or more unbroken years. It is fair to suggest that these are all dubious claims. In the world today, democracies are in a minority. The typical member nation of the UN is not a real democracy and shows no signs of becoming one. The Economist Intelligence Unit compiles a democracy index that lists 167 nations and assigns to each a definite place on a ladder of democracies. Only 8 per cent of the world’s population live in true democracies and Australians share that privilege. The public is not aware of that legitimate source of pride. Australia is one of the oldest continuing democracies. That is worth remembering. In modern history the US was a wonder, emerging as a brave new democracy before the First Fleet reached Sydney. Yet later it still possessed a minority of slave states when most Australian colonies were displaying democratic innovations. In 1856 South Australia and Victoria were the first places in the world to use the secret ballot on election day. Aboriginal people took part in these electoral reforms. Alas, they were deprived initially of certain elementary rights and freedoms, and it is still a grievance, understandably. In the three most populous Australian colonies, however, many Aboriginal men had the right to vote when few white men had that right in Britain. There is yet another surprise. Most Aboriginal women living in the main districts of what is now South Australia exercised the right to vote in 1896. That was before any women, black or white, had that right in New York, Chicago or London. Do politicians know how important Australia is in the history of democracy?" - Geoffrey Blainey, author of A Short History of the World and The Story of Australia’s People - theaustralian.com.au

>>22431685 Coalition frontbench reshuffle unveiled ahead of election - Peter Dutton has unveiled his new-look frontbench in the lead up to the federal election, elevating opposition communications spokesman David Coleman to the foreign affairs portfolio and expanding the role of Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to take on ‘government efficiency’. Mr Coleman’s promotion comes as something of a surprise given figures such as deputy leader Sussan Ley, former frontbencher Julian Leeser, and immigration spokesman Dan Tehan had been rumoured to be in consideration for the foreign affairs role. Senator Price will take on a new role as opposition “government efficiency” spokeswoman - evoking Elon Musk’s role leading the government efficiency commission under the US Trump administration – in addition to her current role. “With Australians sick of the wasteful spending that is out of control under the Albanese government - be it the 36,000 additional Canberra public servants employed under this government, or the flagrant waste of $450 million on the divisive voice referendum – in this new role, Jacinta will be looking closely at how we can achieve a more efficient use of taxpayers’ money, where possible, at a time when a major cause of homegrown inflation is rapid and unrestrained government spending,” Mr Dutton said. “Jacinta’s outstanding contribution to the Coalition message will stand her in good stead for this new position.”

#39 - Part 63

Australian Politics and Society - Part 31

>>22431695 COMMENTARY: A nation united under one flag is worth celebrating - "While Australia Day comes around every year with its debates about meaning and whether we can utter its name or not, this year feels different. Last year, the divisive voice referendum and abhorrent attack in Israel on October 7, 2023 were events still fresh in our minds. But this Australia Day, we have the lived experience of almost 15 months since those events. That passage of time has shown us many things, one of them being how rapidly we are capable of devolving into entrenched separatism. Those 15 months are cause for careful reflection this Australia Day. Changing the date may engender temporary feelings of victory for a small group of people, but again, it fosters a national mindset of tribalism - one group against another. Quite frankly the past 15 months have given us enough of that, its time in our backyard is up. But further, changing the date simply will not improve the lives of our most marginalised. Not once have I heard a plausible explanation about how it would improve the 20 per cent of the 3 per cent of Indigenous Australians who experience the most disadvantage and vulnerability in this country. For our small contribution to the global population, our success and contributions are remarkable. Let our nation’s success until now, guide us forward before our emotion and reactions take over. Remember those who united under one flag and fought for the nation we are so privileged to live in today; reflect on the contributions both historical and current of Australians to the world; and practise gratitude -- for all those things and more, like our magnificent natural backyard, our way of life and liberal democratic values." - Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, opposition Indigenous affairs spokeswoman - theaustralian.com.au/

>>22431744 Monument to ‘Melbourne founder’ toppled, Anzac memorial defaced on eve of Australia Day - A monument memorialising Melbourne’s controversial founder, John Batman, has been toppled, an Anzac memorial covered in blood-red paint and a citizenship ceremony stage vandalised on the eve of January 26. Vandals targeted the bluestone Batman monument, next to the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne’s CBD, ahead of Australia Day on Sunday. Police were called to reports it had been damaged about 2.20am on Saturday. The monument was severed in half, its top spilling out onto concrete and dirt beside it. Erected in 1881, it is notable for deliberately writing Aboriginal people out of Melbourne’s history. Its original inscription refers to the city in the mid-1830s as “land then unoccupied”, according to the City of Melbourne. A plaque was added to the monument in 1992 acknowledging Aboriginal people as the traditional occupiers of the land, and then replaced with another, more strongly worded plaque recognising First Nations people in 2004. More than two dozen locations around Melbourne are named after Batman, including parks, streets, avenues, a hill and a railway station. North of the market, locals woke on Saturday morning to find the Parkville War Memorial on Royal Parade covered in red paint, with the words “land back” and “the colony will fall” written on it. Parkville residents were shocked at the attack on a war memorial that had nothing to do with Australia Day. A stage intended for an Australia Day citizenship ceremony at Ringwood was also vandalised about 2am on Saturday, and two ceremonial flags were stolen.

#39 - Part 64

Australian Politics and Society - Part 32

>>22431836 Grace Tame wears anti-Murdoch shirt to PM’s morning tea in snipe at ‘morbidly wealthy oligarchs’ - Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame has used a morning tea with the prime minister to take aim at Rupert Murdoch - but says her message goes well beyond the billionaire media mogul. The 2021 winner wore a T-shirt that read “Fuck Murdoch” when she was greeted by Anthony Albanese and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, at the event for recipients of the 2025 awards held at the Lodge in Canberra on Saturday. “[The T-shirt is] clearly not just about Murdoch, it’s the obscene greed, inhumanity and disconnection that he symbolises, which are destroying our planet,” Tame told Guardian Australia. “For far too long this world and its resources have been undemocratically controlled by a small number of morbidly wealthy oligarchs,” she said after the event. “If we want to dismantle this corrupt system, if we want legitimate climate action, equity, truth, justice, democracy, peace, land back, etc, then resisting forces like Murdoch is a good starting point.” She said she “never” had reservations about wearing the shirt to the event. “Speaking truth to power starts at the grassroots level with simple, effective messages. It’s one of my favourite shirts.” The PM and Haydon smiled and greeted Tame, but there was no visible reaction to the statement on her shirt.

>>22431841 Grace Tame makes statement at PM’s Australian of the Year function with ‘F*ck Murdoch’ T-shirt - Activist and former Australian of the Year Grace Tame has slammed Rupert Murdoch and his media empire, wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words “F*ck Murdoch” to an event at the prime minister’s residence in Canberra. Outside The Lodge on Saturday, where Anthony Albanese hosted a morning tea ahead of the Australian of the Year awards, Tame told this masthead that the event was a great platform to make change. “It’s a great shirt and says it all, doesn’t it?” Tame said of her attire. “If we want to dismantle the concentration of morbid wealth that undemocratically rules the world, and really makes the major political decisions that affect the everyday person; if we want climate action and if we want justice, if we want truth, I think it’s probably a good place to start. “If you want to get a few birds with one giant, ugly stone, this is it.” It is not the first time Tame has used the annual function to make a statement. In 2022, pictures of a stony-faced Tame - who was outgoing Australian of the Year – standing next to then-prime minister Scott Morrison made headlines. Tame had criticised Morrison throughout her time in the role for not doing enough to stamp out sexual harassment in Parliament House after a series of sexual assault claims. At the time, Tame did not meet Morrison’s gaze as she shook his hand, posing for pictures with the former prime minister and his wife, Jenny, without smiling.

>>22431862 AFL legend and MND campaigner Neale Daniher named 2025 Australian of the Year - An AFL legend fighting motor neurone disease, who has raised more than $100 million towards finding a cure for the degenerative condition, has been named the 2025 Australian of the Year. Former Essendon champion and Melbourne coach Neale Daniher, AO, has been battling the effects of MND -- a condition which progressively damages nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord responsible for controlling muscles – for more than a decade. At a ceremony in Canberra on Saturday night, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “delighted” to declare Daniher the 2025 Australian of the Year. Daniher said he hoped that the underlying cause of MND could be found in his lifetime and asked the crowd to imagine a world where families didn’t lose their loved ones to “this cruel disease”. “I hope to leave a legacy that says this: no matter the odds, no matter the diagnosis, we all have the power to choose to fight, to choose our attitude, to choose to smile and to choose to do something because the mark of a person isn’t what they say, it’s what they do,” Daniher said in a pre-recorded message played during the ceremony. He has lost his ability to speak due to the disease. Following his diagnosis in 2013, Daniher co-founded FightMND, a charity that has raised and invested more than $100 million for medical research to find a cure for the disease.

#39 - Part 65

Australian Politics and Society - Part 33

>>22438055 Australia Day 2025:Bigger, better, bolder: Australians reclaim our national day- Australia Day is back, friends. Our national day of celebration has been reclaimed by the not-so-silent majority who partied on the beaches, in backyards and long into the night, from one end of this great land to the other. The sense of renewal was palpable. Citizenship ceremonies were packed as that most affirming of Australia Day traditions - welcoming newcomers to our midst – evoked tenderness and joy, scenes that never grow old. Other organised events attracted big, happy crowds. As the sun rose over Sydney, early risers were able to take in a Dawn Reflection of supersized Aboriginal artwork projected on to the sails of the Opera House. Hundreds took to the harbour for the ninth Sydney Splash, a distance swim across 1km, 2.5km and 5km courses. At Lake Burrendong in NSW’s central west, Leah Job’s extended family was making the most of the last days of school holidays. Cousins, all 11 of them, aged 2-14, splashed and shrieked in the cool water, a picture of happiness. This is what Australia was all about, Ms Job said. Coming together. And what better day to do it than January 26? “We do have to acknowledge some things that need to be acknowledged about Australia Day,” the 33-year-old beauty therapist from Dubbo said. “But unity is what stands out to me. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you might be from. We’re all Australian.” More than 20,000 people lapped up the sunshine on Bondi Beach in Sydney’s east, a drawcard for international visitors and ­locals. The vibe was laid back; police said sunburn was the biggest concern. Federation Square in Melbourne was turned over to a family festival. In Brisbane, leafy New Farm Park was a colourful sea of picnicking families and couples. Indigenous protests against Invasion Day - the arrival of the First Fleet of British convicts and colonists in 1788 – lacked the bite of past years. An 8000-strong march that wound its way to Sydney’s Victoria Park was half the size of previous rallies and peaceful, NSW police said. A protest in Brisbane’s Queens Gardens was noticeably smaller than last year. Palestinian flags flew alongside the red, gold and black Indigenous signifier when a throng of more than 20,000 snaked through Melbourne’s CBD to the steps of state parliament. In nearby Olympic Park Oval, opposite the site of the Australian Open tennis tournament, police kept careful tabs on a gathering of 70 so-called counter-protesters, including a number of professed white supremacists. Again, there was no trouble.

>>22438069 Thousands gather for Australia Day celebrations and citizenship ceremonies - Thousands have flocked to citizenship ceremonies across the country to pledge their commitment to Australia, as Anthony Albanese slammed Peter Dutton for snubbing the national Australia Day ceremony in Canberra. The Prime Minister on Sunday morning attended the National Citizenship and Flag Raising Ceremony at Lake Burley Griffin, one of almost 400 events held across the country welcoming more than 20,000 new citizens. Mr Albanese said he was “disappointed” after the Opposition Leader opted out of the national ceremony in Canberra, and instead spent the day in his home state of Queensland. “I think the national Australia Day event should be attended by both sides of the parliament,” he said. Mr Dutton has long criticised the Albanese government for not showing the national day enough respect and called for federal mandates forcing local councils to hold Australia Day citizenship ceremonies and other events on January 26. New citizens from over 150 different countries pledged their patriotism to Australia, including Ash Phatak and his eight-year-old twin daughters Sharveyi and Anwesha who made it their first mission - after being sworn in as citizens – to go to the beach on Australia Day. The software engineer said he was looking forward to contributing to Australian society after a challenging journey to citizenship - and getting the rest of his family to Australia – after arriving in 2020, just before Covid-19 travel bans were put in place. “It feels great to become an Australian citizen. It is like an official recognition to all the hard work that we have done,” said Mr Phatak, who works for an Australian-owned-and-operated fintech company.

#39 - Part 66

Australian Politics and Society - Part 34

>>22438098 Video: Numbers drop off at ‘Invasion Day’ rallies in Sydney, Brisbane - Australia Day advocates have celebrated a massive drop off in attendance at annual rallies organised by Aboriginal activist groups protesting against the holiday, claiming Australians have finally been granted permission “to be proud of the Australia they know and love”. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered across the nation on Sunday morning to unite against the “genocide” of Aboriginal people after colonisation, and demand that Australian land be “returned” to its traditional owners. But while the yearly rallies shut down busy streets in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, early estimates indicated some protests had seen about half the numbers of previous years. One police officer at the Sydney rally told The Australian about 8000 people marched from Belmore Park to Victoria Park in Camperdown, compared to upwards of 15,000 in previous years. In Melbourne, about 25,000 people attended the protest - which began at Parliament House and concluded on Flinders Street - down from 35,000 last year The ‘Survival Day’ rally in Brisbane also saw a marked drop off in attendees, with the rally confined to Queens Gardens when it had previously drawn tens of thousands of protesters. “What’s happening is that Australians want to be proud of Australia,” Australia Day advocate Warren Mundine said. “This is why the crowds are getting smaller, because people are suddenly realising they like this country. It is a great country.”

>>22438150 Video: PM ‘disappointed’ by Dutton’s national Australia Day ceremony snub - Anthony Albanese says he is “disappointed” after Peter Dutton snubbed the national Australia Day ceremony in Canberra. The Opposition Leader has been accusing the Albanese government of not showing the national day enough respect and called for federal mandates forcing local councils to hold Australia Day citizenship ceremonies and other events on January 26. Currently, they can be held three days before or after January 26. But Mr Dutton did not attend the most prestigious ceremony in the country’s capital. The Prime Minister said on Sunday the “national Australia Day events should be attended by both sides of the parliament”. “They should be bipartisan, and I attended every year as opposition leader here at the Australia Day events, and I attended the Australian of the Year Awards as well when I was invited,” Mr Albanese told reporters after the national ceremony. “This is an inspirational day, here on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, and last night - it is one of the best events that anyone could ever go to.” He went on to ask: “Why wouldn’t you participate in national events if you want to be a national leader?” NewsWire understands Mr Dutton marked Australia Day in his electorate, which he has done so for 20 years. He posted a video on X calling on Australians not to be “afraid of celebrating” the national day. “Australia Day is a celebration of the greatest country in the world, and we shouldn’t be afraid of celebrating it,” Mr Dutton said. “To be an Australian is to have won the lottery of life. We have every reason to be patriotic and proud.”

>>22438184 Largest Australian flag to be flown at Sydney mosque for Australia Day - The largest Australian flag was hoisted on Australia Day at a mosque in Sydney, surpassing the flag currently flying on top of the Australian Parliament House. Celebrating the national holiday at the Masjid Baitul Huda in Sydney’s Marsden Park, the Ahmadiyya Muslim community are commemorating the day with a formal ceremonial event. “We, the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, always pray for the progress and development of our homeland, Australia,” Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Australia national president and Imam I.H. Kause said. “In keeping with our traditions, we will celebrate Australia Day at all mosques across the country. “We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our nation, government, and fellow citizens because our religion teaches us that love for one’s country of residence is a part of faith.” All Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques across the country will host formal ceremonial events by hoisting the Australian flag, singing the national anthem, hosting a barbecue and inviting dignitaries to offer speeches and reflect on the “significance of being Australian”. As part of the national holiday celebrations, the largest Australian flag will be hoisted up at the Sydney mosque, measuring an epic 16m x 8m and surpassing the flag currently flying at Parliament House, which is 12.6m x 6.4m.

#39 - Part 67

Australian Politics and Society - Part 35

>>22438288 COMMENTARY: Gloomsters, listen up - the people are speaking out on Australia Day - "It’s a tragedy that in recent years the gloomsters have taken over the national zeitgeist. They’ve been driven by the pseudo-intellectual bourgeois left in US universities who have promoted shame of history, salami-sliced society into racial groups, set gender against gender, and obsessed about people‘s private sexual preferences. This year, the Australian people like their American counterparts, have just had enough of the gloomsters. The change in the national mood is almost palpable. Australians are proud of their country, proud of how it has evolved into one of the world’s most prosperous, fair and free societies. That’s something mighty to celebrate. Even our Prime Minister until very recently the leading campaigner for the gloomsters, has switched tack and decided to celebrate Australia Day. He should because, after all, he has to face an election in the next few months and the last thing the country wants is another three years of gloom about our past, division between us on the basis of race, and obsessions about LGBTQ+ people. Australia hasn’t achieved so much without hard work. And wise decision-making. Last year, the Nobel prize for economics was awarded to economists Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson. They have produced fascinating work on why some countries have succeeded and others failed. Why has Australia been such a success while countries like Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and India have done less well? The Australia Day weekend is a time to reflect on why it is that Australia has done so well. We have our faults but there isn’t a country or a society without them. Remember, even indigenous societies had their faults. There’s a rising tide of resentment and anger towards those who are trying to change our successful national formula and replace it with a system that has failed the world." - Alexander Downer, former foreign minister and former high commissioner to the UK - theaustralian.com.au

>>22444396 Russia could exploit Oscar Jenkins’ disappearance, warns Ukraine’s envoy - Ukraine’s ambassador says Australia should be wary of rumours put out by pro-Russian propagandists about the disappearance of Oscar Jenkins, warning it is “50-50” if the Melbourne-born man is dead or alive. Mr Jenkins, a 32-year-old teacher, was serving in Ukraine’s armed forces when he was captured by Russian forces last year. In an exclusive interview with NewsWire, Ukrainian ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said his government had no reason to believe Mr Jenkins was dead or alive and that it was “like 50/50” Mr Myroshnychenko, who maintains close contact with the Ukrainian defence ministry, said there was “no confirmation” about Mr Jenkins. “A rumour has become kind of news, and it has now a life of its own,” he said. “I mean, he could be alive, he could have been killed, but there is no confirmation until Ukraine sees the body and has a hold of the body. This way we can confirm it, and we don’t have it.” Mr Myroshnychenko said Russian authorities may not be deliberately concealing Mr Jenkins’ status, but said the ambiguity was convenient for the Kremlin. “Everyone wants to see a strong reaction to that,” he said. “We have two, three months from the elections, and this is where Russians see the weaknesses. They want to get in, manipulate and get involved, have an influence.” He said it “would be pretty logical, rational for them to go and find him and prove to the Australian government that he’s alive, if they want to do it”.

>>22444438 ‘Coward’ arrested after Sydney police memorial defaced with ‘disgusting’ vandalism - NSW Police have arrested a 43-year-old man for allegedly damaging a Sydney police memorial, defacing it with vandalism that referred to fallen offices as “dogs” and the force as “evil”. Over the Australia Day weekend, several markings were scratched into the NSW Police Wall of Remembrance in The Domain, which commemorates officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, including the word “dogs” above the rows of deceased officers and “evil” above the NSW Police emblem. On Monday afternoon, NSW Police arrested the 43-year-old man at Glebe Light Rail station and before he was taken into custody at Day Street police station, where he is expected to be charged. It comes after Premier Chris Minns on Monday morning said the monument had been “significantly vandalised”, slamming the perpetrators. “This is disgusting behaviour,” he said. “Police put themselves in danger everyday in the service of our state. To deface a memorial that commemorates police officers who have served the state, and those who have lost their lives while on duty, is lower than low.”

#39 - Part 68

Australian Politics and Society - Part 36

>>22444552 COMMENTARY: Donald Trump highlights why Anthony Albanese’s ‘keep calm and carry on’ will not work - "With hindsight, it was Trump’s good fortune to sit out the past four years and allow the Biden administration to be the crash-test dummy for critical theory pushed to extremes. Biden reaped the ugly legacy of defunded police, diversity-hire firefighters, hundreds of billions lavished on lunatic green boondoggles, and self-inflicted pain from rising gas prices. Trump, meanwhile, made political incorrectness his hallmark, violating every woke stricture with impunity and evident delight. Like the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the rebellious instinct is infectious, and the end will come quickly. The dominoes are falling across the English-speaking world as the gap widens between woke’s utopian abstractions and concrete failures. Jacinda Ardern’s foolish excesses paved the way for conservative government in NZ while the Trudeau experiment is drawing to a dismal end in Canada. The reckoning will come for Keir Starmer’s accidental Labour government once the Conservatives can get their act together. Anthony Albanese should have executed a handbrake turn 15 months ago when the world’s first referendum on identity politics came down decisively on the side of common sense. Yet he lacks the courage or intelligence to confront the nutbags in his own party or the destabilising and divisive policies of the Greens. Albanese will be judged by his record. He has been unable to solve everyday problems such as soaring energy prices and inflation even on his own terms. Family structures have eroded, and his pro-immigration, pro-Palestinian indulgences have damaged the social fabric. The ever-expanding state has usurped Australia’s culture of self-reliance, and the industrious middle class is discouraged and despondent. Trump’s storming start to his presidency has further highlighted Albanese’s impotency. His attempt to keep calm and carry on will ultimately prove as futile as Kamala Harris’s vacuous and valueless presidential campaign." - Nick Cater, senior fellow at Menzies Research Centre - theaustralian.com.au

>>22444595 I was at the centre of an Elon storm - and survived - "When you wake up to hundreds of Twitter notifications, it’s generally not for something good. It’s happened to me only once before, about five years ago. Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes didn’t like a story that had my name on it, and a late-night tweet from the billionaire criticising the story took off, racking up dozens of tweets of support. This time, it was nuclear. And it came from the world’s richest and most thin-skinned man, Elon Musk. “I predict that the Sydney Morning Herald will continue to lose readership in 2025 for relentlessly lying to their audience and boring them to death,” Musk wrote, in response to a screenshot of my article posted by one of his followers. Musk’s tweet had been “liked” more than 2000 times. It had about 300 retweets and more than 200 replies, most of whom were in fierce agreement with the hypersensitive executive. Musk’s army variously described me as a moron, a liar, insane, a bullshit artist, and fake news trash. Thankfully, having endured a social media storm before, I was prepared. I instantly turned off X notifications and didn’t spend too much more time scrolling through what Musk’s followers were saying. Social media notifications drive surges of dopamine, designed to keep us coming back to check Facebook and X every few minutes, but having hundreds of constant notifications didn’t equate to an avalanche of dopamine. It was just noise -- a lot of noise – and I found it relatively easy to just switch off. Colleagues and friends began texting to check if I was OK. I was - I wasn’t taking it personally. I hadn’t gotten anything wrong, for example – going viral for making a mistake would be bad – and I still stand by every word that I wrote. To be honest, I found it exhilarating." - David Swan - smh.com.au

#39 - Part 69

Australian Politics and Society - Part 37

>>22444653 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese slams Grace Tame’s ‘F*ck Murdoch’ shirt as ‘disrespectful’ - Anthony Albanese has slammed the T-shirt worn by former Australian of the Year Grace Tame at a morning tea with the prime minister as “disrespectful”, saying it was “clearly designed to get attention”. Speaking in Perth, Mr Albanese said he did not notice the provocative message - F*ck Murdoch - emblazoned on the shirt before shaking hands and posing for a photo with the controversial abuse survivor turned advocate. “It was clearly designed to get attention,” he said on Monday. “I don’t intend to add to that attention because I do think that it takes away from what the day should be about, which is the amazing people who are nominated as the Australians of the Year.” Mr Albanese defended posing for a photo with her, but said he “clearly” disagreed with the message. “Well, I clearly disagree. I want the debate to be respectful. And that’s a choice that she made,” he said. “We do have in this country, people are allowed to express themselves, but I thought it was disrespectful of the event and of the people for who the event was primarily for.”

>>22451103 Ryan Meuleman’s dad Peter Meuleman says it’s time for Daniel and Catherine Andrews to ‘finally tell the truth’ - Daniel and Catherine Andrews are facing a Federal Court defamation action over their statements on a near-fatal car crash with a teenage cyclist. In an escalation of the long-running bike boy dispute, lawyers for Ryan Meuleman last week served concerns notices on the former Victorian premier and his wife, giving them 28 days to apologise and compensate him. “No more lies,” Ryan’s father Peter Meuleman said. “Daniel and Catherine Andrews can ­either finally tell the truth now, and apologise to Ryan, or we can let a Federal Court judge decide.” Ryan was 15 when he was struck by the Andrews’ family SUV in Blairgowrie in January 2013, suffering serious internal injuries. The defamation claim is separate to a Supreme Court case already being run by the Meuleman family against leading law firm Slater & Gordon, which acted for Ryan in the ­aftermath of the crash. It is the first time Mr and Mrs Andrews have faced personal legal action over the incident. It centres on comments they made last September after the release of a damning review of the crash conducted by the state’s former Assistant Commissioner for Traffic and Operations Raymond Shuey. The Shuey review found that the Andrews’ SUV was “travelling at speed” - on the wrong side of the road – and that Victoria Police had engaged in “an overt cover-up to avoid implicating a political figure in a life-threatening” incident. It concluded that the police investigation, which supported the Andrews’ version of events, was “deeply flawed”, “unfounded” and “contrary to the available evidence”. “This matter has already been comprehensively and independently investigated and closed by Victoria Police and integrity agencies. We will not dignify these appalling conspiracy theories by commenting further at this time.” But Mr Meuleman said the evidence would show claims about proper investigations being conducted by Victoria Police Professional Standards Command or IBAC were false.

>>22451150 Video: Daniel and Andrews and Catherine Kesik- SUED for Defamation - "MAJOR DEVELOPMENT - as seen in the Herald Sun, Tues Jan 28, 2025: Ryan Meuleman and his family are suing Daniel Andrews and Catherine Kesik for defamation to expose the truth about what happened on the day of the crash - and the lies perpetuated in the years since. This is our moment to hold Daniel Andrews and his wife, Catherine Kesik, PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for years of lies about the near-fatal crash involving 15-year-old cyclist Ryan Meuleman. For over a decade, this political couple has perpetuated the lie that Ryan caused the collision. But now, previously hidden evidence has come to light, proving that they caused the crash that almost claimed the life of an innocent child. This case will require Daniel Andrews and his wife to take the stand under oath, and submit to cross-examination. Their now-adult children who were in the car on the day of crash can also be cross-examined. And unlike in previous public inquiries where Andrews has used lines like “I can't recall” and “I don't recall” to mislead, they can be held in contempt of court if they lie and perjure themselves. Critically, if evidence of crimes are revealed during this case, that evidence will be referred to police who will be pressured to finally lay criminal charges over the crash and the subsequent cover-up." - The Bike Boy Scandal (Dan Andrews Car Crash)

#39 - Part 70

Australian Politics and Society - Part 38

>>22460297 Australian soldier Oscar Jenkins is alive, Penny Wong confirms - Australian soldier Oscar Jenkins, who was captured in eastern Ukraine, has been confirmed alive and in custody, and not dead as was previously feared. Yet, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia has called Russia a “murderous misinformation machine” and asked for “definitive video proof of Oscar being alive”. Mr Jenkins, a 32-year-old Melbourne teacher, was serving in Ukraine’s armed forces when he was captured by Russian forces last year. Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed reports on Wednesday, but threatened an “unequivocal” response against Russia should Mr Jenkins face harm, citing “serious concerns” for his wellbeing. “The Australian government has received confirmation from Russia that Oscar Jenkins is alive and in custody,” Senator Wong said. “We still hold serious concerns for Mr Jenkins as a prisoner of war. The government calls on Russia to release Mr Jenkins. If Russia does not provide Mr Jenkins the protections he is entitled to under international humanitarian law, our response will be unequivocal. (The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) continues to provide consular support to the family. We have made clear to Russia in Canberra and in Moscow that Mr Jenkins is a prisoner of war and Russia is obligated to treat him in accordance with international humanitarian law, including humane treatment. I have also spoken directly with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister and the President of the ICRC and am grateful for their ongoing advocacy for Mr Jenkins.”

>>22460306 Video: Caroline Kennedy warns senators of ‘predator’ RFK Jr. in searing letter - Caroline Kennedy warned senators Tuesday about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling her cousin - now President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services — a “predator” whose victims have ranged from family members to the parents of sick children. In a copy of a letter obtained by The Washington Post and sent to lawmakers ahead of Kennedy’s confirmation hearings to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the former ambassador to Australia and Japan alleges that her cousin, “addicted to attention and power,” has given hypocritical advice by discouraging parents from vaccinating their children while vaccinating his own children. She alleged that his “crusade against vaccination” has also served to enrich him. “I have known Bobby my whole life; we grew up together,” Caroline Kennedy wrote. “It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator.” Kennedy goes on to claim in her letter that through “the strength of his personality,” other family members followed Kennedy “down the path of drug addiction.” “His basement, his garage, his dorm room were the centers of the action where drugs were available, and he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in the blender to feed his hawks. It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence.” She commended Kennedy for “pulling himself out of illness and disease” but lamented that “siblings and cousins who Bobby encouraged down the path of substance abuse suffered addiction, illness, and death while Bobby has gone on to misrepresent, lie, and cheat his way through life.”

#39 - Part 71

Australian Politics and Society - Part 39

>>22465854 Authorities want to meet Oscar Jenkins in person to prove he is alive - Australian diplomats are negotiating with foreign counterparts to organise an in person check on soldier Oscar Jenkins in Russia, as Anthony Albanese says he refuses to take “the Putin regime at face value”. On Thursday, the Prime Minister called on the Kremlin to provide proof to back assurances that Australian prisoner of war Oscar Jenkins is alive. Defence Minister Richard Marles similarly questioned “the veracity” of Russia’s word, saying the government was “working well through the Ukrainian government but also through the International Red Cross, importantly, to try and verify that information”. The Australian understands the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is trying to organise an in-person meeting with Oscar Jenkins, a process that means it must stay in the good graces of Russian diplomats like ambassador Alexey Pavlovsky. “Embassies and diplomatic staff are critical to maintaining channels of communication between governments,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. “In this case, it has enabled us to speak to Russia as we work to confirm information about Mr Jenkins’ welfare and convey our clear expectations of Russia’s obligations under international humanitarian law. As the Foreign Minister has said, if Russia does not provide Mr Jenkins the protections he is entitled to under international humanitarian law, our response will be unequivocal. All options remain on the table.”

>>22465975 Greg Norman called on again to act as a go-between for Trump and Australia - Golfing great Greg Norman was once again called upon to act as a bridge between the Australian government and Donald Trump, revealing he was asked to help broker relations between Australia and the returned US president. “There was a request put through, yeah,” Norman told this masthead. He would not reveal the details of the request, including who made it and whether it came from Canberra or the Australian embassy in Washington. But the result “was positive”, he said. “It worked … we’ll just leave it at that.” After Trump won the 2016 election, it was Norman who passed on Trump’s phone number to then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull so that the two could talk, following a request by then-ambassador Joe Hockey, also a friend of Norman’s. Trump, Norman and Hockey have all bonded through golf. Norman said his latest assistance was not related to an interaction between Trump and Australian ambassador Kevin Rudd at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach before the president’s inauguration. That interaction reportedly involved a brief chat in which Rudd passed on good wishes from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Albanese has confirmed the pair had “direct contact, and that is a good thing”. The golfing legend revealed the request in an interview ahead of him receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Australian embassy in Washington, hosted by Rudd and due to be attended by several US dignitaries. A spokesman for the Australian embassy said that Rudd had spoken with Norman “as well as many others” to ensure “Australia is engaging with the Trump administration at every level”.

>>22465987 Why Greg Norman is Australia’s bridge to Trump - Golfing great Greg Norman hinted he was called upon once again to act as a bridge between the Australian government and Donald Trump, helping to arrange a meeting between the president and ambassador Kevin Rudd. “If I can just give one little bit of information to help two people get together, then I’m so proud to be able to do that,” Norman told a dinner in Washington on Wednesday night (Thursday AEDT) to honour Australians who have long helped forge closer relations between the two nations. Dr Rudd had an informal meeting with the returning US president earlier this month in West Beach, Florida in a bid to bolster ties, amid concerns about the pair’s relationship because of the former prime minister’s past criticism of Mr Trump. After Mr Trump won the US election in 2016, the Great White Shark was also asked to help set up a phone call between then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and the incoming president. Then Australian ambassador Joe Hockey made the same request to Norman, who plays golf with Mr Trump. The former world No.1 golfer and ex-chief executive of LIV Golf said Australians should look beyond any dislike they might have of Mr Trump and see the value of creating a solid relationship with the leader and his administration. “A lot of people ask me questions about how Trump is doing different relationships, and I say: ‘Take emotion out of your thoughts. Take a look at the value of what’s happening between the two countries,’” he said. “And if you understand the true value between the two countries, then you might have a different opinion and a different understanding.”

#39 - Part 72

Australian Politics and Society - Part 40

>>22482221 ‘Straight from the Trump playbook’: Dutton flags cultural diversity jobs are in the firing line - Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has flagged that cultural diversity staffers would be in the firing line of a Coalition government, in a move that echoes US President Donald Trump’s decision to abolish federal diversity positions. During an impassioned speech at the Menzies Research Centre on Friday, Dutton slammed the government over budget forecasts that show an increase of 36,000 public service jobs over three years to June 2025. “Now positions have been advertised that include those required for cultural diversity and inclusion adviser positions, change managers and internal communication specialists, but such positions as I say, do nothing to improve the lives of everyday Australians,” he said. “My economic team’s objectives are clear. We will cut wasteful spending, stop inflationary spending and restore prudent spending. Our government will scale back the Canberra public service in a responsible way.” Last week, Dutton appointed Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to a new role of government efficiency in a bid to reduce public service spending. “For a bureaucracy to work to the benefit of Australian taxpayers, it must be efficient. We will protect frontline positions in the defence, national security and intelligence space, but overall, we will drive greater efficiency and productivity through our plan,” Dutton said on Friday.

>>22482246 Mirroring Trump, Peter Dutton takes aim at diversity and inclusion workforce - Peter Dutton has taken aim at the federal public service's "culture, diversity and inclusion" workforce, saying such "advisers" to the bureaucracy do nothing to improve the lives of everyday Australians. In a major policy speech delivered to the Liberal Party's Menzies Research Centre in Sydney on Friday, the opposition leader vowed to "scale back" Canberra's public service, insisting the economy performs better with fewer bureaucrats. "I have not met an Australian across the country - I was in Alice Springs over the last couple of days — who can tell me their lives are better off because the government's employed 36,000 public servants in Canberra," Mr Dutton said. "Positions advertised have included culture, diversity and inclusion advisers, change managers, and internal communications specialist. "Such positions, as I say, do nothing to improve the lives of everyday Australians. They're certainly not frontline service delivery roles that can make a difference to people's lives." Mr Dutton's incendiary speech - his first major statement of the year — sets up a direct clash and contrast to Anthony Albanese who is campaigning for re-election by celebrating Labor's efforts to expand the nation's "care economy" and boost services to the elderly, families with young children, and people with disabilities. In addition the opposition leader's promise to dismantle the role of "culture, diversity and inclusion" advisers seeks to mirror Donald Trump's successful political campaign in last year's US presidential race when he took aim at what are known in the US as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

>>22482279 Video: Jacinta Nampijinpa Price plans to review Welcome to Country ceremony funding if elected - Coalition frontbencher Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says she'll review federal funding for Indigenous Welcome to Country ceremonies if her party wins government at this year's federal election. Earlier this week, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton handed the Northern Territory senator the shadow ministry for government efficiency in a cabinet reshuffle. Senator Price, who also continues in her position as shadow minister for Indigenous Australians, has now for the first time outlined her plans for the new role if the Coalition wins government. "Going forward, what has come out of the result of the [Voice] referendum, is that Australians want to see taxpayer dollars work more effectively for them," she said. Senator Price said she would "look at an audit of the billions of dollars that are spent in the Indigenous space, so that we can understand where that can be better spent", with a focus on the funding priorities of federal bodies such as the National Indigenous Australians Agency. She said she would also look to redirect funding currently used for Welcome to Country ceremonies. "I don't believe that we should be spending $450,000 a [government] term on Welcome to Country, when that isn't actually improving the life of a marginalised Indigenous Australian," she said. "That kind of funding could be redirected to actually improve the lives of marginalised Indigenous Australians, as opposed to being used for what is effectively a welcoming ceremony, many of which have now become quite politicised.

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Australian Politics and Society - Part 41

>>22482339 Jacinta Nampijinpa Price: Peter Dutton’s government efficiency chief to follow Margaret Thatcher’s lead more than Elon Musk’s - Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says she will follow the principles of Margaret Thatcher in helping the Coalition give “power back to the people by implementing small government”, but is talking down the prospect of sweeping public service cuts despite condemning its “exponential growth” under the Albanese government. The Coalition’s new spokeswoman for government efficiency said a Dutton government “won’t be cutting” the public service workforce but would “halt” any further growth. She later clarified in a written statement that a Dutton government would look to make “sensible reductions” to the number of federal bureaucrats, which has grown by 36,000 - or 20 per cent -under Labor. “We will be looking to sensibly consolidate the public service, with a focus on protecting essential services but making sensible reductions where there is duplication or excess capacity,” she said. The leader of the successful No campaign in the voice referendum declared her admiration for Thatcher, the former British conservative prime minister who cut the size of government in favour of an expanded role for the private sector. “I admire Margaret Thatcher, as a strong female prime minister, who was about giving power back to the people by implementing small government,” she said.

>>22482380 Entitlement, identity politics, lack of pride blamed for slump in ADF recruitment - Former army chief Peter Leahy has warned a decline in national pride is at the heart of the Australian Defence Force’s personnel crisis, arguing a culture of entitlement, identity politics and victimhood is diminishing the pool of potential recruits. Defence slashed its workforce target by more than 4700 last year as near-static military personnel numbers threaten the federal government’s $330bn push to rearm the nation. Professor Leahy said life in the military was about service, but Australians today were less concerned about the national interest than the interests of narrowly defined groups. “Perhaps the biggest issue about who will fight for Australia is a decline in national pride and a dilution of an Australian identity and culture,” he said in a paper for the RSL. “In contrast, there is a sense of entitlement and self-indulgence … suggesting that the nation owes individuals something. There are too many identities and too many flags. Whether it harks back to place of origin or some narrow interest-motivated sentiment, too many people and groups want special treatment and consideration. It doesn’t leave much space for Australia.” The government recently unveiled a new Defence recruitment campaign, selling life in the ADF as a “career with impact”. But Professor Leahy said the advertisements failed to tap into the pride and traditions that have characterised military service. “Recruiting advertisements resemble lifestyle commercials and emphasise what the ADF can do for you. Not much mention of what you can do for your country,” he said.

>>22482626 Russian group pushes to free accused spies in exchange for Australian Oscar Jenkins - Foreign Minister Penny Wong is being urged by a Moscow-based group to support a "humanitarian" prisoner swap involving accused Russian spies Kira and Igor Korolev to help secure the "speedy" release of captured Australian fighter Oscar Jenkins. This week Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the government had received a report from Russia that Mr Jenkins was alive following fears this month the Australian prisoner had been killed while in captivity. Now the Russian branch of the International Committee for the Protection of Human Rights has suggested Mr Jenkins could be exchanged for the married Korolev couple from Brisbane, along with Sydney fugitive Simion Boikov, known as "Aussie Cossack". The non-governmental organisation regularly advocates for Russian prisoners held abroad, and its public commentary appears consistently aligned with statements made by senior Kremlin officials. In an undated letter to Senator Wong and her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the organisation's vice-president Ivan Melnikov expresses hope a prisoner exchange can occur "despite the recurring difficulties in diplomatic relations between our countries". "Kira and Igor Korolev have been held in an Australian pre-trial detention centre for more than six months on charges of allegedly spying for Russia. Their state of health is worrisome, and their loved ones are probably very worried about them," he said. "I ask you to take all possible measures and assistance to organise the exchange of Russian citizens Semyon [sic] Boikov and the Korolev family for Australian citizen Oscar Jenkins."

#39 - Part 74

Australian Politics and Society - Part 42

>>22490485 Musk’s X enables Australia’s neo-Nazis, warn Coalition and online watchdog - Australian neo-Nazis are thriving on Elon Musk’s X, the federal opposition has warned, as the nation’s online safety watchdog raises the alarm on the “perfect storm” of extremism brewing under X’s free speech abolitionist policies. White supremacists and leaders of Australia’s National Socialist Network (NSN) were previously banned or censored on X before returning in the past year or so, spurring the case for a new duty of care the Albanese government is preparing to place on social platforms as part of an online safety review to be released in weeks. X has cut online global moderation, removed all staff in Australia and reinstated thousands of banned accounts, according to the eSafety commissioner, ushering in a chaotic era for social media driven by a growing sense, particularly among those on the right, that content moderation stifled free expression. Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson, whose posts on X are sometimes swamped with far-right sentiment on immigration and antisemitic comments, said new laws against inciting violence towards minorities were needed now. “Neo-Nazis are clearly emboldened in Australia right now in real life and online. There has been a noticeable uptick in their activity, especially on X in recent months,” Paterson said. “They might drape themselves in the Australian flags and call themselves patriots but there’s nothing patriotic about worshipping a failed foreign regime led by one of history’s greatest losers. The real patriots fought and died defeating Nazism.”

>>22496579 Australia navigating US relationship with ‘eyes open’ as Trump begins tariffs, Wong says - The Albanese government is navigating the Australia-US relationship with “eyes open” after Donald Trump slapped Canada with 25 per cent tariffs, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said. The US President over the weekend followed through with his election promise to hit Canada, Mexico and China with levies, triggering countermeasures from all three countries. Canada is one of Australia and the US’ closest allies and a member of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance. Senator Wong said on Monday Mr Trump was “doing exactly what he said he would do, and we shouldn’t be surprised by these announcements”. “In my engagements while I was in Washington for the inauguration, including with my counterpart, Secretary Rubio and other members of the Trump administration, I made very clear where Australia sits,” she told the ABC. “We are a country with whom the US has a trade surplus and all goods enter from the US, under our free trade agreement, enter Australia without duties or tariffs or any other barriers.”

>>22504357 Video: Trump creates sovereign wealth fund as ‘legendary’ Murdoch watches on - Donald Trump signed an executive order to create a new US sovereign wealth fund and suggested the fund could be used to keep Chinese-owned TikTok operating in the United States. The president was joined in the Oval Office by “the legendary Rupert Murdoch and [tech billionaire] Larry Ellison”. Mr Trump told reporters that the fund, in partnership with wealthy investors, might be used to buy half of the social media platform, although the media mogul’s involvement was not specified. At the meeting on Monday (Tuesday AEDT), Mr Trump used the opportunity to both praise and criticise Mr Murdoch as an “amazing guy” whose apparent opposition to his sweeping tariffs was simply wrong. At the same time as announcing the fund, Mr Trump introduced Mr Murdoch and Mr Ellison to reporters, saying they are “two of the most talented people in the world”. “The legendary Rupert Murdoch and Larry Ellison. So there are two legends in business and publishing. Larry is pretty much in a class by himself, right? You may have a couple of bucks more, I don’t know, and Rupert is in a class by himself. He’s an amazing guy,” Mr Trump said. In a private meeting leading up to the November 5 election, Mr Trump pleaded with Mr Murdoch to abandon any critical advertisements of the Trump campaign on his TV network. Mr Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal this week argued strongly against the president imposing tariffs, including in an editorial with the headline “The dumbest trade war fallout begins”. “I have great respect for Rupert Murdoch. I disagree with him a lot of times with the Wall Street Journal, but that’s alright, we have disagreed before,” Mr Trump said.

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Australian Politics and Society - Part 43

>>22513153 Australian neo-Nazis suspended from X - Australia’s most prominent neo-Nazis have been banished from Elon Musk’s X platform in an apparent crackdown on homegrown extremism. National Socialist Network leaders Thomas Sewell and Blair Cottrell had their accounts suspended on Tuesday, two days after this masthead reported Australian white supremacists were thriving on the platform and generating millions of views on posts often vilifying minority groups and calling for a white Australia. The profiles of the two Melbourne men were shut down along with those of at least four other leading members of the Australian neo-Nazi movement that recently held rallies in the streets of Adelaide, where 16 members were arrested, and on the steps of Victorian Parliament where they held up a banner reading “JEWS HATE FREEDOM”. It is not yet clear if Australian agencies sought the bans, which come at a time of heightened concern about antisemitic incidents and ASIO’s warnings about a probable terror attack driven by mixes of “twisted” ideologies - including anti-government conspiracy theories, racism, Islamist extremism and neo-Nazism – blending with social media-fuelled personal grievance. Joel Davis, an Australian neo-Nazi whose account was not suspended, reacted with fury to the news on Tuesday, while other far-right accounts complained about the apparent clamp instituted by Musk’s anti-censorship platform. “These two men and several other nationalists were all censored off X this evening in a clear co-ordinated mass banning most likely requested by some department of the Australian government,” he wrote on X. “No doubt you don’t agree with many of our views, but these are political figures of serious notoriety in Australia. Unelected bureaucrats shouldn’t have the right to sabotage the voice of its own citizens on ideological grounds.”

>>22537020 Video: Elon Musk's Starlink is connecting hundreds of thousands of regional Australians to the internet - In regional and remote Australia more people are turning to Elon Musk's Starlink to stay connected to the internet. The company run by the world's richest man, - who is now a key part of the second Trump administration — has 7,000 satellites in orbit and eventually plans to have up to 12,000 to cover the globe. In Australia there are currently believed to be around 200,000 Starlink connections, according to Communications Minister Michelle Rowland. And while she isn't too concerned about Mr Musk's network seriously competing with the NBN, others are concerned about relying when it comes to relying on a product run by the Tesla, SpaceX and X owner. In the Ukraine-Russia war, where Starlink is believed to be used by both sides, Mr Musk has made decisions about when the system is activated or switched off and critics worry Australia could also be vulnerable to his whims. "When parts of the market become dependent on one person, and when that person is as petulant and as erratic as Elon Musk, then you're setting yourself up to fail," Professor Andrew Dodd from the Centre for Advancing Journalism, told 7.30. "That is the risk [and there is a real chance that Australia could become reliant on Starlink and on its relationship with Elon Musk, and it's really on the government to ensure that, that doesn't happen."

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Australian Politics and Society - Part 44

>>22513240 Video: Anthony Albanese, Volodymyr Zelensky talk support for Ukraine as Russia’s full-scale invasion nears third anniversary - Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Anthony Albanese for “Australia’s unwavering support for Ukraine” and discussed “increasing pressure on Russia” in a phone call overnight. The call came just weeks out from the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The Ukrainian President said the two leaders talked through a range of issues, including speeding up the delivery of battle tanks. “I spoke with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and thanked him for Australia’s unwavering support for Ukraine and our people,” Mr Zelensky said in a statement. “It is crucial that our coalition in defence of international law remains truly global. We are also working to expedite the new defence aid package.” The Albanese government pledged 49 M1A1 Abrams to Ukraine in October last year. NewsWire understands the Ukrainian government has been pushing to get the tanks by May before the European summer. But Australia has signalled the transfer might not take place until October this year. Mr Zelensky said he and Mr Albanese also talked about ramping up sanctions on Russia, adding that “Australia is ready to take further steps”. “Ukraine’s priority remains reliable security guarantees, reinforcing our defence and increasing pressure on Russia to end the war,” he said. “We also addressed diplomatic efforts and appreciate Australia’s firm stance that all substantive negotiations on Ukraine must include Ukraine - this is the only way to achieve a just peace.”

>>22521553 Western Australia calls election in test for Albanese before national vote - The state of Western Australia has called an election, setting the stage for a final test for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left Labor party ahead of a national vote due by May. An improved performance by the conservative opposition Liberal party in Western Australia will put pressure on Albanese, who faces a close contest in the upcoming federal election. Western Australia Premier Roger Cook, who belongs to the same party as Albanese, late on Wednesday set the election for March 8 and will seek to maintain Labor's stronghold in the state, aiming for a third consecutive term for the party. Labor won an unprecedented 53 out of 59 seats in the state parliament's lower house in the previous election held in March 2021, riding high on its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the national election a year later, Labor increased its tally in the state to 9 out of a total of 15 federal electorates. Analyst John Phillimore, who leads the John Curtin Institute of Public Policy at Curtin University, said a Labor win was a "foregone conclusion" given the state's strong economy. "It just seems almost impossible for (the opposition) Liberal party to fight back and win the election this time around, especially as the government hasn't really done anything too wrong," Phillimore said. But the Albanese-led Labor is struggling to lift support nationally despite a slew of measures aimed to please families grappling with high living costs.

>>22530752, >>22536456 Office of Kevin Rudd, 26th PM of Australia Tweet: We've seen posts claiming Kevin Rudd received money from the US Agency for Int'l Development in 2022. It's a fake. USAID doesn't fund Kevin Rudd or Asia Society. Nor did Asia Society receive any USAID funding during Dr Rudd’s period as president. It's a lie. Pure and simple.

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Australian Politics and Society - Part 45

>>22544337 Liberals claim victory in Prahran as Greens concede defeat - The Liberal Party has broken its drought in Victoria, declaring victory in the Prahran byelection and pushing Opposition Leader Brad Battin one seat closer to government in next year’s state election. Greens candidate Angelica Di Camillo conceded defeat on Sunday and congratulated Rachel Westaway for flipping the inner-Melbourne seat, which had been in Greens hands for more than a decade. It is one less seat Battin would need to turn to get out of the political wilderness in hope of forming government in 2026. Battin, exuberant after pulling off double-digit swings in two-party preferred terms in Prahran and Werribee, is still short by 16 seats. “Nothing is safe,” he said. The opposition leader said the now 32 members of the parliamentary Liberal Party would be reminded every day they had a responsibility to their communities: “Go out and work hard. But I also say, we’ve got to pick the right candidates now. Pick the people that Victorians can trust, put the platform forward, and I actually think then people will come along and understand we are a genuine alternative.”

>>22544347 Allan and Albanese on notice after Werribee voters revolt - Almost 28 years ago, Labor’s surprise Mitcham by-election victory proved to be a portent of Jeff Kennett’s shock defeat two years later in the 1999 Victorian election. A quarter of a century on, Premier Jacinta Allan should be asking herself if Werribee voters have sent her the same “your time is up” message ahead of the 2026 election. As at late Saturday, Werribee - traditionally the heart of Labor’s heartland in Victoria — was down to the wire with voters sending a massive protest vote Allan’s way. Labor’s primary vote has crashed by a staggering double-digit figure, at one point it was down 16 per cent, and while the Liberal primary vote had only jumped by a few per cent, it was a historic blow for Labor in the outer west of Melbourne. While the final result was not locked in, the take-out from the by-election was clearly an emphatic wake-up call for Allan and Labor - and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Werribee was shaping as a tough night for Labor, even if it holds on. Questions will now be asked internally about whether Allan is the right figure to lead the party’s bid for a fourth term. The PM would be feeling anxious about the result because the voters of Werribee are the same outer-suburban voters federal opposition leader Peter Dutton is targeting at this year’s election.

>>22544355 Crime and cost of living is creating a perfect storm for Anthony Albanese in Victoria and nationally - The swing against Labor in the weekend’s Victorian state by-election in the party’s heartland of Werribee will be sounding alarm bells in the national campaign office. The implications for Labor at a federal level from the Werribee by-election would be inconsequential without a federal election just around the corner. But it matters for one simple reason. As one senior Liberal said: “it shows our suspicions about Victoria were correct, they have a lot of shit on their liver, and Albo is up next”. The key issues were cost of living and crime - the latter being an issue Peter Dutton has successfully engineered into a national issue. And it is those issues that will feature as the top order ones in every other seat at the next federal contest. This is an oddity but a dangerous environment for the Albanese government. Crime has rarely had such a profile or a level of concern among voters in the context of a federal poll. Combine this with the collapse in living standards for most Australians and Albanese is facing the perfect storm.

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Australian Politics and Society - Part 46

>>22544363 Werribee speaks, Labor shudders: The swing that can’t be ignored - The thumping swing against Victorian Labor in the byelection in the state seat of Werribee can only be read as a repudiation of Premier Jacinta Allan and her tired, 10-year-old government. And it will give Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his federal colleagues more than a moment’s cause for concern, too. Allan’s predecessor, Daniel Andrews, delivered three successive election victories for Labor in a state John Howard once dubbed “the Massachusetts of Australia” because of its centre-left leaning. But since Andrews handed over to Allan, with state debt ballooning, infrastructure creaking and population growth booming, the gloss has finally come off the state government, notwithstanding the state Liberal Party’s unmatched ability to score own goal after own goal. And while the byelection result could still go Labor’s way in Werribee -- at the time of writing, the result remains too close to call – the size of the swing away from Labor, some 16 per cent, cannot be ignored (the swing to the Liberals was only about 4 per cent).

>>22544558 DogeDesigner Tweet: (Video) BREAKING: X is now the #1 news app on the AppStore in Australia.

>>22551697 Albanese to call Trump within 24 hours after president announces 25 per cent tariffs - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will speak with United States President Donald Trump within 24 hours after the American leader revealed plans to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports, sparking concerns in Australia about the threat to jobs and exports. Australian political leaders are hoping the country’s defence alliance with the United States will help secure a carve-out from the sweeping trade barriers, leading the Coalition to suggest the government should replace Kevin Rudd as ambassador in Washington if needed to gain the outcome. Albanese is expected to speak with Trump on a scheduled phone call that was arranged before the news of the looming tariffs broke. Trump aired his plan on Sunday in the US when he told reporters he would target countries with matching tariffs if they tried to protect their industries, heightening the prospect of a trade war. “We’ll also be announcing steel tariffs on Monday,” he said while flying to the Super Bowl in New Orleans. “Any steel coming into the United States is going to have a 25 per cent tariff.” Asked if this would apply to aluminium as well, he said: “Aluminum, too.” In question time on Monday afternoon, Albanese said he would raise the matter in a call with Trump. “I have a discussion with president Trump scheduled. And I will certainly keep the House [and] the Australian people informed after that discussion,” Albanese said. “We will navigate any differences that are there diplomatically. And we will continue to make a case to the United States for Australia to be given an exemption for any steel and aluminium tariffs.”

#39 - Part 79

Australian Politics and Society - Part 47

>>22551713 Explainer: How will Trump’s steel, aluminium tariffs hit Australia? - The US imported about $US400m worth of Australian steel and $439m of aluminium in 2024. So what effect will Donald Trump’s latest move have on business and the Albanese government? - What did Trump say? - How much does Australia export to the US? - How will the Australian government respond? - Didn’t Australia win an exemption from Trump’s tariffs before?

>>22551752 Kevin Rudd ‘won’t be much help’ on the tariff front, as steel sector braces for more dumping - The US’s proposed imposition of blanket tariffs on steel and aluminium would result in an influx of steel dumped into the Australian market, which is already feeling the effects of cheap Chinese steel being offloaded here at cut prices, experts say. And having former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in the chair as Australia’s ambassador to the US is an obvious downside to any future negotiations, given his previous comments about President Donald Trump. Wilson Asset Management lead portfolio manager Matthew Haupt said former ambassador and former federal treasurer Joe Hockey was instrumental in having Australia carved out of tariffs during the first Trump administration. But, with Mr Rudd previously labelling President Trump “the most destructive President in history’’, and the President in turn saying Mr Rudd was “nasty” and “not the brightest bulb”, it was not a good starting point for negotiations, Mr Haupt said. “Can Australia’s US ambassador save us this time? Highly unlikely given his comments,’’ Mr Haupt said. Mr Haupt said Australia was likely not the intended target of the tariffs, however, and it would be important to see how the nuance evolved in coming days as more details of the tariffs emerged. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently revealed Mr Rudd and Mr Trump had met prior to the President’s inauguration on January 21.

>>22558955 US tariff exemption for Australian metal exports 'under consideration', Albanese says - US President Donald Trump has declared he would give "great consideration" to a tariff exemption for Australia, less than an hour after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the leaders had agreed a carve-out for Australia was "under consideration". The prime minister told reporters he had a "constructive and warm" conversation with Mr Trump on Tuesday morning, shortly after concluding a call that was scheduled before the president announced new 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the US. Mr Albanese said he presented his case for an exemption and the leaders "agreed on wording to say publicly, which is that the US president agreed that an exemption was under consideration in the interest of both our countries". But in an Oval Office press conference a short time later, the US president initially ruled out any exemptions before later stating he told Mr Albanese he would give "great consideration" to an exemption for Australia, as he signed an executive order to enact the tariffs. Describing Mr Albanese as a "fine man", the president said Australia was one "of the few" nations that has a trade surplus with the US. "And I told him that that's something that we'll give great consideration to."

#39 - Part 80

Australian Politics and Society - Part 48

>>22559001 Video: Tariffs ‘insult to people of Australia’: US congressman - Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs have been branded inside the US Congress as a “completely needless … insult” to the people of Australia given Canberra’s long standing support of America and commitment to upholding security in the Indo Pacific. Democratic co-chair of the Congressional AUKUS Working Group, Joe Courtney, hit out at the proposed 25 per cent tariffs in a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives - making clear that every justification used by Donald Trump for the extra imposts on steel and aluminium failed in relation to Australia. “The US economy has a trade surplus with Australia. We export more into Australia than they export back to us,” he said. “They have been a signatory with a free-trade agreement (with America) with no tariffs. Our alliance between our two countries, going back to World War One, is probably the most deep and strong of any other nation in the world.” Mr Courtney also noted that Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles had last week visited Washington and made the first payment on the AUKUS submarine deal by committing $500m “into the US industrial base to help our ship building sector to build more submarines.”

>>22559010 Video: We’re on Trumpian time now. Albanese’s win could last five minutes or five years - Anthony Albanese just survived round one in a political boxing match that places him at constant risk of a knockout blow before the federal election. The prime minister secured a concession from Donald Trump that the United States president has not offered to any other country so far: to consider an exemption for Australia from trade barriers that can cost jobs. That is a very big win. But it is merely an early advantage. And history shows that Trump can change his mind at any moment. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is ready to take a swing if Albanese cannot secure a guaranteed exemption by the time Australians go to the polls in April or May. Dutton sounded bipartisan on Tuesday but others in the Coalition have already prepared their line of attack: to blame Albanese for appointing Kevin Rudd as ambassador in Washington and turning Rudd into the fall guy if the tariffs go ahead. So let’s get this point out of the way quickly: Trump will not be deciding his tariffs on whether or not he likes Rudd. It is true that Rudd once called Trump a “village idiot” but it is also true that Marco Rubio once called him a “con artist” - and Rubio is now Secretary of State. What matters more is the direct relationship between Albanese and Trump. Just as the president negotiated directly with then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull on tariffs eight years ago, he will want to deal with the Australian leader today.

>>22567179 Australia accused of breaking its word on exports as Trump presses go on tariffs - The Trump administration has accused Australia of breaking a promise to limit aluminium exports in a dramatic challenge to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over his bid to gain an exemption from American trade barriers that could slam the economy. The White House made the claim in the proclamations issued for punitive 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium, after United States President Donald Trump told Albanese he would consider granting Australia an exemption. The sharp criticism reveals the case being made by White House officials to ensure the tariffs are imposed without exceptions following a dispute over the special treatment Australia received when Trump announced similar tariffs in his first presidency. With exports and jobs at stake, the formal proclamations revealed the White House claim that the previous Australian government had promised to put a limit on aluminium exports and that this was a reason for imposing the new sanctions. “The volume of US imports of primary aluminum from Australia has also surged and in 2024 was approximately 103 per cent higher than the average volume for 2015 through 2017,” the proclamation said. “Australia has disregarded its verbal commitment to voluntarily restrain its aluminum exports to a reasonable level.” Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who negotiated the carve-outs for Australia in 2017 and 2018, told this masthead he gave no such assurance and the discussion at the time focused on steel.

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>>22567217 Video: Trump adviser: ‘Australia killing the US aluminium market’ - Donald Trump’s top trade adviser Peter Navarro has unleashed on Australia for “killing the aluminium market”, in a blow to hopes that the US President will grant Anthony Albanese’s plea for a tariff carve out. The Prime Minister’s hopes of securing an exemption from Mr Trump’s new tariffs have been rocked by the trade hawk’s public sprays this morning on Fox News and CNN. “Australia is crushing, just crushing - with the help of China - our aluminium sector,” Mr Trump’s senior counsellor for trade and manufacturing told Fox News. “The President says no more country exemptions, no more product exclusions. We’re going to run into a beautiful golden age.” Mr Navarro has fought for years to convince the US to impose tariffs. When then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull negotiated an exemption for Australian exports to the US in 2018, Mr Navarro lobbied internally to reimpose tariffs on Australia a year later. At the time it is said that Scott Morrison made some verbal guarantees on aluminium exports but that these were subsequently not enforced by US President Joe Biden, leading to the situation today. The pro-tariff adviser reportedly urged the President to hit Australia in response to a surge of Australian aluminium in the American market in 2019, the same argument being made today. The New York Times reported back then that the US Defense and State Departments told Mr Trump the move would alienate a top ally and could come at significant cost to the US. The tariff proposal was supported in 2019 by Robert Lighthizer, the US trade representative, and Mr Navarro, then director of White House trade and manufacturing policy, but faced fierce opposition from US military officials and diplomats.

>>22569126 What did Australia promise? Inside the room where Trump and Morrison talked tariffs - Australian officials scrambled when they heard Donald Trump had chosen to bring some of his top trade advisers to a dinner with Scott Morrison at the G20 summit in Japan in June 2019. They knew to prepare for a hard negotiation on tariffs to counter the trade warriors backing the United States president. Morrison, who had just won the May election after becoming prime minister the previous August, made sure his side of the table included his most senior team. They expected a question from the White House about the help granted to Australia one year earlier, when Malcolm Turnbull was prime minister, to spare the country from tariffs on steel and aluminium. Trump was in good spirits, say several of those in the room. He felt an affinity with Morrison about their surprise victories. Trump was flanked by his daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, as well as his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton. Several of the guests said the working dinner on the top floor of Osaka’s Imperial Hotel was overwhelmingly convivial. But the conversation turned sour when the two US trade advisers, Robert Lighthizer and Peter Navarro, launched their complaint about Australian exports. “Trump left it to his lieutenants to prosecute the case,” says one of those in the room. “And Navarro was unnecessarily sharp.”

>>22573764 Trump’s Ukraine plan risks Munich-style appeasement, Ukraine envoy warns - Ukraine’s top diplomat in Australia has warned Donald Trump’s plan to end his country’s war with Russia risks becoming an exercise in appeasement, after the President ruled out NATO membership for Kyiv and said it was unlikely to reclaim all its lost territory. Ahead of peace talks in Munich in coming days, Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko said Ukraine would never willingly cede land to Russia, and if it was forced into a settlement that favoured Moscow, it would set a terrible precedent for the world. “It’s very important that we avoid a Munich 2.0,” he said at Parliament House on Thursday, referring to the appeasement of the Nazis by Britain and France in the 1938 Munich Agreement. “Because we are getting into very dangerous grounds at the moment. If might is right, it opens up lots of security issues for everybody … especially here in the region. “What about those smaller Pacific Islands who only rely on the UN Charter? Because if sovereignty can be so easily broken … because somebody has the military means to do it, what sort of world are we going to have?” Liberal senator and former defence minister Linda Reynolds backed the Ukrainian envoy, declaring: “President Trump’s opening position is one akin to appeasement, which is Russia keeping all of the territory that they’ve won over the last three years by their invasion in Ukraine, and non membership of NATO.”

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>>22584808 Video: Anti-offshore wind campaigners heckle PM at Illawarra candidate announcement - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has had a blunt reminder of one of the key issues plaguing Labor in its coastal heartland. In the wake of Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones's sudden retirement from politics, Mr Albanese travelled to the New South Wales Illawarra to unveil who his government hopes will take his place as the Member for Whitlam. But announcement of Carol Berry as Labor's new candidate did not go to plan. Mr Albanese was greeted by half a dozen protesters who vented their frustration at the government's offshore wind plans. Hecklers repeatedly interrupted his press conference shouting "we don't want your wind farms" and calling for the prime minister to put the turbines "in front of your mansion on the water". Mr Albanese briefly engaged with the protesters, claiming the criticisms were from the opposition's playbook. "You can see behind me here there is a group of Labor party supporters and there is a small [group] of Labor party opponents," Mr Albanese said. "They are spouting the same line that the Clive Palmer Party and Peter Dutton spouts from time to time." Anti-offshore wind campaigner Alex O'Brien was one of the organisers of that rally and was also among the hecklers on Friday. "Our group came down here because we heard the prime minister was going to be here and the Labor party has declined the opportunity to speak to our community about the offshore wind farm," he said. "We're concerned about local jobs in fishing and tourism and that's why we're here today."

>>22599384 Video: Oscar Jenkins: New video emerges showing Australian captured in Ukraine - The Albanese government has repeated calls to Russia to release Australian soldier Oscar Jenkins after an unverified video was posted online purporting to show him in captivity and in which he says he is weak and has a broken arm. Dressed in army fatigues, a downcast Jenkins, captured while fighting in Ukraine, is asked to provide an update on his welfare by those filming. “My name is Oscar Jenkins, I’m Australian,” he says in the video uploaded to YouTube just over a week ago. The person filming - a man who appears to be one of his captors – says Jenkins is a prisoner of war from the 66th Mechanised Brigade of the armed forces of Ukraine. The man says in English that the date is January 17. This masthead has not been able to verify when or where the video was made. “Tell us about your health condition, about your mood. Are you OK?” the man says. “I would like more freedom,” Jenkins responds. “I feel a bit weak. I’ve lost a lot of weight. I have a broken arm still, I think, and my hand is not good.” In the footage, Jenkins is seen dressed in a heavy coat and beanie. Winter temperatures in Russia have dropped to as low as minus 20 degrees. The video appears to have been created to dispel rumours that the Australian had been killed in captivity. “You are alive, so the information about your death is not right?” the man filming says. “Correct,” Jenkins responds. The man then instructs Jenkins to remove his beanie, which he does. “Everything is okay. He is alive and I think he will [be] better,” the man says to end the video.

>>22611022 Video: Clive Palmer announces new political party, Trumpet of Patriots - Billionaire Clive Palmer has launched a new political party inspired by the politics of US President Donald Trump, vowing to “Make Australia Great Again”. The mining magnate is the chairman of his new party, Trumpet of Patriots, which will run on Trump-inspired policies and aims to sway voters away from the major parties as well as the Greens and teals. Introducing Mr Palmer, party president Glenn O’Rourke said the Queensland rich lister would help “drain the swamp in Canberra”. Speaking to a room packed with journalists at Parliament House in Canberra, Mr Palmer praised Mr Trump and said Trumpet of Patriots would rally for policies like a reduction in immigration, banning trans athletes, and rescinding Kevin Rudd’s posting as Australia’s ambassador to the US. “The party believes in the policies of Donald Trump, which is shown to be effective in bringing management back on track,” he said. “Peter Dutton has stated the he’s no Donald Trump, and we agree with him. Albanese presided over declining standard of living for our country in each and every year he served as prime minister. “Australia needs Trump policies. Australians want them.” Trumpet of Patriots will aim to run candidates across all 150 electorates and senate seats; however, no decisions have been made on preferencing.

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>>22611034 Dutton is not playing Trump card, Morrison says - The maelstrom and momentum of the MAGA movement is unlikely to change the course of Australia’s federal election and politics, former prime minister Scott Morrison says. Some pundits have accused Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of being “Trump-lite” in his attacks on woke politics. But Morrison said that if the Liberal Party leader won the upcoming election, he would not unleash his own version of the US president’s policy barrage. “I’m sure he has, as I do, many sympathies with some of Trump’s objectives,” Morrison told the Australian Financial Review in London, where he was attending a conservative political convention called the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship. “But I think one of the things Australian politics always has to be careful of is appropriating other nations’ politics and other nations’ policy solutions. “The principles can be very similar, but they’ll be applied differently in Australia. I think Peter has marked out those lines pretty well. He’s not trying to ape what’s happening there. Nor should he, nor would he.” Morrison’s premiership of 2018-22 largely overlapped Trump’s first presidential term of 2017-21, and the two leaders were seen to have a relatively good relationship. This has prompted speculation that Dutton, if he wins government, could tap his predecessor for a Trump-whispering role

>>22611058 Video: Trump’s energy chief wants Australia to go nuclear - Donald Trump’s top energy official has urged Australia to overturn its self-imposed ban on nuclear energy and begin exporting enriched uranium. United States energy secretary Chris Wright singled out Australia when he spoke to an international conference on Monday, fuelling the political clash between the Albanese government and its renewable energy plans and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s pledge to build seven nuclear plants across the country. “I would love to see Australia get in the game of supplying uranium, maybe going down that nuclear road themselves,” Wright said in a remote appearance at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference, in an interview with Sky News contributor Chris Uhlmann. He said the US would “absolutely” work with Australia to establish a uranium enrichment process and it would welcome development of a nuclear energy industry. Wright, a former executive of a fracking company, claimed the risks of global warming were greatly exaggerated and declared the pursuit of net zero emissions a “sinister goal”. He has denied the science of climate change and is expected to be a prominent exponent of Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” pitch for fossil fuel expansion. “Net zero 2050 is a sinister goal. It’s a terrible goal,” Wright said. “It’s both unachievable by practical means, but the aggressive pursuit of it … has not delivered any benefits, but it’s delivered tremendous costs.” Australia’s federal and state governments have long-standing bans on nuclear energy. The federal laws, imposed by the Howard government in 1999, prohibit the construction of uranium enrichment facilities and the export of uranium for weapons manufacture is banned.

>>22611088 Russians quip blood-pressure test proves Oscar Jenkins is 'not dead' in new video - Another video has emerged of Oscar Jenkins being held by Russia's military, showing the Australian prisoner apparently having his blood pressure tested while his captors joke the positive results prove he is "not dead". The one-and-a-half-minute clip was posted online a week ago by the same account that also published a recent interrogation of the captured soldier where he outlines his various health problems and his wish for "more freedom". In the recording, Mr Jenkins appears frail-looking, reinforcing comments he made in a separate video where he told a Russian interrogator he felt "weak" and had "lost a lot of weight". During the examination, the 32-year-old Australian is seated in front of a Russian flag as another man wearing medical gloves first tests the prisoner of war's blood pressure, before trying unsuccessfully to measure his oxygen saturation. An analysis by ABC NEWS Verify of what was said in the video found it could have been taken some time after reports emerged in January that Mr Jenkins had been killed following his capture last year while fighting for Ukraine's armed forces. At one point the examiner, who is wearing army fatigues, jokes in Russian that Mr Jenkins' blood pressure would be "zero" if he was dead. After recording a "normal" blood pressure, the Russian examiner tries to record the prisoner's oxygen saturation but appears unable to retrieve a reading because Mr Jenkins' fingers are too cold. Mr Jenkins moves little and his focus remains in one place, avoiding eye contact as the examiner moves around him, lifts his arm and speaks to another person in the room.

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Australian Politics and Society - Part 52

>>22611119 Video: ‘You are not a victim’: Kevin Spacey hits back at Guy Pearce’s claims he was ‘targeted’ - Kevin Spacey has rejected claims made by Australian star Guy Pearce that he was “targeted” while filming the 1997 neo-noir LA Confidential, calling Pearce’s statements misleading and accusing him of revising their past interactions. Pearce has previously alluded to difficulties with Spacey on set. In a 2018 interview, he described the Oscar-winning actor as “a handsy guy” in the wake of multiple sexual misconduct allegations against Spacey - accusations that Spacey has consistently denied. At the time, Pearce was measured in his remarks, acknowledging Spacey’s talent while saying, “Slightly difficult time with Kevin, yeah. Thankfully, I was 29, and not 14.” However, in a recent episode of Awards Chatter, The Hollywood Reporter’s podcast, Pearce expanded on his earlier comments, suggesting that he has since reassessed his experience. “I just try to be more honest about it now and call it for what it is,” he said, revealing that he “broke down and sobbed” upon achieving greater clarity about the extent of the allegations against Spacey. “I think it really dawned on me the impact that had occurred and how I sort of brushed it off and how I had either shelved it or blocked it out or whatever.” Spacey, in a video posted to his X account, responded to Pearce’s comments directly, dismissing them bluntly: “You are not a victim.” “Guy Pearce. I’ve now read the comments that you made about me, and while I would have preferred not to have to play this out in the media, you obviously have your own reasons for wanting to do exactly that,” Spacey said. “We worked together a long time ago, you know. If I did something then that upset you, you could have reached out to me. We could have had that conversation.”

>>22617503 Video: The rest of the decade will be even worse: ASIO boss issues dire terror threat warning - ASIO boss Mike Burgess has revealed that five major terror plots were foiled over the past year, as he issued a grim warning that Australia has never confronted so many serious national security threats at once. Taking the unprecedented step of declassifying the spy agency’s security outlook for the next five years, Burgess said at least three countries had plotted to physically harm people in Australia over the past 12 months as he sounded the alarm on the rising threat of state-sanctioned murder. The agency’s previously secret security outlook to 2030 predicts the next five years will be more volatile and dangerous than the first half of the decade as dictatorships like Russia and Iran become increasingly aggressive. Burgess said he feared that attacks on the Jewish community, which have surged since the beginning of the war in Gaza, “have not yet plateaued”, as he warned that extremists were increasingly self-radicalising and “choosing their own adventure” towards potential terrorist activity. “Australia has entered a period of strategic surprise and security fragility,” Burgess told an audience at ASIO headquarters in Canberra on Wednesday night. “Over the next five years, a complex, challenging and changing security environment will become more dynamic, more diverse and more degraded … If the spy game has a rule book, it is being rewritten. If there are red lines, they are being blurred, or deliberately rubbed out.”

>>22617544 Video: Tony Abbott says Donald Trump is ‘living in fantasy land’ over his comments on Volodymyr Zelensky - Former prime minister Tony Abbott says Donald Trump is “living in fantasy land” and asserted Russia started the Ukraine war, after the US President attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “dictator” who misused billions of dollars in US aid. After Mr Trump escalated his criticism of Mr Zelensky on Wednesday local time, Mr Abbott backed Ukraine’s right to independence in the face of Russia’s military aggression and warned the eastern European nation should only trade territory in exchange for lasting security. Speaking in London where the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference is being held, Mr Abbott said Ukraine needed NATO membership or troops on the ground as a condition of any ceasefire otherwise “it’s a sellout”. “Putin started this war. Russia started this war, and anyone who thinks otherwise is living in fantasy land,” Mr Abbott told Times Radio. “Obviously we want peace, but it can’t just be a surrender to vicious, naked aggression, it can’t be. “The basis for peace has got to be that Ukraine can live in independence and security going forward. Now I can understand why you want to trade territory for security, I absolutely understand that. But if Ukraine is going to have to surrender some 20 per cent of its territory to the aggressor, they’ve got to be meaningful guarantees of Ukraine’s ongoing security.”

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Australian Politics and Society - Part 53

>>22617556 ‘Just wrong’: Dutton hits out at Trump over Ukraine - Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called out Donald Trump for making inflammatory and misleading statements about Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in a striking contrast to senior Albanese government ministers’ reluctance to directly criticise the US president. The Australian-Ukrainian community has pleaded with the government to speak out more strongly in defence of Ukraine after Trump called Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and claimed the war was Ukraine’s fault, despite Russia invading its smaller neighbour in 2022. “I think President Trump has got it wrong in relation to some of the public commentary that I’ve seen him make in relation to President Zelensky and the situation in the Ukraine,” Dutton told 2GB radio on Thursday. Describing the war in Ukraine, which is about to pass the three-year mark, as an unprovoked act of aggression by Russia, Dutton said “the thought that President Zelensky or the Ukrainian people started this battle, or somehow they were responsible for the war, is just wrong”. “Australia should stand strong and proud with the people of Ukraine. It’s a democracy, and this is a fight for civilisation. Vladimir Putin is a murderous dictator, and we shouldn’t be giving him an inch,” he said. Dutton said any moves to end the war needed to be given “very, very careful thought … because if we make Europe less safe, or we provide some sort of support to Putin, deliberately or inadvertently, that is a terrible, terrible outcome”.

>>22617589 Video: Admiral Mike Rogers: Dispatches from Munich - At the Munich Security Conference, Admiral Mike Rogers, former Director of the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command, provided a strategic overview of global security challenges, focusing on Ukraine, U.S. leadership in Europe, and cybersecurity threats. As tensions rise, the conversation highlighted the uncertainty surrounding Ukraine's future, with European allies increasingly questioning the U.S. commitment to their security. One of the key themes emerging from the conference was Europe’s search for a coherent strategy in response to shifting U.S. policies. Many European nations are struggling to find consensus on how to navigate geopolitical uncertainty, particularly in the face of domestic political shifts in the U.S. that could impact NATO and transatlantic relations. The tone of the conference reflected deep concerns among European allies about the stability of these partnerships. Admiral Rogers also underscored the growing importance of cybersecurity in this evolving security landscape. Nation-state actors like Russia and China remain persistent cyber threats, increasingly blurring the lines between state-sponsored attacks and cybercriminal activities. The conversation explored how cyber warfare is reshaping international relations, with a focus on the intersection of cybersecurity, intelligence operations, and military strategy. In this conversation, Admiral Rogers emphasized the urgent need for strategic clarity in both U.S.-European relations and global cybersecurity efforts. As international alliances shift and threats evolve, understanding these dynamics will be critical for shaping future security policies and ensuring long-term stability.

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>>22629988 Papua New Guinea, Australia sign defence treaty to push military integration - The Papua New Guinea Defence Force and Australian Defence Force will push for increased integration and more joint exercises under a newly signed defence treaty. The agreement, which is the first defence treaty signed by Papua New Guinea with a foreign country, was announced during a meeting between Australian and PNG officials in Brisbane on February 20. The agreement is designed as a legal framework upgrade to an existing Status of Force Agreement signed in 1977 between the two countries. Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, speaking during a press conference in Brisbane, said Papua New Guinea is Australia’s nearest neighbour and both countries have an incredibly close defence relationship. "Consistent with the guidance that's been given to both of us by our respective Prime Ministers to enhance and build bilateral relationship between Australian Papua New Guinea, today, the Minister and I are announcing that our two countries are commencing negotiations to establish a defence treaty between Australia and PNG," he said. "This will be a treaty with ambition. It will be the most significant defence agreement between our two countries since Papua New Guinean independence. And to that end, it is very significant that we are negotiating this in the 50th year of Papua New Guinea's independence. This will help our two defence forces to work much more closely together. Already, Australia's biggest defence cooperation program is in Papua New Guinea. Already, there is extensive training which occurs amongst the Papua New Guinea Defence Force in Australia. But this will enable our two defence forces to walk down a pathway of increasing integration and increasing interoperability."

>>22630016 Donald Trump’s call out to golfing great Adam Scott may herald good news for Australia - Golf legend Bobby Jones once said, “golf is the closest game to the game we call life” and Australia’s top diplomats could do well to heed his words while tee-ing off with the new US President. President Donald Trump gave top Australian golfer Adam Scott and his home country a surprise call out on Thursday while meeting with the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) top brass at the White House, including Tiger Woods and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “We have Adam Scott here also. Winner of the Masters. One of the greatest golfers in the world,” Mr Trump said. “I’ve always tried to swing just like Adam. It never worked out that way.” He added that he sees Scott as “sort of” American, reported Fox News. “Adam, even though he doesn’t quite come from our country, he sort of does, right? He’s here a lot,” he said. “He comes from another nice place like Australia, and they’ve been very, very good for us.” The unexpected praise will be welcome news in Canberra, where the Government is on tenterhooks about winning an exemption from punishing steel and aluminium tariffs due to kick into force at an inopportune pre-election moment in March. Australia has stressed Washington’s bilateral trade surplus and Canberra’s vital contribution to regional security in an effort to evade the levies. Mr Trump’s seemingly random compliment may suggest the message is sinking in. Coming on the back of golfing great Greg Norman’s recent bridge-building between Mr Trump and Australian ambassador Kevin Rudd, it could also offer diplomats and politicians a hint on how best to forge a connection with the US president. “If I can just give one little bit of information to help two people get together, then I’m so proud to be able to do that,” Mr Norman recently told a dinner event in Washington to honour Australians who had helped foster closer bilateral ties.

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>>22638543 Jim Chalmers heads to US for first face-to-face meeting with US treasury secretary - Treasurer Jim Chalmers will travel to Washington on Sunday evening for his first face-to-face meeting with his US counterpart, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, as the Australian government continues to press for exemptions from tariffs on steel and aluminium exports to the US. Mr Chalmers told the ABC's Insiders program that trade and tariffs were firmly on the agenda for the meeting, though he didn't expect to lock in a decision from the US during the visit. "This won't be the first time that I've met with Secretary Bessent, but the first time since he was confirmed in that new role," Mr Chalmers said. "Trade and tariffs will be part of the conversation, but not the whole conversation. That's an ongoing discussion that we are having with our American counterparts. "I don't expect to conclude those discussions on steel and aluminium while I'm in DC, but whether it's the flow of capital or critical minerals and trade, there's lots to talk about." Shortly after taking office, US President Donald Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium imported into the US, both of which are due to take effect next month. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke to Mr Trump shortly after he announced the sweeping tariffs, in what the prime minister described as a "constructive and warm" conversation. Shortly after the call, Mr Trump said he would give "great consideration" to Australia's request for an exemption to the tariffs.

#39 - Part 88

Julian Assange: Indictment, Extradition, Plea Deal and Freedom

>>22371251 Federal MPs urge President Biden to pardon Assange - Federal MPs have written to US President Joe Biden asking that he grant Julian Assange a full pardon before leaving office. The Wikileaks founder was released from custody in June in a freedom deal in which he pleaded guilty to a single charge after the US dropped 17 other espionage offences against him. The signatories to the letter say Mr Assange's conviction should be set aside, and he should be granted a Presidential pardon, a power often exercised by US Presidents in their final days in office. "Mr Assange's recent conviction under the United States Espionage Act sets a deeply troubling precedent for press freedom globally," the open letter released on Friday said. The signatories include independent MPs Zoe Daniel, Helen Haines, Monique Ryan, David Pocock, Kylea Tink and Andrew Wilkie. Senior members of the Human Rights Law Centre, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance and The Australia Institute also signed the letter. Legal action against Mr Assange, 53, started in 2010 after hundreds of thousands of secret documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars were published on Wikileaks. His freedom followed a court appearance before a judge in the US territory of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific where he admitted to conspiring to obtain and disclose classified documents. The plea deal brought an end to the US government's pursuit of the publisher whose website made him a cause celebre among many press freedom advocates who said he'd acted as a journalist to expose US military wrongdoing. US prosecutors had repeatedly asserted that his actions broke the law and put the country's national security at risk.

#39 - Part 89

The Transgender Agenda - Australia and Worldwide - Part 1

>>22225525 Video: Trump vows to stop ‘transgender lunacy’ and recognize only two genders as ‘official policy’ - President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to immediately stop “transgender lunacy” and make it “official policy” to only recognize two genders, male and female. “With the stroke of my pen on day one, we’re going to stop the transgender lunacy,” Trump told supporters at AmericaFest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday, according to a video shared by C-Span. “I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high schools,” he said, drawing cheers from the crowd. “Under the Trump administration, it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female,” he continued as he also vowed to “keep men out of women’s sports.” “Doesn’t sound too complicated, does it?”

>>22225621 United Kingdom’s ban on puberty blockers for children is not a culture war but a safety matter - "Yet again, Australia’s health ministers and officials have been warned about puberty blockers, the drugs given to minors who reject their birth sex and want the “wrong puberty” to be chemically suppressed. The typical response from our gender medicine lobby, and their social justice backers in politics, is that any scepticism about standards of evidence and safety is somehow right-wing bigotry. But the latest wake-up call is the decision to impose an indefinite ban on puberty blockers announced by the UK’s Labour government under Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who happens to be gay. And of course, Streeting - like those in Australia critical of puberty blockers – is concerned about the welfare of vulnerable young people. This is not a culture war. The endocrine systems of minors know no politics. “The Cass review [into paediatric gender medicine] made clear that there is not enough evidence about the long-term effects of using puberty blockers to treat gender incongruence [also called gender dysphoria] to know whether they are safe or beneficial,” Streeting said in the UK House of Commons. Puberty blockers have been the drivers of the unprecedented international surge in young people, predominantly teenage females, identifying out of their birth sex and seeking medicalised “affirmation” of a transgender or non-binary identity. Their distress is real, but there are often pre-existing issues other than gender that may better explain what they are going through. These underlying difficulties include mental health disorders, autism, ADHD, abuse, trauma and awkward same-sex attraction. After April’s final report from the UK Cass review - the world’s most comprehensive inquiry into the care of young people with gender distress – it should be beyond argument that the gender medicalisation of minors has no solid evidence base to justify such life-altering interventions." - Bernard Lane - editor of Gender Clinic News - theaustralian.com.au

>>22333802 Family Court allows cross-sex hormones for teen despite ‘real risks’ - A teenager has been granted permission to access cross-sex hormones despite a Family Court judge conceding there are risks associated with the treatment, and that he cannot be certain the hormones will benefit the teenager in the long term. Judge Peter Tree, in delivering judgment in the highly contentious legal case, afforded the teenager - known pseudonymously as Ash – the “dignity of risk” to take testosterone and continue transitioning from female to male. In concluding his decision, Justice Tree said he expected Australian courts in the future to see “regret” cases in relation to cross-sex hormone administration to children. “Nonetheless, I have earnestly tried to ascertain what is best for Ash,” he said. The case, which The Australian has extensively covered over the past year, was brought by one of Ash’s parents who wished to obtain sole parental responsibility to approve the administration of hormones. The other parent opposed the treatment. Justice Tree gave “great weight” to the Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines, which were developed by the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne and endorse a gender-affirming model of care. However, he said the UK Cass Review - a landmark report that recommended limitations on medication for gender-dysphoric children - may have been driven by an “overt political imperative” and he gave it “little weight” in reaching his decision.

#39 - Part 90

The Transgender Agenda - Australia and Worldwide - Part 2

>>22451021 Video:Queensland government halts hormone treatment for new trans patients under 18- The Queensland government has put an immediate pause on new trans patients under the age of 18 from accessing hormone therapies in the state's public health system. Health Minister Tim Nicholls unveiled the pause on Tuesday as he also announced a review into the evidence for stage one and two hormone therapies for children with gender dysphoria. Mr Nicholls said the probe would be led by an independent external reviewer, with the terms of reference to be determined in consultation with the reviewer. "The review will encourage the participation of clinicians and professionals with relevant expertise, as well as young people with lived experience and their families," he said. "A final written report is to be provided to government within 10 months of the reviewer being appointed." Mr Nicholls said there had been an "apparently unauthorised provision of paediatric gender services" within the Cairns Sexual Health Service. He said this had resulted in 17 children receiving hormone therapy that "may not align with the accepted Australian treatment guidelines". The minister announced two separate investigations into the Cairns Sexual Health Service - one that will look at the governance framework and one that will look at the services delivered. Mr Nicholls said that while the broader review was underway, the government would immediately pause new patients under the age of 18 from receiving hormone therapy in the state's health system. "A binding health service directive will immediately pause the prescription of stage one and stage two hormone therapies to new patients in Queensland Health facilities," he said. "Patients who are already on a treatment plan with the Queensland Children's Gender Service will be exempt. I'm advised that medically that is the appropriate procedure to follow. The pause will remain in effect until such time as the government considers and acts on the outcomes of the broader review."

>>22490539 Queensland freezes hormone therapy, launches three-part investigation and review - An immediate statewide freeze on hormone therapy for new patients under 18 has been ordered in Queensland after it was discovered a 12-year-old in Cairns was allegedly given puberty blockers without parental consent or appropriate medical guidance. The extraordinary action was taken after a whistleblower made a complaint to Queensland Health in May 2024, which triggered an internal investigation into the Cairns Sexual Health Service. It was revealed that 42 patients aged between 12 and 18 were treated outside of best practice guidelines, with 17 prescribed stage one (puberty blockers) or stage two (gender-affirming hormones) therapy. Health Minister Tim Nicholls on Tuesday announced a three-part investigation and review into the facility and medical gender dysphoria treatments across the state. In an Australian first, the Queensland government will ­establish an independent review into the delivery of stage one and stage two hormone therapy for patients under the age of 18 in light of emerging international ­research into the efficacy of treatments. “As parents, as com­munities, as a state, we owe it to children to ensure that care is grounded on solid evidence and that we act in this contested area and this developing area with caution,” Mr Nicholls said A dual clinical review and health service investigation into the Cairns Sexual Health Service will examine how and why the treatments were delivered to the 42 children, including legal issues regarding the absence of parental approval and governance of the ­facility. Quality of care will also be assessed, looking at delays in essential blood and bone mineral density tests. Patients already receiving hormone treatment will be unaffected by the statewide freeze.

#39 - Part 91

The Transgender Agenda - Australia and Worldwide - Part 3

>>22460329 Trump signs order to defund gender transitions for under 19s - United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to halt the funding and promotion of gender transitions for LGBTQ youth. In his order, Trump said the federal government would no longer “fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support” gender transitions - also referred to as gender-affirming care – for those aged below 19. Under the order, the Department of Health and Human Services must take “all appropriate actions” to halt gender-affirming care under Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, and publish a review of best practices for promoting the health of youth with gender dysphoria and “other identity-based confusion” within 90 days. Trump’s order also directs agencies to end their reliance on guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which it accused of peddling “junk science”. “Countless children soon regret that they have been mutilated and begin to grasp the horrifying tragedy that they will never be able to conceive children of their own or nurture their children through breastfeeding,” the order says. “Moreover, these vulnerable youths’ medical bills may rise throughout their lifetimes, as they are often trapped with lifelong medical complications, a losing war with their own bodies, and, tragically, sterilisation.” Trump’s order covers a range of treatments and procedures for young people suffering from gender dysphoria - which describes the distress felt by people whose biological sex does not match their gender identity – including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone therapy and surgery.

>>22490564 A good start to reining in ‘rogue’ gender clinics - "What would a “rogue” clinic look like, if it were following the child-led “gender-affirming” treatment model? It’s been reported that the Cairns Sexual Health Service has been running just such a fast-and-loose gender clinic, giving puberty blockers to children as young as 12 without the safeguard of multidisciplinary assessment. The benchmark that supposedly separates rogue clinics from Rolls-Royce operations is the Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines document issued by the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne and used by major gender clinics including the Queensland Children’s Gender Service. Well, it would be convenient for champions of the gender-affirming approach to frame the Cairns revelations in this way. In July last year, Queensland’s then health minister, Shannon Fentiman, declared the gender-affirming QCGS to be top-notch following a review commissioned by Queensland Health. The key benchmark? The RCH Melbourne treatment guidelines. In truth, that guidelines document is an activist charter, not a safeguard. It will be news to most Australians that the RCH document was found to be of little rigour and not recommended for use following an evaluation of international treatment guidelines for gender dysphoria. That was the conclusion of peer-reviewed research commissioned by UK pediatrician Dr Hilary Cass, who led the landmark 2020-24 inquiry into youth gender medicine. Cass-ordered research also criticised three Australian gender clinics - they were not named, but appear to be RCH, the QCGS and its Perth counterpart – for using an experimental fast-track to puberty blockers for very young “peri-pubertal” children. This, too, will come as a surprise to many Australians." - Bernard Lane - editor of Gender Clinic News - theaustralian.com.au

#39 - Part 92

The Transgender Agenda - Australia and Worldwide - Part 4

>>22490631 Call for federal inquiry into kids gender therapy - More than 100 doctors, academics, lawyers, politicians, advocates and detransitioners are calling for the Albanese government to launch an immediate inquiry into youth gender medicine and to pause the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapies for children in Australia. In a letter to Anthony Albanese, the group of signatories - which includes more than 40 doctors and child psychiatrists – warned that the growing use of gender transition procedures on children was a “potential public health disaster of generational significance” that warranted an independent, public investigation. They accused Australian politicians and the medical community of ignoring and of even undermining the findings of international reviews - including the 2024 Cass Review in the United Kingdom – that have been critical of youth gender medicine practices and led to some countries introducing bans or restrictions. Signatories include Charles Sturt University professor of public ethics Clive Hamilton, former prime minister Tony Abbott, suspended Queensland Health child psychiatrist Jillian Spencer, outspoken psychiatrist Andrew Amos and former Liberal candidate Katherine Deves. “Recent developments globally have exposed serious concerns about the ‘gender-affirming’ approach to treating gender-confused youth and there is now a bipartisan consensus in many countries that major changes to practice in this area are needed,’’ the letter sent to the Prime Minister late on Wednesday reads. “Medical interventions including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries can cause irreversible harm, including physiological damage (bone density loss, infertility, sexual dysfunction), issues concerning brain development and social and relational difficulties. While lifelong impacts are yet to be fully understood, regret is real, and a growing number of detransitioners believe their gender distress masked other comorbidities, including autism, untreated sexual trauma, and discomfort with their sexuality.”

>>22490661 Gender dysphoria under the microscope in federal review of puberty blocker prescription - Labor’s plan to take nearly two years to review transgender medicine for children and teenagers has been condemned as “just a device to avoid dealing with the issue” as the new federal probe effectively halts any ­attempts by states to ban puberty blockers. Health Minister Mark Butler’s move late on Friday to launch a review into gender therapies and delay the banning of hormone therapies in Queensland was largely welcomed by LGBTI groups and the Greens, who have been railing against growing restrictions on puberty blockers around the world. But critics of gender-affirming medical treatment for children -- including former prime minister Tony Abbott and medical whistleblower Jillian Spencer – said the government’s decision to wait until mid-next year to deliver “interim advice” on the use of puberty blockers was not ­acceptable. Mr Abbott - who led calls for a national inquiry into gender medicine this week – also said the report would take too long. “Given that Butler states ‘interim advice on the use of puberty blockers will be completed in the middle of 2026’ his is just a device to avoid dealing with the issue,” the ex-Liberal prime minister said. “Why should minors who can’t legally buy cigarettes or alcohol, vote or drive a car be allowed to demand irreversible chemical or surgical treatment that they might one day deeply regret?”

#39 - Part 93

The Transgender Agenda - Australia and Worldwide - Part 5

>>22490679 Puberty blockers and treatments for trans youth under review - Australia’s treatment of transgender children and adolescents will be put through the scrutiny of a thorough medical assessment after the federal government announced a landmark review on Friday. Health Minister Mark Butler said that interim advice on the use of one part of that treatment, puberty blockers, will be completed in the middle of next year. That treatment was banned last year in the United Kingdom after a review found there was little scientific evidence to support it. Butler has appointed Australia’s peak medical research body, the National Health and Medical Research Council, to develop new national guidelines in place of state guidelines that have seen an explosion in the number of young people transitioning gender. The number of young people in gender care in Australia has increased approximately tenfold in a decade, in line with increases across the Western world. The review will examine the prescription of both puberty blockers, which stop young adolescents from developing secondary sex features, and also so-called “cross-sex” hormones used to transition young people so their appearance matches their gender identity. Butler’s review follows an announcement by the Queensland government on Tuesday that they were pausing the prescription of gender transition drugs, including puberty blockers, for young people. Queensland ordered public health facilities to cease offering such interventions to new patients, the first state in Australia to do so.

>>22494569 Health Minister Mark Butler shows the way in gender treatment guideline review - "It’s getting hard to keep track of gender clinic news. The latest is that Australia’s Health Minister, Mark Butler, has decided to seek a new national treatment guideline for the care of young people with gender distress. This is a breakthrough, potentially. Guidelines are not technical trivia. The guideline that Mr Butler has asked the National Health and Medical Research Council to review is nothing less than the blueprint for activist “gender-affirming” medicine in Australia. This guideline, issued by the gender clinic at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne and used across the country, promotes the chemical disruption of normal puberty, advises high-dose testosterone drugs for teenage girls, and argues that even minors with psychosis can be good candidates for an irreversible medical transition. The RCH guideline suggests a double mastectomy at age 16 is routine. The word “detransitioner” does not appear; nor anything from the scientific literature since 2018. Note that Mr Butler has turned the RCH guideline into a lame-duck document. He did not rest content with subjecting it to NHMRC; he has already decided there must be new national guidelines and these are to be developed by the NHMRC in concert with an expert committee. As a Laborite Mr Butler has done away with the progressive excuse that any scrutiny of gender medicine must be opposed as a right-wing culture war. With his federal intervention, might he even enable the national co-operation necessary for a return to evidence-based medicine and the safeguarding of vulnerable young people?" - Bernard Lane - editor of Gender Clinic News - theaustralian.com.au

#39 - Part 94

The Transgender Agenda - Australia and Worldwide - Part 6

>>22494654 Transgender medicine review throws an inkblot test at a culture war - Mark Butler’s late-Friday announcement of a review of transgender medicine came apparently out of the blue. Why would a federal health minister, on the eve of a tight election, launch into an area of policy known as one of the touchiest culture-war subjects imaginable? In an area that Butler himself described “contested and evolving”, the announcement acted like an ink-blot test. Everyone read their own views into it. Those who have opposed the medicine of gender transition - who say it’s a “social contagion” which has sucked thousands of young people, particularly girls, into dangerous medicalisation – hope it will upend Australia’s current practices. Under the current national guidelines, written in 2018 in the country’s busiest gender clinic at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, it’s assumed that a child’s statements about their gender identity should be taken seriously and acted upon. It’s called “gender affirming care”. Supporters of trans medicine - including LGBTQ groups and practitioners – on the other hand also expressed optimism at Butler’s announcement. They see proper national guidelines, enshrined by the National Health and Medical Research Council, as shoring up their approach against those state governments who, like Queensland did recently, have shown a tendency to adopt a more sceptical approach. They are confident the scientific evidence will back their world view, and insist the council’s review be “led by the experts” - by which they mean practitioners already working in gender medicine. When Butler and his assistant minister, Ged Kearney, talked on Friday about people with “lived experience” being involved on the panel, it was designed as a signal to them that transgender people and proponents of “affirming care” will be part of it. Opponents, on the other hand - including those who’ve regretted their transitions and angry parents of young people who have been through the system – insist their lived experience must also be reflected. In short, all sides are keenly aware that who staffs this inquiry is crucial. They are watching like hawks.

>>22494941 ‘I spent a decade going down the wrong path’: Mel’s regret after transition - After ‘gender affirming’ surgery and cross sex hormones forever changed the shape of her body and the sound of her voice - Mel Jefferies fears she will never be the woman she once was. But she’s not done trying. The Melbourne woman spent over a decade as ‘Mason’ after she was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in her late teens, accessing testosterone to deepen her voice, grow facial hair and form muscles, and undergoing a double mastectomy at 25. For a time it felt right - but often it didn’t - and for the past three years she’s been ‘detransitioning’ which, she says, is proving harder than her initial transition. Now 33, she’s one of the detransitioners who added their name to an open letter this week calling for a national independent inquiry into gender-affirming care for children. Ms Jefferies feels strongly that medical protocols have made it too simple for young people to access the life-altering hormones and surgery., and hopes the inquiry listens to “key stakeholders like detransitioners”. “I was diagnosed with gender dysphoria yet I felt my childhood trauma, and other issues, weren’t factored in when it came to my assessment and healthcare,” she said. “I grew up in a cult, I had a strained relationship with my family and was sexually assaulted in my teens. I didn’t necessarily want to be a man, I just wanted to escape the reality of who I was. In the end, I spent a decade going down the wrong path, and now I’m trying to recover from the trauma of that. I was failed as a young person so I have great concerns regarding both informed consent and affirmation only model of care. I hope (Butler) is serious (about the inquiry) .. until I see actions, these are empty words said in an attempt to satiate hunger for real change.”

#39 - Part 95

The Transgender Agenda - Australia and Worldwide - Part 7

>>22496077 Push to pause gender hormone therapies for children and adolescents - A senior Liberal has called for a pause on gender hormone therapies as figures show the number of children receiving puberty blockers from NSW government-run clinics had risen from just eight to more than 150 in a decade. Senior NSW Liberal Damien Tudehope is one of the 100 prominent Australians who have been calling on the federal government to hold a national inquiry into the medical treatment given to teens experiencing gender dysphoria. Puberty blockers are suppressant hormones that are given to children to stop the onset of physical characteristics that may not fit with their gender identity. Stage 2 treatment, which involves taking oestrogen or testosterone and leads to facial hair or breast development, is not always reversible. The Albanese government on Friday announced it would conduct a landmark review into the prescription of puberty blockers with the National Health and Medical Research Council to develop new national guidelines. While welcoming that, Mr Tudehope said all hormone therapies to teens needed to be paused during the review. Mr Tudehope said he was calling for a pause amid concerns about future legal issues. “There is a legal liability if NSW Health is providing these services and then detransitioners later say that they weren’t getting the right treatment,” he said. “We also need to look at how the system deals with consent. You can’t consent to what you don’t know. What constitutes proper consent? Do 14-year-olds really understand the risk of being permanently infertile and the consequences of that?”

>>22521628 Video: Trump’s lightning-speed rollback of transgender rights sparks lawsuits - Donald Trump has signed an executive order stripping federal funding from schools that allow transgender girls and women, whose sex at birth was male, to participate in female sports events in schools and colleges. The move honours a key campaign promise, but even before he signed it, the National Collegiate Athletic Association indicated that it would move rapidly to change its rules ahead of the order that will affect every one of its 1,100 member schools. Mr Trump’s latest order comes as government agencies move with lightning speed to implement his directives to roll back transgender rights, prompting a series of lawsuits unfolding by the day. Since a flurry of Trump executive orders in his first two weeks in office, the military has paused transgender recruits and removed at least one transgender trainee from her barracks. Hospitals have cancelled surgeries and prescription refills for transgender patients, and turned away new patients for fear of losing government funding. Prisons started the process of transferring transgender inmates from women’s to men’s facilities. Federal agencies also have been scrambling to implement a Trump order demanding they root out “gender ideology,” which has prompted at least the temporary removal of a number of government websites. The White House also cited Trump’s stance as one justification for the gutting of the U.S. Agency for International Development, saying foreign aid had funded projects including a Colombian opera and Peruvian comic book that contained transgender themes.

#39 - Part 96

The Transgender Agenda - Australia and Worldwide - Part 8

>>22521646 Trump signs order aiming to bar transgender athletes from female school sport - US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order attempting to exclude transgender girls and women from female sports. The order, which Mr Trump signed on Wednesday, US time, directs the Department of Justice to ban transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports under Mr Trump's interpretation of Title IX, a law against sex discrimination in education. "The war on women's sports is over," Mr Trump said at a signing ceremony with dozens of women and girls behind him. "My administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes." The order, which is likely to face legal challenges, calls for "immediate enforcement" nationwide. It threatens to cut off federal funding for any school that allows transgender women or girls to compete in female-designated sporting competitions. The order would affect only a small number of athletes. The president of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) told a Senate panel in December he was aware of fewer than 10 transgender athletes among the 520,000 competing at 1,100 member schools. During the election campaign, Mr Trump repeatedly aired television advertisements that criticised allowing transgender women and girls to compete in female sport. Polls have found a majority of Americans oppose transgender athletes competing in sports that align with their gender identity.

>>22544472 Hundreds rally outside Parliament House to protest LNP trans youth ban - Hundreds of protesters, advocates and trans allies gathered outside Parliament House in Brisbane on Saturday to call on the Queensland government to reinstate care for trans youth. The rally followed the LNP government’s order that public health facilities stop offering puberty-blocking agents and gender-affirming hormones for all new patients under 18 seeking healthcare for gender dysphoria. Health Minister Tim Nicholls argued the immediate “pause” was justified on safety grounds, following allegations around the authority for services provided to 17 young people in far north Queensland. State Labor MPs joined the crowd on Saturday to condemn the LNP’s decision, with shadow health minister Mark Bailey delivering a speech on behalf of the party. “[It] is disgraceful [that] one of the first acts of the new government is to cut off healthcare for a section of our community,” Bailey said. “There have been some issues raised about a service in Cairns. If there’s an issue there, it should be looked at … there has been no issue at all raised in relation to the Queensland Children Gender Service.” St Francis Theological College’s Principal, Reverend Dr Ruth Mathieson, addressed the crowd as both a parent and priest. “Knowing a little bit about what this long transition process was like for my younger daughter, I am deeply troubled that children will not be able to access the gender-affirming care until 18 [years of age],” Mathieson said. “It is a long process with many obstacles … I worry that if there had been additional obstacles or it had been an even longer process, we may not have [my trans daughter] Skye with us.”

#39 - Part 97

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 1

>>22328149 Bipartisan support for AUKUS leading into new Donald Trump era - Leading Democratic and Republican congressmen say the AUKUS security pact is a model for how the US should engage with allies and that its domestic political support is growing, as Donald Trump entertains using military and economic force against friendly nations to expand America’s global footprint. The bipartisan endorsement of the landmark trilateral security agreement from the Democratic co-chair of the Congressional AUKUS Working Group, Joe Courtney, and the Republican chairman emeritus of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, comes less than two weeks before the inauguration of Donald Trump ushers in a new-era for America in world affairs. Mr Courtney and Mr McCaul framed the AUKUS agreement as an instrument to rally democracies in the Indo-Pacific while ­deterring Chinese aggression. Amid lingering uncertainty over Mr Trump’s approach to the Indo-Pacific and handling of AUKUS, Mr Courtney said the $US895bn ($1.44 trillion) National Defence Authorisation Act, which passed congress in December, “strengthened the Pillar One submarine program” and revealed the “strong bipartisan support” for the trilateral security partnership between the US, Australia and the UK. Mr McCaul said the AUKUS agreement “keeps Chairman Xi (Jinping) up at night” and was confident it would continue to enjoy bipartisan support “as we work to deter CCP aggression in the Indo-Pacific”.

>>22328181 Bipartisan support in US helping fuel AUKUS impetus - "In the closing days of the 118th US congress, passage of the National Defence Authorisation Act revealed once again that the three-year-old trilateral security agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States has strong bipartisan support. Each NDAA enacted since the rollout of AUKUS in September 2021 has steadily and surely authorised and implemented the building blocks to make the vision of this unique enterprise a reality. After the initial announcement in September 2021, it was clear there were significant legal barriers in US law that, if left untended, would prevent the three nations from reaching AUKUS’s ambitious goals. Only the US congress and the Australian and UK parliaments could enact the necessary reforms to share the jealously guarded “Crown Jewels” of each nation’s national security apparatus. Beginning in 2022, all three nations moved quickly to start joint training of Australian naval officers and sailors who needed to upskill in the operation of nuclear-powered naval vessels. The US congress authorised such training for Aussie personnel through a provision proposed by former congressman Michael Gallagher (R-WI) and I. The UK began a similar program as well. Today more than a hundred Australian sailors and officers have graduated from the US nuclear submarine schools in South Carolina and Connecticut, and this past summer, the Virginia-class submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) had, for the first time, an Australian officer at the helm as it arrived in Perth to receive maintenance. In the same year congress was marred with record low productivity and high levels of division, the AUKUS mission still saw real momentum among politicians in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle. That level of bipartisan, bicameral support in a challenging political environment sends a powerful signal to naysayers and sceptics that the AUKUS mission has a strong foundation of support ready to withstand the political winds the new year will bring." - Joe Courtney, US congressman for Connecticut’s Second District - theaustralian.com.au

#39 - Part 98

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 2

>>22351460 Joe Biden lauds AUKUS as key achievement - Joe Biden has claimed AUKUS as one of his key achievements in a speech defending his international record and conduct of foreign policy, arguing that America had created new partnerships in the Indo-Pacific to “challenge China’s aggressive behaviour”. Mr Biden declared that the United States was now “winning the worldwide competition” and, in a swipe at Donald Trump, argued that America and its alliance relationships were “stronger” than when he took office. At an address at the State Department, the US President gave a report on the progress he believed his administration had achieved in the past four years arguing that the world was “at an inflection point” and that the post-Cold War period was over. “A new era has begun,” he said. “In these four years we’ve faced crises. We’ve been tested. We’ve come through those tests stronger in my view than we entered those tests. We made partnerships stronger and created new partnerships to challenge China’s aggressive behaviour and to rebalance power in the (Indo-Pacific) region,” he said. “We brokered a defence pact known as AUKUS among the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom connecting the Atlantic and Pacific allies as only America is able to do.”

>>22363058 Video: AUKUS agreement to get ‘strong support’ in Trump administration, Marco Rubio says - Incoming Secretary of State for Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, Marco Rubio, says that the AUKUS agreement is “something that you’re going to find very strong support for in this administration”. Speaking at his confirmation hearing, the Florida Senator said he wanted to remove impediments to the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States and use it to achieve a better and more balanced strategic outlook in the Pacific region. He argued that AUKUS was the model for US engagement with its allies. He said it was “almost a blueprint in many ways of consortium-like partnership with nation states that are allied to us to confront some of these global challenges”. Senator Rubio noted that the agreement relied heavily on the Department of Defence, but clarified that AUKUS could help America and its partners in the realms of defence, critical minerals as well as sensitive technologies including artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Australia’s ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd responded to the comments on AUKUS made by Senator Rubio by posting on the X social media platform: “Thank you for your great support for AUKUS, @marcorubio.” “Looking forward to working with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the incoming Trump Administration across the full range of our foreign policy and national security challenges,” Mr Rudd said.

#39 - Part 99

AUKUS Security Pact and Nuclear Submarine Program - Part 3

>>22544378 AUKUS deal has Trump approval: Pete Hegseth after talks with Richard Marles - Donald Trump will support the AUKUS security arrangement, ending months of uncertainty, as a $798 million payment marked the beginning of Australia’s submarine investment. Defence Minister Richard Marles met his newly appointed US counterpart Pete Hegseth in Washington D.C on Friday, spruiking Australia’s contributions to US military infrastructure as an incentive against tariffs. “The President is very aware, supportive of AUKUS, recognises the importance of the defence industrial base, which the Deputy Prime Minister pointed out the investment Australia is willing to make,” Mr Hegseth said. “He’s aware and (we are) appreciative for his support and leadership on that topic. “This is not a mission, in the Indo-Pacific, that America can undertake by itself … It has to (have) robust allies and partners. Technology sharing and subs are a huge part of it.” Mr Marles held a press conference on Saturday, Australian time, where he argued the AUKUS submarine production deal provided a “unique arrangement” between Australia and the US which disincentivised financial penalties. The $798 million deal is the first instalment in its $US3 billion ($4.8bn) payment under AUKUS pillar one for nuclear submarines. “We had a very warm meeting following on from the very warm phone conversation that we had last week. We are very encouraged by the strength of American leadership,” Mr Marles said.

>>22611086 Britain will focus on NATO, not AUKUS, says UK Defence Secretary John Healey - The future of Australia’s most significant defence deal, AUKUS, has been given a shake-up after one of the key partners, Britain, appeared to be recalibrating on the arrangement. British Defence Secretary John Healey emphasised Britain’s main focus would be NATO and the defence of Europe, and not on the Indo-Pacific tilt, following the Trump administration’s pullback from providing security on the continent. In announcing a significant revamp of the administrative roles of the Ministry of Defence to save $20bn, a commitment to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence and a pledge to “re-arm Britain”, Mr Healey emphasised Britain’s leadership role in NATO while downplaying his country’s future Indo-Pacific opportunities. Britain is a core partner in AUKUS, the long-term $368bn trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US, which centres around providing Australia with the next generation of nuclear-powered submarines as well as other key defence capabilities, such as artificial intelligence and quantum technologies. Mr Healey said: “We are a nation that has made the commitment to NATO first. There is a recognition that European nations within NATO need to do more of the heavy lifting and that the European nations in NATO need some of the NATO-first and first in NATO leadership that the UK can provide.” He said the UK would contribute to the balance of regional security in the Indo-Pacific by providing support to allies but reiterated the main focus of Britain’s defence is in NATO. In referencing that Indo-Pacific support, he said: “In particular to the United States and other allies, in a wide variety of ways from technology to industry to diplomacy and to military training we will provide a role, but fundamentally our first responsibility is in NATO and that’s where my focus is and that’s where the Prime Minister’s focus is.”

#39 - Part 100

Australia / China Tensions - Part 1

>>22238916 Respect our territorial claims, says Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian - China’s top diplomat in Canberra has challenged Australia to ­remedy what he says are “misunderstandings” on Taiwan and show “respect” for Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, just days after his country ­removed its last trade ban on Australian exports. In an exclusive interview ­following the resumption of the live lobster trade, ambassador Xiao Qian also accused the Australian Strategic Policy Institute of encouraging “negative” views on China, as the think tank warns its independence was under threat following a government-ordered review. Mr Xiao welcomed the trade milestone, approved by Beijing last week, declaring a “full turnaround” had been achieved in ­bilateral ties. But he said the nations continued to have differences that needed to be managed “wisely”, including on the question of ­Taiwan. “I have a very strong impression that there are people in this country who have mis­understandings about Taiwan,” Mr Xiao said this week. Australia’s longstanding one-China policy does not recognise Taiwan as a country but supports unofficial trade and cultural ties with the self-governed territory. But Mr Xiao said he believed some in Australia viewed it as a sovereign state, despite widespread international recognition that Taiwan was “part of China”. “This is a misunderstanding that … needs to be corrected,” Mr Xiao said.

>>22254865 Anthony Albanese being a ‘good boy’ for China, defence expert Peter Jennings says - A former official in the senior ranks of the defence department says China expects Anthony Albanese to continue being “a good boy” and follow Beijing’s demands on Australia to soften its language towards China, in the wake of comments from the ambassador to Australia calling on Canberra to clarify “misunderstandings” on Taiwan and respect Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. Peter Jennings said Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian’s language was “less insulting” than what had been said by officials in the past, but the message to Australia remained the same. “That message is ‘do what we want’, basically,” Mr Jennings, now the Strategic Analysis Australia director, said. He said the resumption of the lobster trade earlier this month was clearly “a reward” for Australia’s approach to China under the Labor government, but that Beijing still wanted the government to go further. “Albanese is being rewarded for being a good boy,” he said. “He’s mostly done what he’s been told. He’s shut criticism down. He doesn’t react when they do bad things in the South China Sea.”

>>22351487 Video: Australian pilot Daniel Duggan to fight US extradition order - The family of Australian pilot Daniel Duggan is set to challenge his upcoming extradition to the United States in the Federal Court. The legal proceedings are being launched after the Commonwealth government agreed on December 19 to surrender the 56-year-old to the US. The former US Marines pilot, who moved to Australia in the early 2000s and later became a citizen, is accused of breaching arms trafficking laws by training Chinese pilots in 2012. US prosecutors claim at a South African flying school called the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA), Mr Duggan was involved in illegally training Chinese military pilots in how to land on and take off from an aircraft carrier. If found guilty, he could face up to 65 years in a US prison. In a video statement, Mr Duggan's wife Saffrine said his family had no choice but to pursue legal action. "We have been forced to resort to court action today because the government has not been transparent about this case, despite Dan being locked up in maximum-security prison for the past 26 months with no Australian charges," Ms Duggan said in the recording. "Dan is exercising his rights as an Australian citizen to due process under Australian law. "We are an Australian family and we deserve a fair go." Mr Duggan, who is currently being held in jail at Wellington in central western NSW, has denied the allegations.

#39 - Part 101

Australia / China Tensions - Part 2

>>22444638 Australian forced to choose between food and clothes in Beijing jail - Beijing prison officials slashed jailed Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun’s access to food and hygiene products late last year in a move that triggered official complaints from Australia’s top diplomat in China. Yang was detained by Chinese authorities six years ago this week and was handed a suspended death sentence last February after being found guilty of mysterious espionage offences. Yang’s supporters, who say he has been subjected to torture-like conditions since his arrest, are calling on the federal government to forcefully speak out about his treatment even if it offends the Chinese government. Sources familiar with Yang’s prison conditions said his monthly spending allowance was cut from 200 Chinese yuan ($44) to 100 yuan ($22) in November for three months because eyesight problems meant he could not carry out his assigned chores. Yang told Australia’s ambassador to China, Scott Dewar, during a monthly consular visit on November 15 that he was facing “hard and harsh” conditions in prison. Describing his reduced spending allowance as “unbearable”, Yang said he had been forced to choose between buying food, hygiene products and clothes. Yang, who was suffering from the flu at the time, said he had not eaten fruit for several months and that he felt humiliated to have to ask fellow prisoners for basic food products such as soup. The revelations about Yang’s conditions, which alarmed Dewar and fellow Australian diplomats, provide the most detailed view of his life inside Beijing’s Municipal No.2 prison, where he has been held since last June.

>>22513186 Security ban slapped on DeepSeek AI app for government devices - Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek has been banned from Australian government systems and devices, following an assessment by intelligence agencies that the software poses an “unacceptable risk” to national security. Commonwealth entities have been directed to remove DeepSeek from their hardware, prevent future access to the app, and report compliance with the order to Home Affairs. “This decision is based on the risk and threat information from our national security and intelligence agencies. DeepSeek poses an unacceptable risk to Australian government technology,” the government said. While the order does not apply to private users, all Australians have been urged “to ensure they are well informed about how their data can be used online and the steps they can take to understand their online presence and protect their privacy”. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government was moving quickly to protect Australia’s security and the national interest. “AI is a technology full of potential and opportunity, but the government will not hesitate to act when our agencies identify a national security risk,” he said. “Our approach is country-agnostic and focused on the risk to the Australian government and our assets.”

>>22513205 Australia’s ban on DeepSeek reflects ideological bias, aligning with US restrictions on Chinese tech: expert - "Australia has banned all services from Chinese tech company DeepSeek on government systems and devices, a move that Chinese AI experts on Wednesday criticized as ideologically driven and indicative of some Western countries' inability to assess China's technological rise fairly and objectively. DeepSeek has been banned from Australian federal government computers and mobile devices after authorities deemed it "an unacceptable risk" to national security, Australian media ABC reported. Under the new ban, all government bodies, except corporate organizations like Australia Post and the ABC, must immediately remove all DeepSeek products from their devices, the report said. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke claimed the decision was based on security risks to government systems and assets, rather than because of the app's country of origin - China, according to Guardian. The ban follows similar moves by US agencies including NASA and the Pentagon, as well as Italy. "Australia's move is clearly driven by ideological discrimination, not technological concerns," Liu Wei, director of the Human-Machine Interaction and Cognitive Engineering Laboratory at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, told the Global Times. "When US federal agencies take steps to contain Chinese technology, Australia seems compelled to follow suit. If Australia were genuinely citing technological risks to national security, it should also have blocked US-based OpenAI and other tech companies that have integrated with DeepSeek. Yet, there is no indication that the Australian government will take similar action against US-based AI firms," Liu stated." - Liu Caiyu and Li Yawei - globaltimes.cn

#39 - Part 102

Australia / China Tensions - Part 3

>>22537117 How an Australian uni student helped create China's revolutionary AI platform DeepSeek - A software engineer who studied computer science in Australia after graduating from a university linked to the Chinese military has emerged as one of the key figures behind the groundbreaking and controversial artificial intelligence platform, DeepSeek. Zizheng Pan, who describes himself as a researcher for the Chinese AI company, first began a masters in computer science at the University of Adelaide in 2018 before eventually completing a PhD in the same subject at Monash University last year. Before moving to Australia, he received a bachelors degree in software engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology, a university labelled "very high risk" by security experts for its strong ties to the People's Liberation Army and other covert activities. Harbin Institute of Technology excels in satellites, robotics and other technologies, while Chinese state media has described the institution as having "defence technology innovation and weapons and armaments modernisation as its core". Zizheng Pan's former colleague Zhiding Yu, who supervised him while he was an intern at rival American company Nvidia in 2023, has praised the Chinese computer scientist as a "pivotal contributor to multiple significant innovations" at DeepSeek. While at Monash University, Dr Pan received a graduate scholarship and was a member of the Zhuang Intelligent Processing Lab (ZIP Lab), a research collaboration between Australia and China focused on machine learning systems with an emphasis on areas such as large language models. This week, Australia announced DeepSeek would be banned from federal government systems and devices over national security concerns, following a similar move made against TikTok in 2023. While not covered by the government's ban, the ABC on Thursday announced it would also block the program from its devices. The Chinese government slammed Australia's decision to ban the program on Wednesday night, describing the move as the "politicisation of economic, trade and technological issues".

>>22544535 Video: Chinese AI juggernaut DeepSeek exposes Beijing’s preference for an exploitable Albanese government - Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek says it is in China’s best interests for Anthony Albanese to win the upcoming federal election because of the ‘‘fragility’’ of the Labor government and the potential for Beijing to “exploit policy inertia” under his leadership. DeepSeek, which launched in January as the Chinese response to ChatGPT, described the Prime Minister as a “predictable” and “pragmatic” leader who had “softened Australia’s tone in the Pacific Islands, where China seeks influence”. The AI app, which has been banned from Australian government systems and devices due to an “unacceptable risk” to national security, described Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as “hardline” and a “traditionalist”. “He has called for a tougher line on Taiwan, labelled China a “threat”, and advocated for accelerated military spending (eg AUKUS submarines) aimed explicitly at countering Beijing,’’ DeepSeek said. When asked directly who China wished to lead Australia, the artificial intelligence model chose Mr Albanese for his diplomatic dialogue, ability to balance security with trade, and party “fragility”. It suggests a “divided Labor government, reliant on Greens/independents, might struggle to pass hardline security laws targeting China, creating opportunities for Beijing to exploit policy inertia”. “A Coalition victory would likely unite conservatives around anti-China policies, including stricter foreign interference laws, investment bans, and support for US-led containment strategies,’’ DeepSeek suggested. “Even under Labor, Australia remains a US ally committed to countering China’s rise … However, compared to Dutton’s aggressive posture, Albanese offers China a less confrontational pathway to manage disputes while preserving economic ties.”

#39 - Part 103

Australia / China Tensions - Part 4

>>22559036 Top university bans Chinese AI app DeepSeek, another ‘strongly encourages’ staff not to use it - The nation’s top research universities have blocked Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek from their networks and devices, are considering a ban or have “strongly encouraged” staff to avoid using the app because of data security concerns. The moves come after the app was banned from Australian government systems and devices following an assessment by intelligence agencies that the software posed an “unacceptable risk” to national security. The University of Adelaide has blocked all domains and subdomains of deepseek.com, preventing users from accessing the platform within the university network, while the University of NSW has advised staff not to use the app and to follow government recommendations. The Australian understands other Group of Eight universities, which account for 70 per cent of Australia’s university-based research, are reviewing their policies and exploring a ban of DeepSeek, which can be complicated because of staff and students using privately owned devices. A University of Adelaide spokesman said it was taking an approach similar to that of the Australian government. “The University of Adelaide is committed to ensuring data privacy and protection. As a precautionary measure the university has restricted the use of DeepSeek on university-issued devices and networks, similar to the approach determined by the Australian and South Australian governments,” the spokesman said. “The university will continue to monitor DeepSeek’s development closely, reflecting our practice of reviewing and adapting technology usage.”

>>22573780 Video: ‘Unsafe and unprofessional: Australia slams Chinese fighter jet’s flare drop on RAAF plane - The federal government has lodged an official protest with Beijing after a Chinese fighter jet fired flares in front of an RAAF surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea, in a dangerous incident that risked the lives of up to a dozen Australians. The Chinese J-16 fighter shot the flares within 30m of an RAAF P-8A Poseidon in an “unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre” about 1pm on Tuesday. The Australian aircraft was operating in international airspace at the time. It was undamaged and its crew of up to 12 aviators was unhurt. But Defence Minister Richard Marles said the incident could have been far worse, as the Chinese pilot could not have known the flares would miss the P-8. “Had any of those flares hit the P-8, that would have definitely had the potential for significant damage to that aircraft,” Mr Marles told Sky News. “And so as a result, that is an action that we’ve declared as being unsafe.” Defence sources said the P-8’s crew acted professionally throughout the encounter, speaking to the Chinese jet by radio before the flares were fired. Australia complained to Chinese officials in Beijing and Canberra about the near-miss, which followed multiple unsafe actions by the PLA in recent times in the vicinity of ADF aircraft and warships. It came as the Australian Defence Force monitored three Chinese warships operating in the Coral Sea northeast of Australia, one of which passed through the Torres Strait on Tuesday. Defence said the Chinese vessels were the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai cruiser Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu.

#39 - Part 104

Australia / China Tensions - Part 5

>>22584635 China blames Australia after fighter jet fired flares in front of an RAAF surveillance aircraft - Beijing has blamed Australia for an incident in which a Chinese fighter jet fired flares in front of an RAAF surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea. China accused the plane of “deliberately intruding into China’s airspace” after the Chinese J-16 fighter shot the flares within 30m of an RAAF P-8A Poseidon in an “unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre” about 1pm on Tuesday. “The Australian military airplane deliberately intruded into China’s airspace over Xisha Qundao without China’s permission. Such a move violated China’s sovereignty and undermined China’s national security,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters late on Thursday. The Albanese government has lodged an official protest with Beijing over the dangerous incident that risked the lives of up to a dozen Australians, but China’s foreign ministry spokesman defended the Chinese personnel’s behaviour and said Beijing had lodged its own diplomatic protest. “The Chinese side took legitimate, lawful, professional and restrained measures to expel the airplane,” Mr Guo said. “China has lodged serious protests with Australia and urged it to stop infringing on China’s sovereignty and making provocations and stop disrupting peace and stability in the South China Sea.” The encounter took place near the Paracel Islands, which Beijing calls “Xisha Qundao”. Ownership of the archipelago in the South China Sea is disputed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan. Beijing has engaged in extensive land reclamation in the area, much of which has been used to construct military facilities. Canberra has said the Australian aircraft was operating in international airspace at the time. It was undamaged and its crew of up to 12 aviators was unhurt. Defence Minister Richard Marles said the incident could have been far worse, as the Chinese pilot could not have known the flares would miss the P-8.

>>22584664 PLA’s expulsion of Australian warplane violating China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao ‘justified, legitimate, professional’ - "In response to Australian defense ministry's claim on Thursday that an Australian air force patrol aircraft experienced an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction with a Chinese Air Force aircraft in the South China Sea on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference on Thursday that the Australian military aircraft deliberately intruded into China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao without China's permission, infringing on China's sovereignty and endangering China's national security, and China's measures to expel the aircraft were legitimate, professional and exercised with restraint. Military experts told the Global Times on Thursday that measures taken by the PLA Air Force were professional and restrained. Anyone who attempts to provoke trouble in the South China Sea will be met with targeted countermeasures, and their schemes will not succeed. Australia's hype over the Chinese PLA aircraft's so-called "unsafe" interaction reflects its strategic short-sightedness in regional security issues. While collaborating with the US strategy of "maritime containment of China," Australia is also advancing its own selfish agenda. Its actions of infringing on China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao and threatening China's national security, while shifting blame and shirking responsibility, are highly irresponsible and detrimental to the healthy development of bilateral relations, Ding Duo, director of the Research Center for International and Regional Studies at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday. "The facts are very clear: the Australian military aircraft intruded into China's territorial airspace of Xisha Qundao, violating China's sovereignty and security. It will definitely be met with expulsion of the PLA, which is a justified action of defense and a legitimate right. No country would tolerate foreign military aircraft intruding into its airspace, and every nation would take corresponding measures in response, applying different levels of interception and countermeasures based on the nature of the provocation," Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Thursday." - Guo Yuandan - globaltimes.cn

#39 - Part 105

Australia / China Tensions - Part 6

>>22584907 Video: Scott Morrison reveals he still meets Trump, spills his theory on COVID origins - Former prime minister Scott Morrison has revealed he believes the most credible theory about the origins of COVID-19 is that the virus leaked from a lab, as he confirms he still meets US President Donald Trump. In a rare interview, Morrison - who was prime minister in 2020 when the pandemic hit – told New Zealand TV program Q+A with Jack Tame that China’s behaviour during COVID was “internationally deplorable” after Beijing imposed tariffs on Australia following the Coalition’s petition for an inquiry into the origin of the virus. The US Central Intelligence Agency released an assessment in January that it now believes the virus responsible for the COVID pandemic was most likely to have originated in a laboratory, which Morrison said he also believed to be the case. “I think the lab theory is the most credible, unquestionably the most credible, and frankly a little less disconcerting [than] that it was coming out of the wildlife wet market, well, they happen every other week in most parts of South East Asia,” Morrison said on the New Zealand program released on Friday. “I’m not saying they did it deliberately … but they didn’t tell the world, and millions upon millions of people died, economies were shut down. “The lack of accountability that China has shown for that global calamity is just astounding.” Morrison was one of the first world leaders to confront China on its role sparking the pandemic, ordering that Australia shut its borders to all foreign nationals travelling from China on February 1, 2020. The lab leak theory was originally dismissed by many scientists, but has gained credence over time.

>>22617573 Chinese warships in show of force off coast of Sydney - A Chinese naval task group was sailing just 150 nautical miles off Sydney on Wednesday in an unprecedented demonstration by Beijing of its ability to project power down Australia’s east coast. Two Australian navy ships were trailing the Chinese vessels, which had been operating in Australia’s exclusive economic zone for a week. It is believed to be the furthest down Australia’s east coast that Chinese ships have sailed without being on an official port visit. Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australian frigates and aircraft were “watching every move that they take”. “They’re not a threat in the sense that they are engaging in accordance with international law,” he told Sky News. “But it is important that we understand exactly what is happening here and we will make sure that we look at every move they make to have a very clear assessment of what this, on the part of the Chinese, is seeking to achieve.” Defence revealed last week it was tracking the People’s Liberation Army Navy ships - a frigate, a cruiser and a replenishment vessel – in international waters off Australia’s northeast coast. But it neglected to make public in the days since that the ships had turned south, or that they were headed for Australia’s biggest city. Former naval officer Jennifer Parker, an adjunct fellow at UNSW Canberra, said the presence of the ships was a warning to Australia. “It is of course sending a message to Australia’s about the PLA-N’s capability,” she said. “We must become accustomed to these kind of operations. The lesson here is China has a bluewater capability, a point we already knew. “In the event of crisis or conflict, we should expect more operations in our region and likely interdiction of our maritime trade. This is why Australia should invest in a strong navy.”

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 7

>>22629423 Video: Chinese warships’ live fire warning forces planes to divert between Australia, NZ - The Albanese government is calling for answers from Beijing after commercial pilots were forced to divert their routes when the Chinese navy gave minimal warning of a live fire exercise in the waters between Australia and New Zealand on Friday. The incident, which comes a week after a dangerous encounter between the Australian and Chinese militaries in the South China Sea, marks the latest challenge to the government’s efforts to stabilise relations with China, with the federal opposition and national security experts branding it a provocative act that deserves condemnation. Qantas said both it and budget offshoot Jetstar temporarily adjusted some flights across the Tasman after receiving warnings of the drills, adding that it was working with the Australian government and broader industry to monitor the situation. Virgin and Emirates flights to New Zealand also received warnings about the exercises. Flight tracking data showed Qantas flight QF121 deviated from its flight path less than an hour into its journey over the Tasman from Sydney to Queenstown late on Friday morning, as did Emirates flight EK412 from Sydney to Christchurch. Qantas would not confirm whether QF121’s deviation was due to the risk posed by the Chinese warships’ live fire exercise. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) said earlier this week it was keeping close watch on three Chinese military ships that had been spotted just 150 nautical miles (277 kilometres) from Sydney after moving steadily down the east coast of Australia over recent days.

>>22629459 Video: Chinese gave live fire warning with planes 'literally flying across the Tasman' - An Emirates flight from Sydney to Christchurch was directly warned by the Chinese military to avoid airspace on Friday morning, before Chinese vessels were believed to have conducted live fire exercises. That warning to flight UAE3HJ was issued around 11am, Sydney time. Commercial pilots have been warned to avoid airspace between Australia and New Zealand because of fears that Chinese naval vessels in the area were conducting live fire military drills - as first revealed by the ABC. Warnings remain in place and airlines including Qantas and Air New Zealand are diverting flights, with formal advice issued by air traffic controllers. The vessels were believed to be conducting the drills 340 nautical miles south-east of Sydney, in international waters. The defence minister says planes were "literally flying across the Tasman" as China began its exercises, and forced to rapidly divert. The ABC understands the Chinese vessels were seen deploying a floating target, changing formation and then resetting formation consistent with a live fire event. However, it is understood the Australian military did not observe the vessels firing on the target. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said China had followed international law. "The [People's Liberation Army] Southern Theatre Command organised the Chinese fleet to conduct a far seas exercise," he said. "The drill was carried out in a safe, standard and professional manner in accordance with the relevant international law and international practice."

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 8

>>22629532 Chinese navy’s live weapons exercise out of the blue - The Albanese government has lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijing after commercial flights were forced to change course at short notice to avoid a live weapons drill by Chinese warships between Australia and New Zealand. At least three flights were ­diverted around the Chinese naval task group after Beijing issued a warning on Friday morning that its vessels were preparing to ­conduct target practice, about 650km east of Eden. Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australian authorities were not directly notified by the Chinese that the drills would occur, and had learned of the ­danger from a radio broadcast to flights in the area. He said the short notice was in contrast to the 12 to 24 hours that the Australian Navy would typically provide before firing live munitions. Penny Wong raised the matter with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during a ­Friday night meeting at the G20 foreign ministers’ summit in South Africa, complaining at the lack of warning time. “We have concerns about the transparency associated with it,” Senator Wong told the ABC ahead of the talks. Beijing said its warships’ were operating “in accordance with relevant international laws”. China’s foreign ministry said the PLA Navy was simply conducting training exercises in “distant” waters. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: “(The drills) were conducted in a safe, standard, and professional manner at all times, in accordance with relevant international laws and practices.” Former Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo said China’s latest actions were needlessly ­provocative. “Saying that a live-fire exercise is consistent with international law rather misses the point,” Mr Pezzullo said on Friday night. “What is the purpose of the PLA show of force? How would China react if we were to conduct live-fire exercises in the vicinity of busy air traffic routes off the ­Chinese coast?”

>>22629655 Penny Wong challenges Chinese foreign minister over 'unprecedented' live fire drills off Australian coast - Foreign Minister Penny Wong has pressed China to be more transparent about the actions of its warships off Australia's east coast after they issued a live fire drill warning at short notice on Friday, forcing multiple commercial airlines to divert flights over the Tasman Sea. Senator Wong met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in South Africa just hours after the ships conducted the exercise, which analysts say was an unprecedented demonstration of China's growing naval power near Australian shores. Late on Friday a Defence spokesperson said the People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) flotilla failed to inform the Australian military of the drill, and instead simply issued a "verbal radio broadcast on a civil aircraft channel" of its plan to conduct the activity. "The PLA-N did not inform Defence of its intent to conduct a live fire activity, and has not provided any further information," the spokesperson said in a statement. The Civil Aviation Authority (CASA) and Airservices Australia said it responded by issuing an alert to all commercial airlines with flights planned in the area "as a precaution". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was unclear whether the Chinese navy had actually fired any of its weaponry, although the ships assumed a formation usually used for live fire drills. The Defence spokesperson said the Chinese naval formation had "now reverted to normal indicating that the live fire activity has most likely ceased". "No weapon firings were heard or seen; however, a floating surface firing target was deployed by the PLA-N and subsequently recovered," the spokesperson confirmed. Defence added that while the exercise was conducted in line with international law, China failed to follow "best practice" because it didn't provide notice 24-48 hours in advance to "minimise disruption to aircraft and vessels."

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Australia / China Tensions - Part 9

>>22629713 OPINION: ‘Anthony Albanese’s jelly-back spinelessness’: China’s loud and clear message - "Beijing uses its military forces to send what diplomats call “signals” or, in plainer language, threats and warnings. What messages does Xi Jinping want Australia to take from the imminent prospect of the Chinese navy firing missiles off our east coast? First, the Chinese military will fly and sail anywhere it damn well chooses. Second, it will fire long-range weapons, gather intelligence and assert its presence whenever and wherever it wants. Third, we will have no choice but to shut civilian aircraft routes near the danger zone. And, if we approach their flotilla, we run the risk of being greeted with hostile moves ranging from locking weapons radars onto our platforms, using military lasers to harass our personnel, aggressive manoeuvring and even ramming. A fourth message is that Beijing doesn’t care about the diplomatic relationship with Canberra. There is no concept in Chinese thinking of a “stabilised” relationship: that notion is a work of fiction created by Penny Wong and mouthed by Anthony Albanese. Labor’s “stabilised relationship” is designed to serve a domestic political purpose to claim that Labor manages China relations better than the Morrison government. Stabilised relationship? What deluded nonsense! Xi wants to pass the message that he sees Australia as a third-order power. Xi wants submission from Australia, not stability." - Peter Jennings, director of Strategic Analysis Australia, former executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (2012-22) and former deputy secretary for strategy in the Defence Department (2009-12) - theaustralian.com.au

>>22629766 Video: ASIO boss says China under no illusions over threat assessment - ASIO director-general Mike Burgess says China’s attendance to his threat assessment leaves Beijing in “no doubt” about Australia’s national security concerns and commitment to fight foreign interference, while security experts warn the countries plotting to physically harm Australians were getting off “scot-free” by not being identified by the nation’s top spook. Chinese ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian attended Mr Burgess’s threat assessment speech on Wednesday night, marking the first time Beijing’s top envoy has made an appearance at ASIO’s annual event. Over several years, China has been linked to major cyber security attacks against Australian critical infrastructure, orchestrating foreign interference operations in the country and targeting CCP critics in the Chinese-Australian community. “Ambassadors represent their countries, and every year we invite ambassadors from foreign nations to come along and listen to the threat assessment. This year, I thought, let’s invite the Chinese ambassador,” Mr Burgess told Sky News on Thursday. “(China) can be left in no doubt where and what the issues are for us, and that’s all part of the important relationship we need to have with all nations.” After flagging in Wednesday night’s address that AUKUS has become a target for foreign adversaries and friendly nations, Mr Burgess said he had deliberately sought to “put on notice” foreign intelligence services in his speech. “That was done deliberately. You know, you’re speaking to the head of an intelligence agency,” he said. “Yes, I was putting on notice foreign intelligence services. We see you are interested in AUKUS. We see what you’re doing. When we see you, we will deal with you. We will deal with your agents.”

#39 - Part 109

Australia / China Tensions - Part 10

>>22638566 China conducts second live fire drill in Tasman Sea - China has conducted the second live-firing exercise from a warship in two days in the waters between Australia and New Zealand. The most recent incident follows the Albanese government’s declaration that China had failed to answer for its lack of notice, after the first event caused commercial flights to divert their routes. A Defence spokesperson said that a Chinese warship had advised via radio of live firing activity on Saturday and the situation was being monitored. “Defence is working with Air Services Australia to minimise the impact of activities on commercial airlines and maritime vessels.” The Chinese navy is operating in international waters and is complying with international law. However, it is understood questions remain about the period of notice given before firing commenced, and notification to mariners or aviation authorities. New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins’ office said that one of her nation’s Navy frigates observed live rounds being fired, and that the Chinese warship had advised of the activity via radio. “The safety of all people, aircraft and vessels in the area remains our paramount concern,” Collins’ office said in the statement, Stuff reported. “Our concerns regarding notification times and best practise when undertaking military exercises stand, and will be communicated appropriately.” Speaking earlier on Saturday, Defence Minister Richard Marles said that, following the first incident on Friday, China must explain its failure to provide sufficient notice for the exercise, which has been branded a provocative act by defence experts.

>>22638582 'Strongly dissatisfied': China accuses Australia of 'hyping up' navy drills - Australian complaints over recent Chinese live-fire naval drills in international waters between Australia and New Zealand were "hyped up" and "inconsistent with the facts", China's defence ministry says. Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Saturday Beijing had failed to give satisfactory reasons for what he called inadequate notice for live-fire drills on Friday which he said had forced airlines to divert flights. China's defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Sunday China had issued repeated safety notices before the drills. He said China's actions complied with international law and did not affect aviation flight safety. "Australia, fully knowing this, made unreasonable accusations against China and deliberately hyped it up," Qian said in a post from the Chinese defence ministry. "We are deeply surprised and strongly dissatisfied." Analysts believed the sailing was an attempt by Beijing to project power and send a message to Canberra about China's capability. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked on Saturday if he would call President Xi Jinping in light of the incident but instead defended China's right to carry out the exercise as it had not breached international law. "It's important to not suggest that wasn't the case," he said. The live-fire exercise follows a run-in with the Chinese military last week when a fighter jet fired flares in front of a Royal Australian Air Force surveillance aircraft during a patrol over the South China Sea. The Australian government lodged a complaint with Beijing over the near-miss.

#39 - Part 110

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 1

>>22248798 Anti-authoritarian group The Satanic Temple deemed ‘undesirable’ in Russia - The Russian government has added The Satanic Temple, an American religious group that uses Satanic imagery to advocate for personal freedoms and secular values, to its list of “undesirable” organisations, Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office announced on Wednesday. In a statement, the Prosecutor General’s Office accused members of The Satanic Temple of “promoting occult ideology” by using Satanic symbols to “discredit traditional spiritual and moral values” as well as “spreading destructive pseudo-theological ideas and justifying violence … with the support of US government agencies”. “The Satanic Temple actively supports participants of extremist and terrorist movements, speaks negatively about the special military operation [and] calls for the overthrow of the constitutional order in Russia”, it continued, adding that the organisation’s website contained information on “fundraising for the Armed Forces of Ukraine”. While officially registered as a religion in the US, the organisation is non-theistic and focuses its efforts instead on “preserving and advancing secularism and individual liberties”. It has chapters in the US, Canada, Australia, Germany and Finland, with Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office estimating its membership at some 10 million people worldwide. In Russia, any organisation deemed “undesirable” by the government is legally obliged to dissolve itself, and any involvement in its activities becomes illegal.

>>22248798 Q Post #4396 - God wins. Q - https://qanon.pub/#4396

>>22262593 Nation’s top lawmakers to meet after Catholic Church found not liable for clerical abuse - Attorneys-general offices from Australia’s states and territories will meet next week to consider urgent legislative reforms after a contentious court decision that a Catholic diocese was not liable for the clerical abuse of a five-year-old boy. The High Court ruled in November that the Ballarat diocese, in regional Victoria, could not be held responsible for misconduct by its former priest, Father Bryan Coffey, because he could not be legally considered an employee of the church. The landmark decision has upended thousands of legal cases against religious orders nationwide, including more than 1800 civil claims currently before courts in Victoria. The Ballarat diocese and its current bishop, Paul Bird, were initially sued in the Supreme Court of Victoria by a man who said he was sexually assaulted by Coffey at his parents’ home in Port Fairy, in south-west Victoria, in 1971. In December 2021, Supreme Court of Victoria Justice Jack Forrest found the church had vicarious liability because of the close relationship between the then-bishop, diocese and community. He ordered DP receive $200,000 in damages for pain and suffering, $10,000 for medical expenses and $20,000 in other damages. That decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal in April, following an appeal by the diocese and its lawyers. Coffey, now deceased, received a three-year suspended sentence in 1999 after being convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault on a male person under the age of 16 years, one count of indecent assault on a girl under 16 years and one count of false imprisonment. The principal issue in the High Court appeal was whether the diocese could be held vicariously liable for abuse committed by Coffey, despite the priest not being formally employed by them. The Victorian courts had extended that principle to the church, ruling that Coffey was still a “servant of the diocese” and through his pastoral role had the “power and intimacy” to abuse children during visits to parishioners’ homes. However, the nation’s highest court ruled the lower courts had overreached. The High Court said it had repeatedly refused previous attempts to extend the boundaries of vicarious liability to include independent contractors. “Expanding the doctrine to accommodate relationships that are ‘akin to employment’ would produce uncertainty and indeterminacy,” the judgment summary read. However, the High Court conceded in its judgment that “reformulation of the law of vicarious liability is properly the province of the legislature”.

#39 - Part 111

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 2

>>22363090 Judge lashes WA government over decision to return boy to abuser - A District Court judge has lashed a decision by West Australian government minister Don Punch to return a ward of the state into the home of a child sex predator as ­“utterly extraordinary” and called on the state to rethink whether it wanted to fight a sex abuse compensation claim against it. Mr Punch - a Labor MP since 2017 – was in a senior role with the WA Department of Communities when he helped set in train the return of eight-year-old Dion Barber into the care of his mother and her de facto partner in December 1988. The Children’s Court had found 15 days earlier that, on the balance of probabilities, the de facto partner had sexually ­abused the boy. Mr Barber was returned to the family home four months later. He alleges he was then repeatedly sexually abused by his mother’s partner almost immediately. Mr Barber is suing the state of WA, arguing it failed in its duty of care during his time as a ward of the state. Opening the government’s defence on Wednesday afternoon, barrister Fiona Stanton said the state admitted it had breached its duties when Mr Punch and his colleague decided to send the boy back to the family home. Judge Linda Black questioned how, in light of that admission, the state could argue that it was acting in good faith. “I find it utterly extraordinary that the state would accept that it knew an eight-year-old … had been sexually abused by his stepfather, made a ward of the state, and within a very short … time returned him to the hands of the man who abused him. I find that frankly unbelievable,” she said. Judge Black said she did not see how that decision could be anything other than an “egregious breach” of the department’s responsibilities. The statement of claim from Mr Barber also alleges he was subsequently sexually abused by his biological father, his mat­ernal grandfather and the friend of foster parents -- all of whom he came into contact with during ­periods when he was a ward of the state. The government has disputed whether all of those instances occurred. Judge Black asked Ms Stanton to ensure her instructors understood the possibility that Mr Barber could be awarded a significant amount of damages solely due its admitted role in the return of Mr Barber to his stepfather’s care.

>>22363105 Ashley Paul Griffith to appeal life sentence after pleading guilty to abusing dozens of girls - A probe into the failings of Queensland’s child protection system that allowed one of Australia’s worst pedophiles to sexually abuse dozens of girls in daycare centres will push ahead despite Ashley Paul Griffith’s decision to appeal his life sentence. The inquiry, to be headed by the state’s Family and Child Commissioner Luke Twyford, is expected to start work this month and had been tasked with investigating how Griffith was able to repeatedly rape and abuse children for two decades, despite concerns about his conduct. Griffith was in November sentenced to life in prison, with a non-parole period of 27 years, after pleading guilty to 309 charges. He lodged an appeal against his sentence on December 20 but the matter is yet to be listed for a court hearing, which could be months away. The 46-year-old was able to keep his Blue Card to work with children in Queensland despite two reports to police that he had abused girls in two separate Brisbane daycare centres in October 2021 and April 2022. Describing Griffith’s decision to appeal his sentence as “horrendous”, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the child safety inquiry would not be delayed but would face new legal complexities. “When parents send their kids off, they want them to be safe and that was an abhorrent breach of trust, and we will be defending our position forcefully,” he said. “I don’t want the review to be delayed because there are some issues, including with blue cards that have to be reviewed. Clearly this appeal will bring some complexities into that case, but I still remain committed to doing this review, because I don’t think we can wait and leave the system without putting a spotlight over it. I think Mr Twyford is the right person to be able to manoeuvre the way through that complexity.”

#39 - Part 112

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 3

>>22371190 Transgender Pedophile Given Lenient Sentence For Sexually Abusing His 5-Year-Old Daughter After Court Considers “Transphobia” In Sentence - A trans-identified male in Australia has been sentenced to just over 4 years in prison for the horrific sexual abuse of his own 5-year-old daughter. While the offender was given the pseudonym of “Hilary Maloney” by the court, Reduxx can exclusively reveal the pedophile as Autumn Tulip Harper. Harper, 25, was first identified as a suspect in the production of vile child sexual abuse content after an American pedophile he had been communicating with was arrested in September of 2023. A forensic examination of the pedophile’s devices found that Harper had sent him pornographic images and videos of a young girl via Discord. After identifying Harper as the owner of the account the content had originated from, police in the United States notified Australian authorities of their findings. On September 15, 2023, police raided Harper’s home in Clayton South, Victoria, and seized his electronic devices. An examination of his cellphone found he had produced 77 files categorized as child abuse material between May and June of 2023. The female child in the materials was identified as Harper’s own 5-year-old daughter. According to court records, Harper had been in an online BDSM relationship with the American pedophile, who encouraged him to sexually abuse his daughter in exchange for words of validation. During the trial, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Rajan Darjee was called upon to interview Harper and create a profile of his offending. Disturbingly, Darjee framed Harper as though he were a “female” who had been “pressured” by a male into committing the offenses. Darjee further described Harper as “hormonally female” at the time of his offending. Harper was represented by Isabelle Skaburskis, who identified herself as “Mx. Skaburskis” to the court. Notably, the defense claimed that Harper had “identified as female” since 2019, but photos of Harper from that year show he had a notably masculine appearance at that time. Delivering the sentence on August 26, 2024, Judge Nola Karapanagiotidis highlighted Harper’s “gender dysphoria” and experiences with “transphobia” as mitigating factors, and appeared to accept the defense’s argument that he only committed the abuse to be “validated … as a woman and a sexual person.” Harper was ultimately sentenced to 4 years and 9 months imprisonment, a steep drop from the maximum 25 year sentence that was available. Prior to delivering the decision, Judge Karapanagiotidis noted that the sentence was lenient, noting: “the sentence that I am about to impose on this charge is lower than the standard sentence.” He will be eligible for parole just 2 years and 6 months into his sentence.

>>22371436 Man suing State of Western Australia recalls his childhood was a ‘horrible nightmare’ - A man who was allegedly subjected to “horrific sexual abuse” at the hands of multiple family members has told a court his father, step-grandfather and stepfather had all been jailed for sexually abusing children. Dion Barber, 45, is suing the state of Western Australia over claims he was repeatedly abused in the 1980s and ‘90s while he was a ward of the state. When he was nine years old authorities placed back in the care of a family member who had sexually abused him, and was abused again by the same man. Mr Barber told a Perth District Court it was “torturous”. He said as a young child he would beg to stay at his grandparents’ house so he would not have to be home with his abusive stepfather. He told the court his grandparents had sexually abused him from about the age of four, but he did not realise it was abuse because they were never nasty to him like his stepfather. “My stepfather’s sexual assault was always nasty, it was driven by horror,” he said. “(My grandparents’) wasn’t. I was led to believe that was normal behaviour. “It was like a game; they made a game of it.”

#39 - Part 113

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 4

>>22371458 Ward of the state had to choose between ‘abuser and homelessness’ - A man suing the state of Western Australia has told how authorities effectively gave him the choice ­between returning to the home of his abuser and homelessness when he was still a ward of the state. Dion Barber is suing the state in the District Court of WA over what he alleges were breaches of its duty of care. The Children’s Court made Mr Barber a ward of the state when he was eight years old, after it determined that on the balance of probabilities he’d been sexually abused by his stepfather. But he was returned to the home his mother shared with his stepfather just months later, after Don Punch -- at the time a supervisor in the Department of Communities, and who is now a minister in the Cook Labor government – signed off on a plan to reunite the family. Mr Barber has told how he suffered repeated sexual and physical abuse upon his return to his mother’s home, before his mother alerted authorities to the latest abuse. Continuing his testimony on Friday, Mr Barber told how - years later and when still a ward of the state – he again returned to live with his mother and his stepfather. By that time, the stepfather had also spent time in prison for the sexual abuse of another child. Mr Barber told the court he was not happy with those living arrangements but felt like he had been given no other choice by the Department of Communities. “At that stage I had nowhere else to go, I was railroaded, it was there or the streets,” he said. “I wasn’t given another option. It wasn’t like Welfare gave me any other option.”

>>22408824 Video: Queensland government launches review into child protection system after Ashley Paul Griffith case - The Queensland government has launched an independent review into how one of the nation's worst paedophiles was able to offend for so long, as well as the state's child protection system. Ashley Paul Griffith was sentenced to life in prison last year, with a non-parole period of 27 years, after pleading guilty to more than 300 charges committed in childcare centres in Brisbane and Italy over almost two decades. He was not eligible for parole until 2049 but is appealing his sentence. The review will use Griffith as a case study to review system responses to child sexual abuse and make recommendations to improve laws and policies across early childhood education, police, and the blue card systems. It will be led by Queensland Family and Child Commission Commissioner (QFCC) Luke Twyford and finished by the end of the year. Premier David Crisafulli said Griffith's crimes highlighted the need to overhaul the sector. He said the "horrendous breach of trust" illustrates "how broken the system is". "Nothing short of getting to the bottom of the broken system will cut it in the eyes of Queenslanders, and today we take another step in that journey," he said.

#39 - Part 114

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 5

>>22408838 Video: Inquiry head Luke Twyford criticises former Labor government over delay on child safety reform - The head of an inquiry investi­gating system failures that let convicted pedophile Ashley Paul Griffith repeatedly abuse girls in daycare centres has lashed Queens­land’s former Labor government for ignoring more than a dozen recommendations from the state’s last child safety review. Luke Twyford, appointed to lead the Crisafulli government’s promised child protection system review, said he would be probing whether Griffith may have been caught sooner if all 81 recom­mendations from a 2017 review into the state’s working with children checks had been ­implemented. Griffith was in November sentenced to life in prison, with a non-parole period of 27 years, after pleading guilty to 309 ­charges committed in child care centres for almost two decades. He is appealing his sentence. The 46-year-old was able to keep his Blue Card to work with children in Queensland despite two reports to police that he had abused girls in two separate Brisbane daycare centres in October 2021 and April 2022. Queensland police investigated him at the time but he was cleared after they found there was “insufficient evidence” to take ­action. There is no evidence his electronic devices or home were searched. Griffith’s Blue Card was suspended only after the Australian Federal Police charged him in August 2022. A 2017 review, ordered after schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer was murdered by her stepfather in 2015, made 81 recommendation to the state about strengthening working with children checks. There are still 16 recom­mendations that have not been acted on. Mr Twyford said legislation, passed last year in the same month Griffith pleaded guilty, included the introduction of a reportable conduct scheme and a child safe standard scheme. “If that had been implemented earlier, would there have been a different outcome? (That) is a critical question that I want to resolve,” he said.

>>22460350 Ex-Broome bishop Christopher Saunders faces more historical sexual abuse charges - Following the acquittal of Cardinal George Pell, Australia’s highest ranking Catholic to be prosecuted over historical sexual abuse allegations faces six additional charges for the alleged rape of a boy aged under 13. The former bishop of Broome, Christopher Saunders, 75, was arrested by child abuse squad detectives on Sunday and charged with the sexual penetration of a child aged under 13, common assault and indecent dealings of a child aged under 13. Police allege Mr Saunders indecently assaulted the boy between 2009 and 2010. Mr Saunders was first charged in February last year over 26 offences involving a teenage boy that allegedly took place in Broome, Kununurra, and Kalumburu between 2008 and 2013. He pleaded not guilty in the Broome Magistrates Court in September to multiple counts of unlawful and indecent assault, sexual penetration without consent and a person in authority indecently dealing with a child. He was also charged in April and December with indecently assaulting young men aged in their 20s and is yet to enter any pleas. The former bishop now faces 32 charges over historical sexual abuse allegations and seven firearm charges. Mr Saunders was ordained as a priest in 1976 and moved to the Kimberley region before becoming a bishop in 1996. He quit in August 2021 but has kept his title and entitlements. A police spokesman said the investigation remained ongoing and urged anyone with information to contact police.

#39 - Part 115

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 6

>>22482994 ‘Raped by Pell’Cardinal George Pell abused two boys in Ballarat, compensation scheme decides- Two men have been granted compensation by the federal government's National Redress Scheme for abuse by the late Cardinal George Pell, including one whom the scheme accepted was raped by Pell when the Cardinal was a young priest in Ballarat in the 1970s. The boys were eight and nine and lived in Ballarat when the abuse they describe in their claims took place, but do not know each other and went to different schools in the Victorian goldfields town where Pell was a priest and the diocese's episcopal vicar for education. It can be revealed for the first time that in one case, the scheme accepted the boy was groped on the genitals by Pell during a game at a swimming pool in the town. In the other, the decision-maker accepted that the boy was anally raped in a school gymnasium. The groping victim received his offer of compensation for the abuse five weeks before George Pell died in January 2023 - the diocese of Ballarat was informed of the decision at that time as the scheme requires the institution responsible for the perpetrator to pay the redress amount. While criminal cases have a standard of proof of beyond reasonable doubt, the scheme's standard is that the abuse was "reasonably likely". Bishop Paul Bird of Ballarat would not comment on the cases because he says regulations prohibit him from discussing them, but the redress decision says the diocese disputed the men's accounts. The men spoke as part of a large investigation for The Monthly magazine, along with other complainants against George Pell who have never spoken publicly before.

>>22483006 Paedophile PellThe true legacy of the rapist George Pell- "As the Catholic Church finds a new legal defence against child sexual abuse charges, disgust with the late cardinal George Pell’s glorification has now led some of his own victims to come forward and detail their abuse at his hand." - Louise Milligan - themonthly.com.au - February 1, 2025

>>22483016 Video: Cardinal George Pell abused two boys in Ballarat, compensation scheme decides - Two men have been compensated by the National Redress Scheme for abuse by the late Cardinal George Pell. The scheme accepted they were abused as boys when Pell was a young priest in Ballarat. Four Corners journalist Louise Milligan has been following the case. - ABC News (Australia)

>>22483068 Victims of sexual abuse by George Pell receive compensation under redress scheme - Two men abused by the late Cardinal George Pell in the 1970s have been granted compensation by the federal government’s National Redress Scheme, despite Pell being acquitted of separate criminal charges by the High Court in 2020. One of the men was offered a payment just five weeks before Pell died, in January 2023, after it was accepted by the scheme that he was groped on the genitals by Pell at a public swimming pool in Ballarat, according to an investigation by the ABC and The Monthly magazine. The man, who was just eight years old when he encountered Pell - who was archbishop of Melbourne and then Sydney, before being appointed by the pope to one of the Vatican’s most senior positions in Rome – received $45,000 from the scheme for the alleged abuse. A National Redress Scheme report on Pell’s conduct said children could be thrown without touching their genitals, and that it was “not incidental touching”, which was contrary to community standards of the time. The other victim received compensation after the scheme was persuaded Pell had raped the then nine-year-old student at Ballarat’s St Francis Xavier Primary School. The rape occurred in the school’s gym after the boy had stolen Pell’s cardigan, but the late cardinal was never charged over the incident. In his complaint to the scheme, according to the ABC report, the man wrote: “I remember him saying ‘pull your pants down’ … I thought he was going to whip me with his belt. He didn’t. “It was very painful. I was bleeding from my bottom afterward,” the victim wrote. The man was granted $95,000 in compensation from the scheme, which is capped at $150,000, and none of his account was disputed, according to the ABC. The Catholic Diocese of Ballarat had disputed the men’s accounts of historical abuse, but under the scheme is liable to pay the redress amount.

#39 - Part 116

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 7

>>22483126 Andrew Bolt slams process surrounding awarding of compensation to two men who claimed they were abused by George Pell - Sky News Australia host Andrew Bolt and legal expert Chris Merritt have hit out at the process surrounding the awarding of compensation through a federal government scheme to two men who claimed they were abused by the late Cardinal George Pell when they were children. The two men were awarded compensation under the National Redress Scheme for incidents which were alleged to have taken place in the 1970s when Cardinal Pell was a priest in Ballarat, regional Victoria. The decision to award each individual thousands of dollars in compensation was made by an independent decision maker who, under the scheme, is brought in to assess an application for redress. They decide if a person receives redress and how much the payment should be up to $150,000, based on information provided in an application and details "we have about the institutions". Mr Merritt, The Australian's legal affairs contributor and vice-president of the Rule of Law Institute Australia, described the process as "a joke" which "proves nothing". "To have this… independent decision maker, an anonymous person, not necessarily legally qualified, make a finding on the lowest possible standard of proof, well below the criminal standard, but even below the civil standard is ludicrous," he told Sky News Australia host Tom Connell on Friday. "To then have that paraded in public as some sort of subsequent finding about the character of Cardinal Pell proves nothing. It proves the lunacy of the Diocese of Ballarat or the Catholic Church in actually signing up to this scheme. This is a creature of the Turnbull government and the only good thing I can say about it is that it expires in 2028. If you're going to award redress for criminal harm, it should be determined on the criminal standard of proof, beyond reasonable doubt. It should be contested. The other side of the argument should be heard and considered, properly considered, on the rules of evidence by someone qualified in the law, not by an anonymous person, who may be who knows, a senior public servant, an accountant… we're none the wiser."

>>22496131 OPINION: The ABC should know better, given Louise Milligan for years pushed ludicrous claims about George Pell - Cardinal George Pell is again the victim of farcical reporting of a farcical legal process. - "The ABC has done it again, squealing that Cardinal George Pell sexually abused two boys in the 1970s. Or as its persecutor-in-chief Louise Milligan gleefully -- and misleadingly – put it on Friday: “Two men have been granted compensation by the federal government’s National Redress Scheme for abuse by the late Cardinal George Pell.” And off Milligan went, gloating over “the rapist George Pell”. So is this the proof at last that Milligan was right all along? That Pell was indeed the monster she’d described in Cardinal, which the journalists’ union named its 2007 “book of the year”? As if. Spoiler alert: Pell, who died two years ago, is again the victim of farcical reporting of a farcical legal process. The ABC should know better, given Milligan for years pushed ludicrous claims that Pell had raped two boys at once in the open sacristy straight after Mass at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral, when neither Pell nor his lone accuser could have been at the scene of the crime at the only time it could have been committed. The High Court eventually ruled seven judges to nil that Pell be cleared." - Andrew Bolt - heraldsun.com.au

>>22483144 Q Post #2590 - [Cardinal Pell] - Dark to LIGHT. Q - https://qanon.pub/#2590

>>22483144 Q Post #2594 - >He was the vatican treasurer I'm sure that carries some weight - #3 in the pecking order. Define 'pecking' [animals]. Q - https://qanon.pub/#2594

>>22483144 Q Post #2894 - Many more to come? Dark to LIGHT. Q - https://qanon.pub/#2894

#39 - Part 117

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 8

>>22496119 Blackfriars Priory School rejects $1.5m child sex abuse lawsuit and claims it owed student no duty of care to protect him - A top private school has hit back at a former student’s $1.5m lawsuit, saying it owed him no duty of care to protect him from sexual abuse, assault or harm. Blackfriars Priory School has denied it was negligent about, and vicariously liable for, alleged abuse perpetrated by convicted pedophile Stephen Stockdale-Hall. In documents released to The Advertiser by the District Court, the school says it fired Stockdale-Hall in October 1976 - and is therefore not liable for his time as a volunteer on its grounds. “Stockdale-Hall was not employed by the school at any time following the termination of his employment,” it says. “Blackfriars cannot be found vicariously liable for his alleged conduct whilst he was no longer employed at the school.” Stockdale-Hall served prison time for abusing 10 children - nine of whom were Blackfriars students – in the 1970s and 1980s. The ex-student’s lawsuit is the fourth filed against the school in the past 18 months over alleged abuse. In his court papers, the ex-student who filed the $1.5m claim alleges Stockdale-Hall had spiked his drink and raped him in the school’s toilets. He further alleges Stockdale-Hall’s crimes were “widely known throughout” Blackfriars’ faculty, and named five teachers who “frequently warned” students about him. In response to the ex-student’s claim the school owed him “a duty of care to ensure he would not be sexually abused, assaulted or harmed”, Blackfriars says it “denies the allegation”.

>>22537227 ABC and The Monthly scrub George Pell story - News stories on late Australian cardinal of the Catholic Church George Pell have been removed from the websites of the ABC and niche magazine The Monthly, amid concerns that the articles - written by ABC Four Corners journalist Louise Milligan – could compromise an upcoming court hearing. A statement posted on The Monthly’s website on Thursday read: “The Monthly has chosen to temporarily remove Louise Milligan’s recent essay from our website. We have been made aware of an active case that is about to come before the courts that had not been previously in the public domain. In the interests of protecting the integrity of that case, we have taken down the story. “When the case concludes, the essay will be made available to readers once again. The Monthly stands by Louise and her journalism and remains extremely proud of the essay as vital and compelling reporting.” Copies of the print edition of the February issue of The Monthly. which carried the feature essay, have also been recalled from newsagents and other points of sale. An image of Pell, who died in January 2023, appeared on the cover of the issue. The February issue of the magazine went on sale at the beginning of the month. A link to a related article on Pell has also been removed from the ABC website. In response to questions from The Australian, an ABC spokesperson said: “The story has been temporarily removed pending the completion of separate court proceedings that are yet to be in the public domain and then will be reinstated. The ABC stands by Louise Milligan’s reporting and the story.”

#39 - Part 118

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 9

>>22544481 Sydney’s Knox Grammar failed to tell insurer of ‘hornet’s nest’ of sexual abuse, Federal Court rules - The Uniting Church is at risk of losing insurance cover for a “hornet’s nest’’ of historical sexual abuse cases involving students at its elite Knox Grammar in Sydney, after a scathing court ruling on ­Friday. The Federal Court on Friday ­allowed an appeal by insurance giant Allianz, which contested a previous court ruling that it cover compensation payouts from the private boys’ school under its insurance policy with the church. Three judges agreed that the Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust had failed to notify ­Allianz of the “extreme’’ risks of litigation resulting from numerous allegations of sexual assault, outlined in a 1500-page report handed to the school council by private ­investigator Grahame Wilson in 2004. “The risk to the school was identified as being ‘extreme’,’’ judge Sarah Derrington wrote. “The risk assessment concluded that the school’s reputation was at risk. It concluded … that the school ‘may also be at risk from yet unmade claims of students or ex-students based on a perceived lack of duty of care.’’ Justice Derrington found that the investigator’s report to the school clearly revealed that “questionable behaviour to boys at Knox had been raised over decades, going back to the 1980s’’. Justice Derrington wrote that if the report had been given to Allianz as part of the insurance risk disclosure requirements, “it would have exposed a problem or hornet’s nest, being that of the sexual assault of students by teachers at Knox over a number of years’’. Justice Derrington found that the United Church in Property Trust, which owns Knox College, had become aware of the investigation report in 2004 but failed to notify Allianz, its insurer. As a result, she wrote, Allianz “is entitled to refuse to accept the claims which it has rejected’’.

>>22573804 ‘We failed these children’: Education department apologises to two child sex-abuse victims - The Victorian government has apologised to two victims of a primary schoolteacher paedophile, after the boys’ families were left in the dark about a police investigation into their sons’ alleged abuse. The case prompted the apology from state Education Minister Ben Carroll on Thursday, after the Victorian Ombudsman published a report detailing a “shocking” litany of failures by the Education Department towards the teacher’s two victims. In a scathing report into the department’s response, Ombudsman Marlo Baragwanath urged officials to treat future complainants as “people, not litigants”. The investigation’s report was tabled in state parliament today with the school, the victims, the offender and the timeline of their offences all de-identified. The teacher first came under suspicion when a fellow staff member at the school reported seeing the teacher inappropriately touching one of the children in the playground, with the witness urging school authorities to get the offender “away from children, I know what I saw”. The school conducted an interview with the child -- without engaging an expert – where the child did not disclose any abuse. Police were involved, investigated and took no further action, but the parents of the child were never informed. Both the school and the Education Department determined there was “no substance” to the allegation, and police agreed. Three years later, the child involved disclosed that the teacher had abused them for several years. The teacher was arrested and charged and then resigned. Following the arrest, a second child reported to the police that the teacher also abused them. Baragwanath told The Age what took place was a cascade of failures from the department, including a failure to quickly contact the victims’ families, apologise and adequately support the children and their loved ones. “There are signs of progress [from the department], but I just can’t imagine, even with these reforms, that it’s ever going to make up for the gravity of what’s happened here,” she said. “We’re talking about primary school kids. It’s a bit hard to believe.”

#39 - Part 119

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 10

>>22599337 Australia’s worst pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale expected to die within days - Australia’s worst pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale is expected to die within days. Several sources have told the Herald Sun that the 90-year-old, who abused more than 70 children over three decades as a parish priest in Victoria’s west, has remained mostly unresponsive in recent weeks. One source said the 90-year-old convicted predator was “no longer opening his eyes or engaging”. Documents seen by the Herald Sun show that Ridsdale has been receiving treatment for severe arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, heart problems and Rhabdomyolysis - a rare, life-threatening condition where a person’s skeletal muscles rapidly break down that can lead to kidney failure. It is understood that despite his worsening condition, Ridsdale’s relatives, including two of his sisters, have not visited the dying predator for some time. The notorious pedophile has been behind bars since 1994, but his abuse was so prolific that Victoria Police has continued to lay dozens of new historic sexual abuse charges against the frail and sick Ridsdale as recently as April last year. The Sexual Crimes Squad brought an additional 62 new charges against Ridsdale, bringing the total number of separate charges laid against him to just under 200. He was already serving an almost 40-year sentence when he pleaded guilty to another raft of charges in 2023.

>>22604602 Video: Notorious paedophile dead at 90:Paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale dies while serving jail term for historical sexual abuse- One of Australia's most notorious and prolific paedophile priests, Gerald Ridsdale, has died at the age of 90. Ridsdale had been in prison since 1994 for the abuse of more than 70 children in central and south-western Victoria and was sentenced for the eighth time in 2023. A further 62 new charges were then brought against Ridsdale in 2024. Ridsdale was born in 1934 in the Wimmera region of Western Victoria. The former Catholic priest served in parishes in western Victoria after being ordained in 1961, and served at 16 different parishes nationwide. Over the next 30 years, Ridsdale was moved by the church to different parishes, following complaints detailing abuse. Ridsdale was first sentenced over the abuse of children in his parish in 1993, pleading guilty to dozens of charges relating to the sexual abuse of 72 individuals. Ridsdale's health failed in his final years, and he was only able to attend his court hearings via video link. In 2022, Ridsdale had a fall in his cell in Hopkins Correctional Centre, and was left lying on the floor for hours before he was found. He was left bed-bound, suffering from chronic pain, atrophying muscles, and weakness of limbs. It was revealed during the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that multiple members of the church were aware of his offending but had allowed it to continue. The commission found Ridsdale's victims likely stretched into the hundreds and that the late Cardinal George Pell was aware of the abuse by 1982. That finding was strongly disputed by Pell, who had told the commission he did not learn of abuse allegations against Ridsdale until years later, in 1993. Ridsdale would use his position in the church to befriend the families of his victims. In a 2020 sentencing hearing, a judge said Ridsdale's crimes were so "corrosive" to the victims and the community, extra jail time was warranted. "The breach of trust affects the victims, their parents and the wider community, both adherents to Catholicism and otherwise. It is corrosive, causing people to have less trust even of decent members of religious communities," he said. Alison Geale, chief executive of child safety group Bravehearts, said the impact of Ridsdale's crimes on his victims would continue to linger long after his death. "Gerald Ridsdale's death does not erase the immense suffering he inflicted on innocent children and their families. While some may see his passing as the end of a dark chapter, for survivors, the trauma and its impacts remain. "Bravehearts stands with all those affected, reminding the world that justice is not just about the fall of an offender, but about ongoing support, recognition, and healing for survivors."

#39 - Part 120

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 11

>>22604669 Australia’s worst pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale has died - Victims of Gerald Ridsdale say news of the death of Australia’s worst pedophile priest is a “big relief”. Several sources have told the Herald Sun that the 90-year-old passed away before 10am on Tuesday in the medical unit of Port Phillip Prison at Truganina in Melbourne’s west. Ridsdale abused more than 70 children over three decades as a parish priest in Victoria’s west. He had remained mostly unresponsive in recent weeks with one source telling the Herald Sun he had no longer been able to open his eyes. Victim survivor Paul Levey, who gave the Herald Sun permission to be identified, said he was alerted to Ridsdale’s death just minutes after he had passed away. He said it was a “big relief” after reading countless reports of the pedophile’s ill health in recent years. “I didn’t mind him being in prison while he was a little bit healthy when they were bashing him, raping him, whatever they wanted to do to him there,” he said. “Once he went into the hospital, I thought ‘the quicker, the better’. “It’s a big relief, we’ve all been waiting for it. We’ve heard for years of him being in palliative care. “Now he’s gone, it’s a big relief.” Mr Levey, 56, said it would be a bittersweet day for fellow survivors. He said two journalists both sent him a text simultaneously reading: “He’s gone”. “I think it’ll be a bag of mixed emotions, some people will be relieved, some will be happy,” he added. “Everyone is going to react to it differently.” Another survivor of Ridsdale’s horrific crimes said it was a “good thing” the pedophile had finally died. He said he hoped it would finally close a dark chapter in his life. “(I’m) probably just a bit confused, that’s the reality,” he told the Herald Sun. “Obviously knew it was coming, (we’ve) been prepared for it for a long time but it still doesn’t make it any easier when it happens. “That’s purely because you have to relive everything again and hopefully this is the end of it.”

>>22604711 ‘I hope he rots in hell’: Paul’s relief over death of notorious paedophile priest - For years, Paul Levey thought about returning to the presbytery in the Victorian town of Mortlake where he was sexually abused daily as a child by Catholic priest Gerald Ridsdale. He dreamt of setting fire to the old bluestone building and watching it burn to the ground. On Tuesday morning, 90-year-old Ridsdale, one of Australia’s most notorious paedophiles, died in jail. The disgraced Catholic priest’s death was met with a sense of overwhelming relief from Levey. “Good riddance,” the Sunbury man said. “I have been waiting for this day for a long time. He robbed me and so many others of our childhoods. I hope he rots in hell.” Ridsdale had been in prison since 1994 for the sexual abuse of more than 70 children, including Levey. The 56-year-old was sent to live with Ridsdale in 1982, aged 13, after struggling to cope with his parents’ separation. His mother Anne, a devout Catholic, who used to get down on her knees and pray the rosary each day, believed at the time she was doing the best thing for her son. Anne, who remained close with Levey until her death two years ago, never recovered from the betrayal. In 2016, she spoke of her devastation, saying: “Every day I blame myself. You go to bed, and you’re thinking about it. You wake up and you’re thinking about it. You live with it every day, the guilt, regret and shame.” Former Warrnambool detective Colin Ryan was part of the taskforce that received the first complaint against Ridsdale and was instrumental in getting him locked up. “Myself and detective John Norris spoke to the first victim that came in and put together a brief that included another 20 victims,” Ryan said. “Ridsdale pleaded guilty back in 1994, and he never saw the light of day after that investigation. The victims just continued to come forward. “There’s certain things that you get involved in over your career that you don’t forget. And he was one of them.”

#39 - Part 121

Child Sexual Abuse, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking and Satanism Investigations - Part 12

>>22604756 Paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale dies at 90, survivors urged to seek help - For decades Gerald Ridsdale, draped in flowing white vestments, stood before countless Catholic congregations preaching about good and evil, the innocence of children, and a merciful god. But on him, those vestments were merely a convenient costume disguising one of the nation's most evil men - a prolific paedophile who showed no mercy as he dashed the innocence from the lives of dozens of children. Ridsdale, who has died in jail at the age of 90, leaves behind a dark legacy that includes the abuse of at least 72 child victims over a 30-year, unchecked reign of terror. It is believed his appalling abuse has led to several of his victims taking their own lives, and many others enduring devastating trauma that continues to this day. Ridsdale's crimes changed Australia's legal system, shaped royal commissions and inquiries, and scarred a church once considered unimpeachable. Following the revelations of his offending, Ridsdale became emblematic of a culture of an unscrupulous church that did all it could to silence the small voices of his victims. Ann Ryan was a teacher in Mortlake from the 1970s to the 1990s, and was one of the whistleblowers who called out Ridsdale's abuse. She played an instrumental part in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse, and remains a staunch advocate for the rights of those who were so seriously hurt by the man she refers to as a "monster". "[The community] knew about it, and they did nothing," Ms Ryan said. "That destroyed me. Some parents went to the bishop, some went to counselling, but the community did nothing. "You have to say that is really tragic." It's been six years since the royal commission tabled its final report, which featured 100 pages detailing the extent of Ridsdale's offending, and the culpability of the Catholic Church in his crimes. It included admissions that multiple members of the clergy knew of Ridsdale's abuse of children across the country, and internationally, from an early date. Most notoriously, this included Cardinal George Pell, who was by then Australia's highest-ranking Catholic and stationed at the Vatican. Pell, who died in January 2023, was a former housemate of Ridsdale, but always denied direct knowledge of his abuse of children.

>>22604862 Video: Even hell is too good for depraved paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale - "If there is a hell, it's a place too good for Gerald Ridsdale. The 90-year-old died just before 10am on Tuesday in the medical unit of Port Phillip Prison at Truganina in Melbourne’s west. During his three-decade career of evil, he was every child’s worst nightmare. Everywhere he went, children feared him, because everywhere he went, he attacked them. Nothing was sacred, nowhere was safe, and no one was off limits. “I went haywire,” he later confessed. He abused kids in church, during confession and on the altar. He abused them in their homes and in his. He abused boys, girls, friends and family. Some victims were told it was God’s work. To others, Ridsdale admitted sinning, but said God would forgive him. The same children that feared him sat at mass every Sunday with their parents who revered him. He was, after all, a man of the cloth. Ridsdale has admitted abusing hundreds of children, but his official record shows a victim count of more than 70. Few were surprised when late in 2016 he was charged with a string of new child sex crimes. Twelve new victims emerged, prompted largely by publicity surrounding and investigations sparked by the child abuse royal commission. But when he pleaded guilty to 23 new charges in 2017 the depravity of his offending left many shocked. A County Court judge, seasoned journalists, victims and their supporters were moved to tears. For the first time, Ridsdale admitted raping children. Almost until the day he died, victims continued to come forward. They likely still will, if even only to be heard, because by his own admission Ridsdale's victims numbered in the hundreds. Any avenue for criminal justice now impossible to them. That he died breathing prison air will be enough for some. Others will say that was too good for him." - Shannon Deery - heraldsun.com.au

>>22617503 (pb)

>>22645579

ASIO warns bikies, organised crime linked to antisemitism, hostile nations

Nick McKenzie, Chris Vedelago and Perry Duffin - February 22, 2025

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Australia’s spy agency is targeting figures linked to organised crime and outlaw bikie gangs as it combats antisemitic attacks and plots by hostile nations to harm national security.

The revelation by ASIO director-general Mike Burgess that the underworld is now in his sights marks a dramatic pivot for the domestic security agency.

Historically, ASIO has focused on extremism and espionage, but it is now dealing with an increasing overlap between profit-driven criminal entities and those seeking to undermine Australian interests or community cohesion for political, strategic or other gain.

Burgess said he had “grave concerns” that unnamed hostile states were using bikies or other crime groups in Australia to advance their strategic interests.

In a warning to the criminal world that ASIO was now pursuing some of its members, Burgess told this masthead and 60 Minutes: “I would never have imagined that outlaw motorcycle gangs would be on our target list.

“If you [gangland figures] are tasked by someone from overseas, and you’re a criminal and you’re doing that for a fee and it is a threat to security, then ASIO will be on your case. I reckon that’s going to be a problem for you.”

The decision by ASIO to make public its widening investigative focus has been sparked by two areas of concern for state and federal agencies: criminal entities being asked by hostile foreign state actors to target dissidents or carry out other attacks on domestic security; and the suspected involvement of gangland figures of varying seniority in antisemitic arson attacks.

Officers from Victoria’s Counter-Terrorism Command continue to investigate the firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea by masked suspects who remain at large.

This masthead can reveal Victorian authorities are investigating whether the firebombing of the synagogue in December was carried out using the same gangland infrastructure utilised in some of the tobacco war arson attacks.

The tobacco war arson attacks have typically been outsourced to lowly foot soldiers via encrypted communications channels and other methodology that have made it difficult for authorities to trace the puppet masters.

In NSW, official sources confirmed evidence gathered so far has not implicated terrorists in any antisemitic incidents. Investigators are continuing to probe whether those behind the so-called caravan plot were seeking to gain a personal advantage, such as creating a scenario in which they could trade information with police in return for a benefit.

While no agency is yet willing to definitely rule out violent extremism as a motive in the caravan plot, there is growing consensus among security officials that early descriptions of the caravan plot as a “potential mass casualty event” were overblown.

Officials have assessed the two NSW residents who acquired the caravan as petty criminals with no terrorist motivation, while another suspect in the supply chain has links to the Jewish community which suggest he, too, had no motive beyond payment.

But there are also links to Sydney’s gangland: a suspect named on a search warrant has separately been accused of supplying stolen cars to the underworld.

Asked if his warning to the criminal world was driven by police intelligence that antisemitic incidents might be directed by organised crime associated entities, Burgess declined to comment on specific investigations but said he was “sending a message” to criminals that “if you’re involved in this, we’ll be on your case”.

“I can assure you, if you are in such an organisation or you’re a criminal proxy and you’re being used by a foreign state, you don’t have to deal with law enforcement now you’ve got my agency to deal with, and that’s probably not welcome news to those individuals,” he said.

(continued)

Northern Territory leader Lia Finocchiaro stands by decision to not acknowledge traditional owners at Darwin Bombing ceremony

Matt Cunningham - February 24, 2025

Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has defended her decision not to acknowledge traditional owners at last week’s Bombing of Darwin ceremony, saying the practice had become so widespread under Labor it had lost its meaning.

Mrs Finocchiaro was one of eight dignitaries to deliver a speech at the event.

Others included Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce, Northern Territory Administrator Hugh Heggie, Commander of Darwin’s 1st Brigade Brigadier Doug Pashley, City of Darwin chief executive officer Simone Saunders and Darwin Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis.

Each speaker acknowledged the Larrakia traditional owners while Professor Heggie delivered his welcome in the Larrakia language.

There was also a five-minute Welcome to Country delivered by Larrakia man James Parfitt, but Mrs Finocchiaro made no mention of the Larrakia people.

She instead made special mention of veterans and their families.

“I’d like to make a special acknowledgement to the veterans here today, to serving men and women, to the families and descendants of survivors, ladies and gentlemen, but also importantly to our children,” she said.

Traditional owners as well as Labor and Independent politicians criticised the Chief Minister for failing to mention the Larrakia people.

"Very concerning when the Chief Minister doesn't acknowledge the traditional owners in her speeches as she did today in the Bombing of Darwin event,” Labor MP Manuel Brown said on Facebook.

Independent MP Justine Davis replied: “Yes – the only speaker who did not. Even Barnaby Joyce did.”

Larrakia elder Richard Fejo Snr also criticised the Chief Minister.

“Not a single word of acknowledgement. It’s disgraceful,” he said.

But Mrs Finocchiaro defended her speech.

“I’m proud to have acknowledged veterans at the Bombing of Darwin and as Chief Minister I represent all Territorians,” she said.

“There is absolutely no need for every speaker at an event to do an acknowledgment of country and in fact, the repetition that people are so used to under Labor, is less impactful.”

Mrs Finocchiaro’s Country Liberal Party colleague and shadow minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has vowed to review Federal Government funding for Welcome to Country ceremonies if the Coalition wins this year’s election.

"I don't believe that we should be spending $450,000 a term on Welcome to Country, when that isn't actually improving the life of a marginalised Indigenous Australian," she said last month.

"That kind of funding could be redirected to actually improve the lives of marginalised Indigenous Australians, as opposed to being used for what is effectively a welcoming ceremony, many of which have now become quite politicised.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to have to spend so much money on something that’s not really helping our most marginalised.”

In response, Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy told the ABC the Coalition was focused on culture wars, rather than practical outcomes.

“We know that the Opposition Leader (Peter Dutton) walked out on the apology (to the Stolen Generation), he won’t stand in front of the Indigenous flag and now he doesn’t want elders doing Welcome to Country,” she said.

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/northern-territory-leader-lia-finocchario-stands-by-decision-to-not-acknowledge-traditional-owners-at-darwin-bombing-ceremony/news-story/8b1cdd3c972883a5284ae6e1c0053b73

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

>>22657742

NSW nurse charged over video threatening Israeli patients

Holly Tregenza - 26 February 2025

A Sydney nurse is not allowed to leave the country or use social media after being charged over a video which showed her threatening harm to Israeli patients.

Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 26, was arrested on Tuesday night at Sutherland Police Station.

She was charged with three commonwealth offences of threaten violence to group, use carriage service to threaten to kill and use carriage service to menace/harass/offend.

The video showed Ms Abu Lebdeh and fellow Bankstown Hospital worker Ahmad Rashad Nadir bragging about refusing to treat Israeli patients, killing them, and saying they would go to hell.

The filmed conversation took place on cam chat app Chatruletka.

The two had been stood down pending an investigation.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb on Wednesday afternoon said Ms Abu Lebdeh had been charged with three "very, very serious" charges.

"She is on very, very strict bail conditions, namely prohibiting her from going to a point of departure from Australia, but more importantly, banned from using social media," Commissioner Webb said.

Mr Nadir, who is currently receiving ongoing medical treatment according to NSW Police, has not been charged, but is still under investigation.

Ms Abu Lebdeh was granted conditional bail to appear at the Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday, March 19.

Investigation complex, says commissioner

Commissioner Webb said detectives had worked tirelessly to gather evidence from overseas within 13 days.

"I don't think I would have ever imagined that an investigation of that complexity, across the other side of the world, would be done in such a short time," she said.

Commissioner Webb confirmed on ABC Radio Sydney police had found no evidence that anyone at the hospital had been harmed but said NSW Health was continuing its own investigation.

She said the investigation was "not straight forward".

"Given the nature of this offending, where we had two people here in New South Wales and the recording made overseas. It's been a complex investigation given the nature of, we're talking across borders," she said.

"[There] has been a lot of work by investigators and support from overseas jurisdictions to get the statement from the influencer and have it converted to English and have it admissible in court.

"So not straight forward, and that's why we've gone with commonwealth offences, through the advice of the Commonwealth DPP."

This is the 14th arrest under Strike Force Pearl. A total of 76 charges have been laid.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-26/sarah-abu-lebdeh-nurse-charged-threatening-israeli-patients-nsw/104982640

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mlZPZSJakQ

>>22651843

Jim Chalmers pushes US for tariff exemptions, Donald Trump orders probe into copper tariffs

Phoebe Hosier - 26 February 2024

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers has used a meeting with his American counterpart to continue Australia's push for an exemption from hefty tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium imports.

His visit coincided with US President Donald Trump flagging possible new tariffs on all imports of copper.

Mr Chalmers travelled to the US capital to meet with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett alongside Australia's ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd.

At the top of the agenda was the looming question over whether the Trump administration would continue its planned imposition of 25 per cent tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium.

Earlier this month, Mr Trump signed an executive order directing a 25 per cent tariff be placed on all aluminium and steel imports.

The tariffs, which are due to be implemented on March 12, have set off alarms and uncertainty across Australia's manufacturing industry and beyond.

Prior to his visit to Washington, Mr Chalmers told the ABC he was not expecting to reach a resolution on Mr Trump's planned tariffs as talks were still ongoing.

Instead, Mr Chalmers said the visit was about informing the Trump administration of Australia's unique position, and putting forward Australia's case for exemptions.

"At the end of the day, this will be President Trump's call," he told reporters in Washington.

"I think that's well understood in the administration, and certainly in our government and in our discussions.

"My task here in DC wasn't to try and conclude that discussion, it was to try and inform it.

"Australia has a different case to make than other countries who have been the focus of the administration here."

Trump flags possible tariffs on copper imports

Later on Tuesday, local time, Mr Trump signed an executive order directing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to investigate the imposition of tariffs on all copper imports.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Mr Trump said America's copper industry had been "decimated by global actors attacking our domestic production".

"American industries depend on copper, and it should be made in America. No exemptions, no exceptions," he said.

In 2024, the US imported nearly $35 million worth of copper from Australia.

The biggest exporters of copper to the US are Chile, Canada and Mexico, with much of Australia's exported copper bound for Asia.

Copper is the second most widely used material in US weapons platforms and is in increasing demand due to solar energy and electric vehicle production.

During Mr Trump's first term, Australia was granted an exemption from aluminium tariffs.

But the order signed by Mr Trump earlier this month says "Australia has disregarded its verbal commitment to voluntarily restrain its aluminium exports to a reasonable level".

The position prompted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to have what he called a "constructive and warm" conversation with Mr Trump, who said he would give "great consideration" to Australia's request for an exemption.

But America's senior trade advisor Peter Navarro made clear he was not in favour of the idea, telling CNN at the time "Australia is just killing our aluminium market".

Last year, Australia exported 223,000 tonnes of steel to the US and 83,000 tonnes of aluminium.

Australia is the world's seventh largest aluminium producer, most of it destined for Asia, while 10 per cent of it heads to the US.

Australia is the US's eighth largest exporter of aluminium into the US, making up some 2.5 per cent of the market.

When it comes to steel imports, Canada, Brazil and Mexico make up the largest sources of US steel imports, according to data from the American Iron and Steel Institute.

(continued)

>>22647135

>>22657808

Intelligence chief says Chinese warship deployment designed to be 'provocative'

Andrew Greene and Stephen Dziedzic - 26 February 2025

One of Australia's most senior intelligence figures says aspects of China's deployment of three warships to the Tasman Sea appear "designed to be provocative", as the naval task group continues to be closely tracked heading back towards Tasmania.

Director-general of the Office of National Intelligence (ONI) Andrew Shearer this week delivered a blunt assessment of Beijing's strategic aims for sending the heavily armed flotilla to the region, saying it was to "shape" the behaviour of states like Australia.

He also described its recent live-fire exercises as unprecedented and said they demonstrated "China's growing capability to project military power into our immediate region" was "now matched by an increasing intent to do so".

Appearing before a parliamentary committee on Monday night, the ONI boss observed this was "the furthest south a People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) task group has operated".

"We judge Beijing intends to normalise this sort of presence, shape the responses of those in the region, and observe and learn from our reactions," he told the Senate estimates hearing.

"The largest and least transparent military build-up since the Second World War will mean the PLA will be able to operate at greater distances from mainland China, in greater numbers, including into Australia's immediate seas and skies," he said.

On Tuesday, Defence confirmed the PLA-N flotilla had re-entered Australia's exclusive economic zone, where it was being closely tracked as it operated around 160 nautical miles east of Hobart.

One military figure, not authorised to speak publicly, told the ABC there was a "working assumption" that a taskforce comprising three warships so far from the Chinese mainland for weeks could have submarine support for at least part of the deployment.

Other navies that boast nuclear-powered submarines, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, are known to regularly use them during lengthy and complex warship missions to gather valuable intelligence on potential adversaries.

Meanwhile, commercial airline pilots who flew over the Tasman Sea last week have told the ABC they monitored radio communications from the Chinese warships to military surveillance aircraft as far back as a week ago, warning about possible live-firing activity.

"The Chinese vessel made a broadcast on 121.5 [VHF frequency] about a live firing drill, telling the NZ aircraft to remain at a safe distance," one international airline pilot told the ABC when describing a flight on Tuesday, February 18.

"The NZ aircraft replied that under international law they can be there, it occurred a couple of times. Many civilian aircraft heard it and told the Chinese to 'go away.'"

This week aviation officials revealed they were first informed that a Chinese live-firing exercise had begun when a Virgin Australia pilot relayed warnings they had picked up mid-flight via an emergency radio frequency.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-26/chinese-warship-deployment-designed-to-be-provocative/104982224

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

>>22647135

>>22657808

>>22657813

Anthony Albanese ‘misled public’ over China ‘notice’ of live fire drill

BEN PACKHAM - 26 February 2025

Anthony Albanese has been accused of misleading the public by arguing a Chinese naval task group gave “notice” of a live fire drill off Australia’s east coast when it provided no advance warning of the exercise.

Defence officials confirmed in Senate estimates that the department learned of a live fire drill by the People’s Liberation Army-Navy ships on Friday about 40 minutes after it had begun.

The Chief of the Defence Force David Johnston said Defence were told of the drill about 10 minutes after a Virgin pilot relayed a Chinese radio broadcast it received about 9.58am, of a live weapons drill occuring between 9.30am to 3pm.

A New Zealand frigate also heard and passed on the radio warning through defence channels, but its notification didn’t come through to Defence until 11.01am, Senate estimates heard.

Admiral Johnston said the notification of the “clearly disruptive” exercise had been “inadequate”.

His comments followed those of the Prime Minister, who said on Friday that “notice was given” by the Chinese of the exercise, and on Saturday that “notification did occur of this event”.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister also suggested the warning from the New Zealand navy ship was received “at around the same time” as the one from the Virgin pilot, when it was received an hour later.

But Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said the delayed notice meant there was no advance warning of the drill at all.

“It’s not really notification of an upcoming exercise if we only find out about it after it has commenced, is it?” he told Senate estimates.

In comments to The Australian, Senator Paterson added: “The Prime Minister’s attempt to mislead the public by suggesting there was notice given by the PLA-N and it was reported through military channels in a timely way is yet more evidence of his weak leadership.

“He should be honest, admit we were never notified, and call out this malign behaviour instead of making excuses for the People’s Liberation Army-Navy.”

‘Possible’ that nuclear sub part of Chinese fleet

Admiral Johnston said it was possible a nuclear submarine was accompanying a Chinese naval task group, that was currently sailing 250km south of Hobart.

“I don’t know whether there is a submarine with them,” he said.

“It is possible. Task groups occasionally do deploy with submarines but not always. I can’t be definitive on whether that’s the case.”

Admiral Johnston said Chinese warships had operated off Australia’s south-east coastline in the past, but the latest task group was unprecedented in that they had travelled down the coast from Southeast Asia, rather than transiting north from the Southern Ocean.

On Monday, Airservices Australia chief executive Rob Sharp told the Senate hearing that the air traffic authority became aware of the danger to aircraft at 9.58am AEDT when the Virgin pilot relayed the warning. Almost 50 planes were forced to change their flight plans as a result of the exercise.

“It was in fact a Virgin Australia aircraft that advised one of our air traffic controllers that a foreign warship was broadcasting that they were conducting live firing 300 nautical miles east off our coast,” Mr Sharp said.

“At 10am our air traffic control commenced what we call a ‘hazard alert’ which basically alerts all flights in the area that there’s a hazard, so that was done within two minutes.”

Airservices Australia’s deputy chief executive, Peter Curran, said the Virgin pilot had monitored radio transmissions directly from one of the Chinese warships on a frequency that was not monitored by air traffic controllers.

“We can’t hear what was said, so the pilot of the Virgin aircraft heard what was said from the Chinese vessel, relayed that back to air traffic control (who) then passed that through our system and started giving hazard alerting to all aircraft on the frequency,” Mr Curran said.

The Albanese government has since lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijing over the drills, complaining about the lack of advance notice. Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Sunday that the People’s Liberation Army had issued repeated safety alerts ahead of the drills and that his country was “strongly dissatisfied” with Australia’s response.

“China’s actions are in full compliance with international law and international practices, and will not affect aviation flight safety,” Mr Wu said.

“Australia, knowing this well, made unreasonable accusations against China and deliberately hyped it up. We are deeply surprised and strongly dissatisfied with this.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/defence-chief-says-possible-nuclear-sub-part-of-chinese-task-group/news-story/9201383228c77598845b9f29749d85f4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgum45Inwpo