/qresearch/ -  Q Research

>>24533785

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These young men did not grow old. They did not return to farms at harvest, build houses in growing suburbs or meet old friends over dinner tables, nor have children who would one day make the pilgrimage back to this soil. In some cases, their entire family lines ended in the mud of the Somme.

And yet, they are not entirely alone, for the people of Villers-Bretonneux remember their sacrifice.

Their names are read aloud, and Australia’s Federation Guard visits them each year, for their story to be told to new generations.

Each year, French families open their homes to visiting Australians, local volunteers help prepare the dawn service, and the small school across the road from the memorial bears the words “N’oublions jamais l’Australie” – let us never forget Australia.

In a quiet way, Villers-Bretonneux has adopted these men.

These young Australians who never had the chance to grow old are held in the care of strangers. Their graves, though seldom visited by blood relatives now, are not neglected. Their names are read aloud, and Australia’s Federation Guard visits them each year, for their story to be told to new generations.

For the Australians who make the journey each April, the experience can be unexpectedly intimate. It is one thing to attend a dawn service at home, surrounded by thousands. It is another to stand before a single grave in a foreign field and read the name aloud. To realise he was 25, 22, or only 19.

There is a temptation, at sites such as these, to speak in language of glory and sacrifice. But the rows at Villers-Bretonneux resist this sentiment. They speak instead of cost, of youth interrupted, of families reshaped by absence. They speak of a generation that left home and, for thousands, never came back.

For the many men who never had a visitor to their grave, we remember you.

Lest we forget.

https://www.defence.gov.au/news-events/news/2026-04-20/french-town-where-war-dead-are-not-forgotten

>>24533754

ANZAC Day 2026

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Lest We Forget.

>>24536189

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Port Melbourne war memorial vandalised on eve of Anzac Day

It comes a day after a war memorial honouring Australian servicemen and women was desecrated on the eve of Anzac Day, with vandals covering Port Melbourne’s Answering the Call statue in red paint and anti-war slogans.

The statue, which commemorates the service of all sailors, female and male, who served Australia in war and peace, was covered from head to toe in red paint, with “no war 4 aus” painted on its base.

The Centenary Bridge pylon near Station Pier was also covered in red paint, with “no warships 4 AUKUS” written across it. A fence near the pier, surrounding the development at 1 Waterfront Place, was also targeted with the slogan “US Empire = Death”.

Port Phillip Mayor Alex Makin said he was “appalled” by the vandalism.

“This desecration is especially disappointing as ANZAC Day is not about glorifying war,” he said in a statement on Friday.

“It’s about coming together to pay our respects to those who served in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations — including those who never returned.”

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan slammed the latest act of vandalism against a Melbourne war monument.

“It’s just disgusting behaviour,” she said.

“Police are investigating as they should.”

The incidents come just days after a Coalition pledge that vandals who deface or destroy war memorials would face up to 10 years’ jail and be forced to pay for repairs.

“The increasing vandalism of war memorials and other cultural and historic sites is intolerable, and my Liberal and Nationals team has a plan to crack down on this disgraceful behaviour,” Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said.

The vandalism occurred while a warship was docked at Station Pier overnight.

The site was also where Defence Minister Richard Marles signed a $10bn deal with his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi last weekend, which will see Mitsubishi Heavy Industries build three Mogami-design warships.

Police said they are investigating the incident.

“South Melbourne police officers are investigating after two war memorial statues were graffitied in Port Melbourne between 23 and 24 April,” a spokesperson said.

“It is believed two statues were graffitied with paint along Beaconsfield Parade sometime overnight. The graffiti has since been removed and an investigation is underway.”

On the same day that the Answering the Call statue was defaced, vandals posted sickening footage of a separate incident attacking two war memorials in Moonee Ponds.

The video, posted on a social media account regularly used by activists to claim credit for graffiti and vandalism, includes the message “F**k the Anzacs and all ‘Australian’ servicemen before and since”.

The vandalism took place in Moonee Ponds’ Queens Park on the morning of April 19, just hours before a commemoration ceremony ahead of Anzac Day was set to take place in the same park.

Vandals can be seen spraying red and white paint across the memorials with messages including “Death to the ADF”, and “Land Back”.

“Those killed fighting to protect a colonial regime get what they deserve,” the post’s description read.

Anyone who witnessed either incident, or has dashcam or CCTV footage, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

https://www.crimestoppersvic.com.au/report-a-crime/

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/port-melbourne-war-memorial-vandalised-with-red-paint-on-anzac-day-eve/news-story/495483820873a09ff3363676215976ba

https://www.facebook.com/cityofportphillip/posts/statement-by-port-phillip-mayor-alex-makinthe-city-of-port-phillip-is-appalled-t/1406233198207273/

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

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXgRXevD-07/

>>24474213

>>24512269

>>24533704

>>24533754

Ben Roberts-Smith attends Anzac Day event in Queensland

Liana Walker and Elias Clure - 25 April 2026

Ben Roberts-Smith has spoken after attending an Anzac Day ceremony on the Gold Coast, wearing his medals.

He said he had not considered not attending the ceremony in Currumbin.

"I've never thought about not coming, I was always going to be here," he said, briefly speaking to the media.

He said it was a day "everyone should be reflecting and commemorating the service of all of those Australians that have given us the country that we live in".

Mr Roberts-Smith said he was thinking about service families.

"Their sons are the ones that I'm thinking about today because that's what this is all about, and we should never forget their sacrifice because it is enduring," he said.

"They think about that every day, they live with that, they've given that to us, and we owe them a deep, deep debt."

He was seen with his girlfriend, Sarah Matulin, among others in the crowd watching the service.

After the Dawn Service, supporters flocked to shake hands and take photos with Mr Roberts-Smith.

A banner with the words "we support BRS" was seen hanging from a balcony on a house on a hill overlooking the ceremony.

Mr Roberts-Smith has been residing in Queensland since he was released from Sydney's Silverwater jail to await trial for five counts of the war crime of murder.

While he has yet to enter a plea, he has strenuously denied the allegations, which stem from alleged actions during his service in Afghanistan.

Brendan Nelson defends 'war hero'

The former director of the Australian National War Memorial, Brendan Nelson, has strongly defended Mr Roberts-Smith's attendance at the ceremony.

Dr Nelson, who is now a senior executive at aerospace company Boeing, told the ABC at a dawn service event in London: "Ben Roberts-Smith, as far as I'm concerned, is a national hero.

"All of us have a responsibility to support and respect all of our veterans, including Ben Roberts-Smith."

Yesterday, a spokesperson for RSL Australia said all Australians, including Mr Roberts-Smith, were able to attend Anzac Day commemorations.

"As a service veteran, and like any member of the community, Ben Roberts-Smith is able to attend Anzac Day commemorations should he so choose," they said.

RSL Australia national president Peter Tinley added: "Our responsibility is not only to honour the fallen, but to fiercely advocate for and support the living."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-25/queensland-ben-roberts-smith-anzac-day-event/106603940

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwtFE67-yJ8

>>24536347

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Roberts-Smith, a decorated SAS soldier, was arrested following a five-year investigation by the secretive Office of the Special Investigator, a team of experienced state and federal police detectives set up in 2021 to investigate the involvement of Australian troops in alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. The charged offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

He has been allowed to live in Queensland after being released on bail from Sydney’s Silverwater jail. He is awaiting trial on five counts of the war crime of murder.

Roberts-Smith spent 10 days in custody after his “deliberately sensational arrest” on charges that he “categorically denies”, he said on Sunday.

His bail conditions require him to report to police three times a week, surrender his passport and not contact prosecution witnesses.

Roberts-Smith has already unsuccessfully contested allegations that he committed war crimes, including murders, in a defamation case he fought all the way to the High Court. The criminal charges he now faces have a higher burden of proof for the prosecution to succeed.

Court documents released after the bail hearing reveal prosecutors will allege five people killed by, or on the orders of, the decorated soldier had been unarmed and handcuffed, and evidence was then staged to portray their deaths as legal.

Lawyers for Roberts-Smith also told the ABC that the former SAS soldier and his family were not involved in a rally “for” him, or associated with its organisers, being promoted in Melbourne on Sunday.

This masthead has also attempted to contact Roberts-Smith’s lawyers for comment.

The rally planned outside Parliament House in Melbourne is being promoted by a group that has previously backed marches against “mass migration” and described neo-Nazi figure Joel Davis and another man jailed for inciting racial hatred as “political prisoners”.

The group stipulates “Australian flags only” at the rally, which had earlier been postponed “following consultation with the family of Ben Roberts-Smith”, a claim contested by his lawyers.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/roberts-smith-plans-to-attend-anzac-day-commemorations-while-on-bail-20260424-p5zqwp.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3au63ptyRws

>>24474213

>>24512269

>>24533754

>>24536322

>>24536347

‘Today is bigger than me’: Ben Roberts-Smith on attending Anzac Day service

MARCUS DE BLONK SMITH - 25 April 2026

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Accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith has fronted an Anzac Day event in Queensland, defying reported calls by some of his supporters to boycott the annual services and marches.

The Victoria Cross recipient joined a crowd of thousands to mark Anzac Day commemorations at Currumbin on the Gold Coast, his first since he was charged with war crimes.

Mr Roberts-Smith arrived at the Currumbin service at about 4.30am with little fanfare. Dressed in a dark suit and purple tie and wearing his military medals including his Victoria Cross – the country’s highest military honour – he was seen mingling with fellow soldiers, before taking a seat several rows back from the stage.

Following the service, Mr Roberts-Smith posed for photos with other military veterans and supporters.

Speaking to The Australian, Mr Roberts-Smith said it was important for him to attend the Anzac Day service to honour the countless men and women who have served for Australia.

“I needed to commemorate the service and everyone that went before me – as I always have,” he said.

Mr Roberts-Smith said the support had been “overwhelming”.

“Today is bigger than me,” he said. “This is a day … about remembering every single person that has given us the country that we live in.”

Former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon is among those who have emphatically backed the Victoria Cross recipient.

Mr Fitzgibbon on Friday said Mr Roberts-Smith presence at Anzac Day commemorations would “provide a boost”.

“Ben’s presence will provide a boost in morale for those lucky enough to be marching with him,” he said. “It would be an honour to march by his side if I had the opportunity, as I’m sure most Australians would.”

This followed public support from the nation’s most decorated living soldier, fellow VC holder Keith Payne, who declared he would also be proud to stand and march alongside him.

Mr Payne has opposed the prosecution of Mr Roberts-Smith, saying “what happens in war, stays in war”.

(continued)

>>24536418

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Former Afghan soldiers who spoke to The Australian said they too would happily march alongside Mr Roberts-Smith.

Eamon Hale, 39, is one of those soldiers. Mr Hale, who was in Afghanistan with the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, said the presumption of innocence was a right that generations of Australian servicemen and servicewomen believed in and fought for.

“We have veterans from all walks of life, from all parts of Australia,” he said. “And on Anzac Day, it’s a day where whatever rank you were, it’s a day of equality.”

Mr Roberts-Smith faces five charges of the war crime of murder, allegedly committed during his service with the SAS in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.

The 47-year-old, who has not yet entered a plea to the charges, said last week he was proud of his service in Afghanistan.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/today-is-bigger-than-me-ben-robertssmith-on-attending-anzac-day-service/news-story/8c08944db10ee1ae6a9887963a83aad1

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

>>24536485

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Premier Jacinta Allan, who had earlier warned against booing, condemned the behaviour at the Shrine.

“Today we stand together united in that purpose of remembering the fallen, honouring their sacrifice. As well as those who came home and whose lives were changed forever,” she said.

“To break the stillness of dawn service is not just ugly behaviour towards our Aboriginal servicemen and women who defended this country – it disrespects everyone who fought for our freedoms.

“Politicising this sacred day is bastardry. I condemn it and so should every leader.”

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the interjections were a disgrace.

He said Welcome to Country was an “innately respectful act” and many Indigenous Australians had also fought for their country.

“It’s utterly appropriate that their particular contribution be recognised,” Marles, who is also the minister for defence, told Sky News.

“This is a moment where we can just show respect for each other, and I think the booing that we’ve seen there is a disgrace.”

Opposition defence spokesman James Paterson said disturbing an Anzac Day service was an insult to Australia and its veterans.

“Whatever your views on a Welcome to Country, Anzac Day is our most sacred day,” he told Sky News.

“There are many other ways in a free country that you have an opportunity to express your views. The least you can do is stay away or not disrupt an Anzac Day service.”

RSL Victoria president Dr Mark Schroffel said those who booed at the service were not welcome.

“Those [who] did the wrong thing showed they are weak-minded individuals who do not belong at this service. We understand the disruptors left before the end of the service, showing complete disrespect to veterans,” he said.

“They were overwhelmed by the vast majority of the attendees who applauded and supported proceedings.”

New Zealand serviceman Steve Crawford sought out the Melbourne dawn service while on holidays, and called the booing behaviour “a shame”.

“I had never seen that before, and I really didn’t know what to make of it,” he said. “Everyone has their own opinions about things, but I thought it was a shame, really. It takes the shine away from what the day is about.”

Having served in East Timor, Bougainville and Afghanistan, Crawford said he made his way to an Anzac Day dawn service every year to commemorate those who came before him and those he had fought alongside.

“To come to a service of this size, and in Australia as well, it’s outstanding,” he said. “It’s pretty emotional to be a part of.”

(continued)

>>24536493

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Much of Saturday morning’s service was marked by respectful silence, as those gathered watched the sun rise over Melbourne.

Among her hand-knitted poppies and loved ones’ medals pinned on her lapels, Cherie Clark wore a sprig from a Bhutan Cypress tree, nestled in the shadow of the Shrine.

The tree is dedicated to the 2/14 Australian Infantry Battalion, of which her grandfather Walter Clark was a proud member. He was killed in battle along the Kokoda Trail in 1942.

Holding back tears, Clark said Melbourne’s dawn service was “just as moving” as ones she had attended in Gallipoli, at Hellfire Pass in Thailand and on the Western Front of France.

“I am so lucky to be the current custodian of lots of photos and memorabilia because it’s in our family’s tradition and history to serve,” she said.

Brothers and British army veterans Paul and Ian Andrews said attending Melbourne’s dawn service was “one of the best experiences” they’d had in their lives.

Together at the Shrine for the first time, Ian said it was heartening to see how the community had “come together” to support the Anzacs.

“Remembrance Sunday in England is not as popular as this is; support is waning … and I think it’s being taught far more in Australian schools,” he said.

“You see kids here that are knee-high and seem to understand, and for an old fogie like me, that’s what has made today extra special.”

Standing at the bottom of the Shrine’s steps, nine-year-old Elliot Londregan from Wagga Wagga beamed as she gazed up at her hero: her father, a soldier in the Australian Army.

To her, Anzac Day is about “respecting the people that fought for our country”.

“My dad means a lot to me, and him serving in the army is really special to me. I’m really proud of him,” Elliott said.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/booing-mars-melbourne-s-anzac-day-dawn-service-20260425-p5zqz0.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0ifzJmWJuk

>>24536548

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Anti-immigration groups discussed booing

In the days leading up to today's services, organisers and associates of the anti-immigration and nationalist group Fight for Australia, which is affiliated with March for Australia, discussed plans to disrupt Welcome to Country ceremonies through booing online.

A post from the organisation on X asked, "Will you be booing the welcome to country this year?" above a video of Indigenous Elder Mark Brown being booed in his Welcome to Country address at the 2025 ceremony.

One man was arrested at the Sydney service for what NSW Police described as an alleged "act of nuisance".

He was later charged, with police alleging he booed while at the Cenotaph site.

Meanwhile, Victoria Police said it was aware of two incidents of people booing at the Melbourne event.

"As soon as police heard the behaviour, officers moved into the dense crowd; however, [they] were unable to identify anyone at the time," a statement read.

"No arrests have been made."

Police in Western Australia say they issued 10 move-on notices to people who they claim were attempting to disrupt the Anzac Day dawn service at Kings Park in Perth this morning.

National RSL president 'appalled' by disruptions

Speaking from the War Memorial in Canberra, the national president of the RSL, Peter Tinley, said he was "completely mystified and appalled" by the booing.

"It was the opportunity for us to come together and reflect on what it is to be Australian and how enjoyable this country is," he said.

"For some people to feel the need to make a statement like that, I'm quite confused as to what that statement is, quite frankly.

"There's 364 other days they can make that statement, and why would they choose today?

"I think it's entirely disrespectful to the hundreds of thousands of Australians who have lost their lives."

Mr Tinley said the day's focus should remain on those who had lost their lives in war and their families, "not the self-indulgence of those protesters".

Victoria's RSL has also condemned the actions of hecklers among the 50,000-strong crowd that gathered for Melbourne's dawn service.

President Mark Schroffel said the solemn service was a "powerful event that gave Victoria the chance to honour our veterans past and present and reflect on the great sacrifices of service".

He thanked those who paid their respects and said that clapping from the majority of the crowd overwhelmed boos from hecklers.

"Those that did the wrong thing showed they are weak-minded individuals who do not belong at this service.

"We understand the disruptors left before the end of the service, showing complete disrespect to veterans."

He called on the "tiny minority" to focus their efforts elsewhere rather than "spoil the most important service of our Anzac Day commemorations".

Attendees at the Melbourne Dawn Service told the ABC they were moved by the stories of veterans and the "selflessness of what people offered our country".

One described the booing as "confronting", while another said the crowd's decision to clap the hecklers was "beautiful, emotional".

"I just clapped, clapped louder. That's all I felt I could do," another said.

Following the service, another attendee told the ABC she felt "sick to the stomach" during the booing.

"I came thinking that could happen but really hoping it wouldn't," she said.

"I just couldn't believe how long it went for, but I was pleased then to hear the vast majority of the crowd just do a very slow clap to drown out that terrible booing."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-25/anzac-day-booing-heckling-melbourne-sydney-condemnation/106605674

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBkO7UVUJuA

>>24533754

>>24536485

>>24536548

Incredible scenes at Collingwood and Essendon clash after Anzac Dawn Services around Australia marred

There were incredible scenes on Saturday afternoon as footy fans reunited to send a stirring message during the Welcome to Country.

Ben Talintyre - April 25, 2026

After Anzac Day Dawn Services in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide were marred by booing during the Welcome to Country acknowledgment, footy fans have taken a stand, standing and applauding it at the AFL on Saturday afternoon.

Ahead of Essendon and Collingwood’s Anzac Day clash, a near 100,00 strong MCG crowd gave Uncle Colin Hunter Jr a hero’s welcome before cheering and clapping throughout his several minute speech.

After it was announced he would give the Welcome to Country, the crowd burst into rapturous applause. And from there on the cheers only intensified.

“I would like to start by saying that this afternoon we are gathering on the lands of my ancestors, the Wurundjeri people,” he began.

After paying his respects to the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people, he then made a special acknowledgement to those who have served Australia, which was met by more cheers.

“Today I want to make a special acknowledgement,” he continued.

“I want to acknowledge the men and women who have served this country and I want to pay my deepest respects to them.”

The crowd then continued to clap and cheer as he paid his respects to everyone past and present, in what was heralded as one of the most moving Welcome to Country’s.

The beautiful moment of respect was also praised online by those watching at home.

“95000 people showed respect to the Welcome to Country from Uncle Colin. And showed the same respect to the Ode to the fallen. This is how we should all be, showing respect to each other,” one fan wrote on X.

“Big cheer for Uncle Colin before his Welcome to Country at the MCG,” another added.

“That was perfect by Uncle Colin,” a third commented.

While a fourth simply said, “That genuinely moved me. One of the best I have heard. Mutual respect and what Australia is all about”.

While during the first NRL game of the afternoon, the traditional Anzac Day clash between the Dragons and Roosters, there was no Welcome to Country.

The respectful pre-match scenes at the AFL were in stark contrast to some scenes at Dawn Services around the country on Saturday morning.

Indigenous serviceman Uncle Ray Minniecon, whose grandfather served in the Light Horse Brigade, was booed during the Martin Place service.

Later at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance, Uncle Mark Brown’s Welcome to Country address was also interrupted by loud heckling and boos from the crowd.

In Perth, the RSL WA chief executive had to apologise to Whadjuk Noongar elder Di Ryder, a female veteran, whose Welcome to Country address was disturbed by some booing from the crowd at the Dawn Service.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/incredible-scenes-at-collingwood-and-essendon-clash-after-anzac-dawn-services-marred/news-story/94519021ed21568859679c5b51c12209

>>24533754

‘War never solves anything’: Veterans honoured across Australia on Anzac Day

Patrick Begley - April 25, 2026

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Roy Pearson, 99, sat in a wheelchair near the start of the Anzac Day march in Sydney’s city centre with slippers on his feet, medals on his chest and a red poppy crocheted by his late wife as a buttonhole. As the military bands warmed up, the WWII veteran smiled and spoke of peace.

“War never solves anything,” said Pearson, who served as a machine gunner in the airforce. “We need to wake up to ourselves.”

Pearson was one of many thousands who gathered in ceremonies across the country on Saturday to honour Australians who have served and died for their country. The day was marked by music and banners, hearty greetings, tears, the singing of hymns and the laying of wreaths – as well as outbreaks of loud booing from some during Aboriginal acknowledgments of Country.

In Sydney, police confirmed that a 24-year-old man was arrested for “an alleged act of nuisance” and others were moved on from the dawn service at Martin Place.

Saturday marked the 111th anniversary of Australian and New Zealand forces landing on the Turkish coast at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915.

More than 8000 Australian soldiers died during the unsuccessful campaign, which failed to wrest control of the Dardanelles.

Betty Niblett, a 92-year-old veteran of the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps, said she was glad to see young people involved in the defence forces and sorry that national service was no longer in place.

“The world’s all upside down, isn’t it,” she said. “You’ve got to be prepared. Don’t get caught with your pants down.”

By 4.20am, large crowds had assembled in the dark for the dawn service at the Martin Place Cenotaph, wearing everything from neatly pressed uniforms to hoodies. A camera drone winked above the proceedings, whose attendees included Premier Chris Minns, Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, federal Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek, Governor Margaret Beazley and acting head of the RSL, Brigadier Vincent Williams (retired).

John Murray, a Vietnam veteran, made the trip from Brisbane to see what he believed was the biggest dawn service in Australia. “It’s much bigger than I thought,” he said. The son of a Rat of Tobruk, Murray wore a blue RAAF cap and a row of medals pinned to his coat, including a British Empire Medal for his services in medical evacuation.

“They do it very well here,” he said of the ceremony.

The minute of silence was solemn, unbroken. But earlier, a number of crowd members booed loudly and repeatedly during an Acknowledgment of Country by Uncle Ray Minniecon.

Minniecon, whose grandfather served with the Light Horse Brigade, continued despite the interruption and was applauded when he finished.

“We have experienced this type of racism for over 200 years,” he told media after the service. “One of the questions that we have in our minds is: What crime did we commit to attract this kind of racism?”

NSW Police confirmed that a 24-year-old man was arrested over the incident and charged with committing a nuisance at a war memorial. He was granted conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on June 3.

Welcome to Country addresses in Perth and Melbourne were also interrupted. At Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance, a small group of men booed when Victorian Governor Margaret Gardner acknowledged the traditional owners at the start of her speech and when Bunurong and Gunditjmara man Uncle Mark Brown delivered his Welcome to Country. Last year, a Welcome to Country during a dawn service in Melbourne was booed by members of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network.

Politicians and military leaders condemned the actions, with Defence Minister Richard Marles branding the booing “deeply disappointing”.

“Acknowledgments of Country are just an act of respect – and what characterises today is, it is a day of respect,” Marles told ABC TV. The NSW premier also said he was disappointed by the actions of a small number of people.

“Whilst I’ve never before heard booing like that at a dawn service, I’ve also never heard a crowd spontaneously applaud as they did for Uncle Ray Minniecon,” Minns said.

(continued)

>>24536645

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Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said that booing “disrespects everyone who fought and died for our freedom” and that “politicising this sacred day is bastardry”.

On Saturday morning, the organiser for the anti-immigration March for Australia movement, Bec Freedom, posted on Telegram “Sydney boo’d”, followed by a salute emoji.

March for Australia is closely linked to the National Socialist Network, which claims to have disbanded to avoid being proscribed as a hate group.

Meanwhile, Emile Tauati, a warrant officer in the navy, said everyone was entitled to their opinion but “I do believe there’s a time and a place”. Tauati woke at 2am to attend the “very moving” service, his first in his hometown of Sydney after 16 years of military service. In previous years he was away, on base or at sea.

Paul Simpfendorfer, a warrant officer in the army who most recently deployed to South Sudan, said he was there to “remember people I’ve served with”, some of whom had lost their lives in operations, others in training.

“For me, it’s paying respect to my forebears,” Simpfendorfer said.

For Jermia Nona, who has spent three years in the airforce, Anzac Day builds a sense of camaraderie between the different parts of the ADF. “This is where we all get to come together and remember.”

Stacey Nicholson attended her first service with her partner and two-year-old son Bodhi, who sucked on a pacifier while toying with a commemorative sprig of rosemary.

“I think it’s always important to honour our history,” Nicholson said. “We are very, very lucky in the life we have.”

The dawn service was followed by a march along Elizabeth Street at 9am, before a commemoration service at the Pool of Remembrance in Hyde Park at 12.30pm. A sunset service will take place at the Martin Place Cenotaph at 5pm.

Other community events were held around the state by RSL sub-branches. In Parramatta, a march gathered at the town hall at 4am, proceeding to Prince Alfred Square before a dawn service at 4.30am. In Penrith, the dawn service assembled outside Penrith RSL club before a silent march to Memory Park. A Newcastle dawn service was held at Camp Shortland on Nobbys Beach, before a march from Perkins Street to Civic Park at 9.15am and a commemoration service at Civic Park Cenotaph at 10am, featuring an RAAF flyover. And in Wollongong, the 5am dawn service was held at the MacCabe Park Cenotaph, followed by a march on Crown Street at 10am.

NSW will have a public holiday on Monday, as April 25 falls on the weekend this year. The public holiday is part of a two-year trial that will also capture Anzac Day falling on a Sunday in 2027.

Anzac Day is a restricted trading day. Major retailers, including supermarkets and department stores, were closed all day. Small shops, chemists, newsagencies, service stations, cafes, takeaway food outlets and licensed venues could open. The public holiday on Monday is not a restricted trading day.

Meanwhile, thousands of Sydneysiders took the opportunity to play two-up. Essentially illegal except on Anzac Day, the traditional gambling game of tossing two coins and betting on how they land is a staple of Australia’s April 25 tradition.

The London Hotel in Paddington was hosting an inaugural street party with a long queue, five-to-six-people wide stretching around the block by 8.40am for a midday start. Other hotels, including the Clock, The Bellevue, the Clovelly and Balmain’s London Hotel, also did a roaring trade.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/everything-you-need-to-know-for-anzac-day-20260424-p5zquh.html

>>24533754

How a tin of bully beef sparked a truce between enemies at Gallipoli

MARCUS DE BLONK SMITH - April 24, 2026

Major Leslie George Fussell had not long been posted to Quinn’s Post at Gallipoli to defend against the Turks when he was tasked with trying to organise the removal of the bodies of a major and two soldiers lying on top of the parapet.

It was an impossible task.

Bombs were thrown from both sides at all hours of the day. Sometimes, the bombs were hurled back to the enemy before they had ­ detonated.

But one day in September 1915, Major Fussell, who would later go on to fight on the Western Front, picked up a tin of beef bully and, as his son Douglas recalls, “bowled it back towards the Turks”.

Sometime later, a brown paper parcel landed near the wire outside the parapet. The Australian Diggers were terrified, fearful the brown package would detonate.

“There was great concern shown amongst the Diggers as they waited for it to explode,” Douglas, 84, tells The Australian.

“Dad eventually retrieved it and found it contained tobacco and a note in French.”

Douglas’s father, who died when Douglas was just 17, trans­lated the note. In it, the Turks wrote: “Thank you for the meat. Do you have a knife? Here is some ­tobacco.”

Shortly thereafter, a Turk called out “we are not your enemy”. And suddenly the fighting stopped.

Douglas says his father, upon hearing the call, stood up and with the help of his soldiers, finally recovered the bodies of the dead Australians.

“He (then) waved towards the Turkish trench and very soon the bomb-throwing recommenced,” Douglas says.

Major Fussell became very ill towards the end of November 1915 and plans were put in place for him to be evacuated to Egypt.

And once he recovered, Douglas says, his father joined his men on the Western Front in France where he would go on to be awarded the Military Cross for bravery and organisational skill at the ­battle of Pozieres.

It is an extraordinary story for the Fussell family, and one with particular resonance given they are part of what is now a very small group of Australians with a direct, first-generation link to a Gallipoli veteran.

As Douglas explains from his home in Brisbane’s northern suburbs: “My dad was 56 when he married my mother. That makes me a little bit different from a lot of other sons of World War I veterans. There aren’t a lot of people around Australia of (my) age whose fathers fought in that war,” he adds.

Asked what Anzac Day meant to him, Douglas said: “I was in military college the day my dad died … Anzac Day is very important to me. I lost some very good friends … and I feel for all those people and also families of soldiers who’ve served in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/how-a-tin-of-bully-beef-sparked-a-truce-between-enemies-at-gallipoli/news-story/34680c52727f86d7300e80071691f4b7

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Journalists in gowns and tuxedos ducked near tables as wine splattered onto white tablecloths and glasses clinked in the hurry to seek safety. Some in the crowd reported hearing what they believed to be five to eight shots fired.

Vance was removed from the room first, while agents initially covered Trump in place before escorting him and the First Lady from the room. Trump briefly stumbled on the way offstage, before being assisted by his security detail.

Trump was held for some time in a secure presidential suite at the hotel while he and organisers initially sought to resume the event. Hotel staff refolded napkins and refilled water glasses, and aides adjusted the teleprompter for the president, but he was returned to the White House on the advice of the Secret Service.

The banquet hall, where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s speech, was immediately evacuated. Members of the National Guard took up position inside the building, where people were allowed to leave but not re-enter.

FBI director Kash Patel said the agency was examining a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene, as well as interviewing witnesses from the dinner. He urged anyone with information to come forward.

Interim police chief Jeff Carroll said the alleged gunman was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives when he charged a security checkpoint outside the Hilton ballroom.

The suspect was not shot during the exchange of gunfire, police said, but he was still taken to hospital for assessment.

(continued)

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A Secret Service agent took a bullet to his bulletproof vest, but was released from hospital early on Sunday US time. Trump said at the press conference that he had spoken to him.

“He’s doing great. He’s in great shape,” Trump said. “He was in very high spirits and we told him we love him and respect him and he is a very proud guy.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was pleased to hear that the president and first lady and all attendees at the dinner were safe.

“We applaud the work of the Secret Service and law enforcement agencies for their swift action,” Albanese said.

Trump has been the subject of prior assassination attempts, including at a Pennsylvania rally in 2024, when his ear was grazed by a bullet.

The president said he would not change the way he went about his job despite another act of violence that was seemingly politically motivated.

He was adamant the dinner would be rescheduled and that it would be “bigger and better”.

“We’re not going to let anybody take over our society. We’re not going to cancel things out,” Trump said. “I don’t like to let these sick people, these horrible thugs, change the fabric of our lives, change what we do.”

He also praised Melania Trump for her poise during a “traumatic time”.

Trump used his press conference to advocate for the new ballroom he is in the process of having built at the White House, saying he believed tonight’s venue “wasn’t particularly secure”.

“We looked at all of the [security] conditions that took place tonight, and I will say it is not a particularly secure building,” Trump said.

“I didn’t want to say this, but this is why we have to have all the attributes of what we are planning at the White House with a larger room, and it is drone-proof, bulletproof,” he said.

“We need the ballroom. That is why Secret Service and the military are demanding it.”

(continued)

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Generally, the Washington Hilton, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Security has typically been focused on the hotel ballroom itself.

In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security removed guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations.

In 1981, then-president Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr outside the Hilton in an event that prompted a redesign of the property.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/trump-evacuated-from-white-house-correspondents-dinner-20260426-p5zr4h.html

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/in-pictures-trump-politicians-flee-after-shots-fired-at-washington-hotel-20260426-p5zr4t.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2ncMcZWfSc

>>24540678

Donald Trump evacuated from Washington dinner as ‘shooter’ arrested

Heath Parkes-Hupton - April 26, 2026

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Dramatic footage of the moment a man armed with a “very powerful gun” stormed a security checkpoint at a Washington hotel where Donald Trump was attending a media industry ball has been released.

The US President said the gunman, named as Cole Thomas Allen, shot at a Secret Service officer but his life was saved by a bullet proof vest.

Mr Trump, his wife and a host of senior US government officials were in attendance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton when the shooting unfolded about 8.30pm on Saturday, local time.

Authorities have said the gunman, identified in US media as Californian school teacher Mr Allen, was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives.

The 31-year-old was expected to be charged with multiple offences including using a firearm during a crime of violence and face court on Monday, US time.

It is believed he was staying at the hotel, according to DC police chief Jeffery W Carroll.

Allen is believed to have acted alone, Mr Carroll said.

FBI agents swarmed Allen’s home in Torrance, California – a city about 30km south of Los Angeles – early on Sunday morning, while awaiting a search warrant expected to be signed by a federal judge in the Central District of California, the US Attorney’s Office told Fox News.

A LinkedIn profile with the name “Cole Allen” showed a picture of a man which appeared to match a photo of the suspect shared by Mr Trump.

The social media profile said Allen was a mechanical engineer, computer scientist, game developer and teacher.

Allen has no criminal record and was unknown to police in Washington DC, law enforcement sources told NBC News.

Speaking at the White House on Saturday night, Mr Trump called the gunman “sick” and said he had “attacked our constitution”.

“And he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service, and they acted very quickly,” he said.

“One officer was shot, but saved by the fact that he was wearing a obviously a very good bulletproof vest. He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun.

“And the vest did the job. I just spoke to the officer and he’s doing great.”

Mr Trump said at first be believed the loud noise was a dropped catering tray before he realised what had occurred.

“It was a matter of seconds before we were out the door”.

(continued)

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CCTV of the incident showed the gunman running through a security screening area of the lobby and firing at an officer, with Mr Trump said the shooter was “really moving”.

“He looked pretty evil … he was a sick person,” he said. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too.”

Mr Trump was asked about whether the shooter might have been trying to target him, following the unsuccessful assassination attempt on him during the 2024 election campaign.

He said that he had studied assassinations and they usually targeted “the most impressive, inspirational people”, citing for US president Abraham Lincoln.

“They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much because they like it that way,” Mr Trump said.

“And when you look at the people that have either whether it was an attempt or a successful attempt, that they’re very impressive, inspirational. People just take a look at their names. They’re the big names. And, I hate to say I’m honoured by that, but I do know we’ve taken this country … and now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world with this country.

“And there are a lot of people that are not happy about that. So I think that’s the answer.”

Footage from inside the hotel’s ballroom showed Mr Trump sitting next to wife Melania at a long table on the stage when bangs could be heard ringing out.

The shots were coming from outside the ballroom, according to eye witness Wolf Blitzer, the veteran CNN anchor.

Secret Service personnel rushed Mr Trump from the stage and also evacuated his wife and cabinet members.

Mr Trump posted on Truth Social just after 11.20am, AEST, to say it had been “quite an evening in DC”. He praised Secret Service and police for doing a “fantastic job”.

He confirmed a shooter “has been apprehended”.

“They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we “LET THE SHOW GO ON” but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly.

“Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again.

“President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

(continued)

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Mr Trump was surrounded by security staff and appeared to momentarily fall down as he was rushed off the stage.

The dinner has been cancelled, and was set to be rescheduled within the next 30 days.

Attorney-General Todd Blanche told reporters at the White House he expected charges to be filed “shortly”.

“The charges should be self evident, given the conduct,” he said.

Heavily armed guards could be seen patrolling the stage as attendees, including the President, dived under tables.

Video shared on social media showed a law enforcement officer announcing “it is now a crime scene”, saying the Secret Service “has the person in custody”

“One shooter,” he said.

Blitzer was near a men’s toilet when the shooting took place, he told his network. He said the gunman had a “very, very serious weapon”.

Blitzer described being a few feet away from the shooter: “I did see the gunman on the ground after he started shooting”.

Several US Secret Service agents yelled, “shots fired”, according to pool reports.

Jana Hocking, a former news.com.au columnist, was at the dinner for the Daily Mail and said “we heard the shots and jumped straight under the table. Very scary but we’re safe”.

ABC America’s editor John Lyons said there were about 2500 people in the room when they started “hitting the floor”.

“The people in front of me were sort of scrambling under their tables,” he said.

“There was shouting and fear and you heard this kerfuffle.”

Images and videos from the scene showed a man lying face down in the hotel lobby, surrounded by law enforcement and covered in a silver thermal blanket.

It appeared his hands had been secured behind his back.

US government secretaries Scott Bessent, Robert F Kennedy Jr, Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance were all in attendance, he said.

Lyons said people remained under tables for 15 minutes, describing the scene as “absolute chaos”.

(continued)

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Sky News US correspondent James Matthews, who was in the room, said there was “an atmosphere of extreme fear” and said it appeared shots had been fired.

“Several loud bangs, sounded like gunfire,” he said.

“Several people in this room hid under tables. Secret service were engaged in a pursuit.

“And Donald Trump as far as I could see was very quickly taken out of the room.”

Sky News US correspondent James Matthews, who was in the room, said there was “an atmosphere of extreme fear” and said it appeared shots had been fired.

“Several loud bangs, sounded like gunfire,” he said.

“Several people in this room hid under tables. Secret service were engaged in a pursuit.

“And Donald Trump as far as I could see was very quickly taken out of the room.”

The event on Saturday night, local time, was being held at the Washington Hilton with strict security arrangements in place.

It is the first time Mr Trump has attended the annual dinner for US political journalism over his two terms as President.

https://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/donald-trump-evacuated-from-white-house-dinner-after-major-security-incident/news-story/54534c22957376f396a3cf436be410a9

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-26/donald-trump-evacuated-from-white-house-correspondents-dinner/106607710

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116468367583052130

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116468441221231506

>>24540678

>>24540744

Trump shooting: Anthony Albanese speaks out following Donald Trump’s attempted shooting in Washington

Sophie Gannon - 26 April 2026

Anthony Albanese and other world leaders have saluted the US Secret Service for their work and bravery in protecting US President Donald Trump and 2500 guests at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

“I am pleased to hear the President and the First Lady, along with all attendees at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, are safe,” Australia’s Prime Minister said in a statement on Sunday.“We applaud the work of the Secret Service and law enforcement agencies for their swift action.”

Other international leaders also shared their support and relief that the President was uninjured in what is believed to have been a failed assassination attempt.

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said on Facebook said he was relieved that the president, First Lady Melania Trump and all the guests are safe following the reports of gunfire.

“Political violence has no place in any democracy and my thoughts are with all those who have been shaken by this disturbing event,” he said.

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum also said it was “good” that Mr Trump and his wife are safe following the event.

“We send them our respect. Violence must never be the way,” she said.

The British ambassador to the United States, Christian Turner, and some other embassy officials were also in attendance at the dinner.

He said on X that he and others were “grateful for the swift and professional response of the secret service”.

“We are thankful that the President and those in attendance were unharmed & our best wishes are with the injured officer,” Turner said.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X that he and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, were “shocked” by the attempted assassination.

“We are relieved that the President and the First Lady are safe and strong,” he said.

“We send our wishes for a full and speedy recovery to the wounded police officer and salute the US Secret Service for their swift and decisive action.”

https://thewest.com.au/politics/donald-trump/trump-shooting-anthony-albanese-speaks-out-following-donald-trumps-attempted-shooting-in-washington-c-22195205

https://x.com/AlboMP/status/2048261887692005585

https://x.com/netanyahu/status/2048290585228746798

>>24354950

>>24502427

>>24502430

Jews should not be required to pay ‘safety tax’: Royal commission swamped with submissions

Alexandra Smith - April 24, 2026

Exposure to antisemitism in education and health settings as well as the arts, sport and online is detailed in a “significant number” of the 3500 submissions lodged with the royal commission, launched in the wake of the Bondi killings.

The royal commission on Friday provided an update on the number of submissions it has received and confirmed that it would highlight “issues requiring urgent or immediate action” and make recommendations related to the Bondi attack in its interim report, due next Thursday.

The commission’s first report since its inception earlier this year will focus on the security agencies and any potential intelligence failures that may have led to the terrorist attack, in which 15 mostly Jewish people were killed on the first night of Hanukkah at an event at Bondi Beach on December 14 last year.

However, Commissioner Virginia Bell has previously stressed that the commission “must do its work without risking any prejudice” to criminal proceedings involving alleged gunman Naveed Akram, who was charged with 15 counts of murder and 40 of attempted murder after the mass shooting.

For this reason, she said that hearing evidence from “people who may be witnesses in the criminal proceeding would create that risk and, for that reason, it will not occur”.

The commission has so far received more than 3500 submissions, which are yet to be made public.

“At this point a significant number of submissions cover the breadth of the royal commission’s terms of reference, detailing lived experience of antisemitism across various sectors including education, employment, media, health, the arts, sport and online,” a commission spokesperson said.

Some groups have decided to share their submissions or detail what they contain, including a school principal from The King David School, a progressive Jewish school in Melbourne. Principal Marc Light in a blog post on the school’s website said taxpayers must foot the bill for protecting the Jewish community.

“We ask that the commission recommends that the government takes full responsibility for the full cost of security measures,” Light said in the post.

“We assert that it is unconscionable that it is more expensive to be safe if you are Jewish than if you are not. Jews simply should not be required to pay a ‘safety tax’ to live normal lives.”

Similarly, the Jewish non-profit group StandWithUs says in its submission that Australia should follow the lead of European countries, such as Italy, where the army has a permanent role in protecting Jewish sites and places of worship.

The group calls on the Commonwealth, in partnership with the states and territories, to “urgently review the feasibility of establishing a permanent protective security presence for Jewish sites, schools and places of worship”.

The first block of royal commission public hearings will start in Sydney on May 4 and will focus on defining antisemitism, the lived experiences of antisemitism and its impacts on Jewish Australians, and metrics for assessing the prevalence of antisemitism in institutions and society.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/jews-should-not-be-required-to-pay-safety-tax-royal-commission-swamped-with-submissions-20260424-p5zqrx.html

>>24360122

>>24354950

>>24502430

Authorities suspect Gaza war drove Bondi shooter to terror

Nick McKenzie - April 24, 2026

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A fixation with Israel’s war in Gaza is suspected by authorities to have served as a key motivation for Islamic State adherent turned Bondi Beach mass killer Sajid Akram.

State and federal police have also gathered information raising the prospect that Sajid played a significant role influencing his son, Naveed, to carry out the December attack that left 15 people dead, allegedly demanding his son engage in a strict no-communication policy to evade law enforcement detection.

This masthead can also reveal two separate classified inquiries have broadly concluded neither the federal police nor the nation’s spy agency acted negligently or failed to act on intelligence in a manner that could have prevented the Bondi attack, one of the worst attacks on Jews anywhere in the world in decades.

The inquiry assessing the Australian Federal Police was undertaken by former deputy commissioner Neil Gaughan, while Australian Security Intelligence Organisation’s conduct was assessed by a former intelligence agency counter-terrorism expert.

But federal and state counter-terrorism agency insiders also acknowledge that the royal commission prompted by the Bondi attack has concluded that Australia’s counter-terror and antisemitism regimes can be hardened.

Before his resignation from the royal commission, sources said, ex-ASIO director Dennis Richardson expressed alarm about whether agencies, and governments more broadly, sufficiently responded when the terror threat level was raised by ASIO in 2024.

He also encouraged further scrutiny of ASIO’s 2019 assessment of Naveed.

Richardson’s observations could pave the way for firm questioning of intelligence agencies at the royal commission, which delivers an interim report next week.

The revelations about the shooters’ motivations and actions and the subsequent reviews are based on briefings from a dozen sources including investigators with deep knowledge of different aspects of Australia’s counter-terrorism regime or the alleged actions of Sajid and Naveed. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are unable to discuss the matters publicly.

Naveed is facing terror charges over the killings, while police shot Sajid dead during the attack. Naveed’s fate lies with the NSW justice system, but understanding his father’s motivation and path to terrorism have emerged as vital issues as counter-terror agencies and the royal commission examine Australia’s worst terror attack.

Security sources, including state and federal police, told this masthead that Sajid’s role in organising the attack was far greater than publicly acknowledged.

His motivation, they said, was suspected to be his growing Islamic State-influenced anger about Israel’s conduct of its war in Gaza, where more than 70,000 people have died, which it launched after the Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023.

Sajid was a religious fundamentalist or “hardliner” for years before a relatively rapid descent into violent Islamic extremism, and was absorbed by the Gaza conflict, one source said.

Another well-placed counter-terrorism official described Israel’s war in Gaza as a key motivator, while a third source aware of confidential assessments from state and federal agencies confirmed Sajid’s anger over Gaza, fused with the terrorist ideology of Islamic State, had contributed to the attack.

“He had views about Gaza,” this source said in reference to material gathered by state and federal agencies.

Court files say the pair recorded a video manifesto in October wearing black T-shirts and sitting in front of an image of an IS flag.

A source who had seen the video said Gaza was mentioned in the terrorists’ manifesto as part of their broader IS mission.

The court documents note only that the Akrams allegedly “condemn the acts of Zionists” in the video.

Gaza’s central role in the attack will probably fuel the political debate about the rise of antisemitism in Australia since 2023, and whether governments and state and federal agencies did enough to protect Australian Jews.

Islamic State has sought to exploit the Gaza conflict as an opportunity to regain momentum after the collapse of its caliphate.

The sources said Sajid designed the terror plot’s modus operandi enabling the Akrams to avoid the law enforcement radar.

Most significantly, under Sajid’s guidance, the pair studiously avoided phone and computer communications and avoided radical Islamic networks and prayer centres.

Single-man or two-man self-contained terror cells are the most difficult for authorities to investigate.

(continued)

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One source said Sajid was “very careful” to not use electronic communication that might be detected and was paranoid of surveillance.

Sources said that Sajid, in particular, was careful to avoid prayer groups known for being extremism hotbeds and avoid posting online.

Three sources said that Sajid’s cautious behaviour appeared to be based on his brief but alarming experiences with authorities in 2019.

At this time, Naveed came to the attention of counter-terror investigators due to his attendance at a radical Islamist prayer centre which also hosted several active Islamic State terrorists who were later charged, convicted and jailed.

A significant amount of media reporting and commentary after the Bondi terror attack has focused on Naveed’s interactions in 2019 with this radical prayer group.

Some reporting has also questioned whether police and ASIO erred – or suffered an “intelligence failure” – when, in 2019 and 2020, state and federal counter-terror officials separately assessed Naveed as not posing a terror threat requiring intensive ongoing investigation.

All but one of the official sources who briefed this masthead on condition of anonymity insisted these point-in-time assessments of the younger Akram were thorough and reasonable.

They also acknowledged that counter-terror systems could be enhanced, but dismissed suggestions that any one agency had bungled the historical assessments or been involved in an intelligence failure.

One source privy to classified joint-agency information about the attack said it did not point to any major “failure on the part of intel[ligence] agencies”.

“That’s not to say there will not be learnings from this,” a senior police source said.

The father and son may have also evaded detection because they failed in their suspected attempts to connect with overseas extremist groups, and they only fully embraced Islamic State’s violent ideology in response to the more recent Gaza conflict.

Initial media reports that the pair received military-style training from extremists in the Philippines in 2024 are not supported by any evidence. Had the pair made it to a southern Philippines training camp when they travelled to the Asian nation in the months before the attack, it may have alerted local authorities or Five Eyes agencies.

“In the Philippines … suspicion is they were trying to make connections with radical groups or preachers to gain spiritual assent for the acts they were planning.” There were “thousands of hours” of footage showing the pair “just sitting in a room”, one source said.

Retrospective analysis has also raised questions about whether the pair’s other historical travel to Central Asia – possibly as part of a plan to enter Afghanistan – was adequately analysed.

The former ASIO counter-terror official who reviewed the agency’s conduct post the Bondi attack has endorsed ASIO’s assessment of Naveed Akram in 2019 that “he did not adhere to or intend to engage in violent extremism at that time”.

The AFP’s Gaughan review uncovered no information that the federal police failed in its handling of known intelligence when Akram first appeared on the radar of the Joint Counter-Terrorism Taskforce in Sydney.

In response to questions about these reviews and the activities of Sajid, the AFP declined to answer questions and instead stated: “The media inquiry suggests you may be privy to information not authorised for disclosure and I note the AFP has mandatory reporting obligations to relevant agencies and oversight bodies in relation to such matters.”

The federal police also flagged that this masthead’s proposed reporting as “extremely unhelpful” as it could “negatively impact” the royal commission and law enforcement investigations into the Bondi shooting.

The AFP did not respond when asked how this report could undermine the commission or police inquiries.

ASIO also declined to answer questions, saying in a statement it “would not be appropriate to comment while the royal commission is considering these matters”.

Prior to his resignation from the royal commission, Dennis Richardson appears to have taken a wider view of Australia’s counter-terrorism system than the agency reviews and flagged some concerns.

One, a source briefed on them said, was whether the 2019 and 2020 point-in-time conclusions of ASIO and NSW Police that Naveed did not pose a threat were overly relied upon and meant later potential data points – such as the pair’s travel to Central Asia – were not more thoroughly scrutinised as potential red flags.

The source said Richardson’s views were, on some matters, at odds with ASIO and the AFP. All sources agreed that the NSW gun licence system was deeply flawed, not least because it could not access all critical intelligence holdings or interact with Australia’s counter-terrorism regime.

(continued)

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Richardson, the source said, also queried whether enough resourcing and policy focus was applied across the joint national and state counter-terror regime after ASIO director general Mike Burgess raised the terrorism threat level to probable in 2024 and warned the “most likely attack” could involve one or a few people who rapidly radicalise into extremists and use “a rudimentary weapon such as a gun” to attack.

In February 2025, Burgess warned “antisemitism represented ASIO’s top priority in terms of threats to life”.

Among the sources who briefed this masthead, there were mixed views on the adequacy of resourcing, policy settings and whether surges in counter-terror police activity and intelligence gathering were sufficient.

The amount the government spends on fighting terrorism is intentionally vague, but one segment of the budget made public, included in a fresh strategy on countering extremism released last year, showed funding growing to nearly $80 million over three years, up from $45 million.

One senior police source said that while there had been a substantial lift in federal and state police activity and monitoring of persons of interest when the Gaza conflict erupted, it had subsided as the months passed and authorities found no indication of an attack. A second source with years of experience in counter-terrorism defended the funding as appropriate.

A third source said Richardson, while identifying no blatant intelligence failure, had privately encouraged the royal commission to examine resourcing of counter-Islamic extremism efforts from various agencies.

The source said “the long and the short” of it was opinion was divided on counter-terrorism resourcing adequacy and the royal commission would need to closely examine the issue.

The source said that after Burgess’ dire warnings, the federal and state counter-terrorism settings may not have been adequately changed, meaning “eyes were taken off the ball”. ASIO has previously publicly asserted “the claim any resourcing decision increased the likelihood of the Bondi attack is false” and that the royal commission would make its own assessment.

A fourth source who deals closely with ASIO, the AFP and state agencies said their view was counter-terrorism resourcing had been both adequate and significant.

Another source said significant resourcing was appropriately directed to countering threats not technically described as “counter-terrorism” but nevertheless with grave national security or threat-to-life implications.

Last August, the prime minister described how an ASIO-led inquiry had uncovered Iran was behind two “extraordinary and dangerous” antisemitic firebombings in Australia “aimed at creating fear, stoking internal divisions and eroding social cohesion”.

While it had no direct bearing on the Bondi attack and was not indicative of mostly good interagency relations inside Australia’s joint state and federal counter terror teams, the entrenched hostility between parts of the NSW Police command and the AFP highlights how interagency co-operation can be improved, two federal sources said.

That tension has been most apparent in organised crime probes, but it also flared up during the Dural caravan incident.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/authorities-suspect-gaza-war-drove-bondi-shooter-to-terror-20260421-p5zpo5.html

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>>24354950

>>24502430

>>24544690

Scepticism after federal agencies clear themselves over Bondi attack

Paul Karp and Michael Read - Apr 24, 2026

Reviews of the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation that found neither organisation failed in its duties in the lead up to the Bondi attack have been met with scepticism by stakeholders preparing to engage with the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.

A review by the former AFP deputy commissioner Neil Gaughan into the AFP concluded there was no evidence police failed in handling of known intelligence before the December Bondi terror attack, which left 15 people dead.

A second review by a former intelligence agency counter-terrorism expert into the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation said ASIO was correct to conclude that Naveed Akram did not adhere to or intend to engage in violent extremism in 2019, two sources have told The Australian Financial Review.

The reviews have been provided to the antisemitism royal commission led by Virginia Bell, which will begin public hearings in May. But stakeholders familiar with the workings of the royal commission, who are preparing to appear before it, and who asked for anonymity to discuss the inquiry, said those conclusions would need to be tested.

On Friday, a Sydney Morning Herald report quoted security sources saying Bondi shooter Sajid Akram was fixated on Israel’s war in Gaza before the attack. Police killed Akram during the attack. His son Naveed is facing 56 criminal charges.

In February, ASIO boss Mike Burgess told Senate estimates that although the review was highly classified, the spy agency stood by its 2019 assessment that “the Akrams did not adhere to or intend to engage in violent extremism at that time. In other words, many of the claims and criticisms being made about ASIO’s handling of the case are baseless”.

One Labor MP, who asked not to be named, said it was “outrageous” for the agencies to clear themselves and any such conclusion had “to be tested by the royal commission”.

“Those reviews were done by one person on each occasion, and they had a limited amount of time,” said another source familiar with the reviews. “Those reviews are useful and important but only go so far.”

Former Home Affairs Department secretary Michael Pezzullo said it “would not surprise me to learn that ASIO and AFP had both followed procedure and assessed the younger [alleged] attacker as being of negligible concern”.

“Obviously, the internal reports have to be assessed by the royal commission,” Pezzullo said. “That needs to be tested by Bell.”

“The larger question is whether resourcing for counter-terrorism was ramped up after October 2023 and again after August 2024, when the threat level was raised. If not, why not?

“Had more resources been thrown at the problem, old marginal cases could have been reopened. It’s not a matter for ASIO and the AFP as such. Resourcing is ultimately a matter for the minister and the department.”

Opposition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam said the opposition was concerned “there was not enough support for our intelligence agencies, including by way of funding, from the Labor government”.

“The Coalition expects a thorough assessment of our agencies and importantly, the actions of the Labor government and its ministers through the royal commission process, including a comprehensive examination of the government’s oversight of counter-terrorism resourcing, intelligence co-ordination, information-sharing frameworks, and the broader national security architecture.

“The shifting of ASIO back to the Department of Home Affairs was an admission that the Labor government had the intelligence apparatus wrong. The extent to which these changes contributed to broader national security failures – including any breakdowns in information sharing arising from ill-considered machinery-of-government decisions – should be thoroughly examined by the royal commission.”

A spokeswoman for the AFP said reporting on the alleged motives of the Akrams and the outcomes of the two reviews was “extremely unhelpful, as it has the potential to negatively impact the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, as well as the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team investigation into the mass shooting at Bondi Beach on 14 December, 2025”.

On Friday, a royal commission spokeswoman said so far it had received more than 3500 submissions.

“At this point a significant number of submissions cover the breadth of the royal commission’s terms of reference, detailing lived experience of antisemitism across various sectors including education, employment, media, health, the arts, sport and online,” the spokeswoman said.

https://www.afr.com/politics/scepticism-after-federal-agencies-clear-themselves-over-bondi-attack-20260424-p5zqv2

>>24424631

US Navy awards first AUKUS submarine contract using Australian funds but experts warn of production strain

JOE KELLY - April 24, 2026

The US Navy has awarded its first contract for $US196m ($275m) of AUKUS-related work to Electric Boat, America’s primary designer and manufacturer of nuclear-powered submarines, with the funds coming from the $US2bn provided by Australia under the landmark security partnership.

US Democrat congressman Joe Courtney, who represents Connecticut’s second congressional district that includes Groton, home to Electric Boat’s historic shipyard, said the new contract was a major milestone for the AUKUS program.

Mr Courtney, the ranking member of the US House of Representatives seapower and projection forces subcommittee, said the contract would support “engineering and design work for submarine capabilities in the AUKUS program” and was “powerful evidence that this security program, authorised by congress in 2023, is tangibly moving forward”.

“These funds, which come from Australia’s $3bn investment into the US submarine industrial base, are proof that AUKUS is not just a plan on whiteboards but a real enterprise that eastern Connecticut will make a success,” he said.

Mr Courtney, co-chairman of the bipartisan Friends of Australia congressional caucus, made his comments one day after the head of US Indo-Pacific Command defended the progress being made under the AUKUS partnership.

Admiral Samuel Paparo told the house armed services committee the US could “operate a rotational submarine squadron out of Australia tomorrow”.

He said HMAS Stirling was “on track for the rotational force that will arrive here in Perth in a little over a year” and “in every regard, in pillar one, we’re on track”.

The reassurance over the progress of the AUKUS partnership follows the review of the trilateral security partnership between the US, Britain and Australia conducted by the Pentagon last year that endorsed the deal.

While the US President has recently expressed frustration towards the lack of Australian assistance in the Strait of Hormuz – declaring last week that he was “not happy” – he also has stood firmly by the AUKUS agreement.

Under the AUKUS agreement, the US will sell Australia at least three Virginia-class submarines starting in 2032. But concerns remain about whether the US submarine industrial base can produce replacement vessels quickly enough to avoid a weakening of America’s own fleet.

Congressional Budget Office senior analyst for naval forces and weapons Eric J Labs informed the subcommittee on seapower and projection forces this week that under the 2025 shipbuilding plan – covering the period 2025 to 2054 – the increases in workload were “considerable for the submarine industrial base, in particular”.

“The amount of submarine tonnage under construction has grown by more than 70 per cent since 2014,” he said. “Under the 2025 plan, it would grow by an additional 70 per cent by 2031; in other words, it would have tripled in 17 years.

“Those estimates do not include building replacements for any of the attack submarines that the United States will sell to Australia under the tripartite security pact among those two countries and the United Kingdom, which is known as AUKUS.”

He warned the additional burden placed on the submarine industrial base by AUKUS would “add another challenge to an already stressed production line”.

Dr Labs noted that for the past two years the rate of production has averaged 1.1 submarines per year even though the navy typically had been purchasing them at a rate of two a year for most of the past decade. To provide Australia with three to five Virginia-class submarines under AUKUS, the US will need to increase its production rate to 2.33 a year.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/us-navy-awards-first-aukus-submarine-contract-using-australian-funds-but-experts-warn-of-production-strain/news-story/fdead93f7b5bd091d0c0d1216206acdb

>>24433108

>>24474340

>>24512388

Australia’s long wait for a US ambassador just took a new turn

Jessica Gardner - Apr 24, 2026

Washington | Fifteen months into Donald Trump’s term, Australia’s wait for a permanent United States ambassador is entering a new, more uncertain chapter.

The acting ambassador at the US embassy in Canberra, Erika Olson, will leave her post in the coming months, according to sources in both capital cities, who cite private conversations with State Department officials.

Her departure highlights the ongoing diplomatic void at the top of the relationship at a time of growing distrust in the alliance among Australians, and as Trump continues to stall on appointing a representative.

Olson, officially the Charge d’Affaires at the embassy in Canberra and a veteran of the US foreign service, will move to a new assignment, likely in Canada, the sources said.

Australia has been without a US ambassador since December 2024, when Caroline Kennedy, who was appointed by former Democrat president Joe Biden, departed following Trump’s election win.

The lack of an ambassadorial appointment by Trump, fifteen months on from his inauguration in January 2025, makes Australia an outlier among allies such as France, New Zealand and Britain, which all have top diplomats in place.

Trump’s repeated criticisms of the Albanese government for not doing more to help in the war in Iran, his imposition of tariffs on Australian goods despite a 25-year free-trade agreement, and his cavalier attitude towards diplomatic norms have put strains on the usually close relationship.

The tumultuous time has led some to wonder if Australia’s lack of an ambassador is reflective of a serious and worsening problem, but Kathryn Paik, deputy Australia chair of the DC-based think tank the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, dismissed those concerns.

“People in general globally are often quick to see a lack of ambassador as an indicator of some issue in the relationship, but it rarely is,” she said.

“Many posts remain vacant for extended periods of time, and this is nothing new in this administration or in past administrations. At the same time, I can see why, given the high importance of the Australian-US alliance to both sides, that the longer this goes on without having an ambassador in place, the more those types of rumours exist.”

A White House official, when asked for an update on the recruitment process, said: “We expect to nominate a United States Ambassador to Australia soon.”

One person who has been speculated about as a candidate is Republican Congressman Michael McCaul, who co-chairs the Friends of Australia Congressional Caucus, and has deep geopolitical experience as a former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

McCaul said in September last year he would not seek re-election at this year’s midterm vote, meaning he will be looking for something to do come November.

But given Republicans’ slim margin in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson cannot have more than two defections if he wants to pass legislation along party lines, the White House might prefer McCaul stays put for now. His office declined to comment.

The picking and confirming of ambassadors has been glacial for many countries, not just Australia. Of 190 ambassadorial appointments tracked by the American Foreign Service Association, including some United Nations roles, 113 are vacant.

Australia is among countries such as Germany, Brazil and Indonesia still without an ambassador.

Underlining how slow the process has been, and perhaps how low down the White House’s priority list these appointments have been, only three new ambassadors have been named since September 2025.

Olson, a State Department veteran who has had other foreign postings, including in Slovakia, Georgia and Uzbekistan, has worked as the deputy head of the mission since late 2024 when Kennedy left.

Her departure has been described as a normal diplomatic rotation and she is expected to be replaced by another foreign policy expert.

A State Department spokesperson said: “We have no personnel announcements to make at this time.”

https://www.afr.com/world/north-america/australia-s-long-wait-for-a-us-ambassador-just-took-a-new-turn-20260424-p5zqrc

>>24466593

>>24544743

Epstein fallout: Virginia Giuffre remembered as ‘hero to the ages’ on first anniversary of her death

Michael Koziol - April 26, 2026

Washington: Prominent Jeffrey Epstein survivor and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor accuser Virginia Giuffre has been hailed as a hero who changed the world at a memorial to mark a year since her death, as advocates prepare for the imminent US visit of King Charles.

A small crowd gathered in Washington’s National Mall, just a block from the White House, on Saturday (US time) to honour Giuffre, who died by suicide on Anzac Day last year at her farm north of Perth. She was 41.

Her younger brother Sky Roberts, who with his wife Amanda has become a key voice demanding reform of sex -trafficking laws and the release of all the so-called Epstein files, read a letter to his sister from the stage.

“I want you to know: you changed the world, sis,” he said. “Your survivor sisters, your friends, your family and thousands of amazing survivors from all walks of life – they continue to change the world and refuse to stay silent because you showed us the way, and we carry your torch with honour.”

Democrats have introduced a bill to Congress, dubbed Virginia’s Law, that would remove the statute of limitations for adult survivors of sexual abuse to file civil claims against their abusers.

Giuffre accused the late American financier Epstein of trafficking her to King Charles’ younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, when she was 17.

Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied the allegations and reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 without admitting wrongdoing. He has said he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre.

The former prince was stripped of his remaining royal titles and honours as the fallout from the release of the Epstein files intensified, and earlier this year was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was released but remains under investigation.

Addressing the crowd in Washington, Arisha Hatch, executive director of social justice lobby group UltraViolet, said the group would launch a new initiative, the Epstein Accountability Project, in coming days, likely during the King’s visit.

The project’s aim was “to make sure the individuals and institutions that enabled the largest child sex abuse network of our lifetime face accountability”, she said.

Sky and Amanda Roberts have called for the King to meet with them and survivors of Epstein’s abuse while he is in the US. Democratic congressman Ro Khanna had also requested the King meet with survivors during his visit.

However, through their lawyers, the King and Queen said they were unable to hold the meeting due to “ongoing police inquiries”.

Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin told the memorial that Giuffre was a leader whose legacy sat alongside the contributions of America’s great civil rights activists.

“Generations to come will marvel at her toughness and celebrate her personal conviction and her moral determination to change American society and to change the world,” he said.

“She is now not just a hero to this movement, but she is a hero to the ages who dwells with other great leaders and heroes of history, like Dolores Huerta, like Rosa Parks and like Frederick Douglass.”

Giuffre’s friend and publicist Dini Von Mueffling said Giuffre was the most extraordinary person she had ever met, fondly recalling their long international phone calls during COVID pandemic lockdowns.

She said she wished Giuffre had been alive to see the introduction of Virginia’s Law and Mountbatten-Windsor lose his remaining privileges. “Gloating was not her thing. Justice and accountability were,” she said.

Prior to her death, Giuffre accused her estranged Australian husband, Robert, of years of physical and emotional abuse.

He pleaded guilty to a domestic violence charge involving a 2015 incident, 60 Minutes reported.

He has denied the abuse allegations through lawyers, and earlier this year sent a concerns notice to 60 Minutes, the first step in defamation proceedings.

In the crowd, Hannah Holden, who was visiting Washington from Brazil, and works for an organisation that supports survivors of sexual harm and domestic violence, said she felt compelled to attend the memorial.

“She’s fearless, and she deserves so much more, she deserves justice, she deserves all the love in the world,” Holden said.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/virginia-giuffre-remembered-as-hero-to-the-ages-on-first-anniversary-of-her-death-20260426-p5zr2r.html

—

Q Post #4923

Oct 21 2020 20:55:05 (EST)

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1319071346282778624

Dearest Virginia -

We stand with you.

Now and always.

Find peace through prayer.

Never give up the good fight.

God bless you.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4923

https://qanon.pub/#4568

>>24548222

2/2

Politico reported in 2014 that money and incumbency were no longer enough to keep establishment figures safe, with Dr Brat – an unknown economics professor from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia – toppling Mr Cantor who had spent more than 13 years in the US congress.

Washington was shocked by the upset result, with the New York Times branding it as “one of the most stunning primary election upsets in congressional history.”

After his victory in 2014, Dr Brat said that he ran on “ideas and principles” and that “the American people actually like principles and ideas”.

Dr Brat endorsed Mr Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries and supported his agenda in the US congress, receiving the endorsement of the US President in 2018.

At the time, Mr Trump described Dr Brat as one of the “hardest working, and smartest, people in Washington.”

“He is strong on the Border, Crime, the Military, our Vets and the 2nd Amendment,” Mr Trump posted. “He is a powerful vote for MAGA and loves the Great State of Virginia. Dave has my Total Endorsement.”

However, Dr Brat lost his congressional seat when Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated him in 2018. In 2025, Ms Spanberger was elected to serve as governor of Virginia.

Before politics, Dr Brat graduated from Hope College, a small liberal arts university in Michigan, before going on to study a Masters of Divinity at the Princeton Theological Seminary and obtaining his Doctorate of Economics from American University.

His doctoral thesis, titled Human Capital, Religion and Economic Growth, focused on the contributions of Protestantism to the advancement of science and prosperity.

Dr Brat will need to be confirmed by the US Senate before taking up the Australian envoy job.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed Dr Brat’s nomination, affirming the importance of the US alliance.

“The Albanese government welcomes President Trump’s nomination of the next US Ambassador to Australia,” Senator Wong said. “We respect the US Senate’s confirmation process and look forward to seeing that take place. The United States is our closest ally, principal strategic partner and largest source of investment.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/donald-trump-taps-tea-party-conservative-david-brat-as-us-ambassador-to-australia/news-story/3f07f7dd5363a75405279ecf023e301c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkGJKYt5SII

>>24548231

2/2

The royal visit was planned well in advance of the current tensions between the US and the UK, but offers a fresh opportunity for the King to try to improve bilateral relations in his personal engagement with Mr Trump behind closed doors.

On Tuesday morning, Mr Trump and the First Lady will host a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House – a tradition that dates back to the 18th century – to mark the official arrival of King Charles and Queen Camilla.

The national anthems of both countries will be played and the Presidential Salute Battery will render a 21-gun salute.

After inspecting the troops and reviewing them with the US Army Fife and Drum Corps performing, the President will deliver remarks from the South Lawn.

Mr Trump, the First Lady and the British King and Queen will then move to the Blue Room Balcony to watch a pass-in-review of 300 US service members.

Nearly 500 members of the US Armed Forces, representing all six military branches, will take part in the ceremony.

Afterwards, King Charles and Queen Camilla will sign the White House guestbook and participate in an official gift exchange with Mr Trump and Mrs Trump.

In the afternoon, King Charles will deliver his address to the joint session of the US Congress – the first time this has happened since Queen Elizabeth II did so in 1991 – before returning to the White House in the evening for a state dinner in the East Room.

The visit comes after Mr Trump heavily criticised Sir Keir, saying he was “not Winston Churchill” after the UK initially prevented America from the use of its bases to attack Iran at the start of the conflict.

The US President has accused the British Prime Minister of making “tragic” mistakes on migration into the UK and the phasing out of North Sea drilling.

Mr Trump has also blasted the British decision to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius given it hosts a joint US/UK air base on the isle of Diego Garcia, with the US President ridiculing the plan to rent back the territory hosting the military facility as an act of “total weakness” and “great stupidity”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/king-charles-plays-the-aukus-card-to-mend-fractured-alliance-with-donald-trump/news-story/75b75a4da14cc21043c789ea5f762e85

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwOnXRVaZa0