/qresearch/ -  Q Research

>>25178536

Chief Justice slams WA government’s ‘deeply illogical’ appeal in abuse case

PAUL GARVEY - September 15, 2026

Western Australia’s Chief Justice has slammed the appeal brought by the state government against child sexual abuse survivor Dion Barber as “deeply illogical” and driven by a desire to reduce or eliminate the liability to others who were abused while in care.

WA’s highest court last week threw out the appeal brought by the state on the first day of a scheduled two-day appeal hearing, and on Tuesday formally published the reasons for the decision.

In those reasons, the appeal judges headed by Chief Justice Peter Quinlan were highly critical of the state’s rationale for bringing the appeal given it had already promised to honour the record $2.8m damages order handed down by the District Court last year. “It is profoundly illogical to seek such orders, when the state has paid the judgment in full; has made it clear that, whatever the outcome of the appeal, it will not seek to recover the judgment sum which it has paid to Mr Barber; and has undertaken to pay Mr Barber’s costs of the proceedings in the District Court and in this court, regardless of the outcome,” the Chief Justice wrote.

Mr Barber endured horrific sexual abuse at the hands of ­various family members as a boy after Department of Communities staff decided to return him to the care of relatives despite findings that he had been previously abused.

The District Court judge who heard the compensation claim, Linda Black, described the department’s decision-making as “startling and incomprehensible”.

While Premier Roger Cook had repeatedly said that the appeal was seeking to clarify points of law to ensure that the state could provide justice to other survivors, the Court of Appeal judges said the state appeared to be seeking an opinion from the court that would allow it to either deny any liability or reduce the potential damages owed. The judges wrote that the state was seeking an advisory opinion from the court to facilitate its negotiations in other claims.

“It would be inappropriate for this court to embark upon a further analysis of the facts of Mr Barber’s case – which involve deeply personal circumstances – solely for the purpose of facilitating the state’s resolution of other claims,” they wrote.

“If the state wishes to deny another claim, it ought to do so, openly and transparently, in the ordinary course of litigation, in a properly constituted case, rather than on the basis of an advisory opinion from this court.”

Asked on Tuesday about the court’s findings that the appeal was “deeply illogical”, Mr Cook defended the state’s decision to bring the appeal and insisted it was motivated by an aim of delivering justice to survivors more quickly.

“We act on the best legal advice in relation to these matters and the advice we have is that the laws needed to be clarified so that we could provide justice to other people who are seeking compensation,” he said.

The state is facing more than 200 compensation claims from people who say they were abused while in state care. The cases stem from the McGowan government’s decision to lift the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse compensation claims.

Mr Barber’s lawyer, Hugo Seymour from Maurice Blackburn, said it was clear that the Department of Communities and the Insurance Commission of Western Australia wanted the court to give them a licence to quash the claims of other survivors.

“It was never about ensuring justice for survivors. The Chief Justice squarely called that plan out for what it was and the court’s published reasons are damning of the state’s approach,” he said.

“At every step in this process – before trial, at trial and on appeal – the state caused more harm to Dion than necessary.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/chief-justice-slams-wa-governments-deeply-illogical-appeal-in-abuse-case/news-story/d03062cc17d01922f7b355ded697ab4b

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-18/failed-wa-appeal-against-dion-barber-abuse-compensation-analysis/107138008

https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/wa/WASCA/2026/130.html

https://qresear.ch/?q=Dion+Barber

>>25106945

‘Empathetic leadership’: Former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern joins Sydney University

LUCY CARROLL - 27 October 2026

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern will join the University of Sydney in a new academic role in the institution’s school of public health, delivering guest lectures and bringing “empathetic leadership” to campus.

The university announced on Tuesday that Ms Ardern, who also holds a fellowship at Oxford University, will be appointed as “professor of practice” and will start in the role from this month.

“Her work will focus on empathetic leadership, social cohesion and civic trust; further developing new approaches to global and ­values-based leadership, as well as exploring new ways to address global health challenges centred on equity, inclusion and wellbeing,” the university said in a statement.

“She will engage with students, researchers and the wider university community through guest lectures, masterclasses and mentor­ing, ” the university said, adding: “The position is not a full-time teaching role.”

Ms Ardern unexpectedly stepped down as New Zealand’s prime minister in early 2023, with Anthony Albanese praising her at the time for her “empathy” and “strength”. She moved to Sydney’s northern beaches with her daughter and husband earlier this year.

The university said she would bring a “global focus on leadership with empathy” to the institution, and would work closely with the Sydney Policy Lab and the university’s vice-chancellor, Mark Scott, on various initiatives.

“I’ve found myself especially focused on the question of leadership since leaving office and how we can better support and encourage the kind of leadership needed to tackle our many global challenges,” Ms Ardern said.

The university did not say how long she would serve in the role, nor how much she would be paid for the position.

Professor Scott said he had “long admired the courage and humanity” Ms Ardern brought to public life.

“Dame Jacinda led New Zealand through events of profound consequence and her leadership demonstrated that empathy and resolve do not compete with one another; each can strengthen the other,” he said.

The university said the professor of practice role was designed to bring experienced practitioners into academic life, providing first-hand professional experience and creating links between research, policy and practice. It has already also been given to author Anna Funder, mathematician Eddie Woo, former race discrimination commissioner Tim Soutphommasane and quantum computing specialist Thomas Ohki.

The university first established the role in 2019 to “engage people of public distinction with extensive real-world experience”.

Professor Scott was given the title when he was appointed vice-chancellor in 2021.

“Her contribution will enrich our work in public health, public policy and across the university. We are proud Dame Jacinda has chosen to join the university, and I know our entire community will extend her the warmest of welcomes,” Professor Scott said.

In November, the university said Ms Ardern would join Funder at an event hosted by Professor Scott titled The Art of Disagreement.

Sydney University has come under intense scrutiny over its handling of anti-­Israel encampments and failure to protect Jewish students and staff from vile antisemitic abuse on campus.

Professor Scott accepted blame for isolating Jewish students, and he issued a string of apologies when fronting the Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Royal Commission earlier this year.

While Ms Ardern has not made any public statements about university encampments, she called on political leaders to “remember our shared common humanity” when discussing the Israel-Hamas war after the events of October 7, 2023.

Late last year, she said there was a “path to stopping the genocide still happening daily before us” in an opinion piece published in The Guardian.

Ms Ardern was also appointed to dual fellowships at Harvard Kennedy School in April 2023.

The former prime minister returned to the public’s glare in 2025 following the release of her memoir, A Different Kind of Power. It has also been speculated that she could make a bid to become the next UN secretary-general in January 2027.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/empathetic-leadership-former-new-zealand-pm-jacinda-ardern-joins-sydney-university/news-story/73de15571075faff7f550bfce2183ca3

https://qresear.ch/?q=Jacinda+Ardern

>>25182165

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In another case, the ASD was tipped off to the sale of 5 terabytes of data stolen from a business that was unaware it had been hacked.

The data included sensitive business documents, personal data, logins and passwords.

Mr Gregory said the agency was able to break in and destroy the data before it could be sold.

"To give some context, we think there are about 4.8 million files which were stolen from Australians, which we destroyed in that operation, as well as hundreds of thousands of files from other victims around the world," he said.

Mr Gregory said AI was increasing the scope and scale of attacks, but it was also an enormous asset to those trying to defend against them.

"We are using AI to generate software capabilities much more quickly, and so we use it to support our software engineering and development of new tools and capabilities directly," he said.

An accelerating threat

The agency has previously joined international partners in warning of Chinese-aligned actors building hidden networks of hijacked devices that can be used for espionage or offensive operations.

It has also warned that some state actors want to maintain access to essential services and infrastructure that could be disrupted if conflict were to break out.

Ms Bradshaw said strategic tensions in the region would increase that threat.

"The natural progression of this is, as the world becomes uncertain, of course nation states will try to reduce that uncertainty by obtaining more information," she said.

"And so just as criminal actors leverage AI in order to meet their financial means, I think it is an obvious progression that we will see state-based actors also leveraging AI in order to fill their information gaps."

Ms Bradshaw said there was a huge amount of work to do in both corporate and government systems to better prepare for and defend against cyber threats, particularly in replacing vulnerable "legacy" systems.

She said it also meant learning how to best use AI as a defensive tool.

"There is much more that we need to do and, in the current context, that is now a matter of urgency," Ms Bradshaw said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-27/australian-signals-directorate-ai-cybersecurity-hacking-threats/107309858

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOjW2WLFk_A

https://www.cyber.gov.au/news/asd-releases-seventh-annual-cyber-threat-report-2025-26

https://www.cyber.gov.au/publication/annual-cyber-threat-report-2025-26

>>25182174

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Social media origins

ASIO Deputy Director-General Claire McGuinness said two decades ago, the agency’s counter-terrorism caseload was predominantly made up of people in their early 20s, but it was now “seeing a greater prevalence of individuals under the age of 18 and even in the early teens”.

She said the youngest was “perhaps 11”, while the committee heard an 11-year-old had participated in a Home Affairs deradicalisation program.

Ms McGuinness said a person’s radicalisation journey often began by scrolling social media, when their attention was caught by a political meme or a religiously conservative video.

“At first, it isn’t terrorism; it’s just fringe. It’s extremist-adjacent. But the moment they engage, the algorithm takes over, and so the feed tightens, the content shifts from conservative to radical, and from radical to security-relevant.”

Religiously motivated plots – predominantly by Sunni extremists – continued to make up 65 per cent of ASIO’s counter-terrorism caseload, with ideologically motivated extremism making up the remainder, Ms McGuinness said.

In some cases, terrorists were driven by a combination of religious and ideological motivations, “including conspiracy theories, racism, misogyny, antisemitism, Islamophobia, or other hateful views”, she said.

“A diverse array of violent extremist content online is normalising violent ideologies, providing a low barrier entry point for vulnerable people with existing grievances, and technology is fast-tracking this issue with social media algorithms serving to amplify frustration and legitimise extremist beliefs, creating echo chambers and accelerating the journey from online grievance to a real-world security threat,” Ms McGuinness said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/sadistic-networks-coercing-teens-to-commit-violence-afp-warns/news-story/2645e19c9408fd9131323706659972e0

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

ADF recruitment opens for Papua New Guineans

BEN PACKHAM - October 20, 2026

One hundred Papua New Guineans will be recruited to the Australian Defence Force by the end of next year – the first of thousands who will sign up to fight under the Australian flag.

Defence Minister Richard Marles and his PNG counterpart Elias Kapavore will unveil the initial recruitment target in Port Moresby on Tuesday during the annual Australia-PNG ministerial forum.

They will pitch the opportunity to university graduates, but high-achieving school leavers could also be considered.

PNG Prime Minister James Marape has previously said up to 10,000 Papua New Guineans could join the ADF under the countries’ Pukpuk mutual defence treaty, though Australian officials say recruitment from the country will proceed slowly.

Nine Australian ministers, led by Mr Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, will attend this week’s ministerial forum, underscoring the countries’ increasingly close relationship.

They will include Pacific Island Affairs Minister Pat Conroy, and Sports and Communications Minister Annika Wells, who will also attend the unveiling of the Australian taxpayer-funded PNG Chiefs NRL team’s new logo and jersey on Wednesday.

Home Affairs, Immigration and Cyber Security Minister Tony Burke will also attend the forum, which will focus on strengthening bilateral defence and security ties, and supporting telecommunications and critical infrastructure development in PNG.

Mr Marles said both countries had been working for the past year on implementing the Pukpuk treaty, including establishing a pathway for recruiting Papua New Guineans into the ADF.

About 40 PNG citizens already living in Australia have previously applied to join up, but arrangements have only recently been ­finalised to recruit from inside the country.

“The pilot program will have smaller numbers to begin with, to ensure the right processes are in place ahead of further expansion to develop a program that is sustainable and provides enduring value for both Australia and PNG,” Mr Marles said.

“This is a huge moment not only for the ADF, but also for the history of Papua New Guinea, and our alliance.”

PNG recruits will have to take out Australian citizenship but will retain their PNG citizenship.

Admission to the ADF is likely to become a coveted prize for Papua New Guineans, with the salaries on offer far exceeding those available in their home country, where unemployment is rife and the minimum wage is just $1.30 an hour.

The recruitment plan was hatched to help ease the ADF’s long-running workforce crisis, which has eased in recent times thanks to relaxed entry requirements and retention bonuses of $40,000 for personnel to extend their service.

It is also a critical element in Canberra’s effort to counter Chinese influence in PNG and the wider Pacific region.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/adf-recruitment-opens-for-papua-new-guineans/news-story/6712e229e589140212f7abaf4c0c633a

>>25182184

Our man on the Enga beat: the Australian cop bringing order to PNG’s highlands

BEN PACKHAM - August 29, 2026

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Automatic gunfire crackles through the bush in Papua New Guinea’s remote Enga Province, sending Australian policeman Steven Harris and his team of local officers diving for cover. Under fire from hidden gunmen on both sides, the former Australian Federal Police officer grabs an M4 carbine from his vehicle and hands his side-arm to one of his constables.

“I spotted a couple behind a tree and fired off two rounds. I intended to hit them, but they weren’t going to stand out in the open,” Harris tells Inquirer, recalling the confrontation of several months ago.

When he took over as Enga’s police commander in February, the area had a murder rate of 70 a month. Now it’s down to fewer than 10, thanks largely to no-nonsense policing.

But some have continued to test the new regime.

Harris and his team were drawn to the area near a local strawberry farm by plumes of smoke rising into the air – an unmistakeable sign, he says, that tribal warriors wanted to “kick off”.

“I said to our boys, ‘We’ll go and deal with that. We’ll arrest them. They’ve killed a number of people. They’ve shot at police, and we’re not putting up with this any more,’ ” he says. “When they got a couple of rounds uncomfortably close to them, they decided that they weren’t hanging around.

“They’re just a pack of bullies who like shooting at unarmed people. The moment you shoot back, they pack up and run away.”

In 20 years of policing in Australia, Harris has faced all manner of threats. “I’ve had people try to stab me, punch me, kick me, spit on me, point guns at my face. So it’s not entirely new,” he says.

But the shootout was the first time he’d fired his weapon at another human.

PNG Prime Minister James Marape later described the attack as “cowardly and calculated”, and commended Harris for “remaining calm and focused under fire”.

“To Chief Superintendent Harris and his team, I say: the government and the people of Papua New Guinea stand with you,” Marape said.

Harris wears the dark blue uniform of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary and answers to its Commissioner, David Manning. But he is paid by the Australian government under a bilateral initiative aimed at tackling endemic violence by bringing in experienced commonwealth police officers to take the lead in key provinces.

Another Australian, Amanda Kates, has been appointed provincial police commander in East New Britain, while a Tongan-born officer with policing experience in New Zealand, Siaosi Fanamanu, now heads the RPNGC in New Ireland Province.

Harris’s appointment followed an outcry by PNG’s leaders over tribal fighting in Enga province, where a flood of automatic weapons has turbocharged traditional conflicts, leaving hundreds of dead and injured, and many thousands displaced.

Violence against women and children also is common.

“Most of it’s related to these fights between people who can’t figure it out any other way, or they don’t want to,” Harris says.

“But we’ve had children decapitated, a mother shot through the back protecting a child last week. The mother died. The child looks like they’ve survived, but let’s see. There’s a fair bit of gender-based violence.”

Most tribes have caches of guns, including automatic weapons such as M16s, and armed mercenaries are known to operate in the province.

A surge in violence three years ago made headlines in The Australian when grisly videos emerged online of dead bodies being dragged behind a Toyota LandCruiser.

Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas said at the time: “I have said many times that we do not have the capacity to fix this. We need the government to ask the Australian government to give us some manpower … to work alongside our policemen and women.”

AFP officers have long served in PNG, supporting their local counterparts to deal with the region’s worst crime rates. But they were prevented from carrying weapons or acting in frontline roles after PNG’s Supreme Court ruled in 2005 they could not be granted legal immunities under the country’s constitution.

Under the new model, they swear an oath to PNG and face the same responsibilities and consequences for their decisions as any Papua New Guinean in the same position.

Born in Grenfell, NSW, Harris spent most of his career with ACT Policing, finishing as officer-in-charge of its major crime intelligence unit. The 49-year-old also gained a law degree and completed postings in Solomon Islands and Christmas and Cocos Islands.

Now he leads 600 police across Enga’s six districts, each with its own station, serving a population of about 600,000.

“It is the best job I’ve ever had,” Harris says. “They’ve embraced me from day one.”

(continued)

>>25182191

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When he arrived in the province, Harris made it clear he was there to enforce the law, not sort out people’s disputes.

“I said to the cops and the community, ‘We’re not negotiating. Our job’s just to put people before the court and protect lives and property,’ ” Harris says. “Mediation is one of the roots of all evil in policing because all of a sudden the police are not seen as impartial. Somebody gets what they want, somebody doesn’t, or everybody doesn’t get exactly what they want, and then fingers are pointed.

“You can’t mediate murder. Human life is too valuable to be able to mediate your way out of it with half a dozen pigs.

“So we’ve come back to the first principles of policing and it works. We’ve got tremendous support from the police station commanders and the leadership and the staff here. They’re doing what I’m asking, but it’s only because of that, that we’re getting the results.”

Harris, who is fiercely apolitical to avoid giving the impression he favours any group, has been embraced by the local community.

“I’ve had people come to the office just to welcome me and to say ‘Thank you.’ I walk around (provincial capital) Wabag on my own, unarmed. The peace and security situation’s as good as it’s ever been. I have people saying, ‘Please just keep doing what you’re doing, and please don’t go.’ ”

In some districts, his officers can ring ahead and ask local clan leaders to locate suspected murderers, “and we just go and pick them up”. About 200 guns have been surrendered in the province in a firearms buyback, “but we know there’s a lot more out there”, Harris says.

The troubled Porgera goldmine remains one of the province’s violence hotspots, amid disputes over access, benefits for landowners and clashes with illegal miners. The situation there has deteriorated in recent months, Harris says, threatening not only the local community but also PNG’s national economy: “It contributes some 10 to 12 per cent to PNG’s exports. So we’ve got to take a holistic view,” he says.

Tribal warfare is ingrained in Engan culture, but battles traditionally were waged with bows and arrows, and were tightly controlled by clan leaders, limiting the carnage. The presence of high-powered guns and mercenaries has transformed the nature of the fighting, with one study putting the death toll at nearly 5000 across two decades.

Says Harris: “Enga is a beautiful place and the people there are wonderful people; 99.5 per cent just want to have a peaceful life.

“That life has been interfered with by people who have corrupted custom and mediation and paying compensation for their own benefit, and have turned traditional tribal fights into organised-crime events.

“The people who are called warriors are really just organised-crime figures who are committing some pretty heinous crimes – mass murder, murder, arson, rape, kidnapping.”

He says much of the fighting is driven by a small number of tribal leaders living in safety elsewhere.

“They’re often sitting in Lae or Mount Hagen or Port Moresby and issuing instructions from there while they’re eating ribeye steaks and their kids are going to boarding school in Toowoomba, and then they’re sending the children of people who are struggling to live to go and fight their fights. It’s really quite a repugnant approach, but that’s how it happens.”

Harris’s officers come from across the country but include a fair number of Engans, raising the prospect of favouritism under the country’s traditional “wantok” patronage system, which compels Papua New Guineans to look after members of their own clan. But he says the local officers have risen to the challenge, behaving with independence and integrity.

“I tell them, ‘Your first duty is to God, the constitution and the people.’”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/our-man-on-the-enga-beat-the-australian-cop-bringing-order-to-pngs-highlands/news-story/2d4fe753636767fd3695973bfc8577dd

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>>25091058

USS Colorado first submarine chosen for Australia rotations under AUKUS pact

WYATT OLSON - 27 October 2026

The Hawaii-based USS Colorado will be the first vessel assigned to Submarine Rotational Force-West in Australia later next year, the Pentagon announced Monday.

The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine has been homeported at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam since April 2024 after moving from Connecticut.

SRF-West is projected to host up to four U.S. fast-attack submarines and one from the United Kingdom on a rotational basis at HMAS Stirling, an Australian navy base near Perth, the Pentagon said in a statement issued jointly with Australia and the U.K.

In June, the U.S. Navy reactivated Submarine Squadron 3 to support the rotations.

The service has not announced which submarines will comprise the full squadron.

The Colorado was commissioned in March 2018 and was the Navy’s 15th Virginia-class sub. The 377-foot-long vessel carries a crew of 130 submariners.

This summer it completed a two-year maintenance overhaul at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.

The Australia-based rotational fleet was created as part of the AUKUS pact, a September 2021 agreement creating a security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The sub rotations are part of the U.S. military’s strategy of positioning more troops, sea vessels, aircraft and logistics capacity in the Pacific. It aims to deter potential adversaries such as China and Russia while maintaining proximity to them in the event of a conflict.

Monday’s statement described the Colorado’s selection for the rotation as “a significant milestone for AUKUS” and “a decisive step in strengthening collective deterrence in the Pacific.”

“SRF-West will accelerate Australia’s readiness to own, operate, maintain, and regulate a sovereign, conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability, as well as support submarine deployments by expanding maintenance options and sustainment infrastructure in the region for AUKUS partners,” the statement reads.

Australia plans to acquire three used Virginia-class subs of its own for a fleet expected to grow to 14 boats of three types by the 2040s, according to a plan outlined by Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles in June and reported by the United States Study Centre at the University of Sydney.

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility stood up a maintenance and logistics detachment in Western Australia this summer to support the U.S. sub rotations.

It will oversee and perform intermediate-level maintenance on U.S. submarines assigned to SRF-West.

https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2026-10-27/uss-colorado-submarine-australia-aukus-23273374.html

https://www.facebook.com/7NEWSMelbourne/videos/uss-colorado-first-submarine-for-aukus-rotation/4472238219772751/

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>>25182196

Joint Statement, USS Colorado (SSN 788) Announced as First Submarine for Submarine Rotational Force – West

U.S. Department of War - Oct. 26, 2026

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, and UK Secretary of State for Defence Wes Streeting are pleased to announce the designation of the USS Colorado (SSN 788) as the first U.S. Navy Virginia-class fast-attack submarine assigned to Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West) beginning in late 2027.

This announcement comes ahead of the upcoming United States Submarine Maintenance Period, which begins later this week and will further demonstrate Australia's growing ability to sustain U.S. and UK nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines.

SRF-West is projected to host up to four U.S. fast-attack submarines and one UK fast-attack submarine on a rotational basis at HMAS Stirling, a Royal Australian Navy base in Western Australia.

SRF-West will accelerate Australia's readiness to own, operate, maintain, and regulate a sovereign, conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability, as well as support submarine deployments by expanding maintenance options and sustainment infrastructure in the region for AUKUS partners.

SRF-West, established at Australia's invitation and as mutually determined, will operate in accordance with relevant international agreements between and among the United States, Australia, and the UK, including the United States – Australia Force Posture Agreement. AUKUS activities associated with SRF-West will be conducted consistent with the AUKUS partners' respective international obligations, including those under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and Australia's obligations under the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga).

As President Trump has stated, and Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Burnham have reaffirmed, AUKUS is moving "full steam ahead." The selection of USS Colorado (SSN 788) as the first submarine assigned to SRF-West in 2027 marks a significant milestone for AUKUS Pillar I and is a decisive step in strengthening collective deterrence in the Pacific.

https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4633244/joint-statement-uss-colorado-ssn-788-announced-as-first-submarine-for-submarine/

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>>25091058

>>25182196

>>25182199

U.S. Navy submarine arrives in Western Australia for Scheduled Maintenance Period in support of AUKUS

Rory O'Connor, AUKUS Integration & Acquisition - 10.27.2026

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HMAS STIRLING, Australia - The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Colorado (SSN 788) arrived at HMAS Stirling today to begin a scheduled, monthlong maintenance period. The visit marks the fourth submarine maintenance period in Western Australia since the establishment of the AUKUS security partnership and highlights ongoing progress under AUKUS Pillar I.

USS Colorado (SSN 788) is the sixth nuclear-powered attack submarine to visit HMAS Stirling following the announcement of the Optimal Pathway and the third to undergo maintenance in Australia in the last 12 months under AUKUS Pillar I. The port visits and maintenance periods are part of the AUKUS Pillar I plan to help Australia acquire, operate, and maintain its own conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet.

On October 26, 2026, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and his Australian and U.K. counterparts issued a joint statement naming USS Colorado (SSN 788) as the first U.S. Navy Virginia-class fast-attack submarine assigned to Submarine Squadron 3. The boat will help formally establish Submarine Rotational Force – West (SRF-West) upon its planned return in late 2027.

Over the coming weeks, more than 30 trained and certified Australian civilian maintenance technicians from ASC Pty Ltd. will perform routine maintenance on a Virginia-class submarine in Western Australia for the first time, working alongside specialists from Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY&IMF).

Under SRF-West, up to four U.S. and one U.K. submarines will rotationally operate out of HMAS Stirling. For Australia, SRF-West accelerates its readiness to maintain, operate and sustain conventionally armed, nuclear-powered, submarines while affording greater access to the Indo-Pacific region, the Indian Ocean and adjacent areas which enhances regional deterrence and operational flexibility for allied submarines.

“This maintenance period brings us closer to establishing SRF-West,” said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Doug Adams, director of AUKUS, International & Systems. “Our Lead Maintenance Activity, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, is doing a great job ensuring the Australian personnel trained in Hawaii are ready and able to support our submarines.”

The maintenance period will demonstrate several new pieces of Australian-built infrastructure. Technicians will use a custom-made metal safety walkway, known as a sail “racetrack.” The team will also leverage recent nuclear-powered submarine-specific upgrades made to HMAS Stirling’s Diamantina Pier and other local solutions, such as a pure water plant, high-pressure air compressor and dehumidifier.

“With each visit, Australia demonstrates new organic capabilities,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Jason Pittman, commander of Submarine Squadron 3. “During last year’s maintenance period, we successfully delivered pure water from an Australian-designed and built plant and validated the sail racetrack was fit for purpose. During the U.K.’s maintenance period in February, we validated the high-pressure air compressor and dehumidifier systems. Now, with the racetrack, we’re using it to conduct maintenance, utilizing the pier upgrades, and leveraging a workforce of about three dozen fully qualified and certified Australian civilian nuclear-powered submarine maintenance workers.”

“Through these historic port visits Australia has continued to progress our ability to not just host SSNs for longer periods but also deliver maintenance to schedule and get the boats back to sea,” said Royal Australian Navy Rear Adm. David Mann CSC, the Australian Submarine Agency’s head of Virginia Division.

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The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy will be an active participant in the SMP.

“We don’t get many opportunities like this,” said Sir Stephen Lovegrove, the U.K. Prime Minister’s Special Representative for AUKUS. “The more the three nations work together to maintain submarines – whether American or British – the faster we’ll be able to uplift our Australian partner’s knowledge and skills and increase commonality across our submarine forces.”

“This maintenance activity represents the ultimate integration of a U.K., U.S., and Australian workforce,” said Mann. “Operating as a single team, we are testing our infrastructure, validating our nuclear stewardship processes, and substantially upskilling our naval and civilian workforces. These maintenance periods have been critical to Australia being on track to start SRF-West in 2027."

“As we approach the establishment of SRF-West, we must remember that our trilateral efforts are being driven by the challenging strategic environment in the Pacific and our collective desire to deter aggression and ensure peace through strength,” said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Chris Cavanaugh, commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. “For decades, the United States, Australian, and British submarine forces have operated together. Through AUKUS, we’re building enhanced integration and increasing interoperability to ensure we collectively preserve the advantage in the undersea battlespace.”

For the crew of Colorado, the success of this port visit relies heavily on the close partnership between the boat, the ASC team and personnel from PHNSY & IMF. This joint workforce ensures the submarine remains fully mission-ready for its forward-deployed operations.

“The success of any maintenance period comes down to the people on the deckplates, and the Australian personnel stepping aboard our ship are true professionals,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Justin Reeves, commanding officer of USS Colorado. “Their technical skill and dedication are exactly what we need to keep this ship in the fight, and it gives us absolute confidence in Australia's ability to support the fleet.”

About AUKUS Integration & Acquisition (I&A) - AUKUS Integration & Acquisition is the central U.S. Navy program office coordinating the delivery of the U.S. contribution to AUKUS Pillar I. The office integrates critical technical, industrial, and programmatic efforts across the Department of the Navy and with international partners. The office serves as the central hub for synchronizing submarine operations, workforce development, hands-on training pipelines, nuclear stewardship protocols, and trilateral industrial base expansion. By supporting Australia in acquiring a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability at the earliest possible date, AUKUS I&A actively strengthens our collective undersea advantage, expands the industrial base to meet future defense demands, and upholds the highest global standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation.

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/577941/us-navy-submarine-arrives-western-australia-scheduled-maintenance-period-support-aukus

>>24926485 (pb)

Accused Bondi gunman Naveed Akram faces trial delay as prosecutors consult 78 victims

JAMES DOWLING - 28 October 2026

The federal investigation into alleged Bondi gunman Naveed Akram has been of “unprecedented” scale, a court has heard, with charges to be certified against him in February after another round of delays in the much-awaited terror trial.

Judge Karen Stafford granted an application by prosecutors on Wednesday to adjourn Mr Akram’s charge certification until February 24, which the young terror suspect’s lawyer, Ethan Hogg, agreed to.

“The CDPP has reviewed thousands of witness statements, including victims (and) emergency services there at the park,” Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions barrister Danielle New told the court.

“The joint counter-terrorism team engaged in an investigation, the size of which has been unprecedented, and the commitment by all involved is nothing short of highly professional.”

Prosecutors have repeatedly delayed handing over a revised brief of evidence against the alleged ISIS-inspired terrorist because of the scale of the Bondi Hanukkah massacre.

He faces 78 charges stemming from the December 14 attack. Mr Akram was initially charged with 59 offences, including terrorism, 15 counts of murder, and 40 counts of attempted murder.

In June he was slugged with a further 19 charges: 10 were for shooting with intent to murder, three were for wounding with intent to murder, and six were for discharging a firearm with intent to resist arrest.

Mr Akram is yet to enter pleas to any of the charges. A question was raised over his legal representation when an email was circulated across the bar table, but Mr Hogg affirmed the case remained in the hands of firm Archbold Gittani, which has represented him through Legal Aid since December.

The alleged gunman did not appear in court on Wednesday.

Ms New said the brief of evidence was “compliant for charge certification as of today”, but more time was needed to consult with the dozens of victims related to charges.

“There are about 78 charges. The same number of victims and next of kin need to be contacted and consulted with in relation to the charges,” she said.

“It is obviously very important that the crown goes over everything again to ensure that no relevant person’s narrative is untold.

“There is a volume of material that’s going to be served and that will include material such as the financial position and purchases by the defendant and his father.”

Prosecutors estimate there are 1500 witness statements, 230,000 images from CCTV footage and seven electronic devices belonging to Naveed and Sajid Akram relevant to the case. Judge Stafford said the delay was “in the interest of justice”.

“Due to the complexity of this matter, the number of charges, the volume of statements, analysis of forensic material, medical material, and extended consultation with surviving alleged victims and their and the families of those deceased – noting that we are about to move into the period where many people celebrate holidays and other festivals – the consultation period will be extensive,” she said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/accused-bondi-gunman-naveed-akram-faces-trial-delay-as-prosecutors-consult-78-victims/news-story/48608517cf7ac0f7a3b4b0963a69862b

>>25185996

Terrorist associated with Bondi suspect soon free, police seek intervention

JAMES DOWLING - 28 October 2026

Federal police are seeking restrictions on convicted terrorist and self-declared Australian ISIS commander Isaac El Matari, who will walk free on Sunday after Home Affairs made no effort to extend his incarceration.

El Matari is a known associate of Naveed Akram, the alleged perpetrator of the Bondi Hanukkah massacre, and is currently at the centre of Federal Court proceedings brought by the Australian Federal Police as his five-year jail term draws to an end.

The AFP is seeking an interim control order (ICO) for El Matari – a year-long directive preventing particular behaviours from someone convicted of terrorism or who is deemed to present a terror risk.

This could leave El Matari subject to monitoring or reporting requirements similar to recipients of conditional bail orders.

Home Affairs had the discretion to apply for a continued detention order through the NSW Supreme Court to extend his imprisonment for up to five years, but the court confirmed to The Australian that – with just four days left on his sentence – no such order had been sought.

Proceedings were filed by the AFP late last month and are yet to go to a hearing. The Australian reported two days after the Bondi attack that the AFP was considering an ICO on El Matari. He has spent the past five years in Macquarie Correctional Centre, about 50km south of Dubbo.

The AFP declined to comment.

“Where an interim control order application is before the court, it is not appropriate to go into the details of this case, including any legal advice or consideration given to any applications (for CDOs),” a Home Affairs spokesperson said. “Continuing detention orders are one of a suite of measures available to manage terrorist offenders that includes control orders. The government takes the strongest action available under the law, based on expert advice and in consultation with the relevant operational and security agencies.”

El Matari was convicted of multiple terrorism offences in 2021 after forming plans to create an ISIS stronghold in the Blue Mountains and to target Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral and the US embassy for terror attacks. He spoke of travelling to Afghanistan to fight on the ISIS frontline.

He was arrested in 2019 alongside Sydney man Radwan Dakkak, who was charged with being a member of a terrorist organisation and for translating and distributing Islamic State propaganda.

Dakkak was jailed for 18 months, then subjected to an ICO. He was rearrested for breaching the order two weeks after his release and placed under a new ICO, the terms of which included avoiding contact with El Matari and other figures in the Bankstown Dawah movement, chiefly hate preacher Wissam Haddad.

The orders required Dakkak to present to police daily, stay away from ports, airports and gun ranges, not leave the country and not own a heavy vehicle or more than one mobile phone. He was also not allowed to use social media, or use email or the internet, not make unauthorised financial transfers, and not promote the fatwas and rhetoric of prominent jihadists including Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Osama bin Laden.

ASIO began monitoring Mr Akram after El Matari’s arrest as part of a crackdown on ISIS affiliation in his circle of western Sydney Salafi jihadists which revolved around Mr Haddad – who has denied any wrongdoing in relation to the December 14 ­attack.

The Community Service Group, a Jewish-led volunteer body, identified Mr Akram in an email to the NSW Police Operational Assessment Centre on July 10, 2019, with information about the “key membership” of the ­jihadist group.

Around that same time, police made several arrests, including those of El Matari and Dakkak, following counter-terror raids. Mr Akram officially became a person of interest in October of that year.

Mr Akram was also pictured alongside convicted Islamic State terrorist Youssef Uweinat while proselytising for Mr Haddad’s Street Dawah group.

When police arrested Uweinat in 2019, he smashed his ­mobile phone in a bid to destroy evidence.

Material recovered from the phone showed that another of Mr Akram’s friends in the street preaching group was El Matari.

Uweinat claimed he had abandoned his support for Islamic State, but six months after his arrest police raided his prison cell and found letters from El Matari.

Uweinat has been pictured alongside Mr Haddad since his release from prison and was named in Dakkak’s control orders among those the terrorist was barred from associating with.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/terrorist-associated-with-bondi-suspect-soon-free-police-seek-intervention/news-story/9b28760854fa417e78b3053a445afb96

>>25032106

Thomas Sewell: Neo-Nazi leader pleads guilty to violent disorder over incident at Camp Sovereignty in August 2025

A neo-Nazi leader with political ambitions has spoken about his involvement in a bout of violence at an Indigenous camp and says he “contests the facts” of the case.

Liam Beatty - October 28, 2026

Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell has admitted his involvement in a violent group incident at an Indigenous protest camp in Melbourne.

More than a dozen men were charged after a large group allegedly turned up to Camp Sovereignty in Kings Domain parkland on August 31 last year, after splitting off from a “March for Australia” rally in the CBD.

Sewell, 33, returned before the County Court in Victoria on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to a single charge of violent disorder.

“To the charge; guilty, I contest the facts,” he said.

The statement was repeated word-for-word by three other men; Nathan Bull, 25, Jake Crockett, 21, and Michael Saarinen, 19, who pleaded guilty to violent disorder alongside Sewell.

The four men had been scheduled to face trial early next month.

The four men and others are alleged to have clashed with activists present at Camp Sovereignty, which has been used as a gathering site since 2006, causing injury to five people, the court was told.

Later in the hearing, Sewell’s barrister, Dermot Dann KC, shed light on how the alleged events on August 31 would be contested by the four men, saying the “circumstances in which this event unfolded” was in dispute.

He told the court it was alleged “Antifa” or “counter protesters” had caused damage to cars belonging to members of Sewell’s group before the confrontation at Camp Sovereignty.

“There’s witnesses who say they witnessed their colleagues being attacked, their cars damaged,” Mr Dann said.

Judge Gerard Mullaly said a contested plea, where witnesses can be called about the alleged events surrounding the violent disorder, would be held in late November or early December.

Sewell’s group, the National Socialist Network (NSN), disbanded earlier this year, ahead of new federal hate speech laws coming into effect in Australia.

Sewell then launched the White Australia political party, which was subsequently also proscribed a hate group by the federal government, and is challenging the laws in Australia’s High Court by arguing they are a breach of implied freedom of political communication.

Outside court, Sewell said he would be disputing what occurred at Camp Sovereignty “because the police and media have lied”.

He alleged his actions were a justified response.

“It was absolute anarchy and we are very much looking forward to the facts coming out in the case,” he said.

“What we do not dispute is violence occurred on the day, that is a fact.”

Sewell endorsed One Nation at the upcoming Victorian election on November 28, saying he hopes everyone comes out to vote for the insurgent party.

Last month, One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce said he unknowingly met with Sewell at Casino Canberra in a chance encounter.

https://www.news24.com.au/latest/thomas-sewell-neonazi-leader-pleads-guilty-to-violent-disorder-over-incident-at-camp-sovereignty-in-august-2025/news-story/49f45354d6a6a0610b0f706d6d3ac619

>>25035706

>>25182196

Inside WA’s first AUKUS rotation submarine - just don’t ask about the nukes

Carla Hildebrandt - October 28, 2026

A US nuclear-powered submarine with 160 crew, including seven Australians, has docked south of Perth for maintenance ahead of becoming the first vessel to begin regular AUKUS rotations next year.

The USS Colorado arrived on Tuesday at HMAS Stirling all the way from Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, as Australian workers, including 15 WA businesses, prepare to carry out maintenance on the Virginia-class submarine.

It’s the fourth maintenance period involving US or UK nuclear-powered submarines at HMAS Stirling in the last two years, with WA set to host regular visits from late 2027 under the AUKUS pact.

Speaking at the base on Wednesday, Commander Fleet Base West Commodore Paul Johnson said almost 60 Australian workers would assist with maintenance, including 35 who had trained alongside the US Navy in Pearl Harbor.

The work and training includes ship repairs, scaffolding, welding and testing, as well as “simulated radiological scenarios”.

“There is no actual radiological work going on as part of the submarine maintenance period, but we’re continuing to build the skills toward that in late 2027 and into 2028,” Rear Admiral Chris Cavanaugh, Commander Submarine Forces Pacific Fleet, told reporters.

UK consul-general for WA, Maria Rennie, described AUKUS as “one of the most important partnerships in our generation”.

“In the five years since the partnership was first announced, the world has only become more complex, more contested, and more technologically competitive,” she said.

“AUKUS is fundamental to our collective security and our collective deterrence in that more contested world.”

During a media tour of the submarine on Wednesday, commanding officer, Captain Justin Reeves, described the vessel as “conventionally armed”, carrying torpedoes and other weapons, rather than being nuclear-armed.

Shortly after a question about whether there would be nuclear weapons aboard the submarine in the future, US Navy spokesman Commander Rick Moore reiterated the military’s longstanding policy of neither confirming nor denying whether its vessels were carrying nuclear weapons.

While the USS Colorado is one of the US Navy’s most advanced submarines, the living conditions seem challenging, with Commodore Dan Sutherland telling the tour: “[The submarines] are built for combat, not comfort.”

All 160 submariners aboard are men, despite women being eligible to serve on the vessel. Reeves said about a quarter have families, while many of the other crew are single.

The sleeping quarters are cramped, with bunks stacked on top of each other and little room to move. A sign near the entrance read:

“Don’t be stinky. Take a shower. Change your socks. Wash your sheets.”

The crew also “hot racks”, meaning they share beds on different shifts, with one sleeping while another is on duty before swapping over.

Reeves said the submarine’s time at sea was “limited by food”, with enough supplies to last a couple of months.

The crew gets three meals a day prepared on board, which Reeves described as “outstanding”, agreeing submariners were likely among the best fed in the armed forces.

The crew received an unexpected welcome to WA, with Reeves saying dolphins put on a show near Gage Roads as the submarine approached shore.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/inside-wa-s-first-aukus-rotation-submarine-just-don-t-ask-about-the-nukes-20261028-p619h7.html

>>25032113

>>25110663

>>25118005

>>25162958

>>25165594

Complainant tells court Alan Jones was 'generous' but still feels 'shame' over alleged assault

Isobel Roe - 28 October 2026

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A man who alleges Alan Jones kissed him when he was a 17-year-old schoolboy has told a court the broadcaster was very "generous" to him for many years, but he still feels shame over the alleged assault years later.

Complainant A finished giving evidence in Mr Jones's judge-alone criminal trial earlier this month, having accused Mr Jones of kissing and touching him almost a decade ago during a visit to one of the broadcaster's properties.

Mr Jones has pleaded not guilty to all 21 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching made by five male complainants.

Judge Glenn Walsh had made an interim non-publication order over part of the complainant's cross-examination, but some of that evidence can now be published, including the complainant's admission that he "lied" to police about an unrelated incident.

Complainant A was questioned by Mr Jones's defence team for five days and has at times had testy exchanges with defence barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC as she attempted to attack his credibility.

The man, now in his 20s, has told the court Mr Jones invited him to his Fitzroy Falls property in the NSW Southern Highlands and assaulted him at night after two other guests had left, by kissing him and touching his bottom.

Ms Bashir put to the witness that he was fabricating a kiss and in fact the pair simply hugged and went to bed.

"Alan Jones did not kiss you on the mouth, did he?" Ms Bashir asked.

"That's not a true statement, Ms Bashir," Complainant A replied.

"You and Mr Jones hugged goodnight and nothing more… that's correct, isn't it?"

"No, Ms Bashir, that is not correct."

The trial was told the complainant was called into his school principal's office about 11 months after the alleged assault and there were police officers waiting.

The complainant gave evidence that he did not contact police but assumed his mother had, because he had written her a note in the days following the alleged assault explaining that "something sexual" had happened at Mr Jones's property.

Ms Bashir put to the complainant that he did not share details of the allegation on that day.

"I hate talking about this, Ms Bashir, so I wasn't about to talk about this in front of the principal," Complainant A replied.

"I still feel a lot of shame."

Complainant's later 'lie' to police

Complainant A also admitted in court that he lied to hospital staff and police about the timing of an unrelated assault by a different person, which allegedly happened some years after the alleged assault by Mr Jones.

The court was shown police body-worn footage of a police interview, in which Complainant A, who had dried blood visible on his forehead, told an officer he had been injured when he intervened in an "altercation" the previous day.

But Complainant A agreed under cross-examination that in that interview, he was not telling police the truth about the timing of the alleged assault.

The court heard Complainant A later told police he was in fact assaulted about two weeks earlier, and admitted to detectives he had returned to the scene of the alleged assault and created new injuries himself, before presenting to hospital.

In a tense line of cross-examination, Ms Bashir asked the witness several times to concede that he initially lied to police and hospital staff.

"Any assertions by you that your injuries were occasioned by an assault on the [previous day] were lies, weren't they?" Ms Bashir asked.

"Yeah, no assault had occurred on [that date]," Complainant A replied.

"So they were lies?" Ms Bashir put to the witness.

"That is correct," he agreed.

He told the court he was assaulted, but on a different date from what he first told police, and that he manipulated the injuries a day before presenting to hospital because he "wanted to be believed".

Ms Bashir accused the complainant of having a "selective view of the truth", which the man denied.

(continued)

>>25186032

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Complainant A's first contact with police

Complainant A made two police statements detailing his allegations against Mr Jones the year after the alleged assault, the trial was told, but the second statement said that he did not want to proceed with an investigation at that time.

He made a third statement to police in 2024, six months before Mr Jones was arrested.

The court has previously heard Complainant A and his single mother received substantial financial benefit from Mr Jones over many years, after the complainant, then 13 years old, reached out to the radio host for help.

The defence has accused the complainant of trying to "obtain as much financial assistance as possible" from the broadcaster, something the complainant has denied.

The court heard the complainant's mother took her then school-aged son to New York, and asked the boy in an email not to mention the trip to Mr Jones.

"You understood that that New York trip was inconsistent with the financial circumstances that you and your mother you were representing to Alan Jones?" Ms Bashir asked.

"That's not true," Complainant A replied.

The court also heard that less than a year after the alleged assault at Fitzroy Falls, Mr Jones emailed the acting dean of a university course, asking him to reconsider his rejection of the complainant's entrance application.

Ms Bashir suggested the complainant continued to accept help from her client, and his mother continued to accept financial assistance, following the alleged assault.

"Mr Jones has been nothing but kind and generous to you, hasn't he?" Ms Bashir asked.

"Mr Jones has been generous to me over the years," Complainant A said.

"But the word 'nothing' is not correct."

Mr Jones's trial has been delayed temporarily due to illness in the defence team, but will return on November 2.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-28/nsw-alan-jones-complainant-says-broadcaster-was-generous/107318038

>>25087285

>>25153220

>>25153236

>>25162951

Former US Navy SEAL asks followers to help Ben Roberts-Smith ‘fight back’

BEN PACKHAM - 28 October 2026

A former US Navy SEAL whose war crimes punishment was overturned by Donald Trump has urged Americans to “put the ­pressure on the Australian government” over the murder prosecution of Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith.

Eddie Gallagher, who was acquitted in 2019 of murdering a wounded Islamic State captive, told his 273,000 Instagram followers to buy merchandise from Mr Roberts-Smith’s clothing brand to help him “restore his name”.

“He is being charged and has serious allegations from his time in combat, and he is fighting back,” the former Navy SEAL chief said, while wearing one of Mr Roberts-Smith’s hoodies.

“His new venture, Epic One Two, represents the resilience, perseverance and grit that it takes to fight back against the government and get what he is owed and the justice that he deserves.”

Mr Gallagher’s case was championed by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth after members of his SEAL platoon accused him of stabbing a prisoner to death in Iraq and taking shots at civilians from his sniper’s nest.

Mr Hegseth, then a Fox & Friends host, lobbied Mr Trump to intervene and campaigned for the SEAL on air, objecting to the charges being described as war crimes.

Mr Gallagher was convicted of posing for a photograph with the corpse and demoted.

Mr Trump reversed the demotion then blocked a navy review that could have stripped Mr Gallagher of his SEAL Trident pin – a stand-off that cost navy secretary Richard Spencer his job.

Mr Gallagher later visited Mr Trump at Mar-a-Lago and publicly backed his re-election.

He said his Pipe Hitter Foundation was backing Mr Roberts-Smith as part of its mission to support military and law enforcement figures “who are being unjustly accused or targeted for doing what they were trained to do”.

“We are now supporting our allies across the globe who stood toe to toe with us in the global war on terror,” he said.

“I could not have gone through everything that we went through without the support of the American people.

“So let’s show Ben Roberts-Smith the same support. Let’s put the pressure on the Australian government to do the right thing.”

Mr Roberts-Smith, 47, is on bail awaiting trial on five counts of “war crime – murder” over the alleged killing of unarmed Afghan detainees between 2009 and 2012. He has vowed to fight the charges and clear his name.

His Epic One Two brand takes its name from the call sign he used during the 2010 assault on Taliban machine gun positions at Tizak that earned him the Victoria Cross.

He launched the clothing line this month as part of a major public relations push, which included lengthy interviews with news.com.au and 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

He said staying silent through his failed defamation action against Nine newspapers had hurt him, arguing he lost because he “didn’t understand that game”.

In that case, Federal Court judge Anthony Besanko found on the balance of probabilities that the former SAS corporal was responsible for, or complicit in, the killing of four unarmed Afghan prisoners. The finding was upheld on appeal.

Mr Roberts-Smith told Fordham: “All the details that we haven’t been able to talk about, it’s going to get ventilated.”

The accused former soldier has powerful supporters. West Australian media mogul Kerry Stokes bankrolled his defamation case, at a cost Mr Roberts-Smith estimated at “upwards of $30m”.

Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart recently named a Perth complex for homeless veterans the “Ben Roberts-Smith Beach Houses”, and questioned the more than $300m spent pursuing SAS veterans.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and former Labor defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon have also backed him.

Mr Roberts-Smith was arrested at Sydney Airport in April.

The charges against him stem from investigations by the Office of the Special Investigator, which was set up after the 2020 Brereton war crimes report, which found credible information that Australian special forces had unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners and civilians. He is only the second person charged, after former SAS trooper Oliver Schulz, whose trial is due to begin next year.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/former-us-navy-seal-asks-followers-to-help-ben-robertssmith-fight-back/news-story/2abfc9d9dda01e74ea35d1c573a609ea

https://www.instagram.com/eddie_gallagher/reel/De9iB9HRh0g/

>>25186099

2/2

The Queensland case exposed offending that stretched across almost two decades, from 2003 to 2022, and involved children who were mostly aged between three and five.

Griffith used his work in childcare settings to gain access to young victims and recorded abuse material while employed.

His arrest in 2022 came after a major investigation by the Australian Federal Police and Queensland police into child abuse material being circulated on the dark web.

The scale of what investigators uncovered shocked even experienced officers, with prosecutors later describing the case as among the worst of its kind seen in the country.

When Griffith was sentenced in Brisbane, Judge Paul Smith imposed the maximum penalty of life imprisonment and set a 27-year non-parole period, meaning Griffith cannot apply for parole until 2049.

The court was told his crimes involved a profound breach of trust against very young children placed in his care.

The NSW matter centres on a separate group of alleged offences, understood to relate to the years Griffith worked in Sydney childcare settings before moving north.

Griffith is yet to enter a plea to the charges he is facing in NSW.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/notorious-childcare-pedophile-ashley-paul-griffith-extradited-to-nsw-to-face-202-more-child-abuse-charges/news-story/50b162f51b3fb70b93dcb5ff0d87f8b4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcrkqOfYOD0

https://corrections.qld.gov.au/prisoner-extradited-to-nsw-to-face-further-charges/

>>25159764

>>25162944

Brendan Nugent claims he panicked after hitting Helen Haines accidentally with his car

Chris Vedelago - October 29, 2026

The man accused of running down Helen Haines claims he had no grudge against the politician and that striking her repeatedly with his car was entirely accidental.

Haines, 65, is in a serious but stable condition at Melbourne’s Alfred hospital after losing both legs in the incident outside her Wangaratta electorate office on October 19.

Victorian and federal police allege it was a targeted attack on the independent MP by local resident Brendan Nugent.

Witnesses have said Nugent’s car did a U-turn on the street and struck Haines about 3.30pm, pinning her to the back of her own car. The Toyota LandCruiser 4WD then allegedly reversed and struck her at least once more.

Nugent was detained at the scene by passers-by and has since been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.

Two sources familiar with the case, but unable to speak publicly, said Nugent has said he never intended to drive into Haines and that his behaviour at the scene was caused by panic.

The 43-year-old has also dismissed suggestions he may have held a grudge against Haines or her politics, saying he had previously voted for the House of Representatives member for the seat of Indi. She was first elected in 2019 and then re-elected in 2022 and 2025.

Police, including counter-terrorism officers, and ASIO are continuing to investigate whether there were any pre-existing connections between Nugent and Haines, and whether he had become fixated on the politician. Among the lines of inquiry are whether the alleged attack was opportunistic or premeditated.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said in the days after the incident that detectives were still working to understand the “deliberate” attack and whether Nugent had any personal contact with Haines or had been waiting for her outside her Wangaratta office.

“We’re checking all records, both of Helen’s, ours, and others,” Bush said at a press conference. “And we are not ruling out further serious charges.”

Bush also confirmed to the ABC that police were examining a theory that Nugent’s alleged attack on Haines could have been a “proxy” for a dispute involving his family.

Nugent’s family, who were estranged from him, said in a statement last week that they were devastated by the alleged attack on Haines, their “close friend of more than 20 years”.

“We will be assisting Victoria Police in any way we can,” said his father, Rod, and stepmother, Christine Cunningham, a health executive who has worked with Haines. “We would like to sincerely thank members of the local community and police who came to Helen’s aid yesterday after the shocking and horrific crime.”

On Monday, an orange cardboard cockatoo sat in Haines’ vacant seat in the House of Representatives as tearful MPs paid tribute to her decency and shared hopes she would continue her service soon.

Her husband, Phil, told those assembled that Haines’ first words after waking from surgery were to express concern for her staff and gratitude to first responders.

This masthead has previously reported that Nugent allegedly suffered from a number of mental health conditions that had caused him to grow increasingly isolated and erratic in the lead up to the incident. This has included a number of stays at psychiatric facilities, including the Kerferd Unit operated by Albury and Wodonga Health.

Nugent’s online history is littered with posts about his personal struggles with mental health, suicidal ideation, chronic pain and homelessness.

“I have a masters degree, H1 average, still can[not] get the basic assistance,” he wrote. “I need to work. Tried many times. Disability pension not enough to manage it so I’m constantly broke spending on health, NDIS is unavailable,” Nugent posted online in May 2022.

He had become reclusive at his rural property just outside Wangaratta, and his online activity suggests he was engaging with doomsday, far-left and anarchist accounts and ideologies. He had previously been known as a dedicated and conscientious environmentalist.

During his first court appearance, Nugent’s lawyer, Chirag Patel, told a magistrate his client suffered from a rare neurological condition, idiopathic transverse myelitis, and had a concussion caused by the accident but was not on any prescribed medication.

Nugent was sent for an urgent mental health assessment by order of the magistrate after he was remanded in custody. He did not apply for bail and is due back in court in February.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/brendan-nugent-claims-he-panicked-after-hitting-helen-haines-accidentally-with-his-car-20261029-p61963.html

>>25178530

‘Tired party’: Muslim voters turn on safe Labor seats amid spending blitz

MOHAMMAD ALFARES - 29 October 2026

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Muslim voters are being lobbied to abandon Labor in its outer suburban strongholds at the Victorian election and switch their votes to the Greens and independents over the war in Gaza.

Grassroots political lobby group Muslim Vote Matters is mobilising volunteers across 18 key electorates to turn against Labor and also direct preferences away from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and the Liberal-Nationals Coalition in key electorates through the outer north, west and southeast.

The MVM strategy is backed by community polling showing 82 per cent of Victorian Muslim respondents rank the war in Gaza as their prime voting issue.

The group is planning to issue how-to-vote cards closer to the November 28 election date.

The Australian understands Ghaith Krayem will mastermind the campaign, but he declined to directly comment. In a statement, the group said: “MVM will issue a How To Vote card for every electorate as we have in the federal election and in both the Tasmanian and South Australian state elections. Our assessment of the candidates and parties will be based on the issues identified in our consultation processes.”

Prominent community leader Nail Aykan said while placing One Nation and Coalition candidates at the bottom of the ballot was a “no-brainer” for Muslims due to their support of Israel, Labor’s assumption of endless loyalty had expired.

“The Muslim community is not one homogeneous bloc,” Mr Aykan said. “Traditionally, it has been generally Labor-voting. But as demographics have changed over the last decade, with a younger population (that) is more educated and actively involved, there is a shift away from the major ­parties.”

The fight for the influential Muslim vote has already seen Labor MPs pledge tens of millions of dollars in investment promises for high-density electorates with Middle-Eastern voters. In northern Melbourne, Broadmeadows houses the state’s largest Muslim demographic at roughly 30 per cent. Its incumbent MP Kathleen Matthews-Ward promised $19.3m in taxpayer money to expand the Glenroy College, which has a high number of Muslim students.

When The Australian visited the school this week, hundreds of Labor brochures were stacked inside the main office of the public school, but principal Andrew Arney insisted he would not be distributing them to students and staff to maintain the school’s “impartial and apolitical status”.

“To clarify, the brochures were left behind by the Labor candidates, but won’t be distributed by us under any circumstances to maintain our impartial and apolitical status as a school,” Mr Arney said when asked why the flyers were at the office.

“I was informed the same brochure will be letter dropped by the Labor candidates and their team at some stage,” he said.

Outside the school on a private property, three large Labor signs of Ms Matthews-Ward were erected.

As leaders across various industries revolt against poor financial management and a debt bill approaching $200bn by 2030, Ms Matthews-Ward also pledged $2.8m to Pascoe Vale North Primary School, $700,000 to Fawkner Library, and $200,000 to the Moreland Turkish Association.

The Australian has approached the Victorian Electoral Commission and the Department of Education for comment about any potential breaches in political campaigning.

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Despite the government’s funding blitz, the leading community leader in Broadmeadows says Labor cannot rely on 11th-hour local pledges to neutralise deep-seated grievances over foreign policy and suburban neglect.

Mr Aykan said young voters were increasingly sceptical of party machines and were actively looking at minor parties and grassroots independents.

“The youth are more inclined to move away from the established parties and be more discerning about individual candidates,” he said.

“Perhaps choose independents who are local people prepared to listen and represent the local people, rather than representing their party from upstairs.”

The backlash threatens to compress Labor’s margins across Melbourne’s growth corridors.

In neighbouring Greenvale, where up to 25 per cent of the electorate is Muslim, and Kalkallo, which combines an estimated 14 to 17 per cent Muslim demographic with the state’s highest concentration of mortgage holders, international outrage is colliding with daily domestic strain.

“At the moment, we’ve got a choice between a tired party ­versus more fresh contenders,” Mr Aykan said, pointing to Labor’s 12 years in power.

“In areas like Kalkallo, Beveridge and Donnybrook, traffic is horrendous. Road bottlenecks like Somerton Road have sat unchanged for years. People are saying: what’s in it for us?”

In the western suburbs, MVM volunteers are expected to target polling booths across Tarneit and Laverton to divert votes away from the major parties, while in southeastern battlegrounds like Narre Warren South – an open contest on an 8.3 per cent margin – the 10 to 12 per cent Muslim voter base threatens to lock the Coalition out of secondary preference flows.

Mr Aykan said transforming safe Labor seats into marginal territory was “long overdue”.

“We will gradually see more marginal seats than safe seats, and that will serve any electorate better,” he said.

“If there are enough votes to say ‘we will not be taken for granted’, that is a good thing.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/tired-party-muslim-voters-turn-on-safe-labor-seats-amid-spending-blitz/news-story/dca1dc782f61c652a119cc71a234534f

>>25091044

>>25132028

>>25032089

>>25142893

‘Bike boy’ case involving the Andrews’ family SUV and cyclist Ryan Meuleman referred to corruption watchdog

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush has assessed new evidence into Daniel and Catherine Andrews’ crash with a teenage cyclist and sent the file to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.

Seb Costello - October 28, 2026

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Victoria Police has referred the infamous Daniel and Catherine Andrews “bike boy” car crash to corruption watchdog IBAC for a second time.

Chief Commissioner Mike Bush has assessed new evidence presented to him in July and sent the file on to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.

The dossier had been personally delivered to police headquarters by former chief commissioner Kel Glare, who had assessed the findings of a four-year private investigation into the crash and aftermath.

In a statement to the Herald Sun on Tuesday, force command said: “Victoria Police has assessed the information provided by former police chief commissioner Kel Glare in ­relation to the 2013 collision in Blairgowrie. Following this assessment the file was sent to IBAC.

“As such, we’ll refer you to IBAC for anything further.”

IBAC did not respond to the Herald Sun’s calls on Tuesday.

Sources close to the police said the dossier was being referred in order to allow IBAC, as the force’s oversight agency, to independently assess its contents, in the interests of transparency and completeness.

The referral did not necessarily indicate the file had uncovered anything it was felt required investigation, sources said.

Under former chief commissioner Shane Patton, Victoria Police declared that the “bike boy” case had been the subject of a thorough investigation and would not be reopened.

The so-called “Glare file” includes the 36-page report released in 2024 by former Victoria Police assistant commissioner Ray Shuey into the crash and aftermath.

Dr Shuey said what he had discovered amounted to an “overt cover-up to avoid implicating a political figure in a life-threatening crash”.

His assessment asserted that the Andrews’ family SUV was “travelling at speed” and on the wrong side of the road when it struck teenage cyclist Ryan Meuleman in a Blairgowrie side street on January 7, 2013.

Dr Shuey was scathing of the police inquiries and asserted that the evidence “does not demonstrate competent professional practice” by police.

The former premier and his wife have insisted they came to a “complete stop” just before being “T-boned” by the bike.

In his 2013 police statement, Mr Andrews said: “My wife Catherine was driving the vehicle and I was in the passenger seat. We turned right from a stationary position into Ridley St. Moments after we turned, a cyclist collided heavily with the side of our vehicle”.

But previously hidden police files obtained in 2022 included photos showing front-end damage and a smashed windscreen on the Andrews vehicle, casting doubt over the claim they were hit from the side.

And a secret Ambulance Victoria report that emerged in 2023 asserted the Andrews’ Ford Territory was “travelling 40km/h to 60km/h” when Mr Meuleman was “struck”.

Dr Schuey concluded: “The statements from both Daniel and Catherine Andrews that their vehicle stopped at Melbourne Rd are not consistent with impact consequences”.

After the crash, dubbed the “bike boy” case, Mr Meuleman – then 15 years old – was flown to the Royal Children’s Hospital where he spent 10 days and lost part of his spleen.

Neither Mrs Andrews – who said she was the driver – nor Mr Andrews were breath-tested by police, despite protocol requiring all drivers in collisions to undergo preliminary breath tests within three hours.

Four years later, Victoria Police said it had examined the actions of attending officers Senior Constable Shayna Sage and Constable Daniel Ward.

In 2017, then-chief commissioner Graham Ashton dismissed concerns saying: “It was just a case of the fact that one thought that one had done it and the other thought the other had done it.”

The pair were eventually “disciplined” by force command.

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IBAC began a short investigation of the police’s handling of the matter, while highlighting the narrow scope of its probe in a public statement.

“IBAC is not investigating the incident or the conduct of the premier, Mr Andrews, or any member of his family,” an IBAC statement said in 2017.

Six weeks later, the watchdog declared: “IBAC has found no deficiencies or areas of concern in relation to Victoria Police’s investigation of police conduct in this matter”.

Mr Andrews held a 52-minute press conference on the collision in 2017 and said: “We did nothing wrong. He hits the side of the car.”

Mr Andrews’ triple-0 call was later made public, with him telling the operator: “A kid’s come flying through on the bike path and we’ve hit him.”

Mr Meuleman made a settlement with law firm Slater & Gordon, which represented him after the crash, after he sued it for failing to act in his best interests when negotiating an $80,000 TAC compensation payout.

A defamation and civil lawsuit, filed by Mr Meuleman against the Andrews in the Federal Court, is ongoing.

Mr Meuleman has pleaded guilty to an ­attempted carjacking in Pakenham in May.

Former chief commissioner Kel Glare on Wednesday said the Victoria Police decision to refer the infamous “bike boy” case to the anti-corruption watchdog IBAC was a “win for the justice process”.

“Ryan Meuleman deserves to be treated fairly,” Mr Glare said.

“I’m bitterly disappointed that it’s taken this long for any action to be taken. There can be no excuse for police not going through all the steps that were required”.

A spokesman for the anti-corruption agency said: “As a matter of practice, IBAC does not comment on whether it has a complaint or investigation before it”.

Mr Glare said it was vindication for Dr Schuey: “I’m sure he’d be delighted. Ray did the investigation that Victoria Police should have done at the time of the incident”.

The former top cop said it was an interesting move by successor Mike Bush.

“Perhaps because he wasn’t here when the collision happened he thinks that sending it to IBAC is reasonable,” he said. “But I don’t have any confidence in IBAC before of their track record.”

Mr Bush spent most of career with New Zealand Police before being appointed Victoria Police Chief Commissioner last year under then premier Jacinta Allan.

IBAC recently examined Mr Andrews’ actions in negotiating a pay deal with the United Firefighters Union (UFC) in 2016.

IBAC said it “did not establish … findings of corrupt conduct”.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/bike-boy-case-involving-the-andrews-family-suv-and-cyclist-ryan-meuleman-referred-to-corruption-watchdog/news-story/c1889de003c72993737c388ece16fc2f

>>25182196

>>25077571

U.S. Embassy Australia Tweet

Oct 29, 2026

The USS Colorado Virginia class submarine has arrived at HMAS Stirling and our @SecWar and Australian Deputy PM and Defence Minister @RichardMarlesMP met at the ASEASN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus in the Philippines to discuss our shared priorities. The U.S.-Australia Alliance keeps getting stronger. - Amb Brat

https://x.com/USEmbAustralia/status/2115557001279484199

—

Readout of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's Meeting With Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles

U.S. Department of War - Oct. 27, 2026

On October 27, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Australia Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles met on the margins of ADMM-Plus. The two leaders discussed ongoing initiatives to strengthen defense cooperation and the U.S.-Australia Alliance.

Secretary Hegseth and Deputy Prime Minister Marles agreed on the need to swiftly execute force posture collaboration, including investments at Australian air force bases and investments to enhance combined logistics capacity. The two leaders also discussed opportunities to better coordinate on U.S. and Australian approaches to regional deterrence and support common-sense strategies to preserve favorable a balance of power in the Pacific.

During the meeting, both principals noted the important ongoing work to advance the trilateral AUKUS security partnership, and efforts to co-produce critical munitions under the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise.

https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4635164/readout-of-secretary-of-war-pete-hegseths-meeting-with-australian-deputy-prime/

>>25077571

>>25142881

CELEBRATING A YEAR OF CRITICAL MINERALS ACHIEVEMENTS WITH AUSTRALIA

U.S. EMBASSY IN CANBERRA - OCTOBER 19, 2026

The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Australia this week celebrate the first anniversary of the United States-Australia Framework for Securing of Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths.

The landmark framework was signed by President Donald J. Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on October 20, 2025, at the White House, to unleash the potential of our abundant natural resources – a model for supply chain cooperation globally.

“The United States salutes Australia for its efforts to build out critical minerals processing and refining. Through the Critical Minerals Framework and our work in Pax Silica, we are turning commitments into mines, refineries, and jobs,” Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg said.

“By building supply chains with trusted partners, we reduce coercive dependencies and strengthen our alliance. This partnership delivers real benefits for the American and Australian people and the companies that power our economies.”

Both nations have partnered with industry to implement at pace.

Since signing this framework, a number of U.S. companies have begun key projects in Australia, including those that will meet around 10 percent of global gallium and 4 percent to 5 percent of global rare earths demand. These include Alcoa’s gallium recovery project in Western Australia, which broke ground on August 24, and Arafura’s Nolans project in the Northern Territory, for which the ground-breaking was held on October 8.

On August 7, the Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital announced a USD $400 million conditional loan commitment to Sunrise Energy Metals Limited (Sunrise) in regional New South Wales to build out the company’s scandium operations. By partnering with a trusted ally, this deal advances President Trump’s mandate to secure resilient critical minerals supply chains.

U.S. Ambassador to Australia David Brat said the achievements to date show how rapidly allies can act when there is shared expertise, commitment, and trust.

“Critical minerals and rare earths have vital applications across defense, advanced technology, and our everyday lives,” Ambassador Brat said.

“Together, Australia and the United States are diversifying the supply chain to ensure no single nation can use this as leverage against us.”

Western Australia has 41 of the 50 minerals deemed critical by the U.S. Geological Survey.

https://au.usembassy.gov/celebrating-a-year-of-critical-minerals-achievements-with-australia/

-

U.S. Embassy Australia Tweet

Oct 20, 2026

One year ago, @POTUS and Prime Minister @AlboMP signed the U.S.–Australia Critical Minerals Framework, strengthening our partnership to secure the critical minerals essential to our economies and national security.

The Framework is helping build more resilient supply chains, expand investment, strengthen domestic manufacturing, and create high-quality American jobs. It is also helping to prevent any one nation from having a stranglehold on critical minerals supply chains.

To advance these shared goals, the @EximBankUS has issued more than US$2.2 billion in Letters of Interest supporting critical minerals and supply-chain security projects in Australia.

One year on, we're turning our shared commitment into action and building a stronger, more secure economic future for both nations.

https://x.com/USEmbAustralia/status/2112319530324328536

>>25077571

>>25142881

>>25196545

U.S. Embassy Australia Tweets

Oct 30, 2026

At the @IMARC_Mining (#IMARC2026) in Sydney, Ambassador Brat and @TradeGov Deputy Assistant Secretary Josh Kroon highlighted progress under the U.S.-Australia Critical Minerals Framework, which was signed a year ago by @POTUS and @AlboMP.

https://x.com/USEmbAustralia/status/2115934081318006822

—

Together, the U.S. and Australia are moving quickly to strengthen secure, diversified supply chains that support manufacturing, innovation, energy security, and national defense for decades to come.

https://x.com/USEmbAustralia/status/2115934085260722250

>>25042795

>>25091054

>>25110652

>>25114149

>>25114153

New wave of Australian antisemitism comes from progressive social justice critics, Jillian Segal says

Clair Weaver - October 30, 2026

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The most pervasive form of discrimination against Jewish Australians comes from progressives motivated by social justice who give antisemitism a “respectable veneer”, argues a new report from Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism (ASECA).

The report describes this mainstream group as combining the hostility of Islamist extremism with far-left ideology delivered through a progressive lens, singling them out for making antisemitism acceptable and even fashionable.

ASECA Priorities, a new road map report to be released on Friday, identifies evolving threats and progress in tackling antisemitism, with envoy Jillian Segal also levelling heavy criticism at universities and the ABC.

It includes recommendations for reforms across society, from health and the arts to migration and the digital world.

In an interview with this masthead before the report’s release, Segal acknowledged antisemitism has always come from the far-right, far-left and Islamist extremism, but pointed to a newer, more palatable form that gives it “intellectual and cultural credibility”.

“What we have is antisemitism that I describe as much more in the middle: well-intentioned people who are concerned about the policies of the state of Israel and feel critical of them,” she said. “And they transfer that criticism to Jewish members of society in Australia … through a lens of thinking that they are upholding progressive values and human rights.

“It’s really conflating criticism of policies of the government of Israel onto Jewish Australians. And actually, Jewish Australians have got no influence on the state of Israel. They may not support any of those policies, and yet, they are suffering.”

Impacts on Jewish people have ranged from hostility, online abuse and exclusion to doxxing, graffiti and violence, Segal said.

Zionism, or the belief in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, has also become a proxy for antisemitism, according to the report, even though it doesn’t equate to excluding Palestinian self-determination or sovereignty.

“Increasingly, and often to avoid appearing transparently and obviously antisemitic, it has become common to vilify, target and ostracise ‘Zionists’ rather than ‘Jews’,” the report said.

“Jews, generally in Australia, are supportive of the existence of the state of Israel,” Segal said. “But not necessarily, of course, for all the policies.”

With caretaker prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future uncertain in the fallout of Israel’s deadlocked election this week, Segal said Israel and its government should be subject to scrutiny and criticism like any other democratic state.

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Online environment

A febrile online environment, in which conspiracy theories and hate flourish, is also singled out in the report as “one of the most significant accelerators of contemporary antisemitism”.

The report comes amid renewed government focus on online hate and abuse, as Indi MP Helen Haines recovers after losing both legs in an alleged attack by a 43-year-old man outside her electorate office.

Segal said there’s been “an explosion of hate” online, which ramped up against Jews after Hamas’ October 7 terror attack.

“We saw a further increase after the Bondi terror attack,” she said. “And we saw all those absolutely terrible allegations online that Bondi was staged: it was not real, the people staged their own blood on their head.

“Not only was it incredibly traumatic for the people who were there, but even more traumatic then for that real experience to be trivialised and made fun of online.”

Media

One of the more controversial recommendations of the ASECA report is the call for an external, independent watchdog for the ABC and SBS to be installed by the federal government.

Segal reported significant concern in the Jewish community about the public broadcasters’ reporting on issues related to Israel and the Middle East, with allegations of “disproportionate, misleading or inaccurate” coverage.

“Jewish Australians have reported being abused, harassed and accused of being ‘baby killers’ or supporters of ‘genocide’ simply for their belief in the right of Israel to exist,” the report stated. “That perception of a link between coverage and hostility is itself a matter of public importance.”

While the ABC and SBS have internal ombudsmen, Segal argues more serious complaints should be handled externally to ensure accountability and public confidence.

“Many other industries – such as telecommunications, superannuation and financial services – have external complaints dealt with transparently and independently by ombudsman services,” she said. “And I think that should apply to the public broadcasters as well.”

The ABC and SBS defended their Middle East reporting and internal complaints processes at the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion earlier this year.

Public funding cut

Taxpayer funding would be withheld or stripped from people or organisations that engage in or tolerate antisemitism, under several recommendations in the report.

This applied to arts, culture, sport and university research and included government grants. Previous proposals have been met with resistance on the grounds of freedom of artistic expression.

“My principle is that government money should not be used to foment hate in any sphere,” said Segal.

The report also calls for doxxed or excluded Jewish artists to be re-engaged by the arts sector.

Universities ‘slow to act’

Universities come under fire for “serious shortcomings”, including failing to act on antisemitism and adopt an agreed definition.

“University leaders have periodically expressed regret, but actions have been slow and inadequate on campus encampments, office invasions, activism in learning environments, and disruptive actions hostile to Jewish staff, students and visitors,” the report states.

While an agreed Universities Australia definition of antisemitism was endorsed by vice chancellors in 2025, this year it emerged that no university had adopted a uniform definition.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/new-wave-of-australian-antisemitism-comes-from-progressive-social-justice-critics-says-antisemitism-envoy-20261030-p619a4.html

https://www.aseca.gov.au/news/article/special-envoy-releases-updated-priorities-push-antisemitism-back-margins

https://www.aseca.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-10/combatting-antisemitism-special-envoys-priorities.pdf

>>24961846 (pb)

>>25087285

>>25132021

>>25162951

Secret ADF report reveals military commander failures contributed to alleged SAS war crimes

BEN PACKHAM - October 28, 2026

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A long-secret report has found failures by military commanders contributed to Australia’s alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, ­revealing “an absence of effective leadership” at multiple levels as discipline collapsed inside the SAS.

The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force’s culture and command inquiry found special forces leaders knew standards were slipping but failed to act, and the signs of decline were evident to some in “higher headquarters”.

An executive summary of the inquiry’s findings was quietly uploaded to the IGADF’s website on Tuesday night, after Defence twice refused to release the report to The Australian under freedom of information laws, and Labor and the Coalition voted to keep it secret.

The summary says the top brass overlooked “unusual” kill statistics showing spikes in dead insurgents but almost no wounded, and accepted corrupted reports that recast fleeing civilians as legitimate targets.

“It is striking how widely elements of decline were known, yet little effective or timely remedial action was taken,” it says.

The 2020 Brereton war crimes report revealed credible information that SAS personnel in Afghanistan murdered 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners, saying the alleged crimes were overwhelmingly conceived and committed by non-commissioned officers.

It found no evidence that commanders knew of war crimes or were recklessly indifferent to them, and that “responsibility and accountability does not extend to higher headquarters”.

However, the newly released report, commissioned by former defence chief Angus Campbell in 2021, says the alleged unlawful killings reveal “a breakdown of command, and an absence of consistently applied, effective leadership over an extended period”.

It says there was “a significant failure of good leadership and effective command” across the SAS and among Special Operations commanders, and the governance system meant to prevent misconduct had become “depleted and largely unreliable”, giving higher commanders “a false level of assurance”.

The report finds culture was “not the cause” of the alleged murders, which resulted from “decisions made by a small number of individuals”, but “created an environment which enabled misconduct by a few to occur”.

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Defence had argued in rejecting The Australian’s FOI requests that sensitive material was “inextricably intertwined” throughout the report that would reveal ­special forces techniques and ­tactics, and that its release could affect ongoing criminal matters.

The executive summary released by the IGADF, which contains no redactions, does not identify which commanders knew, or should have known, of the alleged war crimes.

But it says some officers had “actual knowledge” of misconduct, including the use of “throwdowns” – weapons planted on dead Afghans to make them look like insurgents – and “did not take effective action to investigate and address these issues”.

The findings underscore the failure of successive governments to hold commanders to account for alleged war crimes committed on their watch. They come as Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith wages a determined campaign asserting his innocence of multiple alleged murders.

The report says Special Operations Command (SOCOMD), although not formally in the operational chain of command, was briefed into SAS information “compartments” that shut out the headquarters responsible for overseeing the troops. SOCOMD also had access to reporting that identified individual operators, “from which the patterns of conduct may have become evident”.

“Special Operations Command leadership had some awareness of the degradation of standards and practices both in barracks and in theatre and did not take effective action in response, which sent important signals as to the acceptable standards,” the summary says.

“That there was no effective intervention and that this decline was allowed to continue, suggests an absence of effective leadership at various levels.”

It says higher headquarters failed to properly interrogate the kill data it received, which should have signalled something was amiss.

The failure to enforce discipline “had no apparent consequence” in the SAS “so long as operational commitments were being met”, the report says.

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It reveals senior officers knew of the SAS bar at Camp Russell in Tarin Kowt, previously revealed as the “Fat Lady’s Arms”, which operated for years in defiance of orders banning alcohol. “This sent the strong signal to those involved that the rules did not apply to them,” it says.

The independent panel overseeing Defence’s response to Major General Paul Brereton’s 2020 war crimes report has previously rejected his view that the most senior officers bore no accountability or responsibility.

The inquiry describes “systemic avoidance of oversight” through the “corruption of routine operational and organisational reporting”. Some saw it as part of a “‘war’ against superior command”.

Reports focused on showing operations complied with the rules of engagement “rather than accurately stating the facts”. The phrase “manoeuvring to a position of tactical advantage” was used so routinely to describe fleeing civilians, known as “squirters”, as combatants that it “lost meaning”.

Complaints to the ADF, the UN and civil society groups “were often discounted as tactics of insurgents”. Post-mission debriefs also allowed some sergeants and corporals to push “a preferred, but sometimes grossly inaccurate version of events” up the chain of command. Intelligence was “adjusted to align with the operational outcomes” of missions, and some legal officers lost “professional detachment”.

Defence previously told Senate estimates the culture and command report was delivered to General Campbell on June 2, 2022. His successor, Admiral David Johnston, had not been given a copy, and it is unclear whether the current Chief of the Defence Force, Mark Hammond, had seen the report before it was posted on Tuesday night.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/secret-adf-report-reveals-military-commander-failures-contributed-to-alleged-sas-war-crimes/news-story/d0a22b77f7d759224294fd8496491280

https://www.igadf.gov.au/igadf-afghanistan-inquiry

https://www.igadf.gov.au/system/files/2026-10/Executive%20Summary%20of%20the%20IGADF%20Inquiry%20into%20the%20Cultural%20Context%20in%20which%20Command%20over%20SOTGs%20or%20Special%20Forces%20Personnel%20was%20exercised%20in%20Afghanistan.pdf

>>24961846 (pb)

>>25087285

>>25132021

>>25162951

>>25197492

‘Case closed’: ADF chief rules out action on SAS command failures

BEN PACKHAM - October 29, 2026

Australia’s Defence Force chief says no further action will be taken over command failures in Afghanistan, despite a long-secret report revealing “an absence of ­effective leadership” at multiple levels contributed to alleged SAS war crimes in the conflict.

Admiral Mark Hammond told a Senate estimates committee on Thursday that Defence’s response to the damning inquiry into command and cultural issues in Afghanistan had been completed, and he did not plan to revisit it.

An executive summary of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force’s 2022 report following the inquiry was quietly posted online on Tuesday night, after Defence twice refused to release the report to The Australian under freedom of information laws, and Labor and the Coalition voted to keep it secret.

It confirmed special forces leaders knew standards were slipping in the Special Air Service Regiment but failed to act, and the signs of decline were evident to some in “higher headquarters”.

Admiral Hammond said: “Those findings and recommendations were actioned by my ­predecessors. All departmental actions relevant to that inquiry have been completed.

“Referrals were made where necessary to government, and I have no additional testimony to add to (that of) my predecessors.”

He added that the conduct revealed by the report was “completely unacceptable”. “I am absolutely of the view that commanders should be inquisitive. You get what you inspect, not what you expect,” he said.

Fewer than 10 current and former commissioned officers were stripped of medals for command failures, infuriating veterans who believed the top brass should have faced serious consequences for the crimes of their subordinates.

Greens leader David Shoebridge said there was an “accountability gap” between the lower ranks and those with “gold braid on your shoulders”.

“Why has nobody in a position of being a commissioned officer been held to account? That’s the question that’s been asked, and it’s eroding confidence in the ADF,” Senator Shoebridge said.

Liberal frontbencher and former SAS captain Andrew Hastie, who served in Afghanistan and gave evidence against alleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith, said the report reflected his own experiences in the conflict.

“I lived a lot of what I read in that report. There’s almost 50 findings, and a lot of it rings very true to me as a junior officer at the time,” Mr Hastie told ABC radio.

“In the end, if you hold a commission in the Australian Army, then you are accountable for those underneath you.”

The 2020 Brereton war crimes report revealed credible information that SAS personnel in Afghanistan murdered 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners, saying the alleged crimes were overwhelmingly conceived and committed by non-commissioned officers.

It found no evidence that commanders knew of war crimes or were recklessly indifferent to them, and that “responsibility and accountability does not extend to higher headquarters”.

However, the newly released IGADF report, commissioned by former defence chief Angus Campbell in 2021, said the alleged unlawful killings revealed “a breakdown of command, and an absence of consistently applied, effective leadership over an extended period”.

Senate estimates also heard on Thursday that about a quarter of ADF personnel were currently considered unfit to deploy.

Defence’s Chief of Personnel, Lieutenant General Natasha Fox, told Senate estimates that “over 75 per cent of the ADF are actually in a deployable medical military employment classification”.

She said those unable to deploy included more than 13 per cent of personnel who were classified as being in “rehabilitation”, while 4 per cent were classified as transitioning to other jobs because they were no longer employable in their current role.

“We have some that are temporarily downgraded, and those temporarily downgraded in a military employment classification might be for an injury that has an ongoing rehabilitation requirement, but it’s only a temporary downgrade,” she said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/onequarter-of-adf-personnel-not-medically-fit-to-deploy-senate-estimates-told/news-story/3b2e26b4930cecb3575c237ea0b65d1d

>>25162953

Wong warns new US strikes on Iran would worsen global instability, protests

Michael Koziol - November 1, 2026

1/2

Atlanta: Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged the United States not to resume strikes on Iran after the midterm elections, warning it would worsen economic pressures that are driving the protests and social instability in France, Spain and elsewhere around the world.

Wong said her counterparts in the G20 group of nations were increasingly concerned that the Middle East conflict, as well as the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, were translating into political and economic disorder, primarily manifesting in youth-led protests in Europe.

Expectations are growing that US President Donald Trump will order new strikes against Iran as soon as this week, possibly the day after Americans go to the polls on November 3.

Asked if she had reiterated Australia’s opposition to more strikes, Wong said she had consistently made that view clear at the G20 in Atlanta, including during a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“What we have articulated privately and publicly are the same,” she said in an interview in Atlanta. “We want to see an end to the escalation, we want to see de-escalation, and we want to see negotiations – and for the conflict to be resolved and for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened.”

The G20 foreign ministers’ meeting took place on Friday and Saturday (Atlanta time) just as Qatar was holding talks in Doha with Iranian negotiators aimed at avoiding a re-escalation of the war, which began eight months ago when the US and Israel launched strikes against the Islamic regime in Tehran.

Trump has pledged not to attack Iran again before the midterms. The Wall Street Journal reported that he was briefed last week on fresh military options by America’s top Middle East commander, and that the US had told Arab allies to be prepared for a “short, intense military campaign” after the election.

Speaking to reporters in Atlanta, Rubio would not characterise the progress of the Qatari-mediated talks, nor give them a timeframe, but said Trump’s preference was always to find a diplomatic solution.

“He recognises there are some issues in the world that cannot be solved peacefully, unfortunately,” Rubio said. “Iran is blowing up ships … including ships that have energy that’s destined for countries represented at that [G20] table.”

A communique issued by the US after the summit noted the world had felt the impacts of global energy disruptions and the weaponisation of food supply chains. But there were no specific initiatives to emerge from the meeting that would counter those threats.

(continued)

>>25201036

2/2

The protests raging in France, Spain, Germany and elsewhere are multifactorial, but are rooted in concerns about economics, education and immigration. The Israel/Palestine issue has also featured. Hundreds of thousands of people participated in authorised protests across France again at the weekend, some in Halloween-themed gear.

Wong argued there was a growing relationship between the large-scale unrest and hardships faced by ordinary people due to higher fuel, grocery and transport prices caused by the ongoing wars, but particularly the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

“If you look at what’s happening in France, Germany, Italy and a couple of other countries where we’ve already seen protests, the pressure on people’s cost of living – the cost pressure of the inflation that’s in the global economy – is manifesting not just in prices but also in social and economic instability,” Wong said.

Australia has already revised its travel advice for some European countries, although it has not yet changed the risk levels.

Energy insecurity had also hit hardest those who could least afford it, Wong said, noting she had raised this point in one of the G20 sessions.

Rubio began the summit by outlining a series of “interconnected economic and geopolitical crises” plaguing the world, including freedom of navigation, supply chain blockages and energy insecurity, and called on the G20 to help solve them.

Asked whether those contemporary problems were substantially of America’s own making, Wong said: “That’s an opinion. My view is I have to advocate for our national interest, and our national interest is for de-escalation and for the strait to be open.”

Wong declined to comment on the imminent US midterm elections and how the government would navigate the looming post-Trump era, other than to say Australia worked with the US regardless of its political make-up.

In Atlanta, Wong also attended a meeting of the Quad group of nations: Australia, the US, Japan and India. A statement on the meeting issued by the US hosts referred to SI or “super intelligence”, but noted Australia, Japan and India had not joined the US in rebranding artificial intelligence, as Trump advocates.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/wong-warns-new-us-strikes-on-iran-would-worsen-global-instability-protests-20261101-p61aap.html

https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/10/quad-joint-press-release-on-economic-prosperity-and-security/

>>25201044

2/2

'Untapped potential' of Commonwealth

CHOGM is one of the few multilateral forums without the presence of the US or China, but geopolitics will still loom large over the summit.

Over the past two decades, China has poured billions into the region, funding major infrastructure projects across the Caribbean, including Antigua's main port, airport and cricket stadium where CHOGM events will tee off.

Last week, the Trump administration announced it would invest more than $US340 million ($484 million) across 15 Caribbean nations, focusing on digital infrastructure, health care and regional security.

In a pre-CHOGM speech, Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey called for far greater trade cooperation and social mobility among Commonwealth nations, whose combined economies are worth nearly $30 trillion.

"I believe passionately in the Commonwealth's potential to benefit its members and their people today and in the future. And that full potential is still untapped," she said.

Ms Botchwey also called for "bold and urgent change" in the international system amid "a new era of fracture".

"What's clear is that business as usual in international affairs will no longer cut it," she said.

Cricket, climate, and colonialism

Despite Antigua's distance from the region, there are many intersecting issues that Caribbean and Pacific leaders want to discuss this week, including climate change, the legacy of colonisation, and to a lesser extent for the Pacific, the impacts of slavery.

Rising sea levels pose an existential threat to low-lying Caribbean nations, which are more susceptible to natural disasters, and whose economies rely heavily on tourism.

Australian mining magnate Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest is also planning to sail into Antigua's port on the "Fortescue Green Pioneer", the world's first dual-fuel vessel capable of running on green ammonia.

During the 2024 CHOGM in Samoa, leaders acknowledged the "common historical experiences" of colonisation, dispossession of Indigenous peoples, and slavery and committed to '"inclusive conversations" to address the harms of those legacies.

Mr Albanese described the practice of black birding (which saw tens of thousands of Pacific Islanders coerced or kidnapped into indentured labour) as "a sorry chapter in Australia’s history" but said his focus was on the future.

The current Burnham UK government, like the Starmer government before it, has ruled out paying reparations for slavery.

Caribbean and African leaders will, however, want to continue discussions on reparatory justice this week.

CHOGM is expected to tee off on Sunday with a leader's cricket match at the Viv Richards Stadium in St John's, named after the legendary Antiguan cricketer who is the summit's official envoy.

The prime minister won't be playing, but will attend the match.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-01/anthony-albanese-flies-to-caribbean-for-chogm-summit/107330040

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq027YgGcwc

>>25046532

>>25091054

>>25114165

Heavily armed NSW Police rapid response unit begins operations after Bondi massacre

LACHLAN LEEMING - 1 November 2026

A new unit of heavily armed and specially trained police officers formed in the aftermath of the Bondi massacre will patrol Hanukkah celebrations later this year, with a senior Jewish leader saying the step up in security is required after the nation-changing attack.

The $94.3m Armed Response Command, which features officers trained in the use of long-arm weapons and tasked with deploying rapidly to incidents across Sydney, was established as one of the key NSW government responses to the mass shooting in Bondi that killed 15.

Police Minister Yasmin Catley, who revealed the unit officially started operations on Sunday, said the heavily armed ARC officers were also trained in high-speed driving and emergency medical response.

Detective Superintendent Andrew Evans, commander of the ARC, said the new unit would “absolutely” be present at upcoming events including Hanukkah celebrations, such as the one targeted at Bondi last year.

“We’re a specialist capability that will rapidly respond, and you will see the Armed Response Command at those particular events,” he said on Sunday.

Operating from a new base in Surry Hills in Sydney’s CBD, the ARC command will have a 24-hour feed of information gathered from sources including Crime Stoppers, the National Security Hotline, triple-0 calls and community tip-offs.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin welcomed the move, conceding it was needed after the Bondi attack.

“Terrorism changes the way we live and the massacre at Bondi which saw long arms deployed against defenceless Australians was always going to result in an increased police capability to deal with such horror,” he said.

“No Australian wants to see officers with military weapons on our streets, but the sight of body bags is far worse.”

When running at full strength - forecast to be by the end of 2027 - the ARC will comprise 250 police officers as well as 28 intelligence analysts and support staff.

The unit - based on similar rapid-response police squads in Europe and New York - will be armed with Thales assault rifles, made in Lithgow, and will have access to a suite of specialist vehicles able to weave through Sydney’s busy streets.

“It will have its own 24/7 police operational command … it’s state of the art. It has some of the technologies that law enforcement use around the globe, and that is to keep an eye on what is going on around metropolitan Sydney and being able to respond in a very rapid, direct, intelligence-focused way,” Ms Catley said.

The branch will function as a part of NSW’s counter-terrorism response, which includes the Tactical Operations Group.

“This was a response that the NSW Police came to us (with) after going overseas and really getting down into the weeds of what is happening globally and finding out what other countries are doing in response to terror events around the globe,” Ms Catley said.

The ARC will eventually take over from Operation Shelter, which was initially established by the NSW Police in 2023 amid a spate in antisemitic incidents and has included an ongoing, high-visibility police presence at locations including religious sites since the Bondi mass shooting.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/heavily-armed-nsw-police-rapid-response-unit-begins-operations-after-bondi-massacre/news-story/871493e4171afe792c61c9e8c885aaef

>>25135775

>>25135778

>>25186099

>>25197264

‘I’d be lying if I said it didn’t take a toll’: Child Abuse Squad boss, Linda Howlett on sickening hunt for Ashley Paul Griffith

The NSW Child Abuse Squad boss has exclusively revealed how the months-long effort to identify children allegedly abused by one of the country’s worst pedophiles took a heavy toll.

Madeline Crittenden - November 1, 2026

A team of police was forced to spend months watching video of horrific child sexual abuse before they could charge one of the country’s worst pedophiles.

“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t take a toll. You have to sit for hours and hours, and weeks, and weeks, and weeks, looking at some horrific abuse of a child. You wouldn’t be human if it didn’t,” head of the NSW Child Abuse Squad, Detective Superintendent Linda Howlett said.

Some 10 years after childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith is accused of sexually assaulting 23 children in Sydney’s inner west, NSW Police charged him with more than 200 offences on Friday.

Griffith is already serving a life sentence in Queensland for abusing 69 girls there.

But, after a 2022 tip-off from the Australian Federal Police, 25 investigators from the NSW Child Abuse Squad spent months on end working to identify the children identified in thousands of sick videos and photos allegedly created by Griffith.

The 48-year-old is accused of sexually abusing the children, who were aged between one and five, while working at an inner west childcare centre between July 2014 and December 2017. He was extradited to NSW this week.

Superintendent Howlett said the investigators were split into teams of two and each team allocated a victim to identify.

While the court process played out in Queensland, police in Sydney were working on bringing him to justice in NSW, with police from both states travelling up and down the coast to share ­information.

“We had a process that literally took months, we actually had one pair (of investigators) to actually view the video and identify the victim,” Superintendent Howlett said.

“We then got another pair to cross reference and double check that they agreed with what the first team had found.

“One of the main priorities for us was ensuring that we identified the correct victim, because the last thing I wanted to do, is have the investigators knock on someone’s door, and tell them the most horrific information alleging that their child has been abused, and to find out we’ve got the wrong victim.”

Superintendent Howlett said while some of the alleged victims and their families were “relieved” by news of Griffith’s latest charges, others were understandably distressed.

“This has been hanging over their heads for a number of years, so it’s been very, very stressful for the families,” she said.

“Our investigators worked tirelessly on this case for a considerable period of time.

“I’d like to say to anyone who offends against children, I give you this promise: it’s only a matter of time before we arrest you.”

Griffith made no application for bail when appearing before court on Friday and will ­remain in custody.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/id-be-lying-if-i-said-it-didnt-take-a-toll-child-abuse-squad-boss-linda-howlett-on-sickening-hunt-for-ashley-paul-griffith/news-story/a93ad65f96daa3956c6c01c107496a6b

>>25135775

>>25135778

>>25186099

>>25197264

>>25201073

Q Post #1735

Jul 27 2018 13:13:18 (EST)

There is nothing more precious than our children.

Evil has no boundaries.

https://genius.com/Slayer-evil-has-no-boundaries-lyrics

The choice to know will ultimately be yours.

These people are SICK!

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/07/27/cbs-honcho-les-moonves-will-be-accused-sexual-misconduct-in-latest-ronan-farrow-bombshell-report-says.html

To those who are courageous enough to speak out - we stand with you!

You are not alone in this fight.

God bless.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#1735

--

Q Post #109

Nov 5 2017 20:06:36 (EST)

>St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, by the power of God, cast down to Hell Satan and all his evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Amen brother.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#109

--

Q Post #4207

May 11 2020 12:05:59 (EST)

The Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4207

--

Q Post #4396

Jun 3 2020 01:44:26 (EST)

God wins.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#4396