This letter is the immediate reaction of distinguished Australians, who hope many more will express their outrage that the State of Israel continues to ignore the United Nations, breach its charter and attack its personnel.
It is time the Australian Government stood up to Israel to demand a halt to all military violence and offered its full support to the United Nations and the Office of the Secretary General.
Since the onset of the Gaza War, many Australians have urged the Albanese Government to speak up in condemning the Netanyahu regime’s constant breaches of international law and to act urgently to protect innocent civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
If we don’t recognize Palestine we don’t recognize that Israel has killed and wounded over 120,000 people and has continued to illegally occupy seize and settle land disposed of the people living there. Basically, we are washing our hands of the matter like Pontius Pilate.Pilate washed his hands in front of the crowd before announcing, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” The Jewish people shouted in response, “His blood be on us and our children.” It’s a passage that would be used for millennia to persecute the Jewish people.
In opposition, our prime minister and the Labor Party were fierce champions of Palestine and passionate voices for justice. I ask that we summon that spirit of old and do the same in power. Let historians write of us that we were on the right side of history, that we boldly reinforced international law, and that we were a shining beacon and voice for freedom.
Advocacy groups have welcomed the release of the Federal Government’s announcement of a heat mapping tool to assist affected communities deal with the worst of extreme heat, but have called on government to do more to address the root cause, climate change caused by the continued use of fossil fuels.
Last week, Australian Border Force deployed one hundred officers to detain a dozen asylum seekers on the Kimberley Coast. Meanwhile, an estimated 2000 asylum seekers arrive in Australia by plane every month. Duncan Graham reports from Indonesia.
The US and UK have reportedly struck over a dozen sites in Yemen using Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, backed by logistical support from Australia, Canada, Bahrain and the Netherlands. A statement from President Biden asserts that the strikes against “targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels” are a “direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea”.
Israel’s defence relied on dismissing South Africa’s arguments as implausible, making many assertions it could not really offer conclusive evidence for, and some fancy legal gymnastics. It shared excerpts from its War cabinet documents to prove Israel has taken every precaution to protect civilians and argued they are the only record that matters, not the rhetoric referred to by South Africa of genocidal intent. I hope this will not fool the judges.
Will Israel’s “assurances” be taken seriously by the judges?
With Australia joining other nations in favour of a Gaza ceasefire, it’s time to put more pressure on our leaders to take further action in ending Palestinian suffering, writes Tom Tanuki.
Australian-equipped Israeli Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighters are being used to commit what amounts to war crimes in Gaza by bombing civilians and providing aerial support for a murderous ground invasion.
What is particularly disappointing is the way the Albanese Government has so abjectly accepted Dutton’s scaremongering and confected moral panic. Rapists and murderers exist within Australia’s population. If they have served their sentences, they are free to re-join society. But not if they are on a visa, or stateless.
The Australian government must withhold all political support from the Israeli government while the killing of Palestinian civilians and destruction of their infrastructure continue. And yet, what hope? On 25 October when acting Prime Minister Richard Marles was asked on radio whether fuel should be allowed into Gaza to allow hospitals to function; he could not bring himself even to utter a simple “yes”.
Every drop of Palestinian and Jewish bloodshed is on the hands of the United States, Australian, and Western countries politicians who closed their eyes to the aggression, occupation, ethnic cleansing, and violation of international laws and resolutions carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people for more than seventy-five years.
The whistleblower of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan is facing life in prison for exposing the truth, while the perpetrators remain free. Dr John Jiggens reports.
The ABC needs the many recommendations to strengthen its independence from political interference implemented.
The Greens and independent candidates are correct: there should be no exemption for “professional news content” in the attempt to crackdown on social media misinformation.
This domestic program ought to be more straightforward than the daunting challenge of dealing with international mis- and disinformation fomented on the internet. That ‘X’ is so much worse for bigotry and disinformation than Twitter illustrates two key points. The settings implemented by management can work to limit disinformation. It also illustrates the damage of leaving massive platforms in private hands.
Robert Reich recently posted this message: “The forces undermining our democracy, polluting our planet, and stoking hatred are counting on you to give up.
“They have money.
“They have megaphones.
“And they have an even more powerful weapon – one that’s harder to spot but incredibly effective: Cynicism.
“Don’t give up.”
The Albanese government has the power to ensure that Australian political speech is as truthful as possible in a world where reliable information is both difficult to determine and utterly crucial.
It’s incomprehensible, then, that many of our politicians support “unlocking the Beetaloo Basin” in the Northern Territory and developing another 48 oil and gas projects across Australia.
Millions of Australians living with ongoing health conditions can get cheaper medicines under the first stage of the federal government’s 60-day dispensing policy.
If The ALP Government is already dragging its feet on Climate Change why is Sky News After Dark complaining? Any wonder there’s been a seemingly corporate shift in attitude. I say seemingly because the ALP isn’t threatening their reality.
This year’s federal budget contained a bunch of new spending measures, but they mostly start with ‘m’ for millions not ‘b’ for billions. The total is well short of $37 billion, let alone $116 billion.
“National security claims” too easily trump the delivery of justice. Afghan war crimes whistleblower David McBride is a case in point.
Dreyfus seems quite content with an unfair prosecution and one that is infected by improper motive. He’s quite happy for a court, deprived of context and adjudicating to the strict letter of the law (that Dreyfus himself has said were not fit for purpose).
It’s within his authority to do so. The public interest in halting the prosecution is clear. But sadly the Attorney’s been captured by the security apparatus. The AAT Deputy President’s revelation two weeks ago proves that.
Dreyfus is willing to rubber stamp a confidentiality order that improperly tilts the adjudication in favour of the security establishment. He’s unwilling to correct an injustice that would cross the path of that same establishment,
In this, Dreyfus is like many of our senior Labor and Coalition politicians. Over more than two decades they’ve poured hundreds of billions into the national security apparatus which is now bigger, more powerful and influential than it has ever been.
In Parliament, applause is regularly showered on our spies, police and security bureaucrats. They can apparently do no wrong. But privately the politicians are fearful. They fear what might happen to their secrets if they aren’t totally supportive of “national security”. No one in government or opposition wants to get offside with the secret state.
Of course, that doesn’t absolve Dreyfus. Of all our Federal Ministers he’s the one with specific responsibility as first law officer to uphold the integrity of our legal system, especially the vital principle of open justice.
He’s failing to do his duty because he’s weak in the face of Australia’s national security apparatus. He lacks the moral fortitude to sit in the Attorney-General’s seat.
As a result of his cowardice a good man will go to jail and, at the same time, democratic integrity will suffer.
The Australian Government failed to challenge U.S. officials on the fate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the recent AUSMIN defence conference, writes Dr Binoy Kampmark.
After a rather extraordinary month of steadily escalating defence PR and conspiracy opportunities, Australia was sat on its backside over the weekend and reminded to know its subservient place.
Climate change poses major threats to the health of all people globally. Australia has been slow to recognise this. In an assessment of the health-related content of 58 nations’ plans to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, Australia scored zero.
IN HIS FIRST YEAR as Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese has increased the number of Australians in the paid workforce by 3.44% to an all-time high of 14 million plus a few. That gives Albo the best record of any prime minister from Malcolm Fraser onwards, when the current data series began.
If they do go early they’ll burn their greatest asset Peter Dutton
You are probably thinking, referring to the headline, that it is a stupid thing to say, and on the one hand, you might be right given the Government still has two years to serve. On the other, going early when your chances of winning are second to none is a good idea.
AUSTRALIA HAS BEGUN its long, slow climb out of the sewers of sleaze and corruption now a new government committed to integrity has replaced the grimy and incompetent Coalition.
It doesn’t get any less self-reliant and sovereign than just handing over your nation’s military to a more powerful nation with a “There ya go mate, use it however you reckon’s fair.” You really could not come up with a more egregious abdication of national sovereignty if you tried.
And yet Australia’s prime minister babbles about sovereignty and self-reliance while doing exactly that.
Just annex Australia and make it the 51st state already. At least that way Australians would get a pretend vote in America’s fake elections.
After 16 years governments dithering, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus is moving to introduce Tranche 2 of Australia’s money-laundering laws, finally tackling the powerful lawyer, accounting and property lobbyists. Nathan Lynch reports.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has all but confirmed in Parliament the government is doing nothing to bring the world’s foremost political prisoner home. What’s the scam with “quiet diplomacy”?
Surely the capping of the government passing new fossil fuel endeavors needs to reflect what it expects of others. After all the government isn’t excluded from setting an example we all must follow?
The safeguard mechanism would lead to the biggest 215 polluters being forced to cap their emissions, with companies that breach the limit required to buy carbon offsets or trade their emissions with other firms.
Legislation that would help evacuate refugees held offshore is urgently needed to erase the dark history of suffering and punishment by the Coalition Government, writes Jane Salmon.
Given the LNP’s approach “do nothing” privatise the market Chalmers can’t be all wrong if we judge the LNP did a fantastic job these past 10 years for the country. Nope Nope Nope brought them to government, through government and still echoes in opposition. Abbott never really left the LNP or the Monkey Pod Room. However isn’t Value Based Capitalism a partnership that has never really worked?
Thus, instead of the neo-liberal model that relies purely on market prices to determine the allocation of resources, with no interference by the state, Chalmers argues persuasively that his “values-based capitalism”, based on “well-designed and well-informed markets, can “facilitate flows of capital into priority areas, and ultimately make progress on our collective problems and purpose.”
It’s Time Again The new Labor Albanese Government with a two-house majority has an opportunity to pick up the mantle of Whitlam, Hawke and Keating and move Australian society back towards a more equitable and independent position. Let us NOT start another political party! There have been many such attempts before and these have obviously failed. Our best chance this time is to get behind the ALP itself.
The Albanese Government’s “Secure Jobs, Better Pay” industrial relations bill passed the House of Representatives last Thursday and now heads to the Senate.
Australia’s top economists have overwhelmingly endorsed intervention to restrain gas and electricity prices, with only three of the 47 leading economists surveyed believing the best thing the government can do is to leave things to the market.
After the Coalition stalled for almost a year, worsening our labour shortage, Dutton has the gall to complain about Labor’s Migration Program win, writes Dr Abul Rizvi.
The narrative needs to be that Australia is now aiming so much higher than the previous government ever imagined, that being locked into their mediocre, just-enough, low-tax policies is neither virtuous nor honourable, and in fact, a betrayal of the next generation.
And he needs to do it sooner rather than later, because an ineffective damp lettuce leaf is not going to be the Opposition Leader forever.
The common good, or empathy for it, should be at the centre of any political philosophy. However, it is more likely to be found on the left than the right. ( John Lord )
A new conservation plan designed to protect koalas is once again failing to save the species from extinction, writes Sue Arnold.
REGRETTABLY, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s latest environmental policy announcement, The Threatened Species Action Plan, is short on details and fails to address the substantive issues driving Australia’s extinction crisis.
I was immediately taken aback when I read that the Opposition was negotiating “in good faith” with the Government for their support in introducing the National Anti Corruption Commission (NACC).
Good faith sounds more like bargaining for an exemption from the obvious. At first, I thought I was mistaken.
Labor will argue that an anti-corruption body that isn’t supported by the opposition risks charges of illegitimacy and abolition at the next change of government. Well and good — if the Coalition wants to go to the next election promising to abolish a federal ICAC, let them knock themselves out. Labor would do far better to be seen to negotiate with the teal independents and David Pocock, strengthening their case to voters at the next election to keep their seats. Tomorrow has become a significant test for Labor: once the legislation for a federal ICAC is unveiled, we can see whether Labor is serious about integrity, or has indeed been preparing a major party stitch-up.
Reports that Labor is in talks with Peter Dutton over the looming Federal Integrity Commission laws have spread alarm Anthony Albanese might walk back on his pledge for a credible anti-corruption body. Callum Foote reports on the timing, the critical detail, the delays and the latest scare.
The utterly inhumane, unconscionable treatment of asylum seekers and refugees is the most visible and horrific example of this, again, bipartisan cruelty. But people are so (rightfully) fixated on it that they tend to overlook the others. We should look at the others, though, because the partner visa is an exercise in cruelty all by itself.
Unless you’ve had the audacity to fall in love with a foreigner, you’ve probably not thought about this blatantly racist and classist bit of fuckery. But it is nasty, and this Labor government has no intention whatsoever to un-fuck it.
Slaughter on Batman Avenue: Victoria gets election result three months early – Michael West
If the Victorian election were a boxing match, the ref would have stopped the fight. Except that the election isn’t until November 26.
The fact that Melburnians suffered one of the world’s longest lockdowns under Covid won’t be enough to stop Premier Daniel Andrews gaining a third term.
Last weekend Andrews basked in the favourable publicity generated by his announcement of free university places for nursing students. As feelgood stories go, this was a ripper. Meanwhile The Weekend Australian proclaimed on its front page: ”The Andrews era to live on”. The paper’s Newspoll gave Labor a lead of 56-44 (two-party preferred) over the Coalition led by Matthew Guy.
The Liberals live in a world of pain caused by an internal scandal that has overshadowed Labor’s own internal scandals. Under Guy they ceded the plumb seat of Hawthorn in 2018, and now another stronghold, Kew, is likely to fall to a Teal independent.
Clearly Dutton is using the same tactics as Abbott did – total opposition – which is what got us into this ‘wasted decade’ in the first place.Despite the various ‘experts’ ruminations on when it was over, that’s probably why Albanese is still ‘enjoying a honeymoon’ three months after the election. There are promising signs the adults are in charge and have a long-term plan that doesn’t rely on marketing and coverups.
As we approach the 50th anniversary of the election of the Whitlam Government, Victor Kline asks, what would Gough do to solve the chronic deficiencies of our current society?
olddogthoughts 
You must be logged in to post a comment.