LIB-LABOR Stasi State: Mandatory Mass Surveillance of Australians & TPP

Mandatory data retention passes Australian parliament Summary: The government and Labor have jointly ensured that the telecommunications data of all Australians will be retained for two years for warrantless access by law-enforcement agencies. By Josh Taylor | March 26, 2015 -- 07:40 GMT (18:40 AEDT) Follow @joshgnosis The Australian government has relied on the votes of the Labor opposition to pass legislation on Thursday that will force telecommunications companies to retain customer data for two years for warrantless access by law enforcement. The legislation -- which will see call records, assigned IP addresses, location information, billing information, and other customer data stored for two years -- passed the Senate on Thursday with the support of Labor senators. The government and Labor shot down over a dozen amendments from the Greens, and several amendments from crossbench senators including those from David Leyonhjelm, Dio Wang, and Nick Xenophon. The amendments would have forced the data to be held in Australia, would have required warrants for all accessing of the data, and would have limited the storage to three months -- bringing Australia closer into line with international standards. Instead, the government agreed to a number of amendments from Labor, including requiring a warrant for accessing the data of a journalist for the purpose of identifying a source. The government will appoint a "public interest advocate" to argue on behalf of journalists -- who won't be aware that their data has been sought by law enforcement. There was also intended to be an amendment limiting access to the data for the purposes of civil litigation, but Attorney-General George Brandis on Thursday admitted that through third-party access orders and subpoenas, data could be made available through the court for cases such as copyright infringement. In the end, the Bill was condemned by Leyonhjelm, and Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, but ultimately passed 43 to 16. The Bill will need to be returned to the House to agree to the amendments, but with a government majority this is a mere formality. The legislation passed without the Australian public knowing the cost of the scheme to telcos to build systems to store the data, nor how much the government intends to contribute to the set-up. Earlier in the week, Brandis revealed that the cost per customer per year for the operation of the scheme will be $4, but the cost of building the systems, contained in a confidential PricewaterhouseCoopers report, remains unknown. Brandis said the government's contribution will be detailed in the Budget in May. Telecommunications companies will be given 18 months after the legislation is passed into law to get systems in place in order to comply with the legislation. Armed with a degree in Computer Science and a Masters in Journalism, Josh keeps a close eye on the telecommunications industry, the National Broadband Network, and all the goings on in government IT. Follow @joshgnosis http://www.zdnet.com/article/mandatory-data-retention-passes-australian-parliament/ COMMENT This isn't what a democratic government is for; this is a totalitarian state in action. Note: (1) MASS surveillance; and (2) WARRANTLESS access to data.  The Liberals and the Labor party have sold out every single Australian with this data retention legislation. Data retention is not only a totalitarian violation of civil liberties; it also exposes all Australians to third-party legal action (based on evidence obtained from data retained by internet service provider Stasi deputies). Personal data of Australians will not even be retained on Australian soil and there is no provision for regulating the destruction of that data: WHAT HAPPENS TO DATA THAT IS STORED AFTER THE MANDATORY RETENTION PERIOD? The new laws do not prescribe any rules for the de-identification or destruction of the retained data after the expiry of the two-year retention period. [Lexology] Furthermore, Australian taxpayers will foot the bill twice over for the 'privilege' of having their civil liberties pissed trampled on by bent, corporate serving politicians, aiming to maintain an iron grip on the freedom of all Australians, as taxpayers shall pay for:  (a) the undisclosed federal government contribution to this totalitarian surveillance scheme; and (b) the service provider costs that shall pass onto consumers. The driving force imposing this totalitarian state in Australia, is the practical alliance between the Liberals and their Labor Party sidekicks. Imagine what politicians are hiding from the public when they're targeting journalists with surveillance and secret probes into forcibly collected data. This isn't about national security; this is about control:  control of the press and control of the people, by politicians who serve American and corporate interests, without regard for public welfare or standards of acceptable conduct - which is why whistleblowers, and whistleblower publishers such as WikiLeaks, are important.  Just look at the Trans-Pacific Partnership 'free trade' agreement ('TPP') that government has hidden from public view during several years of negotiations.  What a rort.  They're negotiating away Australia's rights and democracy, and on a course to assign national sovereignty to the very corporations that politicians serve. It's thanks to WikiLeaks - and NOT these corrupt government actors, who dodge transparency and accountability - that the public has even come to know the contents of the SECRET TPP document.  So what does that tell us about the political order in Western democracies, and what does that say about government witch-hunts, criticism and propaganda unleashed at the independent publisher, WikiLeaks, and Julian Assange? The Lib-Labor Stasi, corporate-serving practical political alliance, is about to sell out Australia by signing up ALL Australian as subjects of the TPP (unregulated trade) agreement, which is a vehicle for corporate management of federal, state and local policies.   Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) Investment Chapter WikiLeaks Link - here ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ TPP a corporate-managed FTA Signs away democracy & sovereign rights [12:26]  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qaY46i0ECw8  VOTE THE BASTARDS OUT NEXT ELECTION )))   BILL SHORTEN   (((  2009 audition to US Consul General * Criticises Union Movement * #WikiLeaks - here. VOTE THE BASTARDS OUT NEXT ELECTION Hmmmm ... think I might get a bit melodramatic when I come across news that particularly annoys me. I've come back to edit 'pissed on' to 'trampled on'.  LOL

AUSTRALIA: AFP Access Journalists' Metadata / Australian Greens - STOP Data Retention

AUSTRALIA - POLICE STATE COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Source - https://twitter.com/vanbadham/status/577955499703816192 See ADAM BRANDT video:   #StopDataRetention -- Adam Bandt https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=839543312747570 Adam Brandt is deputy leader of the Australian Greens. Why is there such a zeal to monitor what people do online? Labor has joined with the Liberals to push through poorly thought out legislation that violates the principle of prevention of government intrusion (eg state/police intrude only on those suspected of having committed a crime - not intrude upon entire civilian population, as is the case with mass surveillance & retention of data).  Brandt also pointed out that: Criminals can switch to international web-based servers and won't get caught by data retention bill, but the bulk of the unsuspecting population will (so this legislation does not serve the purpose it purports to serve). EUROPEAN UNION and NETHERLANDS have opted out of the data retention step, for good reason. Opens the public up to potential CIVIL LAWSUITS if information subpoenaed  (eg media conglomerates / copyright) -- HYPOCRITE LABOR JOINS LIBERALS TO RUSH THROUGH LEGISLATION Brandt says the public is told that there will be protection for journalists in the Bill and Labor says they'll back up the Liberal government, but no amendment has been circulated in the chamber or made publicly available and the Labor Party is prepared to take the LNP government on faith; but Greens are not.  Why should parliament be required to vote on legislation without a chance to properly look through amendments:  this is complicated & giving people protections from these kinds of laws is complicated. -- COMMENT Government intent on giving journalists protections?  Got to be kidding.  The police state is already violating the liberty of journalists. I'm shocked. If journalists are subject to state violation and intimidation, what hope of freedom has the average person got?

G20 - Who's pulling Abbott's strings?

Ban pariah Vladimir Putin from G20, says John McCain The Australian - ‎12 hours ago‎ Up until now, Mr Abbott has said that it is too early to make any decision about whether to invite Mr Putin to the G20. Mr McCain gave strong praise to the Abbott government in its response to the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines plane, saying he was ... http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/ban-pariah-vladimir-putin-from-g20-says-john-mccain/story-e6frg6nf-1226999372624 404 ERROR - Sorry your page could not be found We could not find the page you requested. The cause may be one of the following: There's an error in the address or link you have entered in your browser; There's a technical issue and the page has not been properly published; The article was removed to comply with a legal order.

Ban pariah Vladimir Putin from G20, says John McCain The Australian-13 hours ago TONY Abbott should not invite Vladimir Putin to the November summit of the G20, senior US Republican senator and former presidential candidate John McCain ...  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/ban-pariah-vladimir-putin-from-g20-says-john-mccain/story-e6frg6nf-1226999372624 404 ERROR Sorry your page could not be found. We could not find the page you requested. The cause may be one of the following: There's an error in the address or link you have entered in your browser; There's a technical issue and the page has not been properly published; The article was removed to comply with a legal order.

McCain's a US Republican senator representing Arizona:

Major Aerospace and Defence Operations Among the companies taking advantage of Arizona's favorable aerospace and defence climate are: Raytheon  Honeywell  General Dynamics C4 Systems  The Boeing Company  Northrop Grumman Orbital Sciences United Technologies – includes Goodrich, Hamilton Sundstrand L3 Communications Standard Aero (MRO) Bombardier Nammo Talley Source -AZ Commerce - here.

So where's the stories?

No surprise if McCain's patting little Tony Abbott's back and vilifying Putin.

Wonder if Tony Abbott makes any decisions based on Australian interests and initiatives -- or is Abbott and his Liberal government just an extension of corporate America and its politics?

How low can Tony Abbott go?

AUSTRALIA - TONY ABBOTT'S MO

"Sometimes it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission"

SMH Article   Tony Abbott briefed Rupert Murdoch on paid parental leave before party room PUBLISHED: 11 hours 7 MINUTES AGO | UPDATE: 5 hours 50 MINUTES AGO Tony Abbott gave media proprietor Rupert Murdoch a detailed briefing on his controversial $5.5 billion paid parental leave scheme before he announced it without consulting his shadow cabinet or MPs. ... Madonna King, the author of Hockey: Not Your Average Joe, writes neither the Coalition party room nor the businesses who would pay a levy to fund the expensive scheme were consulted before it was announced in 2010. But Mr Abbott “conferred with one leading business figure, the media proprietor Rupert Murdoch, who had been in Australia the month before”. The book says Mr Abbott, a former Murdoch employee and then the new leader of the Liberal Party, “like many before him, had dinner with Murdoch, where he gave the media mogul a full rundown on the scheme – ­supplying enough detail for Murdoch to later have his Australian-based editors briefed on Abbott’s plan, which [Murdoch] considered a visionary approach to dealing with a real problem in his workforce”. “They were encouraged to support it, notwithstanding that it represented a tax impost and was skewed to be of most benefit to parents outside their middle-Australian readership,” the book says. ... The book discusses two contentious policy issues – the Green Army and the paid parental leave scheme – which it asserts involved Mr Abbott making significant policy announcements without discussing them at all, or at least in any detail, with his shadow treasurer. ... “Joe says he didn’t think too much more about it, believing it was an un-costed proposal, not an Opposition policy. At least, that was until Abbott announced it publicly.” The announcement of the policy provoked criticism from the Coalition party room (and subsequently threats that some MPs and senators might cross the floor to vote against it). It also created bad blood with big business. In response to the criticism, Mr Abbott told a joint party room ­meeting he had made a captain’s call on the policy. ‘‘Sometimes it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission,’’ he said at the time. ... Mr Hockey told Sydney radio on Wednesday he was confident big business would pay the levy to fund the parental leave scheme, after it was put to him that business was arranging its affairs so it wouldn’t be liable for the impost. “They will pay it Alan, they will pay the 1.5 per cent to pay for the paid parental leave scheme, there is no doubt about that because at the end of the day, they are the also the ­beneficiaries of it and the beneficiaries of more women going into work”, he said.  ... extracts only ... entire @... SOURCE - AFR - here.

SMH Article Tony Abbott's green army enlisting now March 2, 2014 Tony Abbott's federally funded ''green army'' will enlist 15,000 young people in environmental work, striking young workers from official dole queue figures as youth unemployment soared in the year to January to 12.4 per cent. But young people who fill the green army's ranks will be paid as little as half the minimum wage ... ... Under the legislation introduced by Environment Minister Greg Hunt on Wednesday, green army participants - who will be aged 17-24 - will work up to 30 hours a week. They will be given the chance to undergo formal training as part of their duties, but will lose their Centrelink benefits for taking part in the scheme and fall off official joblessness figures. ... The government is aiming the scheme at indigenous Australians, people with disabilities, gap-year students, graduates and the unemployed. Enlistees will do manual labour, including clearing local creeks and waterways, fencing and tree planting. Green army members will not be covered by Commonwealth workplace laws, including the Work, Health and Safety Act, the Fair Work Act and the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act. ... But ACTU president Ged Kearney said the workers should be covered by the appropriate federal workplace protections. ''This is about taking away well-paid, well-protected jobs from people and replacing them with low-paid, unsafe jobs,'' she said. ''This is not about getting people on the margins of the workforce into work, this is about providing a low-paid workforce.'' Greens MP Adam Bandt said: ''Only Tony Abbott could create a 'workforce' where the workers aren't legally workers and have no workplace rights. If a green army supervisor and a worker under their command get injured while wielding a pick or building a lookout, the supervisor will have the same safety and compensation protections as ordinary employees but the worker won't.' Source - SMH - here.

Just when you think Abbott and the Liberal party couldn't sink any lower ...

An independent blogger indicated that the Greens may oppose the PPL in senate and that without their support the Liberals won't get the legislation through [Source - here].

AUSTRALIA - Abbott government assault on press freedom

The Guardian Article Tony Abbott: media should not publish stories that 'endanger national security' Prime minister warns journalists to show 'sense of responsibility' as Coalition tries to push through tougher security laws Daniel Hurst and Paul Farrell theguardian.com, Thursday 17 July 2014 16.50 AEST ... lawyers warned that planned legislation means journalists could face jail for reporting disclosures about certain spy operations. ...National security legislation presented to the Senate on Thursday would expand the powers of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) and create a new offence punishable by five years in jail for “any person” who disclosed information relating to “special intelligence operations”. The person would be liable for a 10-year term if the disclosure would “endanger the health or safety of any person or prejudice the effective conduct of a special intelligence operation”. Special intelligence operations are a new type of covert operation in which intelligence officers receive immunity from liability or prosecution where they may need to engage in conduct that would be otherwise unlawful. Such operations would be approved by the Asio director general or deputy director general.  [So these are infiltration operations?] ...Barns, who is also spokesman for the Australian Lawyers Alliance and has worked for WikiLeaks, said it was “an unprecedented clause which would capture the likes of Wikileaks, the Guardian, the New York Times, and any other media organisation that reports on such material”. [Or any other individual.] The attorney general, George Brandis, rejected suggestions the government was targeting journalists and told Sky News it was not the purpose of the bill to place constraints on freedom of discussion. [SURE] Abbott, when asked about the possibility of journalists facing prosecution, said: “I think it's important that we get the balance right. “News that endangers the security of our country frankly shouldn't be fit to print and I'd ask for a sense of responsibility, a sense of national interest as well as simply of commercial interest, a sense of the long-term best interests of the country as well as the short-term best interests of creating sensation to be present right across our country including in the media.” [WTF is a 'sensation'?] The shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, reacted cautiously to the reports about the potential reach of the laws. “There are suggestions that the attorney general’s amendments to national security legislation could criminalise some reporting by journalists,” Dreyfus said in a statement. “Senator Brandis has indicated that criminalising reporting of leaked national security information is not his intention. If Senator Brandis's amendments would criminalise reporting by journalists who receive intelligence information, the government will need to make changes to remove that consequence.” [Doesn't sound like Abbott will.] The Liberal senator Cory Bernardi told the National Press Club the security reforms were a “work in progress” and he believed Brandis was “very receptive to concerns of those who are libertarians, or conservative libertarians, and that don't want to see an all-pervasive government”. [SURE] “Let's go back to first principles. One, I think the Australian public and right around the world are right to be suspicious of government and their snooping ability, if I can put it like that,” Bernardi said. “Look at what's happened in Germany, with the NSA in America, across Europe there's been a lot of discussion in this area.  [What, Germany got spied on by the US?  And embarrassed getting caught out?  Oh, wait a minute:  Germany had a double-agent answering to the US and NSA had the Snowden leak.  But why put that on the press.  It's their internal problems and the press should have every right to disclose if the government and its agencies get caught with their pants down.] “Secondly, I think we're right to advocate for freedom of the press. We need to make sure the press are free to report within the constraints of what is in, I'd say, the national interest. [With constraints is not free to report.  One could argue it is not within the scope of  national interests of a democracy to have a gagged press.] “We all know that there are things the press don't report because of security concerns. We have to be reliant on that. People have gone to jail to protect their sources before in the press.” [Oh, really?  Then why not maintain the status quo?] Bernardi said national security was a critical issue and people had the right to go about their business feeling safe from clear threats, but we “just have to make sure we don't overstep the mark”.  [What business is this - covert unlawful business in aid of 'national security' and commerce, by the look of the above?  What is this, a criminal totalitarian regime?] ... ... set to face parliamentary debate after the winter recess. ... offences applied to “disclosures by any person, including participants in an SIO [special intelligence operation], other persons to whom information about an SIO has been communicated in an official capacity, and persons who are the recipients of an unauthorised disclosure of information, should they engage in any subsequent disclosure”. ...offences would not prevent a person from disclosing information to the inspector general of intelligence and security, an oversight agency. [LOL] ...The Greens senator Scott Ludlam, who raised concerns about the potential prosecution of journalists, criticised Labor for not supporting his motions to send the bill to the legal and constitutional affairs legislation committee and seek advice from the independent national security legislation monitor. [Labor are the Liberal's 'yes' men these days.] Ludlam said the government's referral to the joint committee on intelligence and security was inadequate scrutiny because the bill would be “assessed by the very same joint committee that wrote the report in the first place”. The Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm said he would oppose most of the proposals outlined in the security bill because the case for additional powers had not been made. “We do not support increasing intrusion by security agencies and other government bodies,” Leyonhjelm said. “Asio already has enough powers to do its job properly. If it feels it needs additional powers, we believe it reflects poorly on it.” Brandis told parliament the government's priority was to keep Australia safe but it was proceeding in a “measured and considered way”. [No, it's proceeding in a sneaky & autocratic way.] In a broader commentary about his philosophical approach, he told the ABC he had a “very strong predisposition against big government” and would ensure adequate safeguards as the government pursued national security laws.  [SAY 'NO' to totalitarian Liberal government.] The Guardian - here.

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COMMENT

So the Abbott government is planning on violating the freedom of the press (which underpins the democratic system) -- in the guise of 'national security' -- but will not submit the Liberals proposed legislation to be assessed by the legal and constitutional affairs committee?  Why?  What are they hiding?

Get this, Abbott states:

as well as simply of commercial interest

So is he saying his laws -- his breach of civil liberties and press freedoms -- are about COMMERCIAL INTERESTS?

It appears that the Liberal government wants to legislate to allow government to do whatever it wants to do without being held accountable in any way. And the Labor party is standing by allowing this to happen, because they are Liberal party 'yes' men.

AUSTRALIA ON - MH17 UN COUNCIL RESOLUTION

Tony Abbott hails UN backing for MH17 resolution     July 22, 2014 - 9:23AM The Abbott government's push for a full independent investigation into the downing of MH17 over Ukraine has been backed by a unanimous vote UN Security Council, increasing pressure on Russia to facilitate access to the crash site. In a joint statement with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop released on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Tony Abbott hailed the result saying that the resolution lent the Security Council's ''full weight'' in condemning the attack. ... Earlier, Ms Bishop, who is at the UN headquarters in New York, said it was ''despicable'' that investigators were not getting access to the crash site. ''Grief is now accompanied by outrage as we witness grotesque violations at the crash site,'' Ms Bishop said. ''This demands a response.'' She also told the Council that its message to those responsible for the MH17 deaths was ''definitive''. ''You will be held to account for your actions. They were all innocent people.'' [Steady on ... Resolution's toothless] Mr Abbott will chair a cabinet and national security committee meetings in Canberra again on Tuesday. He will later sign a condolence book at Parliament House, together with representatives of the diplomatic community. [Get that PR mileage, Abbott] Overnight, Mr Abbott's envoy to Ukraine to respond to the disaster, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Labor leader Bill Shorten is also in the United States for meetings. He said he was very pleased that the Security Council had passed the resolution. ''It is now time for the leader of the Russian Federation, Mr Putin, to now show the rest of the world that he'll now act on this resolution,'' Mr Shorten told Sky News. ''I think this has dragged on for too long.'' Source - SMH - here.

Yeah, Abbott, but the Council's 'full weight' is really NO WEIGHT when the UN Council's resolution is unenforceable.

A bunch of politicians looking to gain PR and political advantage by taking advantage of victims.  

That's what you call despicable.

LIBERAL PARTY (AUST) - INTERNET CRACKDOWN

Liberal Party  (Australia)
When Liberals aren't rewriting Middle-eastern history, 
they're policing the internet

June 20, 2014 10:47A

PIRATES IN GOVERNMENT’S SIGHTS
The government is considering ways to deter illegal downloaders as part of a review of the Copyright Act. Although it is yet to detail specific measures, earlier comments by Senator Brandis reveal the methods under consideration:

● The big stick: Speaking to the Australian Digital Alliance copyright forum in February, Mr Brandis floated the idea of a three-strikes policy or a graduated response scheme. This means customers are warned each time they are caught downloading illegally — and could be fined or disconnected from the internet altogether after three strikes

● Hitting ISPs: One option is to compel internet service provides such as Bigpond or iiNet to issue warnings to its customers. However, a landmark High Court ruling in 2012 found that iiNet was not responsible for its customers’ illegal activities

● Block sites: The government could force ISPs to block offending peer-to-peer file-sharing sites, such as BitTorrent or The Pirate Bay. The problem with this is that savvy internet user can bypass these filters with ease.

“The illegal downloading of Australian films online is a form of theft. I say Australian films, but of course, the illegal downloading of any protected content is a form of theft,” Senator Brandis told the Australian Digital Alliance forum.

“The government will be considering possible mechanisms to provide a legal incentive for an internet service provider to co-operate with copyright owners in preventing infringement on their systems and networks.

“This may include looking carefully at the merits of a scheme whereby ISPs are required to issue graduated warnings to consumers who are using websites to facilitate piracy.”

SOURCE - news.com.au - here.

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COMMENT

Bet federal elections can't come fast enough for Australians.

MH17 - Abbott's 'personal' connection & mourning

 Sydney Morning Herald

MH17 crash fallout: world reacts to plane shot down in Ukraine

Date   -   July 20, 201

...
11:02am: Earlier today Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on the ABC's Insiders program that he was personally touched by the tragedy because his daughters had flown on the MH17 some months ago on their way home from Europe. [ :EYEROLL: ]

"We can't let our emotions cloud our judgment but nevertheless these are wrenching times and there would hardly be an Australian who hasn't been emotionally touched by what we've seen, what we've felt over the last 48 hours or so," he said.

"You look at the faces of the dead and they're your neighbours, they're your friends, they could be your kids because let's face it, we are a people who like to travel and my own daughters flew on MH17 some months ago on their way home from Europe. So this is a tragedy which touches us deeply."

SOURCE - Sydney Morning Herald - here.

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COMMENT


Abbott's really scraping the bottom of the barrel here, and so is ABC's Insiders program.

Is it a news program or is it a version of Oprah's afternoon show, for dwelling on vague 'could-have-been' fantasies and Abbott's delicately embroidered 'personal connection' to flight MH17.

Guess when Tony Abbott looks at the faces of those in Gaza getting killed, he doesn't see his daughters in Gaza -- or the faces of his 'neighbours', his 'friends' or his 'kids', so the killings in Gaza aren't at all 'personal' or material for Tony Abbott.


Or it could be Tony Abbott's political bias that's clouding his judgment:

Ms Sattler said Mr Abbott had no Jewish heritage, although she did.

"He is a raving Zionist and has been since he was about 18 or 19. I don't understand why he is, but he is," she said.

Ms Sattler said those who backed the PLO visit were beaten with rolled up newspapers and umbrellas and spat upon during the course of the conference.

She said this made a big impact on her as a 17-year-old activist.

"Thanks to Tony, I have been an avowed Palestine supporter ever since," she said

[SOURCE - The Australia - Nov 2012 - here.]

Here's the Abbott government's position on Gaza:

The Abbott government also challenged the defined legal status of East Jerusalem. ‘‘Occupied’’, Attorney-General George Brandis declared, was ‘‘neither appropriate nor useful’’, and reference to historic events was ‘‘unhelpful’’. In ignoring history, Brandis demonstrates why Australia’s stance lacks moral power. It is wilful blindness to ignore Israel’s expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland in 1948.

The Occupation – ‘‘with a capital O’’ which the Australian government declines to use – is directly linked to the expulsion of Palestinians in 1948 and the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. To argue history is ‘‘unhelpful’’ is to deny the Palestinian narrative, expunge Palestinian pain and identity, and deflect attention from the legitimacy of a racial state. 

One has to credit a military juggernaut and a covertly nuclear state for its success in framing itself as victim even as it bombs a largely defenceless population. Even as Israel plays warden over Gaza, which has been described as the  world’s largest open-air prison, it perpetuates the myth that it is a state perpetually fighting for its survival.

[SOURCE - Sydney Morning Herald - here.]

The SMH Gaza article is worthwhile reading in full - here.

Getting back to the MH17 flight, which supposedly affects Abbott 'personally'.

Abbott's now the greatest mourner on the face of the planet, or so he would have us believe.

The sad fact is, this is about capitalising on a macabre opportunity:

a) to raise Abbott's profile because of his unpopular social security and medicare cuts (and his corporate boot-licking); and

b) to please Abbott's US masters, because they've invested a lot in Ukraine and they need all the leverage they can get to get things moving along for corporate America.

Tony Abbott ought to be ashamed of himself.   But he's clearly incapable of it.

MHI7 - Australian Sock Puppet Tony Abbott Resorts to Grandstanding & Hysteria

ABC News Go Article
ABC News, 47 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023

Australian PM Lashes out at Russia Over Shot Plane
CANBERRA, Australia — Jul 18, 2014, 3:54 AM ET
Associated Press

An angry Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Friday demanded an independent inquiry into the downing of a Malaysian jetliner and said Russia's response to what he called a crime was "deeply, deeply unsatisfactory."

Abbott criticized Russia's Ambassador to Australia Vladimir Morozov, who met earlier Friday with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

According to Abbott, the ambassador's initial response was to blame Ukraine for Thursday's downing of the Malaysia Airlines aircraft, which killed all 298 aboard, including 28 Australians.

The cause of Thursday's crash was not immediately clear but the area has seen heavy fighting recently between government troops and pro-Russia separatists, with the rebels bragging about shooting down two Ukrainian military jets in the region Wednesday, just a day earlier. U.S. intelligence officials believe the Malaysian plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile.

Abbott told reporters that the idea that Russia can somehow say that none of this has anything to do with them because it happened in Ukrainian airspace "frankly does not stand up to any serious scrutiny." [He's a sock puppet.]

"The initial response of the Russian ambassador was to blame Ukraine for this and I have to say that is deeply, deeply unsatisfactory," he said. "I want to say to the Australian people that as far as I am concerned, when you have a situation where Russian-backed rebels appear to have killed Australians using it may well turn out to be Russian-supplied heavy weaponry, Australia takes a very dim view indeed and we want the fullest possible investigation."

["I have to say" ... LOL ... says it all.

Let's grandstand because Russia didn't provide the response that Tony Abbott's US buddies knew they wouldn't get?  Pathetic grandstanding.  Just for the sake of propaganda. 

Has he no respect for the dead?  Fancy using the deceased for political advantage!
  
As if he seriously expected anything other than the response he got from Russia.]

Abbott said "it's very important that we don't allow Russia to prevent an absolutely comprehensive investigation so that we can find out exactly what happened here." [No indication whatsoever that Russia would or *could* prevent an investigation -- so this is more grandstanding by Abbott, & more besmirching of Russia before the public.  Remember, there's got to be a 'bad guy'.]

"This is not an accident, it's a crime," he said. "And criminals should not be allowed to get away with what they've done. So there has to be a full, impartial international investigation and Russia should certainly not be allowed to stand in the way of that." [TONY ABBOT'S AN IDIOT.  HE WOULDN'T KNOW IF HIS ASS WAS ON FIRE.  HE'S A GRANDSTANDING SOCK PUPPET FOR THE U.S.]

Asked why he was using harsher language than other world leaders in relation to Russia's potential culpability, Abbott replied: "This aircraft didn't come down through accident — it was shot down. It did not crash, it was downed ... over territory controlled by Russian-backed rebels."  [TONY ABBOTT'S BEEN TALKING TO BIDEN.  LOL.]

SOURCE - ABC News - here.

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Daily Mail Article (UK)

Exactly article as ABC Go. 

SOURCE - Daily Mail - here.

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COMMENT

Maybe I'm a cynic, but it sure looks like Abbott is using this tragedy to get some mileage either for himself or for his US masters, grandstanding about demands for an independent enquiry and so on, when Obama has already announced that an independent enquiry will be conducted etc.

Daily Mail is also running the same story as the ABC Go (Disney owned) outlet, so I took a double-take for two reasons:

1)  I couldn't believe the about-face hysteria on Abbotts part.

2)  I discovered that the two whining Abbott articles were exact articles.

More on that later.

What's the bet if the flight in question was the US downed Iran Flight 655, Abbott wouldn't be milking the media opportunity to display his 'outraged' theatrical performance at the US.

Anyway, I'm not convinced by Abbott's melodramatics and I think he ought to carry himself with a bit more dignity than he's shown.

Julian Assange replies to Aussie Attorney-General George Brandis

Julian Assange response to Aust. Attorney-General George Brandis

WikiLeaks · @wikileaks

17th Jul 2014 from TwitLonger

Assange responds to Australian AG Brandis call to "man up" #auspol #ozpol

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How nice it is to be an Australian in trouble overseas and have the Australian Attorney General attempt to publicly undermine your legal situation. Just weeks ago, US Secretary of State John Kerry faced serious criticism for saying the same thing—that Edward Snowden should "man up" and face decades of imprisonment in the US. Anytime AG Brandis would like to take my place in a US prison, I'm sure the Australian public would be delighted. Until then, AG Brandis should stop plagiarising sexist claptrap and start doing his job: defending the legal rights of all Australians. Finally, as someone who has a professional appreciation for courage, let me remind AG Brandis that that courage is is not the sole preserve of men. For instance, WikiLeaks' female staff members, who squared off with a super power over our work and brought Edward Snowden to safety during the largest intelligence man-hunt the world has ever seen, clearly have more genuine courage in their little toes than exists in the entire Abbott cabinet.

SOURCE - here.

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COMMENT

Nice one, Julian. LOL

Brandis is a Liberal Party Attorney-General, whose career first began in Queensland.

He's not all bad ... he's a supporter of free speech & the right to be a bigot. 

But all this spy stuff is worrying:

Brandis supported and approved a December 2013 ASIO raid on Bernard Collaery’s Canberra office (a legal representative for East Timor), where all documents and computers were seized by the government, and which Brandis claimed was for national security interests.  

Shortly after the raid, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the Australian government was not permitted to use or view any of the raid evidence. 

Brandis claimed the ICJ ruling was a good outcome for the government.

The Timor Gap case involved allegations of ASIS spying during commercial negotiations with the East Timorese over the $40 billion oil and gas reserves of the contested Greater Sunrise fields within the East Timorese exclusive economic zone.

Additionally Brandis approved the ASIO raid and passport cancelation of a former Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) agent, who was a director of technical operations at ASIS and the whistle-blower on the allegations of commercial spying done by Australia on East Timor, which consequently prevented the unnamed former agent from testifying at the ICJ in the Netherlands.

 [wikipedia]

 [ASIS - Aussie intelligence agency]

That commercial spying stuff sounds really unethical.

 

If it involves billions in oil and gas, what's the bet the US were involved?

The women at Wikileaks must be pretty tough ... wouldn't take much for me to give up.  LOL.