QResear.ch

#20498506 at 2024-03-01 11:03:05 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #34: UNITED AGAINST THE INVISIBLE ENEMY OF ALL HUMANITY Edition

>>20498499

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The Albanese government's handling of the Meta move will be closely watched by the opposition and the wider public, as it comes under pressure to prove its ?credentials in holding tech titans to account.

In February 2021, Facebook suffered an extraordinary public backlash when it stripped all news from its platform in protest at the new law forcing it to pay publishers, but eventually relented following a terse stand-off with the Coalition government.

Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who orchestrated the introduction of the bargaining code, told The Weekend Australian: "The billion-dollar payday for Australian journalism that we achieved with the assistance of the ACCC was a world-first. But it was not easy. When Facebook suddenly shut down thousands of sites around the country, from the local bowls club to emergency services, everyone thought we would cave in. But we didn't. We held firm and won the day.

"Our legislation and the commercial agreements that were subsequently struck set a precedent for others to follow."

In a joint statement on Friday, opposition Treasury spokesman Angus Taylor and communications spokesman David Coleman accused the Labor government of "ignoring the warning signs" of Meta's likely refusal to renegotiate its deal with Australian news publishers. "When Meta made similar announcements in the UK, France and Germany in September last year, the government should have immediately taken measures to prevent this from happening in Australia. The recent experience of Canada's negotiations with Meta were also a clear indication of its intentions."

Mr Taylor said Labor had been caught on the back foot. "This is a world-leading competition policy, and the government needs to use it," he said. "The warning signs were there and the government ignored them.

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said Labor was committed to backing Australian journalism.

"Nobody should be under any illusions about our resolve to use the powers that are available to us (under the news media bargaining code)," Mr Jones said.

"We want to make it clear that we are backing Australian journalism ... we have to ensure that (companies) who use content are paying for it. We're not talking about some plucky little start-up; we're talking about one of the world's largest and most profitable companies (Meta)."

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland blasted Meta's move, calling it a threat to Australian journalism. "It's a decision that suits (Meta's) own commercial interests, but is inconsistent with the government's aim of ensuring that we have strong public-interest journalism that is properly compensated," she said.

Mr Miller welcomed the government's support for the media industry and accused Meta of attempting to mislead Australians.

"Meta is using its immense market power to refuse to negotiate, and the government is right to explore every option for how the media bargaining code's powers can be used," he said. "It is attempting to mislead Australians by saying its decision is about the closure of its news tab product. However the vast majority of news on Facebook and Meta is and will continue to be consumed outside this product.

A raft of senior media executives and politicians took aim at Meta's decision to walk away from the pay-for-content deals.

Nine Entertainment chief executive Mike Sneesby said the move by Meta "does not recognise the significant and increasing value of Nine's journalism, unique content and brands to its platforms". Seven West Media managing director and chief executive James Warburton said Meta "needs to be designated".

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the decision would be a blow to public-?interest journalism. "Without professional, fact based journalism, Facebook will just be a collection of conspiracy theories, outrage and misinformation," she said.

ABC managing director David Anderson said he was "deeply disappointed" by the decision, as it would have an impact on regional journalism.

In its statement on Friday, Meta said its decision to walk away from the deals with news publishers was prompted by "an ongoing effort to better align our investments to our products and services people value the most".

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/meta-abandons-news-content-deals/news-story/5aef9b28697e26fb6ec8ddd6b2e84599

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRXLvB5Awxo

#19211137 at 2023-07-20 10:18:32 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #31: MAGIC SWORD - IN THE FACE OF EVIL Edition

>>19199716
>>19204786
Indigenous voice to parliament: Anthony Albanese undermined on treaty claim

ROSIE LEWIS - JULY 19, 2023

Supporters of an Indigenous voice have said the body must be established so it can negotiate treaty, undermining Anthony Albanese's declaration that the referendum is "not about a treaty".

The Coalition accused the Prime Minister of making misleading claims in a heated and lengthy interview with 2GB's Ben Fordham on Wednesday, in which Mr Albanese contradicted one of the architects of the Uluru Statement from the Heart Megan Davis by saying the voice wouldn't be able to talk to the ?Reserve Bank of Australia.

Mr Albanese also said the voice was not about compensating Aboriginal people, and vowed that his government would absolutely reject its advice at times - including if it suggested changing Australia Day.

"This is not about a treaty. This is the issue here - we've had a debate about things that aren't happening rather than about things that are," Mr Albanese said. "Read the (referendum) question, which you're going to be asked about. It isn't about anything else. It's not about treaty, it's not about compensation, it's simply about ?listening in order to get better ?outcomes."

The Prime Minister was asked in May if the voice would lead to a treaty and truth-telling, and said: "They are very much a part of the next phase, if you like.

"And one of the things that a voice to parliament would be able to do is to talk about Makarrata - the need for agreement-making and coming together after a ?conflict."

UNSW Law School professor Gabrielle Appleby and senior Uluru Dialogue member Eddie Synot wrote in March: "Voice precedes treaty because fair, modern treaty negotiations require first the establishment of a representative Indigenous body to negotiate the rules of the game with the state.

"It can't be left to the state alone, and the state must have a group of people with whom to negotiate."

The Uluru statement called for a voice followed by a Makarrata Commission - to supervise treaties - and truth-telling.

The Prime Minister on Wednesday ?rejected previous comments made by prominent Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo, including that the voice could be used for reparations and compensation for Indigenous Australians, and ?conceded support for the advisory body was trending downwards.

"People need to not raise red herrings. If this is successful and there's a voice, it won't have a right of veto," he said.

"Get on board. You're in a position to make a difference and to help it succeed, as are other people in the media, by talking about what's it's about, not by raising things that aren't going to be relevant - what Thomas Mayo or any individual thinks."

Conservative constitutional lawyer Greg Craven said Mr Albanese's concise language on the voice was a huge improvement for the Yes campaign but warned a five to six-week official campaign as flagged by the Prime Minister earlier this week was "categorically the wrong strategy" because referendums were inherently different to elections.

"Once a person decides they're going to vote no, they've decided. It's over," Professor Craven told The Australian.

"If you've got lots of people deciding to vote no now, which they clearly are, how are you going to win them back? The artillery needs to start firing from the beginning, so we're ?behind.

"It really needs to come out - I can't understate how important that is. We need guns and heavy cavalry and we need them now. There's no point winning the last six weeks of the campaign. It'll be too far gone."

Opposition Treasury spokesman Angus Taylor said the voice had a broad scope and would be able to advise on matters beyond Indigenous affairs. The Albanese government's proposed constitutional amendment states the voice "make representations to the parliament and the executive government of the commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples", Mr Taylor said.

"The Prime Minister made a number of claims this morning that are misleading. The truth of the matter is, if he ?restricts the voice, that can be ?challenged in the High Court," Mr Taylor said.

Mr Mayo and Professor Davis declined to comment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/indigenous-voice-to-parliament-anthony-albanese-undermined-on-treaty-claim/news-story/a9545d9373603624d262b2d044c9c266

#19204778 at 2023-07-19 10:04:47 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #31: MAGIC SWORD - IN THE FACE OF EVIL Edition

>>19204775

2/2

"One of the principles put forward and in the Yes pamphlet makes it very clear, the voice will not have the right of veto. Government decision stays the same. If people listen to some of the debate that's gone on over the last few months, they don't know that.

"They think that this is about creating special rights above everyone else. Now our system of government will not change. There won't be someone sitting in the cabinet room. There won't be someone who's not elected sitting in the parliament.

"That's why I say this is a modest request, this is just an opportunity to listen. The concern that Indigenous Australians have is about the practical outcomes of health and education and housing and incarceration rates. We need to do better."

Mr Albanese again said his government had no plans to change Australia Day and it would "absolutely" say no to the voice if it made representations suggesting otherwise.

"Absolutely (we'll say no)," he said.

"Of course we will, if we don't agree with them, of course we will. As was made very clear by the wording that's put forward is the parliament remains prime, supreme."

Asked if enshrining the voice in the Constitution would put one group of Australians above all others, he responded: "Talking about Indigenous Australians having special rights ignores the fact that this is the most disadvantaged group in Australia.

"There's an eight-year life expectancy gap, a greater chance of an Indigenous young male going to jail than going to university."

Opposition treasury spokesman Angus Taylor accused Mr Albanese of making a number of misleading claims in the Fordham interview, saying the voice's scope was broader than the government was making out.

"The truth of the matter is, if he restricts the voice, that can be challenged in the High Court," Mr Taylor said.

"This is a very broad wording that we are voting on, which will give the voice capacity to intervene on a very broad range of matters, well beyond Indigenous affairs, and any attempt from the government to restrict that, of course, can be challenged in the High Court.

"The Prime Minister needs to be honest with Australians about the breadth of what is being proposed here."

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-government-will-reject-indigenous-voice-advice-if-it-disagrees/news-story/7762e1a7b7501307b037d2f603c296e2

#17405928 at 2022-08-17 07:22:52 (UTC+1)
Q Research Australia #25: My Koala Hates Spam Too Edition

>>17405885
Former PM Scott Morrison was 'sedated' at night for his insomnia throughout pandemic

A new revelation about Scott Morrison has emerged amid the raging controversy about his secret moves as prime minister.

Samantha Maiden - August 16, 2022

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Scott Morrison was so worried during the Covid-19 pandemic that he suffered from insomnia and relied on drugs to sedate him into sleep.

As controversy erupts over the former prime minister's decision to secretly appoint himself to key portfolios during the pandemic, the revelations are contained in a new book Plagued that is based on extensive interviews with Mr Morrison.

The drug regimen to tackle his insomnia, as outlined in the book, was said to include a "mild sedative" that is not referenced by brand name.

"He'd often wake at 3am, wrestling with the scale of what was facing the country and his responsibilities in dealing with it," the book says.

"He'd rouse in a fitful state and look at the ceiling for hours on end, saying to himself, 'I have to sleep or I won't get through this week.'

"More than once, so he could function the following day, he would take a mild sedative.

"He took half a sleeping pill to make sure he was fresh for the next day."

'What on earth is going on?'

However, it is the former prime minister's secret arrangements regarding cabinet jobs that could now spark a full-blown inquiry.

The revelations that Mr Morrison swore himself in as health minister and finance minister are outlined in the new book.

It states this was the idea of former attorney-general Christian Porter.

However, Mr Porter has told colleagues he remembers the arrangements relating to then-health minister Greg Hunt but does not recall any discussions involving then-finance minister Mathias Cormann.

Constitutional law expert Anne Twomey said the secret arrangements were "bizarre" and "utterly inappropriate".

"What on earth was going on, I don't know, but the secrecy involved in this is just simply bizarre," she told the ABC.

"I mean, you know, you just wonder what is wrong with these people that they have to do everything in secret and they can't 'fess up to what they're doing.

"Because if they had done it and made it public, [it] probably would have been seen [as] pretty reasonable. But hiding it? That's the weird thing."

If Mr Morrison did swear himself into the finance minister position, he also never told Mr Cormann.

Former resources minister Keith Pitt and industry minister Angus Taylor were also unaware the then-prime minister had control of their portfolios.

While Mr Taylor stayed in the dark, at some point in 2021, Mr Pitt discovered the arrangement.

"There is no doubt it was unusual,'' Mr Pitt told Sky News. "I am not going to throw him under a bus, I am just not. It's clearly something I was concerned about."

Peter Dutton did learn at some point about the health portfolio arrangements, apparently put in place in case Mr Hunt got sick and couldn't exercise the extraordinary pandemic powers he held to make decisions without parliamentary approval.

(continued)

#17405885 at 2022-08-17 07:01:33 (UTC+1)
Q Research Australia #25: My Koala Hates Spam Too Edition

Bill Shorten slams Scott Morrison's 'sick government' as he compares former PM to Donald Trump amid Cabinet scandal

Bill Shorten has extraordinarily compared Scott Morrison to Donald Trump accusing the former prime minister of trying to ensure "all power resided in him".

Tyrone Clarke - August 15, 2022

NDIS and Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has unleashed on Scott Morrison and said the embattled former prime minister attempted to centralise all government power to his office.

The list of parliamentarians coming out against Mr Morrison continues to grow following revelations he swore himself in as the minister for three major departments.

The former prime minister seized control of the health and finance ministries along with the massive industry, science, energy and resources portfolio during the last term of government.

He also made an astonishing comparison with former US president Donald Trump and accused Mr Morrison of attempting to take control of the entire government process.

"Scott Morrison was taking us down a very Trumpian path where all power resided in him," Mr Shorten told Sky News Australia's Kieran Gilbert.

"Clearly the fact that he didn't even trust his Cabinet ministers just shows you how dysfunctional and broken the 2019 and 2022 Coalition government was."

Sky News Australia revealed on Monday that then-finance minister Mathias Cormann was kept in the dark about Mr Morrison's move to swear himself into the role.

Mr Cormann was joined by ex-resources minister Keith Pitt who was only notified of the extraordinary measure when the former prime minister intervened in the controversial PEP-11 gas project in 2021.

Former energy minister and now shadow treasurer Angus Taylor also revealed to Sky News Australia that he only learnt that Mr Morrison had taken control of his portfolio when the story was broken on Sunday.

Mr Shorten said the most "amazing" factor of the scandal was that Mr Morrison failed to alert his Cabinet ministers.

He went on to say Mr Morrison's unprecedented decision had destroyed Parliamentary conventions dating back to the Westminster system.

"This is a trashing of Parliamentary norms," the NDIS Minister said.

"When you have a prime minister not telling his Cabinet ministers that he's secretly sworn himself in to do their job that's amazing, it's sneaky.

"This was a sign of a sick government with a pathology of no accountability."

Sky News Australia Chief Anchor Kieran Gilbert contacted the former prime minister to offer him a right of reply to Mr Albanese's scathing rebuke.

"No, I haven't seen what he has said. Since leaving the job, I haven't engaged in any day-to-day politics," Mr Morrison said.

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/bill-shorten-slams-scott-morrisons-sick-government-as-he-compares-former-pm-to-donald-trump-amid-cabinet-scandal/news-story/72c422353a20450be9b2f3ead0d93166

#16169529 at 2022-04-28 11:20:24 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16169527

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The OAIC has in the past month ordered the PMO to process three other similar FOI requests it had previously refused.

The prime minister's office must issue a decision on two requests for text messages from Barnaby Joyce's time as drought envoy to the prime minister, as well as for a request from Labor for documents relating to the scandal surrounding the doctored documents Angus Taylor used to attack the City of Sydney's climate record. Taylor has always maintained that the document was not altered or forged by his office.

In each instance, the OAIC found the PMO could not argue the demands on the office of the prime minister were such that narrowly-focused FOI requests could be refused.

A potential appeal of Wednesday's decision would mean another lengthy wait for the OAIC to make a decision. FOI law expert Peter Timmins has previously said if the government changed after the 21 May election the messages in question would probably not be retained by an incoming Labor government.

"If ... we have a different prime minister there by the time this issue is moved ahead, it's very unlikely that records of [that kind] will be passed to the new prime minister, which would mean that you've run into a dead end," he said.

Stewart claimed in messages on Signal to fellow QAnon supporters that he was passing on letters and information to the prime minister, Crikey and the ABC reported after the Guardian's initial story.

The Four Corners program in mid-2021 raised questions as to why Morrison had used the term "ritual sexual abuse" in his apology to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse, revealing messages reportedly sent by Stewart referring to his attempts to get the words "ritual abuse" into the apology.

The term had been prominent in QAnon circles.

A spokesperson for the prime minister previously said the term "ritual" was "one that the prime minister heard directly from the abuse survivors and the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Reference Group he met with in the lead-up to the apology and refers not just to the ritualised way or patterns in which so many crimes were committed but also to the frequency and repetition of them."

In 2019, Stewart denied to Guardian Australia that he had sought to influence the prime minister on policy, and said that he had not communicated with him about the QAnon conspiracy. At the time the Four Corners program aired, Morrison said the program was "pretty ordinary" and he did not support the QAnon conspiracy theory.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/27/pms-office-wont-release-any-texts-with-qanon-friend-arguing-they-would-not-be-official-documents


>Our reach is a direct threat to their control.
>Would the largest news co's in the world attack us (daily) if we weren't a threat to their narrative/control?
>You attack those who threaten you the most.

#16104753 at 2022-04-19 09:37:55 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16104749

2/2

She believed it was a shame that residents in the Hume electorate were taking action on climate change without committed government support.

"It's a broad electorate, we have the north part which is quite urbanised and then you have other parts which are very rural and regional," Ms Stewart said.

"So to cover all of those I think you can't ignore climate change because it affects so many people in different ways.

"We have the floods here in Camden, we've had bushfires a bit further south, and we're going to have a water crisis with agriculture as well."

Ms Stewart said she understood the impact of natural disasters having had to evacuate her home and office twice in a month.

"I can't walk past climate change," she said.

"Even raising my children, we had a day called sustainable Saturday where we would switch off the fuse box and and pass a day spending time together without electricity. It was something that reminded us that we do have a responsibility to the environment."

When asked about recent protests by health workers and nurses, Ms Steward told the Post that she believed the issues raised needed to be taken seriously.

"I think that the government ignores many protests, and as individuals, we all want to feel that we're heard and taken seriously," she said.

However, she did not provide any specifics about Greens' policy that would address the issues in the region.

Ms Stewart joins independent Penny Ackery and Labor candidate Greg Baines in running against current Hume MP Angus Taylor in a safe Liberal seat.

However, both Mr Baines and Ms Ackery have said they felt there was an appetite for change in the region heading towards the May 21 election.

Ms Stewart said it wasn't necessarily about winning for her but ensuring voters knew there were other options.

"I think is important, regardless of whether people are there to win or not, that people know yes, we hear you.

"We can still work with other other candidates and be part of the debate not just during an election campaign, but by being visible throughout the years between an election and by working as a community," Ms Stewart said.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7702550/hume-greens-candidate-cant-walk-past-climate-change/

—

QAnon follower Tim Stewart's an old friend of Scott Morrison. His family reported him to the national security hotline

Louise Milligan, Jeanavive McGregor and Lauren Day - 14 Jun 2021

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-14/qanon-follower-old-friend-scott-morrison-stewart-family-speaks/100125156


>Coordinated?
>All For A LARP?
>[ATTACKS WILL ONLY INTENSIFY]
>Ask yourself, WHY?

#15964424 at 2022-03-28 17:34:12 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #21: MIL-CIV ALLIANCE Edition

>>15964412

2/2

Labor's primary vote in the past four elections has had a three in front of it and the 33.3 per cent it achieved in 2019 was its lowest ever. The historical collapse began before the arrival of social media, beginning with the rise of the Australian Democrats in the late 1970s and accelerating with the rise of the Greens in the 2000s. Social media's contribution is to accelerate the drift away from Labor at warp-speed and harden positions, lessening the chances of a reverse.

The Democrats and the Greens were havens for Labor's intelligentsia as it became intolerant of the parliamentary Labor Party's blue-collar leanings. Labor's vote fractured at both ends of the political spectrum, however. With the rise of John Howard, much of Labor's socially conservative, blue-collar vote began drifting to the Liberals, either directly or via parties such as One Nation. Labor has won few of those votes back, nor is it likely to.

Arguments came to a head on energy and the environment where the interests of the working and woke classes are impossible to reconcile. Today, the party with the highest proportion of university-educated Australians is the Greens, challenging the assumption that education makes you smarter.

Neither the Liberal Party nor the National Party are immune to the same tensions. The tension within the Coalition's broad church frequently comes to a head on climate and energy policy. With hindsight, Morrison's first miracle was not winning the 2019 election, but uniting the party along with Energy Minister Angus Taylor around an energy and climate position almost everyone in the Coalition was willing to accept, albeit it through gritted teeth. Had he not done so, the attacks on Bill Shorten's wide-eyed emissions reduction targets would have been blunted, and the Coalition wedged.

The internal tensions with the party have not gone away this term, surfacing on a wider range of policies, from religious freedom to vaccine coercion. With the hardening of positions, there is a growing intolerance for trade-offs and an increased risk of fracturing. The Coalition's primary vote has fallen below 40 per cent only once, in 1998, when the arrival of One Nation played havoc with the conservative vote, notably in Queensland. Howard demonstrated his unique political tradecraft to recover from the blow, winning the following election with a substantial majority. Yet, significantly, he did not have to contend with the effects of social media and its tendency to strengthen tribal allegiance at the expense of a commitment to parties.

Like Labor, the Coalition risks losing voters at both ends, and cannot discount the possibility that a 30-something primary vote becomes the new normal. The political market is stuffed with new entrants making a plausible if morally weak case to use the election as a forum for the expression of moral indignation rather than a ballot to decide the next government. Morrison's challenge in these uncertain times is to persuade them that the national interest comes first.

Nick Cater is executive director of the Menzies Research Centre.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/election-2022-morrison-seeks-a-way-through-social-media-quagmire/news-story/28be522e2d3602c88749bde9bb215a43

#15916652 at 2022-03-22 07:28:40 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #21: MIL-CIV ALLIANCE Edition

'Chattering classes': Australian government dismisses UN secretary general's climate criticism

Ant?nio Guterres says coal is a 'stupid investment' that will lead to billions in stranded assets

Australian Associated Press - 22 Mar 2022

The Australian government has brushed off criticism from the UN secretary general labelling it a "holdout" after Scott Morrison refused to strengthen the nation's 2030 emissions reduction target.

The communications minister, Paul Fletcher, branded Ant?nio Guterres a member of the UN "chattering classes" after he used an address to a sustainability summit to take an extraordinary public swipe at Australia's climate efforts.

"A growing number of G20 developed economies have announced meaningful emissions reductions by 2030 - with a handful of holdouts, such as Australia," he said.

He said the Paris climate pact's ambition of limiting global warming to 1.5C was "on life support" but there was still something that could save it.

"Keeping 1.5 alive requires a 45% reduction in global emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by mid-century," the UN chief said. "That problem was not solved in Glasgow."

The prime minister went to the Glasgow climate conference last year without the two big things countries were asked to commit to: stronger 2030 targets and a rapid phase-out of coal.

Morrison instead stuck to a six-year-old promise to cut emissions by 26% to 28% by 2030 but did say Australia would probably reach 35% by then. He refused to commit to an accelerated phase-out of coal.

His plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 relies on a technology-led economic evolution to cut emissions, capture and store them, or offset them, while allowing coal and gas exports to continue as long as there is demand.

Guterres implored all G20 governments to dismantle their domestic coal infrastructure, with full phase-out by 2030 for OECD countries and 2040 for all others.

He called coal a "stupid investment" that would lead to billions in stranded assets.

Simon Bradshaw, head of research at the Climate Council, said the UN chief's direct and veiled attacks on Australia's climate policies were striking.

"It's very unusual for the UN secretary general to call out any country, specifically," he said. "I don't recall a time when this has happened. It's striking to see.

"What it indicates is that we're going to keep seeing that pressure on Australia until we step up. We're still the only one of those big developed countries that hasn't significantly increased its commitments for this decade."

Fletcher told ABC News Breakfast the "chattering classes of the UN can say what they want" while Australia was "delivering outcomes" like a 20% emissions reduction since 2005. That was a "better performance" than the US, Canada, and New Zealand, Fletcher said.

The Nationals senator, Matt Canavan, said the UN should "read the room" and accused it of being "asleep" as "Europe has got itself into an absolute vulnerable mess because they failed to develop their own fossil fuels".

"It is clear now that what we need to do is restore natural resource production to the free world," he told Sky News.

"For the UN here - they are not only so hopeless on Ukraine ... Now they're actively undermining our peace and security, and we should totally ignore them."

Imogen Zethoven sits on the reef 2050 advisory committee, where she represents the Queensland Conservation Council.

On Tuesday she will address a UN monitoring mission in Australia to evaluate federal government efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef from climate change and other threats.

"The Morrison government should be shamed into action by this comment by the UN secretary general," she said.

She said the influence the coal and gas industries have over Australia's climate policies was disturbing.

"They are running our climate policy and it's at the expense of the Great Barrier Reef, other vulnerable ecosystems, communities and future generations of Australians -including quiet Australians."

The prime minister did not respond to requests for comment.

A spokesperson for the emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor, said Australia had reduced emissions faster than 15 members of the G20.

"We have a real plan to deliver on our commitments, one that relies on technology not taxes," he said. "We won't sacrifice our traditional industries - and the jobs and communities they support - at the altar of emissions reduction."

He said those industries and their workers would have an important role in the decades ahead.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/22/un-secretary-general-calls-australia-a-holdout-for-refusing-to-do-more-to-cut-emissions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX-LBuV4W1w

#15575034 at 2022-02-08 07:40:48 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #20 - INSURGENCY Edition

Scott Morrison apologises to Brittany Higgins over parliament's 'long-standing culture of abuse'

OLIVIA CAISLEY - FEBRUARY 8, 2022

Scott Morrison has directly apologised to Brittany Higgins and personally thanked her for her role in bringing parliamentary cultural issues to light as MPs from across the political divide acknowledged the harm caused by sexual harassment, assault and bullying.

A little over a year after her rape allegations surfaced, the former Liberal staffer returned to Parliament House - the site of her alleged assault - to hear the nation's leaders formally address the findings of the landmark review into the building's culture.

Ms Higgins sat in the House of Representatives' public gallery, flanked by former Liberal staffer Rachelle Miller and consent advocate Chanel Contos.

"I am sorry to Ms Higgins for the terrible things that took place here," the Prime Minister said. "The place that should have been a place for safety, that turned out to be a nightmare.

"I am sorry for far more than that. All those that came before Ms Higgins ... but she had the courage to speak, and so here we are."

Mr Morrison said the people responsible for bullying and harassment would be exposed, warning "the light will come to those behaviours, as it must."

The Jenkins Report, instigated by the Higgins' allegations and delivered at the end of last year, exposed a "damaging culture" within parliament and found one in three staffers interviewed had been sexually harassed.

It delivered 28 recommendations, including restrictions on alcohol, gender equality targets and diversity, updated codes of conduct for MPs and their staff, and new oversight ?bodies to handle complaints.

Speaker Andrew Wallace acknowledged Parliament House needed to attract the best talent from across the nation and leaders needed to ensure standards be lifted to keep the building and those that work within its walls safe.

"The Jenkins review proposes an ambitious program of reform to ensure Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces meet the highest standards," he said. "We are fully committed to working across the parliament to implement all of these recommendations within the time frames proposed by Commissioner Jenkins. We have started to act."

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Ms Higgins and former Australian of the Year Grace Tame for finding the "strength to lift the weight of their own experience" in order to lighten the burden for others.

"I particularly pay tribute to the courage of Brittany Higgins who is with us today," he said. "You have torn through a silence that has acted as the life-support system for the most odious of status quo.

"We must, to put it simply, walk the talk. We cannot attract the best people to this place if we don't strive to be the best ourselves. Without the best people, we cannot achieve the best outcomes for the Australian people."

"Nor can we leave this work just to women, these are not only women's issues."

As Independent Warringah MP Zali Steggall spoke on behalf of the crossbench, Nationals MP Keith Pitt, Employment Minister Stuart Robert and Energy Minister Angus Taylor left the lower house.

A visibly upset Ms Higgins, who was originally not invited to attend the historic acknowledgment but later secured an invitation from Ms Steggall, left during the final speech and did not return.

Ms Higgins and Ms Tame are due to address the National Press Club on Wednesday.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/scott-morrison-apologises-to-brittany-higgins-over-parliaments-longstanding-culture-of-abuse/news-story/2ff807751ec9e4f3d8aff99a72693088

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/federal-parliament-to-acknowledge-harm-caused-by-sexual-harassment-assault-and-bullying-20220208-p59unk.html

#14871072 at 2021-10-28 07:59:17 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #19 - THE ONLY WAY IS THE MILITARY Edition

Opposition slams Morrison government for 'discriminatory' voter integrity bill

Government is accused of using tactics 'straight out of Trump's America' to block Australians from voting in the next election.

Ellen Ransley - October 28, 2021

1/2

The government has been accused of using "authoritarian" and "Trump-like" tactics that disadvantage low income, elderly, regional and indigenous voters in attempting to "ram" a Bill through parliament on the eve of a federal election.

Following recomendations from the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, the government introduced its Voter Integrity Bill to the House of Representatives on Thursday, which seeks to legislate eligible Australian voters showing a valid form of identity when they vote at elections.

If a person is unable to present a form of identity, another voter with a valid form is able to attest for the unidentified person.

Angus Taylor, on behalf of the Special Minister of State, said the bill, based on reports into the 2013, 2016 and 2019 elections, would seek to ensure voter fraud was reduced and "reduce inadvertent mistakes".

"The measures in this Bill will bring the Australian electoral system into line with voter identification practices of other liberal democracies such as Canada and Sweden, and with other everyday activities in Australia that require proof of identification, such as driving, opening a bank account, or collecting a parcel from the post office," Mr Taylor said.

But, the bill has been met with backlash by the Opposition, who say introducing the new legislation now, on the last sitting day "on the eve of a federal election" was a "desperate attempt to undermine democracy".

"What is the problem you're trying to solve?" Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke asked.

"After the last election, the Australian Electoral Commission did a check ... Guess how many people were prosecuted? Zero.

"So, for the sake of fixing a problem involving no Australians, they want to stand in the way of thousands of Australians voting.

"(This debate) should be put off until well after the election."

In his attempt to suspend standing orders, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said voter fraud was, according to the AEC a "vanishingly small issue".

In attempting to defer the debate, and therefore the bill, until early 2023, Mr Burke said the government was using the "exact (far right) tactics we saw from Donald Trump".

"Let's make no mistake who gets affected by this - people who are homeless and poor, people who live in remote communities, people who are elderly who have given up their licenses, everybody who turns up and sees endless queues (on election day) gets affected by this," Mr Burke said.

"The ... government is trying to make sure people don't vote."

(continued)

#14614068 at 2021-09-19 06:05:56 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #18 - Talisman Sabre: MAGIC SWORD Edition

Resignations in the news

Christian Porter has resigned from Scott Morrison's ministry after revealing he had accepted an anonymous donation

Jane Norman - 19 September 2021

Christian Porter has resigned from Prime Minster Scott Morrison's ministry after revealing he had accepted an anonymous donation to help cover his personal legal fees.

Mr Porter's future on the frontbench had been in doubt following his declaration that a "blind trust" had paid for part of his discontinued defamation case against the ABC and journalist Louise Milligan.

Mr Morrison had offered no defence of his Industry and Science Minister and asked the head of his department, Phil Gaetjens, to investigate whether the declaration was in breach of the ministerial standards.

On Sunday, Mr Morrison announced Mr Porter had been unable to provide the necessary information to "avoid any perception of conflicts of interest" and had decided to resign.

"He has this afternoon taken the appropriate course of action to uphold those standards by tendering his resignation as a minister this afternoon, and I have accepted his resignation," Mr Morrison said.

Energy Minister Angus Taylor will temporarily take responsibility for Mr Porter's portfolios.

Mr Porter updated his register of members' interests last Tuesday, revealing a blind trust known as the "Legal Services Trust" had made a "part contribution" to cover the costs of his lawsuit against the public broadcaster.

A spokesman for Mr Porter said he had "undertaken disclosure in accordance with the requirements of the Register and consistent with previous members' disclosure of circumstances where the costs of personal legal matters have been mitigated by contributions or reductions in fees".

"No taxpayers' funds were used in meeting the costs of the Minister's actions against the ABC and Milligan, which have now concluded," the spokesman said.

While Mr Porter insisted his declaration was within the rules, his decision to accept an undisclosed sum of money from an undisclosed source raised questions about his judgement.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-19/christian-porter-resigns-as-minister-over-conflict-of-interest/100474754

#12817159 at 2021-02-04 05:00:11 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #13 - THE WAR IS REAL Edition

>>12817106
Biden keen to visit Australia, spoke to Morrison about emissions reduction

Rob Harris - February 4, 2021

US President Joe Biden has told Scott Morrison he is enthusiastic to visit Australia in his new job in a phone call between the two leaders on Thursday morning, in which the pair talked about reducing global emissions.

Less than two weeks after taking office, Mr Biden told the Australian prime minister it would be a "high priority" for his administration to work with allies and partners within the Indo-Pacific region.

Mr Morrison, who was criticised for being overly close to Mr Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, said the conversation was "very warm" and there was "nothing to fix" in the relationship between the two nations.

"He said to me again today, he sees the Australia-US relationship as providing the anchor for peace and security in our region," Mr Morrison told reporters in the prime ministerial courtyard on Thursday.

"And that is true. We share that view. In terms of our relations between Australia and the United States, there's nothing to fix here, only things to build on.

"We do our share of the heavy lifting in this relationship, and that is absolutely respected by the President and appreciated."

Mr Biden's rise to power is poised to add momentum towards a pact from the world's leading economies to aim for net zero emissions by 2050.

Mr Morrison said the pair canvassed the issue, reaffirming that both countries wanted to achieve a net-zero pathway through technology.

He said cooperation between countries was needed to achieve that and that had already begun from discussions between the US special climate envoy John Kerry and federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor.

"We're very keen on pursuing that relationship and the technology partnership," Mr Morrison said.

"Our goal is global emissions, not just emissions in some country. Global emissions reduction. And that is how you solve the problem."

Mr Morrison reminded Mr Biden of a standing invitation to visit Australia this year for the 70th anniversary of the ANZUS alliance in September of this year.

The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty, known as Anzus, is a 1951 collective security non-binding agreement between Australia and New Zealand and, separately, Australia and the US, to co-operate on military matters in the Pacific Ocean region.

"He told me he needs no special reason to come to Australia, he loves the place," Mr Morrison said. "They would very much like to be in Australia at some point, and we'll see how that progresses."

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/biden-keen-to-visit-australia-spoke-to-morrison-about-emissions-reduction-20210204-p56zka.html

#12817106 at 2021-02-04 04:55:40 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #13 - THE WAR IS REAL Edition

Joe Biden set to invite Scott Morrison to White House climate summit

RICHARD FERGUSON - FEBRUARY 4, 2021

US President Joe Biden is set to invite Scott Morrison to a White House climate summit in April, and the new US leader has not pushed the Prime Minister to commit to net zero emissions by 2050.

After the President called Mr Morrison on Thursday for the first time since he took the White House, Mr Morrison said he and Mr Biden discussed the need to lead on climate technology. Energy Minister Angus Taylor and Presidential Envoy on Climate John Kerry earlier agreed to set up a joint working group on low emission technology.

Mr Morrison and Mr Biden also discussed the pathway towards net zero emissions, as the Australian leader says he would like to meet that climate action goal "preferably" by 2050.

The Prime Minister also denied Mr Biden pushed Australia to strengthen its climate targets.

"We had a very positive discussion about the path we're on, and the commitments that we've made. And, more importantly, how we have been able to exceed those commitments," Mr Morrison said in Canberra.

"The strong level, particularly of solar in households take-up in Australia, which is the strongest in the world. And also what we've achieved in terms of our emissions reductions since 2005, which indeed is higher than what has been achieved in the United States and almost double that of the OECD.

"We're very focused on the technological challenge, and joining together not just Australia and the United States - I mean, they are going to be investing significantly in those technologies."

After the phone call, Mr Morrison said the pair discussed the April climate leaders summit and that the "invitation is coming."

It comes after Mr Morrison was snubbed last year from a similar climate summit organised by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Mr Biden also told the PM the Australia-US relationship was an anchor for peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Prime Minister and Mr Biden spoke about the coronavirus, security issues in the Indo-Pacific, and looked forward to the 70th anniversary of the ANZUS alliance this year.

"We talked about the stewardship we share, a stewardship that has been held by prime ministers and presidents over a very long time. And particularly this year. some 70 years of the ANZUS Alliance that we will celebrate in September of this year," Mr Morrison said in Canberra.

"(We) spoke of the fact that Australia looks to the United States, but we never leave it to the United States. We do our share of the heavy lifting in this relationship, and that is absolutely respected by the President and appreciated.

"Whether it's on COVID and whether it's on the economic recovery, global and regional security issues, the multilateral initiatives and reforms that we are partnering in. But also, as we discussed today, achieving a net-zero pathway through technology, and the co-operation that is needed to do that, and the work that has already begun."

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/climate-coronavirus-on-menu-as-joe-biden-calls-scott-morrison/news-story/d338fc38896356d1bf43f91e5aa201f1

#12772871 at 2021-01-31 01:32:59 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #13 - THE WAR IS REAL Edition

#12 - Part 4
2020 US Presidential Election - Australian Perspectives - Part 4
>>12645615 Scott Morrison defends relationship with Donald Trump, accuses Labor of replacing foreign policy with personal attacks - Adeshola Ore - theaustralian.com.au
>>12645642 Video: Australia's Ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos has praised Joe Biden's "pitch perfect" inauguration and continued pressure on China - Sarah Blake - dailytelegraph.com.au
>>12645940 A 'last outpost for Trumpism': How did Donald change #AusPol? - Josh Butler - thenewdaily.com.au
>>12645998 Video: Trump Sought to Exacerbate Divisions in U.S.: Turnbull - Bloomberg Politics
>>12646051 Video: The idea Trump and his tweets incited insurrection is 'demonstrably false' - Sky News Australia
>>12646106 Video: 'Worst president in history': John Bolton describes Donald Trump's leadership | Planet America - ABC News In-depth
>>12646209 UK High Commissioner George Brandis Tweet: Brilliant to see @POTUS return the United States to the #ParisAgreement
>>12646266 Arnold Schwarzenegger Tweet: I'm rooting for you @JoeBiden. Your success is the country's success
>>12662443 Bill Shorten Tweet: What a difference a day makes (President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Twitter screencaps)
>>12662454 Bob Carr Tweet: Like a majority of Republicans Joe Hockey believes there was vote fraud. Said it publicly. Oops! Bad move for a fledgling lobbyist wanting access to a Democrat administration.
>>12662454 Bob Carr Tweet: Now in Nine Media Joe struggles to make good but the new Democrat team weren't impressed with his crawling to the Ancien Regime now unpacking candlesticks and golf clubs at Mar-a-Largo.
>>12662478 America's silo society has to face its racial demons - Bob Carr - afr.com

>>12662525 Kevin Rudd Tweet: Biden's team inherits a bucket full of foreign policy wreckage - in declining American power, weaker alliances and a damaged domestic body politic. But with strong and steady leadership, effective strategic competition with Beijing is achievable.
>>12664164 Alexander Downer Tweet: After 4 1/2 years of reading on Twitter crazy conspiracy theories about me being a spy and how I was part of a treasonous attempted coup against president Trump and I would be hanged or sent to Gitmo, I guess that's coming to an end!
>>12664225 Video: Biden 'should stop' Trump's impeachment to unite America: Alexander Downer - Sky News Australia
>>12664403 Chief Minister Michael Gunner extends official invite to US President Joe Biden to visit the NT - Madura Mccormack - ntnews.com.au
>>12664814 Video: Trump was a 'demagogue president' and 'sociopath', says former FBI director Comey | 7.30 - ABC News In-depth
>>12680534 Kevin Rudd Tweet: Unbelievable that Murdoch media would publish this outrageous cartoon of President Biden calling him "Creepy Joe" - and for what reason? Then suggesting he's controlled by a non-existent organisation - "Antifa". All QAnon crap. #MurdochRoyalCommission
>>12704138 As Joe Biden says, this great US-Australia alliance will only grow stronger - Foreign Minister Marise Payne
>>12712187 Use Biden agenda to commit to net zero: Malcolm Turnbull
>>12713842 Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor talks emissions with John Kerry
>>12714605 Kevin Rudd and Bob Carr hail Joe Biden as climate change President
>>12728346 Opinion: What Australia needs from the new Biden administration - Alexander Downer - afr.com

#9862070 at 2020-07-05 07:21:33 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #8 - WE ARE THE CURE Edition

Resignations in the news

Mathias Cormann to quit politics at the end of the year

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has announced his resignation from politics and advised Scott Morrison that he will leave the parliament by the end of the year.

The leader of the government in the Senate has declared that serving in the upper house has been "one of the greatest privileges of my life."

"Having the opportunity to help shape the future direction of our country as part of a great team working to make our country even stronger, more prosperous and more resilient is a great honour," he said. "I love this job. Every single day I am giving it my all."

"I can honestly say that I have left nothing on the field."

Senator Cormann said there was "another six months or so of hard work" to help navigate a way out of the coronavirus pandemic and "finalise and set in train our five-year plan to maximise the strength of our economic and jobs recovery."

"We will also need to make the many necessary decisions to re-embark on the important journey of budget repair," he said.

"So between now and the end of the year I will be working with the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and all of my colleagues on finalising our July Economic Statement, our Budget in October and our half-yearly Budget update in December."

Senator Cormann - who represents the state of Western Australia - said that he would seek to secure the passage of reforming government legislation through the upper house and that the Prime Minister was leading a team that was "stronger, more focused and more united than ever."

"I would like to thank the Prime Minister for the trust and confidence he has placed in me to do this job, as I would like to thank his predecessors as Prime Minister, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull, for the opportunities they have given me to serve," he said.

"I will be doing my very best over the next six months as a member of the Morrison Government to ensure that our country is positioned as strongly as possible for the brightest possible future."

Energy Minister Angus Taylor said that Senator Cormann had "provided this incredible continuity for us in that Finance portfolio since 2013."

Mr Taylor told Sky News that Senator Cormann had been "relentless" and "effective" as well as a "great servant" to Western Australia and the Liberal Party.

Manager of Opposition business Tony Burke said that Senator Cormann had been a "very significant figure in Australian politics" and an "honest broker" in his political negotiations in the upper house.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/mathias-cormann-to-quit-politics-at-the-end-of-the-year/news-story/e21f46dec50f898346ea0246b22ddc3c

#8882394 at 2020-04-22 08:39:48 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #7 - FIRE & FURY Edition

>>8342822
Federal Government to spend $94 million stockpiling fuel in the US

The Federal Government will spend $94 million on a fuel reserve to bolster the national stockpile.

Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor said the Government would take advantage of historically low fuel prices to build a "strategic fuel reserve", to be held initially in the United States.

"We have full storages here in Australia, but in time we are exploring opportunities with the industry to establish local storage," he said.

"Now is the time to buy fuel, and we are doing that."

Mr Taylor said the reserve was to ensure Australia had enough fuel in case of future "global disruptions".

The Energy Minister said there was about a month's worth of fuel on Australian soil currently, but the Government wanted a much larger reserve.

According to the Energy Department's latest statistics, as at February 2020, there was 25 days worth of car petrol stored domestically, 56 of LPG, 20 of diesel, 143 of aviation gasoline and 22 days of turbine fuel.

"I signed an agreement with the United States to access their reserves, simply because we don't have the storage space here in Australia right now," Mr Taylor said.

He said moving the storage reserve to Australia was a "priority" and that work to begin expanding domestic capacity would be done as soon as possible.

The Government began talks with the United States to access its reserve last year to increase supplies to meet the 90-day minimum required under international agreements.

At the time, before the coronavirus pandemic saw prices plummet, Mr Taylor said building a storage facility in Australia would be too high a cost.

"The opportunity to buy and establish a fuel reserve is an extraordinary one now with these historically low fuel prices," he said.

"The storage costs are small compared to the fuel cost."

Concerns United States is too far away

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese argued the announcement did little to minimise concerns that Australia was vulnerable to international fuel supply disruptions.

"This has been pointed out to the Government for a long period of time," Mr Albanese said.

"The Government has dismissed the issue, and what we need to do is to actually build a capacity here for a refining capacity, or rebuild, because the Government, currently, is in breach of its obligations."

Mr Albanese said there would still be significant delays in getting fuel from across the Pacific in times of crisis.

"The United States isn't New Zealand. I mean, it's not next door," he said.

"If there's the sort of international conflict or issues that provide disruption to sea lanes, that may well occur at some stage in the future, then that is why nation states need to have this fuel capacity.

"It's an issue of national security - having something in the United States doesn't provide for our national interest to be protected in the way that it should."

Current crisis a 'wake-up call', Maritime Union says

Earlier on Wednesday, before the announcement, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) renewed calls for the Government to develop its own storage capability, instead of rely on the United States' own reserve.

In a statement, the MUA said the coronavirus pandemic was a "wake-up call" and demonstrated how quickly global supply chains could break down and how volatile global markets could become.

The MUA's assistant national secretary, Ian Bray, said the crisis presented an "unprecedented" opportunity for the Government.

"More than 90 per cent of our liquid fuel comes from overseas ... yet without fuel, our economy would grind to a halt," he said.

"The Morrison Government should take advantage of the unprecedented collapse in oil prices to build our own domestic fuel stockpile.

"The Government should also commence the process of developing a strategic fleet that includes Australian-owned oil tankers, ensuring supplies can keep flowing during times of crisis."

Some Australian farmers have been taking the same course of action, taking advantage of dropping diesel prices and stockpiling supplies.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-22/government-to-buy-fuel-secure-national-stockpile/12173276

#8342822 at 2020-03-07 21:08:26 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #7 - FIRE & FURY Edition

Australia reaches breakthrough deal to buy US emergency oil supplies

London and Washington: The Morrison government has struck a landmark deal to tap into the US government's tightly-guarded emergency fuel reserves, a move that will help lower the risk of Australia plunging into an economic and national security crisis.

The agreement, to be signed by Energy Minister Angus Taylor in Washington on Monday (Tuesday AEDT), will help shore up the dangerously low supplies in Australia that have left consumers vulnerable to price spikes and rationing in the event of a sudden supply disruption.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed last year that the government was in talks with the Trump administration to buy millions of barrels of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Australia imports 90 per cent of its liquid fuels but only has enough in storage to last 54 days - well below the 90 days it is obliged to stockpile under an agreement with the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The need to bulk up oil supplies has grown increasingly acute recently because of the volatility in key shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz off Iran and the South China Sea.

The deal, which involves leasing US storage facilities, means the government will not need to spend billions of dollars building expensive new storage facilities in Australia.

The oil stored in America will count towards Australia's overall supply, allowing the government to meet its IEA requirements.

"This landmark Australia-US arrangement represents our joint commitment to maintaining fuel security and improving Australia's resilience, as well as strengthening the close bonds between our two great nations," Mr Taylor said.

"The US is a trusted ally who has been essential for global oil security and we are glad to be building on our strong, longstanding relationship, while ensuring Australia is best prepared to act during a global oil disruption.

"This arrangement further improves our ability to ensure stocks of critical diesel, petrol and aviation fuel to keep the economy going in the event of disruptions to supply chains."

Stored underground in massive caverns in Texas and Louisiana, the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve was set up by president Gerald Ford in 1975 to keep the country running in a crisis.

It holds more than 640 million barrels of crude oil. One cavern is so big it could fit Chicago's 110-storey Willis Tower in it.

The agreement to be signed by Mr Taylor and US Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette will kickstart detailed contractual negotiations about how much crude oil Australia can buy from the US and how much space it can use in the underground caverns to store it.

No final decisions have been made about how much fuel Australia wants to buy or how much it is willing to spend.

US politicians have previously raised concerns about the idea of selling off fuel from the petroleum reserve to other countries. But the fact Australia's deal involves leasing facilities in the US - rather than shipping the oil directly to Australia - helped assuage some worries in Washington.

In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age last year, IEA executive director Fatih Birol said he welcomed the prospect of such a deal between the US and Australia.

While in the US, Mr Taylor will also visit the oil and gas state of Texas to meet with top industry executives.

He will also visit the US government's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, which is leading research into production of biological hydrogen as a clean source of energy.

The Australian government has released a National Hydrogen Strategy designed to encourage the expansion of the local hydrogen industry.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-reaches-breakthrough-deal-to-buy-us-emergency-oil-supplies-20200307-p547t1.html

#7641035 at 2019-12-28 09:55:46 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #6 - YEAR OF THE BOOMERANG Edition

Fuel deal between Trump and Australia secures crucial backing

A bid by the Morrison government to avoid spending billions of dollars on a vast stockpile of emergency fuel has won crucial support from the world's peak energy agency ahead of a possible deal with United States President Donald Trump.

But a complementary plan to shore up dangerously low domestic storages - by rewriting an international treaty - is struggling to gain momentum, leaving Australia exposed to price hikes and rationing should war or disaster strike the Middle East or South China Sea.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed in August that the Morrison government was negotiating with the Trump administration to buy millions of barrels of oil from America's tightly guarded fuel reserve under a new strategy to limit Australia's exposure to a major crisis.

Australia imports 90 per cent of its liquid fuels but has enough automotive petrol to last only 25 days and crude oil for 30 days - well below the 90 days it is obliged to store under an agreement with the International Energy Agency (IEA). Overall, Australia has just 54 days of net coverage.

The US deal, which is yet to be signed off by Mr Trump, would allow Australia access to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and its 640 million barrels of crude oil stored across a network of underground caverns.

Australia would be able to store its own fuel in the Texas and Louisiana facilities or use US-owned stocks in an emergency, effectively preventing the need to spend billions of dollars building storage facilities in Australia to meet the IEA rules.

IEA executive director Fatih Birol endorsed the negotiations and said a deal could count towards Australia's 90-day obligation, but urged the government to return to compliance as soon as possible.

"Oil is today the lifeblood of the global economy. You may like oil, dislike oil, but this is the reality of life," Dr Birol said.

"I have heard there are some good, positive discussions between the Australian government and US government and I hope we will sometime soon get some good news about that. Such an arrangement would be welcomed by me."

Energy Minister Angus Taylor has also been pushing for a major rewrite of the treaty that dictates the 90-day supply standard.

Mr Taylor has said the "outdated" rules should be changed so oil stock owned by Australia and being transported to the mainland can count towards overall domestic supply.

He briefed Dr Birol on Australia's plan during a recent meeting at a climate summit in Spain.

Asked whether he supported a rewrite, Dr Birol said the IEA hadn't discussed the idea and appeared lukewarm in his own support.

"We are bound by the decision made by our member governments," he said. "The current government decision does not allow the counting of oil in transition. If the governments change their position we can allow it but currently, no."

New government figures show oil headed to Australia on the sea or "overseas and awaiting delivery to Australia" represents about 23 days' supply. If added to the 54 days of net supply currently held onshore, Australia would still fall short of the 90-day requirement.

Security experts and some government MPs have long warned that low storage levels exposed Australia to "far too much risk" given supplies rely on volatile ocean passages, including the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

Dr Birol said recent attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia were a reminder of the risk.

"Saudi Arabia today is by far the largest oil exporter in the world and nobody can guarantee me that we will not see a similar attack on Saudi Arabia or another producing country," he said.

Negotiations with the Trump administration over the terms of a deal to access the Strategic Petroleum Reserve are continuing. The government has promised to ensure any deal "represents the best outcome for Australians".

(continued)

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/fuel-deal-between-trump-and-australia-secures-crucial-backing-20191223-p53mbe.html

#5958095 at 2019-03-29 05:35:25 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #4 - Q Goes Down Under Edition

Notables
are not endorsements

#3 - Part 1/4
Cardinal George Pell Bun
>>5444873 George Pell's 2016 police interview video - excerpt & complete footage
>>5445509 Journalists Who Reported On A Cardinal's Sex Abuse Verdict Could Face Jail Time
>>5460260 The unfair, anti-Catholic conviction of Cardinal George Pell
>>5460270 Other Anon Responses to the conviction
>>5466363 Pell has been taken down, now the internet is coming for his supporters
>>5467443, >>5467460 Why did Howard, Abbott and the rest come out to support George Pell?
>>5470742 Doubters' outcry over Pell verdict disrespectful to jury, legal system
>>5476109 Why facts matter in Pell case
>>5481255 Can Cardinal Pell ever get a fair trial?
>>5495884 Cardinal George Pell sued over claim of Ballarat swimming pool abuse
>>5570683 Church knew Pell was at centre of decades-old lurid sex claims
>>5572176 Cardinal Pell's appeal process to begin in June
>>5587661 'Day of prayer' for Cardinal George Pell cancelled
>>5636964 Cardinal George Pell's fate to be broadcast live to the world
>>5654951 George Pell sentenced to six years in jail for child sexual abuse
>>5656368 Former Vatican treasurer Pell jailed for six years for sexually abusing choir boys
>>5675340 Cardinal Pell sent to prison for abusing 2 boys in Australia
>>5654971 PDF: Sentencing remarks in DPP v George Pell
>>5654997 Video: Complete sentencing remarks by County Court of Victoria Chief Judge, Peter Kidd.
>>5823304 The Witch Hunt Against Australia's Cardinal George Pell: Five Facts You Need To Know
>>5858713 Pope accepts resignation of Chilean cardinal accused of covering up abuse
>>5899067 DPP moves to jail dozens of editors, journalists over reports after Pell verdict

>>5445310, >>5445323 Nicola Gobbo, "Lawyer X" revealed
>>5445776 Just for the kek value, Hills Hoist Capers
>>5446457, >>5457428 5-eyes resignations summary including Australia
>>5451528 Australia: The Concealed Colony
>>5451974 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA is a registered US corporation
>>5456780 Call for investigation after Georgina Downer presents cheque to bowling club.
>>5457428 Cheque Mates: Gillard, Bishop & Hillary
>>5457428 Deep State Downer, the Foreign Minister, the PM - and the Clinton campaign
>>5460233, >>5460214, >>5460239 Australian Luciferian symbolism
>>5461317 Dealing with Clowns & Shills, How To Quickly Spot A Clown

>>5473015 Pakistan Military Chief reaches out to US/UK/AUS top brass for help on situation with India
>>5475407 Barrie Cassidy questions Energy Minister Angus Taylor over Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.
>>5475414 Australian spy agency offered to share data about ordinary citizens (2013)
>>5475621 Why does Australia FEAR China?
>>5477028 Glencore and ties to Australia?
>>5564757 GLENCORE donation to Katter's Australia Party
>>5479764 Five Eyes Background Info
>>5479805 Boeing Unveils "Wingman" Combat Drone That Supports Stealth Jets
>>5488662 Australia to bar visitors with domestic violence convictions
>>5496463 Australia and Five Eyes front and center in new Q drop

#5556980 at 2019-03-07 15:06:36 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #3 - March MADNESS Edition

Australis's #G20 UN Global Ed costing us Billions.
One World Gov. baffles me why BetsyDeVos signed this dusgusting education.
Out UN CommonCore back in to UN Through backdoor & re-signs.
US Anons are asleep ?????

Australia needs to vote ALL globalists &Indeprndents that support ClimateScam right out OUR parliaments.

We need memes that can rxplain in short sentences exactly how they lied to ys . Costing us BILLIONS.
Costing our children much more.
Will only allow people to work who gave this education.

UN is our Enemy.
We must NOT fall for the Globalist parties Propaganda.
If Fabians ALP win, there will nit be anymore elections. That's how close we are to the edge.
They've already voted for councils to be recognised as Gov in the 🚩Constitution🚩

Could sn Anon please do digs on Who voted this through and what it all means.

We need some other Anons to please do digs on how EACH politician's voting record.
For or against #WeThePeople..
If people see this on 'paper' Meme, the truth may dawn on a lot that they work for the UN
not us.
Some idolise Politicians. Sickening.
Lots think Abbott is so great. Fo a timeline. The image may shock.
Angus Taylor is a Rhodes Scholar. Kerp sn eye on him. He's in on all this UN enslavement. He kniws what's going on.
Hunt & Frydenburg in on the ClimsteScam with Turmbull.
The SAS Christian, Andrew ? from WA (if you can call him that is dangerous.
Hd's the one that git these last amendments about suppressing any dissent from us. ADF in Cities wothout permission.
Real nice guy. Not.
We need to remember Anons that they may seem all clean, polite, & caring on TV.
They're ALL traitors. Not one Ive come across yet, refused to vote fir Turnbull, except Abbott once I recall, could be more times and Cory Benardi.
Not sure sbout ? Craig Kelly. We need memes of each one and hus voting record.

Thry need yp be hekd accountable.
Latham moving The Indigenous people in to 'Cities'
Reminds me of UN Agenda21 & Agenda2030. Herding us all into CITIES.
UNACCEPTABLE.

I live up North. We all live amongst each other. Our Kids gonto school together, they're great people. My kids have been enriched by spending tome together. Yes thete's problems, but not one Political party has really dedicated themselves to lfixing the problem. No use teaching Kids to READ, if you're not using phonics and teaching proper Grammar. Deliberate dumbing down iif ALL KIDS BY all
Globalist Parties. Greens ALP & LNP.
Noel Pearsons & Mundine were using the correct books but Turmbull cancelled this effort.
Anons need to dig in to Keating. He never did anything to help. All a show.

Education & Councils are no 1 Priority.
Shorten is very worried about us. Very🚨🚨

#5475407 at 2019-03-03 04:31:08 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #3 - March MADNESS Edition

Bastards!

ABC News (Australia)
Published on Mar 2, 2019
Insiders host Barrie Cassidy questions Energy Minister Angus Taylor over the state of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDhylrtRdrE