Free Republic

Sydney Islamic school Malek Fahd has lost an appeal to overturn a federal government decision to pull $20 million in funding. The federal government withdrew millions of dollars in funding for Australia’s largest Islamic School – which hosts more than 2400 students – back in February over concerns the money wasn’t being spent on education. Malek Fahd Islamic School in Greenacre, in Sydney’s south-west, is set to lose the funding by Friday this week, but says it has enough funding to continue operations until the end of the year. The school’s lawyer, Rick Mitry, has advised that in the meantime,...

Australian author, journalist and speech writer for the center-left Labor Party Bob Ellis died at his Sydney home of liver cancer on Sunday, his son said. He was 73 years old. […] Ellis’s accomplishments include the screenplay for the acclaimed 1978 Australian movie “Newsfront” and the autobiographical 1992 movie “The Nostradamus Kid.” He wrote 19 books including best-selling “Goodbye Jerusalem” that was pulped in 1998 after then conservative government ministers Tony Abbott — who later became prime minister — and Peter Costello sued for defamation. …

Australia seems to be the most preferred destination for the global rich, with Sydney leading the pack with the biggest net inflow of millionaires, as some 4,000 of them shifted base to the city in 2015, says a report. Overall, the figure for the entire continent stood at 8,000 as Melbourne and Perth attracted 3,000 and 1,000 high net worth individuals (HNIs) and secured second and eighth positions, respectively, according to a report by New World Wealth. "Sydney, Melbourne and Perth all benefited from millionaire inflows from China, Europe, the UK, the US and South Africa. Other Australian areas such...

Rising tensions in France, especially in Paris following a series of Islamist terrorist attacks in 2015, have spurred an exodus of its super-wealthy citizens, a new report on migration trends of millionaires and high-net worth individuals across the world reveals. The report warns that other European countries, including the UK, Belgium, Germany and Sweden "where religious tensions are starting to emerge", will also see similar trends. Regarding a Brexit, the report suggests millionaires would want to stay in Britain even if it leaves the single currency bloc. The report was compiled by New World Wealth, an agency that gives information...

POLITICAL correctness is stifling free speech on Australian university campuses, a policy think tank has warned. And student’s hurt feelings are being prioritised over academic debate, says the Institute of Public Affairs. Sarcasm and ridicule have been banned at several campuses — including Western Sydney University, while terms like “sportsmanlike” or “the disabled” are deemed inappropriate at Newcastle University. Students are being persecuted over their political views, while growing policy guidelines on “acceptable” speech are curtailing academic freedoms, research fellow Matthew Lesh says. The institute is conducting an inquiry into the issue, and has released a number of cases to...

Diamonds tell story of Earth's beginning By Roger Highfield, Science Editor Last Updated: 12:01am BST 22/08/2007 Diamonds really are forever, according to a study that has found tiny examples of the gems that date from near the birth of the Earth. Tiny diamonds discovered inside crystals of zircon Over four billion years old, the diamonds are the oldest identified fragments of the Earth’s crust and were discovered in the Jack Hills region of Western Australia, suggesting they were created only 300 million years after the planet itself was born from the dust and debris encircling our Sun some 4.5 billion...

More than 2 million New Zealanders voted to keep the Union Jack on their national flag, ending a 10-month process and squashing a move Prime Minister John Key said would make it easier to distinguish from Australia's flag and bolster national pride. A photo from December shows the current New Zealand flag (left) and the alternative design currently up for a vote. The current flag has been the national symbol for 114 years, according to The Associated Press. The rejected design, which featured a silver fern, was selected from more than 10,000 submissions from the public. Some people called a...

Australia's new submarines will need the range and endurance to patrol far out into the Pacific or Indian Oceans or up into the South China Sea. For that, a nuclear boat would be ideal. Nuclear subs - nukes - can travel fast and stay submerged almost indefinitely, without the need to come to periscope depth every few days to run a diesel engine to charge batteries. Submariners refer to this periodic need to come to the surface as the 'indiscretion rate'. It's when a submarine is most vulnerable to detection. Successive Australian governments have ruled out the nuclear option for...

The company building Australia's next-generation fighter planes says it would be naive to pretend there aren't problems with the fleet. But air force chiefs are confident the controversial F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighters are the best the Department of Defence can get. Australia is spending $17.1 billion to acquire 72 of the Lockheed Martin planes by 2023. But they've been dismissed as an expensive flop with the jets facing difficulties including pilot visibility issues, stealth coatings peeling off, an inability to fly during lightning storms due to the risk of exploding, and software problems. A report by the Pentagon's top...

You might think that this is grotesque. I certainly think it is grotesque. But should we be so judgemental about the unorthodox connubial arrangements of Anna and Lucy Decinque, 31-year-old identical twins who are sharing a bed with their 32-year-old electrical mechanic boyfriend Ben Byrne? The trio have lived together for the last four years in Perth, Western Australia, with the girls’ mother. The girls are inseparable, so much so that they have spent A$240,000 on various cosmetic improvements to look even more alike. They imitate each other and share everything. Even their boyfriend. When Anna and Lucy appeared on...

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull is playing a “high risk poker game” in threatening senators with a double dissolution election. Professor John Wanna told news.com.au that the tactic could backfire if the senators actually passed two pieces of legislation that Mr Turnbull plans to use as a double dissolution trigger — rather than rejecting them. Mr Turnbull announced this morning that politicians would be recalled to parliament on April 18 to reconsider the two bills aimed at addressing union corruption in the building and construction industry. If they did not pass, Mr Turnbull said he would call an election for July...

A senior Australian government minister on Thursday called Donald Trump's campaign for the U.S. presidency "terrifying" and warned it risked casting the Republican Party into the wilderness if he wins nomination. Australian government ministers rarely make critical comments about elections in other countries, especially stalwart allies like the United States, which Australia relies on heavily for military backing in the Asia-Pacific. Australian Industry Minister Christopher Pyne, a cabinet member of the ruling conservative Liberal-National coalition, criticized the violence at recent Trump rallies and said that his rise was casting a pall over American democracy. "Now, democracy should be robust but...

Per Hesselberg leans forward in his chair, a portrait of his queen ­behind him, and explains why Denmark should design our new fleet of warships. “We are the country of Lego,’” the Danish navy captain says with a smile. “And our frigates are like Lego frigates … they are built from blocks and are flexible, multi-role ships, so that you can pluck and play with and create exactly the warship you want.” Outside Hesselberg’s office, winter rain sweeps across the ­Korsor Naval Base in a remote pocket of ­Denmark, almost obliterating the giant grey frigate moored in the distance. If...

Wednesday, March 9, 2016: GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump will hold a campaign rally in Fayetteville, NC at the Crown Center Coliseum. The event is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM EST. Crown Center Coliseum (At an Elton John Concert) Downtown Fayetteville, NC Fayetteville is a city in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America City Award from the National Civic League three times. As of the 2010 census...

Australia’s prime minister on Wednesday dismissed public concerns revealed by a U.S. opinion poll about a Chinese company leasing a strategically important port. The Australian newspaper reported Wednesday that the U.S. State Department had polled Australians via test message about their opinions about Chinese company Landbridge securing a 99-year lease over the Port of Darwin. Almost half those surveyed said allowing a Chinese company to manage the port posed “a lot of risk” to national security and nine in 10 said it posed at least some risk, according to U.S. government research obtained by the newspaper. …

An Australian teenager who travelled to Syria has had his passport cancelled by the government, according to his lawyer. Oliver Bridgeman, from Toowoomba in Queensland, was reported missing by his parents in March 2015 after they thought he was spending time in Bali. Instead, the teenager journeyed on to war-torn Syria where his lawyer said he had been engaged in humanitarian work... Immigration Minister Peter Dutton defended the government's decision, telling ABC News those who travel to Syria put Australia's military staff and personnel at risk... The government has the power to cancel an Australian passport when a person "might...

Australia bought its Tiger ARH attack helicopters only eight years ago, and now it wants to scrap all 22 of them. Even more embarrassing, the Tiger has still not yet achieved “final operational capability” — meaning the helicopter never fully became ready for combat. The decision to ditch the Tiger — to occur in the 2020s — landed with a thud with the release of Australia’s 2016 defense white paper, which laid out the country’s military strategy over the coming decades. The plan includes U.S. $21.5 billion in new spending, which would pay for new submarines, frigates, patrol vessels, aircraft...

Australia will boost defence spending by almost A$30 billion (S$30.2 billion) over the next 10 years as it warns of growing regional tensions and the risk of increasing rivalry between the United States and China. An ambitious 20-year Defence White Paper released yesterday laid out A$195 billion of spending over the next decade, including plans to start buying a A$50 billion fleet of 12 submarines, as well as new frigates, combat jets and maritime surveillance aircraft. In a relatively frank assessment of Australia's defence challenges, the White Paper labelled the delicate ties between the US and China as one of...

The Australian government is tired of having unemployed people say they cannot take a job because it might interfere with their golf plans or dreams of becoming an actor. The government said it plans to tighten the rules on who qualifies for unemployment benefits to encourage a growing number of jobless - including some with creative excuses to stay off the job - to go to work. "Australia's income support system is there as a safety net for people who genuinely cannot find a job - not as an option for those who simply refuse to work," Australian Minister for...

Malcolm Turnbull will reportedly keep former Prime Minister Tony Abbott's promise to increase defence spending to two per cent of GDP within 10 years of the Coaliton's election victory. An extra 5000 defence personnel will also be recruited to run a force of new warships, aircraft and army equipment to be commissioned in the Defence White Paper. News Limited reports the Royal Australian Navy's submarine fleet will be increased from six to 12.