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Australia could become a supplier of weapons and munitions for the United States under a new radical proposal designed to better equip the world’s largest military to deal with any threat in the Indo-Pacific.The Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, developed in partnership with the United States, is geared towards building local production facilities for missiles and munitions in Australia.Launched in 2021, the project is backed by a government commitment of $16–21 billion over the next decade.Despite some progress—including the release of the Australian government’s GWEO Plan in late 2024—the project still faces obstacles.As a result, its growth has...

The most recent protests, from Friday, were led by Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA). Beyond the pickets, the group, along with a lawyer, have referred Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck, minister for space and for defence Judith Collins and others to the office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Why? Because PSNA believes that Rocket Lab activities may have intentionally contributed to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by Israel.In a statement provided to The Spinoff, a Rocket Lab spokesperson said the company “strongly refutes PSNA’s false and irresponsible claims” and that it is considering its...

Australia will refuse any US request to join a “hypothetical” conflict with China over Taiwan and won’t make any advance commitment, the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, has said, amid reports Washington is seeking such promises in discussions over the Aukus submarines. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, also pushed back on such a request, alluding to America’s own position of so-called “strategic ambiguity” on whether the US would militarily respond in a conflict over Taiwan. He said Australia wanted to see “peace and security” in the region. Following multiple reports this week that the Pentagon was seeking guarantees from Australia...

Chinese President Xi Jinping says relations with Australia have “turned around” as the two countries stress dialogue and seek to stabilise trade in the face of global tensions. Xi made the remarks as he hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday. The six-day visit by Albanese – his second as prime minister – aims to boost economic cooperation with Beijing, Australia’s top trading partner. “No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should uphold this overall direction unswervingly,” Xi said, acknowledging that China-Australia ties had “risen from the setbacks”....

He ran into enemy fire three times to rescue a wounded comrade and help recover the body of another.Fifty-seven years after his acts of bravery in the Vietnam War, Private Richard Norden has been posthumously awarded Australia's highest military honour.An investiture ceremony was held in Rockhampton on Tuesday morning, where the Governor-General presented the Victoria Cross medal to his widow, Robynn Freeman.For family, friends and former colleagues, the day has been "a long time coming".A legacy of mateshipPrivate Norden, from Gundagai in New South Wales, was just 19 years old when his platoon came under attack during the 1968 Battle...

(Reuters) -The Pentagon is urging Japan and Australia to clarify what role they would play if the U.S. and China went to war over Taiwan, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.Elbridge Colby, the U.S. under-secretary of defense for policy, has been pushing the matter during recent talks with defense officials of both countries, the report said, citing people familiar with the discussions.According to the newspaper, the reported request caught both Tokyo and Canberra off guard, as the U.S. itself does not offer a blank cheque guarantee to defend Taiwan. Colby said in an X post that the Department of Defense...

Australians will soon be subjected to mandatory age checks across the internet landscape, in what has been described as a huge and unprecedented change. Search engines are next in line for the same controversial age-assurance technology behind the teen social media ban, and other parts of the internet are likely to follow suit. At the end of June, Australia quietly introduced rules forcing companies such as Google and Microsoft to check the ages of logged-in users, in an effort to limit children's access to harmful content such as pornography. But experts have warned the move could compromise Australians' privacy online...

In the early 2000s, Sydney was rocked by a series of gang rapes. Victims were ordinary Australian girls, some as young as 13. The perpetrators were Muslim, mostly Lebanese and some Pakistanis. Two cases—the Skaf brothers case and the Khan brothers case—received extensive newspaper coverage, but the phenomenon was more widespread. Sexual assault rates increased 25 percent between 1996 and 2003 in Sydney, even as every other type of violent crime was declining. The gang rapes were similar to the “grooming gangs” operating in Great Britain during the same period. The difference is that in Britain the problem was allowed...

Education Minister Jason Clare has flagged the government is mulling major changes to the national curriculum that would see classes implemented to curb the rising surge in antisemitism.Education Minister Jason Clare has said the government “stands ready” to implement changes to the national school curriculum, including implementing antisemitic prevention classes. On Monday the Victorian government announced the creation of a new anti-hate taskforce in response to a swathe of antisemitic attacks on the Jewish community. Multiple incidents occurred across the city starting last Friday night, including an alleged arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue. Days later, pro-Palestinian protesters allegedly...

Security camera footage shows the ridiculous moment a group of would-be arsonists accidentally set their getaway vehicle on fire. South Australia Police have released the footage from a residence in Port Pirie, 124 miles north of Adelaide, showing a car pulling up alongside a fenced-off building at night. A man hops out of the vehicle, which remains idle, and begins to douse the area in liquid. “As seen in the footage, three male suspects had attended an address in Young Street and doused the front of the residence with accelerant,” SA Police said in a statement. The man can be...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday he would accept an investigation into grooming gangs who sexually abused thousands of girls. Starmer had previously resisted a national inquiry into the scandal, Sky News reported, which revealed that mostly Pakistani men had groomed, trafficked and raped young white girls over a decade ago. His change of mind on the matter comes after a government-requested audit found that a nationwide investigation was needed. Starmer told reporters traveling with him to the G7 summit in Canada that he had read the report and would accept the recommendation for a national inquiry. He said...

The AR-15 is the most popular civilian rifle in America and is used by tens of millions of law-abiding Americans for lawful reasons.. Total bans on AR-15s are a flagrant violation of the Second Amendment. Today, the Department of Justice filed an amicus brief telling the Seventh Circuit that Illinois’ law banning AR-15s is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. ... Some states and federal courts have a bad habit of treating the Second Amendment like a second-class right, especially in AR-15 cases. But to quote Justice Thomas: “The overwhelming majority of citizens who own and use AR-style rifles do so...

Several European leaders urged Israel and Iran to de-escalate after Jerusalem launched a “pre-emptive” strike on Iranian military leaders and facilities over night. Iran’s Ayatollah has vowed “harsh punishment” in revenge after Israel launched targeted strikes overnight and launched a flight of suicide bomb drones, but European leaders urged both sides to stay their hands and engage in diplomacy. The United Kingdom, which has given Israel the cold shoulder in many respects since the new left-wing government took power last year rushed to assert it was “not involved in what happened overnight” and said its goal is to “prevent escalation”....

For most of my life, Australia appeared to be a combination of English and American virtues. It was a big, free-wheeling country, with brave, strong people who nevertheless hewed to the best British principles of liberty. That image got destroyed when large swaths of Australia became the most tyrannical places on earth during COVID. Now, Australia has dragged itself further into the tyranny gutter by refusing admission to Hillel Fuld, an Israeli-American who speaks out in defense of Israel amidst the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. You might not have heard of Hillel Fuld, although I bet that you...

Australia: Jewish association issues travel warning over visa cancellations The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) has issued an unusual travel warning aimed at Jews worldwide, following reports of sudden visa cancellations for Jews seeking to enter Australia. According to the association, this represents a concerning trend of "growing hostility toward the Jewish community and Israel" with implications for visitors and international relations. "Even senior figures are not immune," the warning stated. The association urges Jews worldwide to exercise caution when considering travel to Australia during this period and to reconsider their plans. (Itamar Eichner)

Leaving the port of Darwin in Chinese hands would bestow on Beijing a golden opportunity to make mischief for Australia and its allies. Hooroo, China! Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is evidently making good on an election campaign pledge to reclaim the Port of Darwin, a harbor in Australia’s Northern Territory, from Chinese control. The Chinese firm Landbridge has operated the port since 2015 under a 99-year lease. Last week the American private-equity firm Cerberus voiced interest in leasing the port from Canberra. Albanese cited national security grounds for breaking the lease. Why Darwin Matters.. Why does Chinese control over...

ANKARA, March 6 (Reuters) - Turkey, with the second largest army in NATO after the United States, could contribute to a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, a Turkish defence ministry source said on Wednesday. "The issue of contributing to a mission will be considered if deemed necessary for establishing regional stability and peace, and will be assessed mutually with all relevant parties," the source told reporters in Ankara.

Australia’s Anthony Albanese claimed a historic second term as prime minister on Saturday in a dramatic comeback against once-resurgent conservatives that was powered by voters' concerns about the influence of U.S. President Donald Trump. Peter Dutton, leader of the conservative Liberal party, conceded defeat and the loss of his own seat - echoing the fate of Canada's conservatives and their leader whose election losses days earlier were also attributed to a Trump backlash. [snip] Albanese would be the first Australian prime minister to win a consecutive term in two decades. He said Australians had voted for fairness and "the strength...

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Early vote counting in Australia’s general election Saturday suggested the government was likely to be returned for a second term. The Australian Electoral Commission’s early projections gave the ruling center-left Labor Party 70 seats and the conservative opposition coalition 24 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, the lower chamber where parties need a majority to form governments. Unaligned minor parties and independent candidates appeared likely to win 13 seats. Senior government minister Jim Chalmers said the early results pointed to volatility and different contests across the nation. Opposition Sen. James McGrath expected the result would...

This is a big week for anglosphere elections: Canada today, Australia on Saturday, and, in between, England's local elections (except for the ones Sir Keir has cancelled) on Thursday. Don't worry, you sensitive types, in none of the three is there the remotest danger of a Trump or an Orbán, a Le Pen or Meloni ascending to power. Incredible as it seems, the Aussie campaign has been even more dispiriting than the Canadian one, with the so-called "right-of-centre" leader, Peter Tweedledutton, alternating between huffing indignantly at the very suggestion that he as any policy disagreements with the leftie incumbent and...