COP THAT!
Bejing has set up dozens of police stations in more than 80 cities, including Sydney, that are affiliated with local or municipal governments in China, the ABC reports, in a bid to assist citizens living overseas. Chinese authorities reckon they’re just helping with national identification cards, passports and driver’s licences, but human rights groups say they may be used to target dissidents or force people to return home for trials. Sydney’s was established in 2018 by the Department of Public Security in the Chinese city of Wenzhou. ABC got the runaround when reaching out to the station — the police WeChat account pointed reporter Bang Xiao to the Australian Wenzhou Chamber of Industry and Commerce, which said the station had closed, and they weren’t affiliated, but then Wenzhou police in China told Xiao it was very much open, and referred him back to the chamber. The AFP was tight-lipped, as was the Chinese embassy. Weird.
It comes as China’s ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian is frustrated by how slow we are at mending our frosty relationship, the SMH reports. The ambassador named tensions over Taiwan and the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang as the two major barriers to a reset that, well, aren’t exactly easy to forget. But our trade ties are worth $245 billion to our economy and Xiao says Australia “cannot find a better partner [than] China”. Again, feeling a little gaslighted there, but anyway. But former prime minister Paul Keating said it’s not just us: “Everywhere between Wuhan and Istanbul, in the next 30 years, will have a huge Chinese influence,” he said at La Trobe University’s Ideas and Society Program, as news.com.au reports. Meanwhile 32 police officers from the Solomon Islands have flown to China to train in policing techniques and learn about Chinese culture, Reuters via The West ($) reports, as ties strengthen between the two nations amid Australia’s growing concern.
THE TEAL DEAL
Teal independents are fundraising so they can afford more staff after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese refused to increase their staffing cap, The Australian ($) reports. Under the previous Coalition government, crossbenchers got up to four advisers (now they only get one), in addition to electorate staff. The independents weren’t happy. Goldstein independent MP Zoe Daniel hired a digital and communications officer using fundraising from before the election, and Warringah’s Zali Steggall, Kooyong’s Monique Ryan, North Sydney’s Kylea Tink, and Mackellar’s Sophie Scamps said they’d look at fundraising too. Scamps said a review of the Members of Parliament Act showed that staff were stretched and stressed.
It comes as Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is launching an audacious bid to win back Coalition supporters who defected to the independents in May’s federal election, the AFR reports. Ley will be in Tink’s territory of North Sydney today to meet and talk to people. Tink has broken unofficial ranks with her teals in backing the stage three tax cuts — though she does represent one of the wealthiest electorates in the country. However, that seems to have escaped Ley. She said the independents were showing an “outright refusal” to advocate for the legislated tax relief, a “central issue facing their constituents”.
EXCUSE YOU!
Australia is poised to sign up for a global promise to slash cow burps and farts by a third. The Australian ($) reports an announcement that we’ll be signing up for US President Joe Biden’s 30% methane emission reduction could happen next week after chats between industry and government. Methane emissions make up a quarter of our total emissions — and of that quarter, half is the product of the digestive functions of cattle and sheep (hence the nickname “burp tax” across the ditch). Cast your mind back and you may remember the embarrassment when former prime minister Scott Morrison refused to join 100 countries at the Glasgow climate summit vowing to slash methane emissions — that made international news, as The New York Times reports. Even Brazil, the world’s biggest methane emitter signed; we sat alongside China, Russia and India with our arms crossed. You may also remember then deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce saying at the time that we’d have to “go and grab a rifle, go out and start shooting your cattle” to achieve a 30% reduction by 2030, as Sky News reports.
Needless to say, we won’t be doing that. The National Farmers’ Federation says the government has promised there’ll be no reduction in livestock numbers, and Climate Minister Chris Bowen’s spokeswoman pointed to an $8 million grant to feed the cattle seaweed, a low-emission feed supplement. It comes as climate activists are headed to the Supreme Court to argue that the NSW government’s new anti-protest laws are way too strident, Guardian Australia reports. The laws allow fines of $22,000 and two years in prison for non-violent offenders. The Environmental Defenders Office brought the challenge on behalf of two knitting nannas — a self-described international disorganisation where people sit alongside protest signs urging climate action and knit. Something tells me that putting people in prison for wanting to save the planet is really not going to look good in the history books.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE
The 2022 Fat Bear has been officially crowned, folks! But before I get to that: the high-stakes competition has been rocked by a cheating scandal for the ages. Katmai National Park, the home of Fat Bear Week, confirmed the saga on Twitter. “Like bears stuff their face with fish, our ballot box, too, has been stuffed,” it declared. An anonymous malefactor spammed the votes of their favourite bear, even putting a small number towards another bear in an attempt to throw organisers off the scent. Was it foreign interference from a shadowy state actor? A sophisticated coordination from a multinational network of villains? Or just some computer nerd kid who really wanted his favourite teddy to win? The eager Fat Bear Week crowds howled with pain. “Unbearable,” one wrote. “An election fraud scandal in the bearverse!” another exclaimed. “Really wanted to live in a world where we didn’t have to worry about the integrity of Fat Bear Week,” someone chipped in sadly. But never fear, the park continued: “Fortunately it is easy for us to tell which votes are fraudulent.” The totals were amended and the show went on.
It was down to two chunky bears in the annual contest that celebrates the animal’s impressive bulking in preparation for a cosy winter hibernation. In one corner, we had Bear 901, a young female who has a reputation for being a no-nonsense defender of her fishing territory, as the BBC tells it. Her growth was so impressive that some wondered if she was eating for more than one — could a litter of cubs be on the cards this Christmas? And in the other corner, the crowd favourite, the aptly named Bear 747 — a big boy who reached a gorgeous 635 kilograms. With 68,105 votes to Bear 901’s 56,876 votes, he was crowned the best fat bear of them all. “Ultimately, 747 ripped apart the salmon — and the competition — to seize his 2nd crown as the 2022 Champion,” the park tweeted after Tuesday’s vote. Bravo! But it almost didn’t happen — 747 would’ve been knocked out of the semis had the voter fraud worked. Thank heavens for the Fat Bear Week team, whose oversight saw him take his rightful place as the king. Until next year, folks…
Hoping good prevails over evil in your world today too.
SAY WHAT?
Right here, right now, it is unfair to put people in that income bracket of around that $120,000 to $140,000 mark as rich.
Kylea Tink
It depends on your perspective, I guess. People in that tax bracket take home about $8000 a month after tax, while nearly two-thirds (62%) of the world lives on less than $10 a day, according to Our World in Data.
CRIKEY RECAP
Mark Latham’s ‘devilishly clever’ plan to expand One Nation
Geoffrey Watson SC, a former counsel assisting the ICAC and a prominent integrity advocate, said: ‘I notice that Latham has said he wishes to take legal advice on it. My preliminary view is that it’s probably permissible. But it does involve a rather cynical manipulation of electoral laws …’
Latham said it was incorrect to say he had sought legal advice. ‘I’ve got no interest in Crikey,’ he said, and added: ‘Watson is an idiot. I’m not taking any legal advice, that’s incorrect. I’m seeking reelection which is an expression of public trust’ … Watson said: ‘Being called an idiot by Mark Latham is a badge of honour.’ “
The freedom movement is convoying through Melbourne. Why are they still protesting?
“Mission 2 Melbourne, spanning five days and a dozen events, was the movement’s plan to stir a mass civil uprising against Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews because of its belief that he’s bringing in a new world order under the guise of public health restrictions.
“The official poster promoting the demonstration demanded an immediate end to the state of emergency, which had ended nearly a year ago. Once they realised their blunder, organisers amended the poster to instead demand an end to the state’s pandemic declaration which, coincidentally, is also ending this week.”
Tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s vision for journalism is chilling
“So the paper is both riddled with errors, like a series of profiles on local football players accompanying photos of other people, and padded out with press releases and stories suspiciously likely to favour Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters. When baffled readers look a bit closer, they can see the disclaimer that this is paid for by the ‘Saving Arizona PAC’. The PAC has received more than $13 million from Thiel.
“It’s not even clear if the Grand Canyon Times has an office in the state it purports to cover, but that wouldn’t be a major surprise — it’s an affiliate of Metric Media, a network of 1300 ‘local papers’ operated by Brian Timpone, who has previously argued a local paper need not be all that local.”
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Pfizer did not know whether COVID vaccine stopped transmission before rollout, executive admits (news.com.au)
UN says Finland violated child rights in Syria camps (Al Jazeera)
Sweden election: right-wing parties miss deadline to form new government (Euro News)
Biden vows ‘consequences’ for Saudi Arabia after oil output cuts (Al Jazeera)
Special report: US firm supplied networking tech to maker of Russian missiles (Reuters)
About half of the total [New Zealand] household wealth is owned by the richest 10% (Stuff)
Sinn Féin having ‘chilling’ effect on Ireland’s democracy, says taoiseach (The Guardian)
Kanye West interview pulled over ‘more hate speech’ (BBC)
THE COMMENTARIAT
I hope my Iranian sisters go down in history igniting a revolution — but condemning the atrocities is not enough — Tina Hosseini (Guardian Australia): “What started as a mass uprising condemning the killing under police custody of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini for a dress code violation has now amalgamated into widespread calls for a complete regime change in Tehran. With 60% of Iran’s population aged below 30, the current uprisings demonstrates the significance of Iran’s generation Z, defying all rules and restrictions under an oppressive regime. They can no longer be suppressed by religious clerics and are bravely rebelling against the regime.
“The murder of two vibrant schoolgirls, 16-year-old Sarina Esmailzadeh and 17-year-old Nika Shahkarami, continue to haunt many of us. Both girls had their lives cut short for protesting against the regime; Iranian authorities subsequently coerced their families to report their deaths as suicides and extracted false confessions from them. Any suggestion that this mass movement is only about the headscarf is limiting and flawed. The women of Iran want access to the fundamental freedoms that we enjoy, namely the right to self-determination and autonomy. These protests are historically unique for Iran: this is the first time political defiance is fixated on women’s freedoms, with Iranian men standing shoulder to shoulder with valiant Iranian women.”
Responsible budget? Don’t count on it — Peta Credlin (The Australian) ($): “Pre-election, it insisted the tax cuts were safe, plus that it could responsibly spend even more than its predecessor on aged care, Medicare and childcare. Post-election, despite additional revenue from stronger than expected terms of trade and continued low unemployment, the government is looking for an excuse to substitute yet more spending for the Morrison tax cuts that would largely just return the proceeds of bracket creep to everyone earning more than $45,000 a year. What else could be expected from the first Labor government that’s dominated by the left faction?
“Having tested the water on withdrawing the tax cuts, the government is now saying they’re safe for the moment, but it’s not ruling out future changes as economic conditions evolve. Sometime in the next 18 months it’s a near certainty that one or other government priority will become more important than the 2024 tax cuts, even though lower taxes on aspirational people will almost certainly help to grow the economy faster. To its credit, the Albanese government seems at least as anxious as its predecessor about the deteriorating strategic situation and determined to build Australia’s strike power with larger and faster defence acquisitions. But all this costs big money.”
HOLD THE FRONT PAGE
WHAT’S ON TODAY
Kulin Nation Country (also known as Melbourne)
-
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott, Erin Brockovich, former foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop, CQURE founder Paula Januszkiewicz, and Captain Sully Sullenberger are among those appearing at CyberCon at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Whadjuk Noongar Country (also known as Perth)
-
Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth Anne Aly will give the 2022 Laki Jayasuriya Oration at the University of Western Sydney.
Eora Nation Country (also known as Sydney)
-
The Australian Catholic University’s Sandra Thom-Jones will talk about her new book, Growing into Autism, at Glee Books.
Ngunnawal Country (also known as Canberra)
-
Journalist and academic Peter Greste will give a talk on how journalism and private business are intersecting, and what it means for democracy, at The Australian National University. You can catch this one online too.
