Because Serco’s record remains deeply troubling, it’s no wonder the Australian government continues giving the company millions of dollars. Hello, media? A second inquest into the death of the youngest person to die in custody begins today after a high court battle. Adam Rickwood was just 14 when he died in August 2004. He was…
Showing all posts tagged Australia
Asylum seekers not out of sight or out of mind
From Australian refugee advocate Sara Nathan: It is… sad that people who seek asylum… are locked in extremely crowded cell 24 hours a day 7 days a week for… several months and sometimes years.… This is cruelty. Let’s all pause a moment to look at the photos and see what we can possibly do for them. Crowded immigration detention…
When will the media stop ignoring Serco?
Here we go again. An article in the mainstream media that discusses the obscene amount of money the Australian government is spending on keeping refugees in detention but no mention of Serco, the British multinational running the detention centres and the company receiving a good bulk of the money: Offshore processing of asylum-seekers is five…
Hands up who believes anything the JPost says about occupation?
The recent Australian, Zionist junket to Israel – get a bunch of gullible journalists and politicians to swoon over glorious Israeli democracy – included a talk from a senior editor who couldn’t even admit the colonies are illegal under international law (nobody accepts their legitimacy). As for BDS, it’s not a real threat, hey? So…
Killing Afghans should not be cost free
This is what can happen to a privatised mercenary in a war zone. Brutal sentence in a tough land but why should we be so shocked? If we believe in accountability, then justice must be served. Allowing foreigners to escape local laws is one of the major reasons so many Iraqis and Afghans hate the…
Australians respect Wikileaks so take a step back
The people have spoken: Australian voters are sharply at odds with the Prime Minister over the release of classified US government cables, a new poll has found. The survey suggests just one-quarter of voters agree with Julia Gillard that the diplomatic cables recently published by WikiLeaks should have remained secret. The findings show 59 per…
Those who want more conflict are making a little dollar out of it
The nexus between big business and government is an ever-tightening one. It’s an area I’ll be covering in a forthcoming book (due in a while). Just this week has seen a litany of media stories that highlight the inherent problems. More wars and detention to maximise profits? You better believe it. Sydney Morning Herald today:…
History repeats itself over Wikileaks
A fine historical reminder in the UK Guardian: There is a precedent for Julian Assange’s predicament. Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett in the late 60s was banned from Australia for reporting the Vietnam war from the North, and for allegedly asking prisoners taken during the Korean conflict to confess to Chinese interrogators. Authorities attempted to turn…
A “serious” newspaper debases itself
Perfection. ABC columnist Tim Dunlop offers his reflections on 2010 and takes out Murdoch’s Australian: If The Australian was a member of your family you would’ve arranged an intervention by now to stop further self-harm. If it was a bloke you would suspect it of having a very small penis. Has anyone ever seen a…
Australia engaged in ugly business in Afghanistan
How much faith do we have in intelligence gathering in Afghanistan? Scores to be settled by locals? Frankly, somebody designated as an “enemy” by Western forces may not be anything of the sort, simply a legitimate resistance to foreign occupation. Besides, the West is in bed with a Kabul government backed and run by drug…