Boys who like to play with deadly toys, your wishes have come true: After some behind the scenes wrangling, the Obama administration and Congress agreed this week on terms for new defense trade agreements that will allow freer movement of military goods with two of its top allies. The Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties, which were…
Showing all posts tagged Australia
Finally, some light on Serco but so much more needed
At last, some coverage in the Australian media about Serco, the British multinational running the country’s detention centres. It doesn’t offer much new – and there is a desperate need for a thorough examination of the real relationship between Serco and the government – so more, please: On Monday before the 36-year-old Fijian Josefa Rauluni…
So this is why we pay Serco so much
Need more evidence how dysfunctional and undemocratic is the relationship between Serco and the Australian government? Detainees who protested on the roof of a Sydney detention centre this week have been put in maximum security isolation as punishment, a refugee advocate says. Nine Chinese nationals, including five men and four women, one of whom is…
Zionist lobbyist just wants an Israel that changes nothing
A Zionist lobbyist in Australia whinges about being under any media spotlight. The poor dear. Frankly, the media should be far more inquisitive about his actions, his relationship with the current Labor government and what kind of Israel he really wants (perhaps he’d like to be asked his views on the settler movement and Jewish…
International SOS just here to help refugees
Villawood detention centre in Sydney, run by Serco, remains deeply on edge. Much is outsourced, including the provision of health services, by International SOS. And here’s a job description from the company: Mental Health Nurse – Villawood Location: Sydney Job Code: JRMHNV # of openings: 1 Description THE COMPANY International Health & Medical Services is…
Serco love and respect everybody, says Australian government
Here’s Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O’Connor, defending the reputation of the firm running Australia’s detention centres: Serco has a long-standing interest in this area. It manages other centres and indeed it employs dedicated staff that have the skills to deal with these situations.
Private contractor Serco escapes scrutiny in the detention debate
My following piece appears today in Crikey: I visited Villawood on Sunday”‰—”‰alongside a delegation of union leaders and Greens Senator-elect Lee Rhiannon”‰—”‰and met several asylum seekers subsequently involved in the protest that ended peacefully last night with the arrival of UNHCR officials. We spent hours conversing with men in their 20s and up from Iraq,…
Serco provide “security” in Australia so let’s all relax
Behold! The local media (in today’s Australian) briefly mention the role of British multinational Serco but watch how quickly it’ll be buried again. Nothing to see here, all hail privatised cruelty: The government has ruled out using the military as a crisis response force in the event of trouble at a new immigration detention centre…
Keeping the Israel lobby close to the PM’s heart
What will this leading Australian Zionist lobbyist do? The poor dear. He’ll still be helping the Labor Party back every Israeli policy in such a noble act of benevolence. One day, and soon, such figures will be seen as the worst friends of Israel imaginable: Tim Mathieson, the partner of Prime Minister Julia Gillard, has…
Talking on ABC TV News24 about refugees, Afghanistan and some common sense
Last night I again appeared on ABC TV’s News24 The Drum panel alongside the Australian Financial Review’s David Crowe and The Daily Grind’s Joe Stella (vision here for two weeks and here’s info about my August appearance). YouTube video here. The main topic up for discussion was the asylum seeker crisis at Sydney’s Villawood detention…