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Karl blows up over bringing IS brides back to Australia

<p dir="ltr">Karl Stefanovic has lashed out at Bill Shorten after it was announced that Islamic State brides and their children stranded in Syria will be brought back to Australia.</p> <p dir="ltr">More than a dozen families in the war torn Middle Eastern country underwent “risk assessments” following a secret ASIO mission in order to bring them home.</p> <p dir="ltr">The secret mission was conducted at the al-Roj refugee camp in northeast Syria near the Iraqi border where 16 Australian women and 42 children have been for three-and-a-half years since the fall of Islamic State (IS) in 2019.</p> <p dir="ltr">A furious Karl said that “no way” should the families be brought back to Australia after they willingly joined their husbands in fighting the terrorist group.</p> <p dir="ltr">He questioned former Labor leader Bill Shorten as to why the wives and their children are being allowed to come back to Australia when the women went willingly.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I mean a lot of these kids are under six of course and they didn't have any say in what happened to them, but it is a national security matter and there is probably not much more I can add,” Mr Shorten said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Karl quizzed Mr Shorten saying that it seemed that he was against the operation to which he quickly disagreed.</p> <p dir="ltr">“No not at all…I don't have sympathy for some of those blokes who went over there, no sympathy at all, but if you're a kid under six let's not pretend anyone really asked their permission,” Mr Shorten argued.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I can see both points of view.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I just want to reassure people it's about national security first, they'll be the considerations, a lot of these are kids are under six so I'm not going to pretend you just give up on Australian citizens under six.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Karl however stood by his decision saying that the families made a decision and it's not up to Australia to help them.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think if you make a decision to go overseas with someone and fight for Islamic State, you're making the decision as a family, there's no way in the world you should be allowed to come back here,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">As part of the operation, the women and children will be taken to another third world country in the Middle East before coming back to Australia.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

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Labor MP suspended after ASIO raid and suspected links to Chinese Communist Party

<p>Australian Federal Police and spy agency ASIO have raided the Sydney home of a NSW Labor MP amid allegations of a Chinese government plot to influence a serving politician.</p> <p>The Rockdale house belonging to NSW upper house Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane was searched on Friday amid questions about his links to China.</p> <p>ASIO is focusing on whether Chinese government agents were aiming to influence Australian politics through Moselmane, the <em><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-mp-s-sydney-home-raided-as-asio-probes-china-links-20200626-p556f6.html">Sydney Morning Herald</a></em> reported.</p> <p>NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay said she had been told police and ASIO members had a warrant to search Moselmane’s parliamentary office.</p> <p>Moselmane’s membership of NSW Labor will be suspended and he will no longer sit in the Labor parliamentary caucus, McKay said.</p> <p>“There’s an expectation on MPs that, whatever they do, it’s in the best interests of the people of the state,” McKay said.</p> <p>“I’d hope every single MP in the parliament – not just on the Labor side but the Liberal and National Party side and crossbench – has that at the heart of their actions.</p> <p>“I’m very restricted in what I can and can’t say.”</p> <p>In April, Moselmane resigned as assistant president of the Legislative Council after repeatedly praising Chinese President Xi Jinping’s response to the coronavirus crisis.</p> <p>“For the People’s Republic of China, President Xi stepped up and provided that leadership. He mustered the resources of the nation and together with the great people of China – fought it and contained it,” Moselmane wrote on his personal website.</p> <p>He had taken nine privately funded trips to China since entering the NSW parliament in 2009, the <em>Sydney Morning Herald </em>reported. Disclosure records showed his transport and hospitality costs were often covered by Chinese government officials or agencies.</p>

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“Insidious”: Former ASIO boss warns about China’s interference in Australia

<p>Retired ASIO chief Duncan Lewis has reportedly accused the Chinese government of using “insidious” foreign interference operations to “take over” the Australian political system.</p> <p>In the only interview Lewis has given since retiring in September, he has urged Australia’s Chinese community to help security agencies in the same way that Muslim communities have identified threats of terrorist activity.</p> <p>When asked by the<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/insidious-former-asio-boss-warns-on-chinese-interference-in-australia-20191121-p53cv2.html" target="_blank">Sydney Morning Herald</a></em><span> </span>as to what the Chinese government wanted from Australia, Lewis had a chilling answer.</p> <p>"They are trying to place themselves in a position of advantage," Lewis said.</p> <p>"Espionage and foreign interference is insidious. Its effects might not present for decades and by that time it's too late. You wake up one day and find decisions made in our country that are not in the interests of our country," Lewis explained.</p> <p>"Not only in politics but also in the community or in business. It takes over, basically, pulling the strings from offshore."</p> <p>Lewis was the director-general of security for five years as head of ASIO, the intelligence agency whose primary job to guard Australia against foreign interference.</p> <p>Covert foreign intrusion in the middle of Australian politics is “something we need to be very, very careful about”, he said in the interview.</p> <p>"One spectacular case in NSW was Sam Dastyari. It's quite clear to me that any person in political office is potentially a target. I'm not trying to create paranoia, but there does need to be a level of sensible awareness,” Lewis said.</p> <p>"When people talked about [how to define foreign interference in] our political system, I used to get the comment, 'We will know it if we see it'. But not necessarily. Not if it's being done properly. There would be some I don't know about."</p> <p>Sam Dastyari, former Labor senator, quit Parliament in 2017 after it was revealed he had links to Chinese Communist Party-aligned interests in Australia.</p> <p>Lewis’ remarks come after Liberal MPs Andrew Hastie and Senator James Paterson were denied visas to travel to China after the MPs criticised its human rights record.</p> <p>In an opinion piece published in<span> </span><a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/beijing-envoy-wang-xining-attacks-narrow-view-of-china/news-story/6e99b17cf9e117e597e5da369b6cf3d4"><em>The Australian</em></a>, senior Chinese diplomat Wang Xining accused the MPs of having double standards and showing disrespect.</p> <p>"It is cynical that in a country boasting freedom of speech, different views from another nation are constantly and intentionally obliterated," Mr Wang wrote.</p> <p>"Understanding truth succumbs to being politically right. A people said to be audacious and adventurous like kangaroos are scared of stepping out of the comfort zone of ideas and thinking."</p>

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Foreign spying in Australia reaches “unprecedented scale”

<p>Australia is facing an “unprecedented” wave of foreign espionage, the nation’s domestic intelligence agency has warned.</p> <p>According to the<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-26/intelligence-agencies-warn-about-unprecedented-levels-of-spying/11441876?pfmredir=sm" target="_blank"><em>ABC</em></a>, senior intelligence figures said countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, North Korea and Malaysia were known to monitor their nationals living in Australia while also seeking to silence those speaking out against their former governments.</p> <p>Intelligence experts said most people do not have a full understanding of the extent of the threat, including how easily migrants and refugees can be recruited as spies, often against their will.</p> <p>An Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) spokesperson said foreign espionage was occurring at an “unprecedented scale”.</p> <p>“The security threat comes from the actions and intent of the small number of individuals who seek to do Australia harm,” the spokesperson told the<span> </span><em>ABC</em>.</p> <p>However, the spokesperson said the “actions of few” should not be taken as representative of the whole refugee community.</p> <p>“It is critical that we avoid commentary that will instil fear and taint communities which make such a positive contribution to Australian life, economy and culture,” the spokesperson said.</p> <p>Another intelligence expert said there are hundreds of spy recruits or agents operating in Australia today, with many of them having been blackmailed, threatened or coerced into gaining political information, recruiting other informants and conducting other illegal acts.</p> <p>John Blaxland, professor in International Security and Intelligence Studies at the Australian National University said numerous countries have tried to use their diaspora living in Australia to influence decisions made by government bodies, corporations and education institutions in their favour. He said threats are often made against the expats’ jobs and family members.</p> <p>The<span> </span><em>ABC</em><span> </span>report came after ASIO’s director general Duncan Lewis said the level of foreign interference and espionage is “higher than it has ever been”.</p> <p>“It is an unprecedented level of activity … it’s not visible to most people,” Lewis told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/espionage-threats-unprecedented-says-spy-boss-duncan-lewis/news-story/e90c51bb103ffd1d536ae7b691671891" target="_blank"><em>The Weekend Australian</em></a>.</p> <p>“It’s constant. Every day there is a discovery. Some of them are more alarming than others.”</p> <p>Lewis said Australia’s case is not unique, as technological developments and “mass movement of people, goods and ideas” have intensified security challenges.</p> <p>Lewis warned that the espionage threat shows no sign of slowing down, with widespread cyber-attacks and traditional spy craft as well as growing interference within Australia’s political system.</p> <p>“The oversight mechanisms we have are substantial, [but] I think they need to be constantly under review,” he said. “They are not something you can set and forget.”</p>

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“I don’t know the answer to that”: Peter Dutton's awkward moment on Insiders

<p>Peter Dutton has confirmed on ABC’s <em>Insiders</em> that he does not know whether anyone charged with serious offences has arrived in Australia under the medivac bill.</p> <p>The bill makes it easier for refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru to come to Australia for medical treatment. However, when the bill was brought into action, it prompted the Coalition to warn that we would see “a flood of about 300 immediate transfers”, which could include paedophiles, rapists and murderers, according to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/how-can-you-not-know-peter-dutton-grilled-over-refugee-and-asylum-seeker-transfers/news-story/faf6ae55050975f672c047efa72d4ba5" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>.</p> <p>Dutton told fill-in host Annabel Crabb that “only just over 30” people have been transferred under the new legislation, but he “did not know” whether any were charged with serious offences.</p> <p>“The fact is we’ve got people who are charged with serious offences on Manus, for example,” said Mr Dutton.</p> <p>“I understand that, but have any of those people been brought here?” the host asked.</p> <p>“Well I don’t know the answer to that question in terms of the concerns we have about individuals,” explained Dutton.</p> <p>“How can you not know the answer to that question though? You were very worried,” Crabb fired back.</p> <p>“We don’t bring anyone to our country where we can’t mitigate the risk, Annabel,” Dutton said.</p> <p>He continued with:</p> <p>“The medivac bill was set up on the basis that people wouldn’t be brought here if they needed medical attention. It was complete nonsense. We’ve brought hundreds of people that have required attention, and we’ve been able to reduce the number significantly off Manus and Nauru.”</p> <p>The host also asked Dutton about a controversial transfer deal with the US that saw Australia take in two alleged murderers.</p> <p>The two men in question were Rwandan men who were accused of butchering a group of tourists in the 1990s.</p> <p>“Can you reassure us about those two men? You were talking about the danger of bringing alleged murderers from Nauru and Manus, but when you were making those comments you already knew we had brought these two guys who had confessed to the murder of western tourists in Uganda,” asked the host.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">“We don’t have plans to bring any others from America at this stage.” <a href="https://twitter.com/peterdutton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@peterDutton</a> confirms two Rwandans are the only people to have arrived in Australia under the US-Australia refugee transfer deal. <a href="https://twitter.com/annabelcrabb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@annabelcrabb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/lenoretaylor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lenoretaylor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PhillipCoorey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PhillipCoorey</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/markgkenny?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@markgkenny</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Insiders?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Insiders</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://t.co/R2qptr2yJz">pic.twitter.com/R2qptr2yJz</a></p> — Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/InsidersABC/status/1140064602727710720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">16 June 2019</a></blockquote> <p>Mr Dutton said he was “not sure all those facts are correct”.</p> <p>“You’ve got to look at all of the facts of individual cases, you’ve got to look at the historical perspective, around the circumstances, what’s happened in the intervening period,” he said.</p> <p>“And that’s a different situation from somebody who has just sexually assaulted a girl on Manus in the last 12 months.</p> <p>“So we’ll look at individual cases — AFP, ASIO, our international partners will inform the discussion properly,” Dutton explained.</p> <p>“They’ll take all of the information into consideration and we base our decisions on that information, which is assessed and analysed as to whether or not there’s a risk here.</p> <p>“We will not take somebody who we believe is a risk to the Australian people.”</p>

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