Status of Australia-US alliance? PM Albanese to meet Trump on October 20th. It seems our American friends have pulled back on aggravated alienation of a once loyal ally. We part company on Palestinian recognition and climate mitigation. Anything else?

At today’s Two-State Solution Conference, we reaffirmed our commitment to a future where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security.

Australia's first National Climate Risk Assessment.

R/LMurdoch’s Australian supports the bombing of Hamas negotiators in Qatar. They bag US’s UN Security Council vote with Russia/China condemning IDF’s action. We won’t achieve long term peace/security for Israelis/Palestinians unless and until there’s a Two State solution.

Succession: its all Lachlan’s now. The Murdochs settle out of court. >> www.afr.com/companies/me...

Democracies v authoritarians. Forget the rhetoric. Examine the deliverables. Here Laura Tingle examines China’s new world order where Trump and our American friends are demonstrably unreliable. 👇https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-06/china-aukus-united-states-xi-jinping/105720442

Thanks Bob Carr for setting out your reasons for your trip to China to commemorate the end of WWII. The Chinese and Russian peoples were Australian, UK and US allies during that conflict. We must work harder now to remove the threat of another world war. 👇

Nobel laureate Maria Ressa advocates the “matrix protocol” (encrypted platforms with data privacy) for the future of truthful information. It counters the “inshitification” of the internet which is destroying democracies worldwide.

Trump sabotages US relationship with Modi/India by ego driven, disrespectful insensitivity. US is now a menace to the free world.👇https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/30/us/politics/trump-modi-india.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Television legend Stephen Colbert has just signed a $13.5 million deal with Netflix for a 7-episode series.

The NRA buys off Congress. No action on guns. The oil industry buys off Congress. No action on climate. Insurance companies buy off Congress. No action on health care. The list goes on and on. Money in politics is the root of our dysfunction.

While Trump ignores Putin’s latest deadly attacks on Ukraine civilians, it looks like he’s out to sabotage peace pathway for Israel-Palestine. @Reuters reports US has refused to issue a visa, stopping Abood attending UN peace summit in New York.

William Robinson, the great Australian artist, has died. >> www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

“Tragic mishap”? IDF claimed camera atop Nasser Hospital was Hamas surveillance. It was a Reuters “live feed” TV camera. Five more journalists killed in Gaza. 👇

“Everything is fine” - Sussan Ley. Rowe in the Fin. The blokes seem determined to destroy Ley’s leadership. Respectfully suggest Ley takes them on: desist or Libs will withdraw from the Coalition and stand in all Nat seats. Now is the time: crash through .. or crash = Leadership!

There it is folks: the betrayal (resources sell out) of the Australian people. Lucianne Tonti’s Norway comparisons are instructive. 👇👇

Netanyahu mobilising to invade Gaza City. Populace to be herded out via checkpoints. Remaining hostages now at grave risk of execution by Hamas. > www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/w...

Yes it’s all about growth, productivity, skills & AI at the Cabinet room. But not on the agenda was the elephant: decarbonising energy/transport/manufacturing/consumerism to sustain life on earth for all species to confront a destabilising biosphere. Hope Ken Henry got a word in.

There is NO ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine war. Just a picture op for Trump. He says he’ll call NATO, EU leaders and Zelensky quite soon. Putin refers to a proposed “agreement” but gives the world no details of its terms.

Coalition governments even more in denial but Labor governments have been far too weak in response to climate crisis. How can community get message to ALP to take climate crisis more seriously? @quentindempster.bsky.social

Spin: Nine/Murdoch media go for PM Albanese, headlining quotes from Hamas re Australia’s recognition of Palestine. This ignores UK, Germany, France, Canada, and the UN majority plan for peace pathway for both the Palestinians and Israel. Hamas is already persona non grata.

Productivity Commission draws attention to Treasury increasing the petroleum resource rent tax on gas exporters. Ross Gittins (SMH/Age) says that currently gas exports, now up there with US/Qatar, are given a free ride by the Commonwealth, adding little to our nation’s productivity.

Australia’s defamation laws have been turned into a lawyers’ gluttonous feast. While media outlets have won some notable cases via the truth defence, deffo litigation is now costly/risky big business. If your feelings are hurt write an explanatory letter and post it online. It’s way cheaper. 👇

This statement from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry ignores the two state pathway to peace. Palestine would be recognised; Gaza demilitarised; Hamas extinguished; ALL Arab states would recognise the right of the state of Israel to exist.

We need the people of Israel to support the international community’s two state Israel/Palestine pathway to peace. Netanyahu’s overkill has destroyed his Knesset coalition’s moral authority. Hamas to be removed. All Arab states to recognise the right of Israel to exist.

Nowhere in G Brandis’ admonishment of UK, France, Germany + those who marched across Sydney Harbour bridge in anguish at Netanyahu’s starvation/murder of Palestinians in Gaza does he acknowledge that recognition of Palestine and the removal of Hamas would help to SECURE forever the state of Israel.

Here’s a good summation of Putin/Trump meeting in Alaska. Putin wants Ukranian territory concession in exchange for ceasefire. Trump ready to cave in. Zelensky and people of Ukraine say NO. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

The USA’s voluntary electoral system has given the “free” world a demagogue. Trump’s meeting with Putin will put this demagoguery to a now lethal test: a trained KGB operative v an American TV humiliator.

AI bots are scraping Australia’s creative content makers’ websites every day without permission or fair compensation under our Copyright laws. We need law enforcement. Local media companies/video, audio, text publishers should mount a test case. 👇👇

AI (artificial intelligence) requires huge data inputs, including the original intellectual property created at great expense by all content makers. US AI tech giants must compensate Copyright holders. Our Productivity Commission’s proposed AI exemption will destroy local creativity. 👇

Great news for remote, rural and regional Australia. NBN Co, our government owned satellite service will provide city-quality high speed broadband for the bush. We won’t be dependent on Elon Musk’s Starlink. That’s a relief. 👇

Dear Niall (Ferguson) by the very genocide definitions you quote, there are TWO genocides underway .. Putin’s in Ukraine and Netanyahu’s in Gaza. Western civilisation will be better protected if Netanyahu stops his Gaza strategy, Palestine is recognised and Hamas is removed from power.

A bit of welcome democracy within the usually expedient ALP 👇Dear Labor AUKUS dissidents please get Defence Minister Richard Marles to release all AUKUS contractual documentation. Australians deserve to see the guarantee that we’ll actually get the N subs we’re already paying for upfront.

Arms traders claim US long range (300+km) PrSMs (“prisms” - precision strike missiles) recently tested in Australia have changed the China-to-invade-Taiwan powerplay. Deterrence through strength is the mantra = big money to be made. 👇

With Netanyahu asserting there is NO calculated starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, Israel should allow accredited international journalists immediate access to report to the rest of the world. DFAT please convey this demand to the Israeli ambassador. 👇

Before Australia spends one more $ on AUKUS it is essential Defence Minister Marles publishes the contract fine print guaranteeing that our defence department will receive/operate the agreed number of nuclear powered submarines. MKoziol SMH/Age 👇

Pauline Hanson is no Nigel Farage but the Beetrooter’s campaign against net zero 2050 has now destabilised what’s left of the Lib-Nat Coalition. Sussan Ley and David Littleproud are in trouble. Time for leadership Sussan and David.

Yes Ron (Boswell), coal-fired electricity helped build Australia’s first world economy. But not once do you acknowledge that the initial high cost of decarbonisation transition will not only preserve earth’s thin biosphere for all species, but will also be CHEAPER for now petro-dependent consumers.

A government of secrets www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/2025/07/26/g... via @thesaturdaypaper.com.au

Australia’s rooftop solar/battery revolution has significant momentum. Grid bills slashed. Now let’s recharge our EVs with renewables. No particulate pollution in our great cities. Less noise. So let’s liberate ourselves from those corrupt global petro cartels.

War: our sovereignty at a point of no return> Scott Morrison, now on the payroll of US defence industry clients, says Australia would benefit from AUKUS “deep operational planning” for our subs in joining the US in war with China over Taiwan. Michael Koziol SMH/TheAge.

Will our Australian government stand up to Trump while US tech platforms grab free access to our lucrative domestic market? US tech’s gross revenue grew to $15B but pays only $250m in local tax through creative (profit shifting) accounting. Unfair/exploitative.

Our new AG Michelle Rowland has full confidence in NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton in spite of inspector’s adverse finding re Robodebt non-recusal. Noted. NACC will only be taken seriously when it uses investigative public hearings to expose serious/systemic C’wealth corruption.

The Beetrooter’s Bill to renounce net Zero 2050 exposes the National Party’s indiscipline. Solar panels and wind turbines can supplement farm income to the great benefit of earth’s thin biosphere .. and all property owners. Barnaby is a Gina sock puppet.

We’re working with our neighbours in the Pacific to combat the impacts of climate change and secure our shared future.  Meanwhile the Liberal Party are still cracking jokes about climate change in the Pacific and ignoring the need to act, they just never learn.

Trump v Murdoch/Wall Street Journal in a battle of the cockroaches. Truth is a defence in defamation litigation so can we expect WSJ to produce Trump’s allegedly salacious hand written note to sex trafficker Epstein? Bannon says Murdoch has nothing on Trump. Over to you Rupert.

Only a South Australian marine “crisis” .. not a national disaster? And don’t mention global warming as an exacerbating factor in this lethal coastal algal bloom. Here’s hoping Murray Watt’s $14m gets to a scientific causal conclusion. Thanks Phil Coorey AFR.

Bruce Gordan plots takeover of Nine Entertainment after it offloads Domain to US giant, report Tansy Harcourt The Australian. Nine journalists should insist Bruce signs up to its Charter of editorial independence = no Murdoch-like “messaging” which undermines audience trust.