‘It is a disgraceful prosecution’: Geoffrey Robertson condemns Australian government for secret trials of Bernard Collaery and Witness K
By Naomi Neilson|05 May 2021
Leading and prominent human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson has criticised the federal government on its “monstrous” decision to prosecute Bernard Collaery and Witness K entirely behind closed doors for doing nothing more than telling the truth while those responsible for the Timor-Leste bugging continue to go free.
The controversial decision by former attorney-general Christian Porter to allow the prosecutions of Bernard Collaery and Witness K to go ahead – and in secrecy – has drawn criticisms from major legal bodies and professionals that have condemned the Morrison government for using the trial to get “payback” for its embarrassment.
Australia and New Zealand diverge over China
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern meets with China s Xi Jinping in 2019. Photo: Kenzaburo Fukuhara - Pool via Getty
Australia’s federal government has ripped up two agreements the state of Victoria signed as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, citing the “national interest in a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Why it matters: Australia is showing increased willingness to risk backlash from China by far its largest trading partner. Beijing swiftly accused Canberra of showing a “Cold War mentality and ideological bias.”
The other side: Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta of New Zealand this week tried to draw a line between her country and its Five Eyes partners Australia, Canada, the U.K., and U.S. when it comes to China.
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Australia is cementing its place at the top table of international relations with Foreign Minister Marise Payne s arrival in London today for the G7 foreign ministers summit.
The Antipodean nation has been thrust to the forefront of the West s efforts to push back against an increasingly aggressive China trying to dominate the Indo-Pacific, and rightly so. Australia has punched above its diplomatic weight in the past year with her scrutiny the Chinese regime, leading calls for an independent inquiry into the origins of Covid-19 and bringing attention to human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
The Straits Times
Australia has reportedly pushed for the Five Eyes agreement to expand to address economic cooperation.PHOTO: REUTERS
https://str.sg/JFCR
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