Australian businesspeople working overseas are accusing the Morrison government of adopting a damaging “fortress Australia” mentality by not easing border restrictions for those vaccinated against Covid-19.
This week, the government’s big-spending federal budget hedged on the crucial issue of when and how the international border would reopen, suggesting it would not happen before mid-2022.
The prospect of another 12 months of closed borders has prompted an increasingly organised group of overseas-based Australians and foreign citizens with significant business interests in Australia to speak out. They are urging the government to set out a clear plan for reopening that involves more bespoke quarantine arrangements.
A Uyghur activist in Australia who has been the target of cyber-attacks by hacker groups in China says the Australian government needs to do more to educate the Uyghur community in Australia to protect themselves online. Uyghur activists outside of China are frequently the target of hackers based in China. Facebook’s head of cyber-espionage investigations, Mike Dvilyanksi, and head of security policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, reported in March that a.
Australian budget underscores preparations for war
Among the most revealing features of the annual federal budget unveiled by the Australian government this week were expanded military spending and measures to protect strategic “supply chains” in the event of war.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg avoided referring to China in Tuesday night’s budget speech, but key contents of the budget point to preparations being made to join a US-instigated war against China, reflecting the Biden administration’s escalation of the conflict with Beijing.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopter and an Australian Defence Force MRH90 land at Sam Hill Airfield in Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area in Central Queensland [Source: Australian Department of Defence]
Australia Shores Up National Security, Pledges $2 Billion Into Intelligence, Cyber, Border Defences
Domestic security emerged as a major priority in the recent federal budget, with the Australian government pouring close to $2 billion into the country’s leading spy agency and efforts to combat international crime and cyberattacks.
“To keep Australians safe from these threats whether domestic or foreign the government is providing an additional $1.9 billion over the decade to strengthen our national security, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told Parliament during Tuesday night’s budget speech.
“We also need to be prepared for a world that is less stable and more contested,” he added.
Maitland City Council
Maitland Libraries is proud to bring inspiring voices to the area as part of the Look Who’s Talking Program as Sarah Hogan, Carly Findlay, Kurt Fearnley and Belinda Downes appear to share unique stories.
Maitland Libraries is proud to bring inspiring voices to the area as part of the Look Who’s Talking Program as Sarah Hogan, Carly Findlay, Kurt Fearnley and Belinda Downes appear to share unique stories.
Journalist Sandra Hogan will be joined by Sue-Ellen Kusher (nee Doherty) to discuss what it was like to be inducted into the world of spies as a child whose parents worked for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).