The West Should Learn From Hong Kong’s ‘Painful Lessons’ With the CCP: HK Lawmaker in Exile If those who enjoy freedom don t speak out, then no one else can
Self-exiled former Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui has warned that Western nations need to heed the lessons of Beijing’s takeover of the city, saying despite the many extensive trade ties to China, democratic nations had to see through the façade and take firmer action against the tyrannical regime.
Motivated by a desire for Hong Kongers to be free while ignoring potential risks to his safety, Hui is in Australia hoping to galvanise support for his people, and is due to meet local parliamentarians and Hong Kong community members to accelerate efforts at developing a safety net for those fleeing the communist crackdown in the former British colony.
Independent Senator Rex Patrick says the “extended schedules” for the construction of Hunter class frigate ships and submarines now “no longer match our strategic circumstances”.
The ships are designed for anti-submarine warfare and were ordered by the federal government along with 12 attack-class submarines.
The $80 billion submarine contract with a French construction country appears likely to blow out in both costs and date by which the submarines will be ready for use.
Mr Patrick told Sky News “we cannot afford to wait until 2035 to have our future submarines turn up and become operational.”
Australian Attorney-General Pans Critics of Family Court Merger
Attorney-General Christian Porter has panned critics of the impending Family Court merger, saying those opposing the move have a “vested interest” in maintaining the status quo.
The Family Court’s merger with the Federal Court of Australia has received the Senate’s final tick of approval with support from crossbenchers Independent Senator Rex Patrick and One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson.
The radical move brings the Family Court of Australia under the umbrella of a new entity called the Federal Circuit and Family Court (FCFC).
The FCFC will retain two divisions, with the first division being a continuation of the Family Court and the second division being the Federal Court. Families will only need to go through a single entry point, whereas previously, they could be bounced between the courts.
‘Chairman Mao Would Have Approved’: Critics Liken Big Tech to CCP
Critics of Google and Facebook have compared the tech giants’ recent actions to the behaviour of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as the long-running dispute over an Australian media payment law continues.
Last month, Google Australia floated the idea of pulling its search service from the country, sparking a hostile response from Independent Senator Rex Patrick, who likened the tech giant’s threat to Beijing’s ongoing trade war with Australia.
“I would just like to take you back to the prime minister announcing that Australia would like to see an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. The Chinese response to that was to threaten our market, to threaten our trade,” Patrick told Google Australia Managing Director Mel Silva during a Senate committee hearing into the Code.
Regulator found a power imbalance between media and Google and Facebook
Australian government wants to pass a new law to force big tech to pay for news
Google has threatened to leave the Australian market if the code goes ahead
Facebook said it may be forced to stop Australians from seeing news content
Microsoft says it would never threaten to leave and has supported the code