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Australia

What GNDI Leaves Out Of Pacific Economies

The recent presentation of the 2025 Pacific Update at the University of South Pacific hosted by Australia National University on Gross National Disposable Income (GNDI), introduced a revised approach to economic measurement for the Pacific Island Countries (PICs). Delivered by Professor Stephen Howes, in collaboration with Dr. Rubiat Chowdhury, the presentation argued that GNDI is a more accurate measure of income for the region than the widely used Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The failure of GDP as a national accounting metric is evident, and we should all agree that GDP has been a failure for Developing Countries and regions, particularly Pasifika.

Sydney’s Red Wave Of Resistance Calls For End To Israel’s Genocide

The major Australian city of Sydney saw one of its largest pro-Palestine rallies to date when a sea of red flowed through the streets in the heart of the city. On June 1, thousands of Australians holding Palestinian flags and placards marched outside Town Hall in Sydney’s central business district (CBD) against Israel’s actions in Gaza. On the same day as the protest, over 30 Palestinians were shot while seeking aid in Gaza, and the region’s only dialysis hospital in the north was destroyed. Meanwhile, mediators Qatar and Egypt renewed talks for a 60-day truce. The demonstration in Sydney began with a stream of fiery speeches by the organizers of the mobilization, including leaders from the Palestinian diaspora, student and teacher activists, and the Indigenous Aboriginal activists of Australia.

Australian Whistleblower David McBride’s Appeals Rejected

Canberra, Australia - A three-judge panel at the Supreme Court in Australia’s capital Wednesday spent less than one minute dismissing all appeals by David McBride, sending the government whistleblower back to prison where he is serving a six-year sentence for exposing his country’s war crimes in Afghanistan. McBride appeared only briefly in court and waved to his lawyer, family and the few supporters who were able to make it into the courtroom. After the judges pronounced their decision, he was whisked off back to his Canberra jail cell, leaving his ex-wife in tears.   His attorney and a few supporters were left stunned and ashen-faced as they reeled from the ruling.

Judges Weigh Appeal By Whistleblower Who Exposed Cover-Up Of War Crimes

A three-judge panel in the Australian capital is weighing an appeal by whistleblower David McBride that could determine if a soldier’s duty is to serve the public or only his superior officers even if it means covering up evidence of his nation’s war crimes. The judges are also considering the question of whether Australian soldiers owe their allegiance to the British crown or to the people of Australia. The three Court of Appeal judges have been deliberating for four weeks to determine if the trial judge erred in not permitting McBride a public interest defense.

‘Invasion Day’ Protests Draw Tens Of Thousands Across Australia

Tens of thousands of people took part in “Invasion Day” protests in cities and towns across Australia on Sunday, January 26. The protests highlighted the ongoing oppression of Indigenous peoples under colonial occupation, and opposed the celebration of ‘Australia Day,’ which falls on January 26—the anniversary of the British invasion of the lands now known as Australia, in 1788. Ruby Wharton, Community Development Officer at Sisters Inside Inc., spoke at the Invasion Day protest in Meanjin (Brisbane). Protesters met at Victoria Park before marching through the city to Musgrave Park, the site of the Brisbane Sovereign Embassy, established in 2012 as a symbol of Aboriginal sovereignty.

Indigenous Australian To Take Ex-Netanyahu Spokesperson To ICC

The charge of “advocating genocide” against Australian Mark Regev, a former Israeli ambassador to Britain and spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will head to the International Criminal Court after Australia’s prosecution service dropped the case following a diplomatic note from Israel. The charge against Regev was brought initially in a private prosecution by Uncle Robbie Thorpe, an indigenous Krautungalung Elder and human rights advocate. Thorpe charged Regev with aligning himself as a government spokesman with statements made by Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, which the U.N. special rapporteur for the Palestinian occupied territories called genocidal.

Emergency Summit Regarding Antarctic Meltdown

Hundreds of scientists gathered in Australia for an “emergency summit” within the auspices of the inaugural Australian Antarctic Research Conference d/d November 2024. This gathering of 450 mostly “early-career” polar scientists flexed scientific muscles to alert the world to the what’s happening to our planet, taking off the gloves and coming out swinging. They claim we’re got a bigger problem than generally realized: “Efforts to slow down climate change through coordinated global action are paramount to protect the future of Australia, Antarctica, and our planet,” Ibid.

Coal Ships Blocked As Rising Tide Activists Form Line Across Channel

The Rising Tide “People’s Blockade” of the world’s largest coal port at Muloobinba/Newcastle began on November 19. The protestival is demanding: “No new coal and gas projects; 78% tax on fossil fuel export profits to fund workers’ transition; and end coal exports from Newcastle by 2030”.

Australia: Whistleblower David McBride Wins Leave to Appeal

Australian military whistleblower David McBride was back in the Canberra Supreme Court on Wednesday where he won leave to appeal his conviction for leaking evidence of alleged war crimes by the Australian military in Afghanistan to Australia’s national broadcaster, the ABC. McBride was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison in May. The former military lawyer was forced to plead guilty to stealing and leaking the classified documents to the media after he was essentially denied a defense at his trial last November. McBride’s defense had rested on the court accepting his argument that his oath to the British crown gave him a duty beyond obedience to military orders to instead inform the entire nation of government wrongdoing. The court rejected that argument. 

How Australia Helps The United States Destabilize Asia

September 15 marked the third anniversary of the announcement of the AUKUS (Australia, the UK, the US) agreement. The purpose of this agreement is for Australia to buy nuclear-powered submarines from the UK and the US This increases interoperability with US forces that are projecting their power in the region along the Chinese coast. Furthermore, Australia is participating in the QUAD and SQUAD, “[i]nformal Alliances in the Indo-Pacific.” The city of Darwin in northern Australia has been opened up for the US forces, including planes carrying nuclear weapons. In addition, Australia has long housed bases for US spy satellite systems.

US Mobilizes Allies To Reject UN Resolution Against Israeli Occupation

The US government is lobbying its western allies to reject a draft resolution set to be presented at the UN on 18 September calling on Israel to end its illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. “Joe Biden’s government is urging Australia to say no to a draft UN resolution by the Palestinian Authority (PA),” Sky News Australia reported on Tuesday, adding that Washington is calling on its allies “to either reject or abstain from the vote.” The UN General Assembly (UNGA) will vote on Wednesday on the landmark resolution that demands Israel end “its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” within 12 months.

Acclaimed Journalist Charged With ‘Anti-Semitism’

For retweeting two tweets on X critical of Israel, famed Australian journalist Mary Kostakidis is facing charges of allegedly violating the country’s Racial Discrimination Act. The complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission from Alon Cassuto, the CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia, highlights just two Kostakidis retweets from January this year, both of which contain a video of a speech by Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah in which he allegedly called for the ethnic cleansing of Israel. One of the retweets is from independent British journalist Richie Medhurst, who was arrested at Heathrow airport and held for nearly 24 hours under the U.K. Terrorism Act this month.

Pine Gap Readies For US Nuclear War

The rapid expansion of the Pine Gap satellite surveillance base near Alice Springs, Australia from 35 to 45 satellite dishes, is designed to give the U.S. the edge in a potential nuclear war with China. Where desert oaks and spinifex tufts once baked in the Central Australian sun, three new white domes have mushroomed in a 14 hectare clearing along the western edge of the U.S.’ “most important surveillance base” in the world.  Under huge plastic radomes, three of Pine Gap’s new satellite dishes have been built to receive information from a new generation of U.S. spy satellites that bring a heightened level of surveillance of China’s nuclear missile launch sites at a time of increasing confrontation between China and the U.S. and its allies.

ICC To Rule If The Australian Government Is Complicit In Genocide

The evidence of complicity by Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and senior parliamentarians has been accepted into the ongoing International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the Situation in the State of Palestine. The ‘Article 15 Communication’ submitted by Birchgrove Legal in March this year named Prime Minister Albanese as an accessory to genocide, making him the first leader of a Western nation to be referred to the ICC under the Rome Statute. In personalised correspondence received this week, the Office of the Prosecutor – International Criminal Court (OTP-ICC) advised Birchgrove Legal that the 92-page document, which was endorsed by more than one hundred Australian lawyers and barristers, had been “added to the evidence gathered and transmitted to relevant staff members for further review.”

Campaigners Are Targeting Fossil Fuel Financial Backers With Lawsuits

Campaigners are increasingly taking out lawsuits against the funders of fossil fuels and other climate-harming activities, according to a new report. In its annual review of climate litigation, published June 26, the London School of Economics and Political Science’s (LSE) Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment identifies a modest but growing number of lawsuits challenging the flow of finance to projects that worsen climate change. In total, 33 cases that challenge the flow of funding have been recorded since academics began keeping track nine years ago. Six were filed in 2023.

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Keep independent media alive. 

Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

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