Craig Hill Media and Consulting
Canberra
On this day (Australia): In 1988, the four acts granting the Australian Capital Territory self-government were given royal assent
On 29 November 1988, the four acts granting the Australian Capital Territory self-government were given royal assent. Indigenous Australian peoples have long inhabited the area in what is now the ACT. Evidence indicates habitation dating back at least 25,000 years. It is possible that the area was inhabited for considerably longer, with evidence of an Aboriginal presence … Continue reading
On this day (Australia): In 1908, the capital of Australia was chosen, settling a feud between rivals Melbourne and Sydney
On 8 October 1908, the capital of Australia was chosen, settling a feud between rivals Melbourne and Sydney. Before European settlement, the area in which Canberra would eventually be constructed was seasonally inhabited by Indigenous Australians. Anthropologist Norman Tindale suggested the principal group occupying the region were the Ngunnawal people, while the Ngarigo lived immediately to the south of the ACT, the … Continue reading
On This Day In Australia: In 1940, three members of the Australian Cabinet were killed in the Canberra air disaster
On 13 August 1940, three members of the Australian Cabinet were killed, along with the Chief of the General Staff of the Australian Army, in the Canberra air disaster. The 10 people killed included distinguished World War I veterans. There were also four Royal Australian Air Force crew on board the Hudson Bomber. The three … Continue reading
Australia bans Malaysian human rights activist; government’s new stance
A leading Malaysian rights activist who faces sedition charges at home says he was denied a visa to enter Australia, raising suggestions Canberra had buckled to pressure from Kuala Lumpur. Haris Ibrahim, a strident campaigner against the Malaysian government now headed by Prime Minister Najib Razak, said he was seeking a meeting with Australian officials … Continue reading
Indonesia wants more of Australia’s land; 1.5 million hectares not enough
The Indonesian government may be in the market for an even larger slice of Australian land than the 1.5 million hectares it has proposed. Comments from the Finance Minister Chatib Basri and Deputy Trade Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi indicate large parcels of Australian land may play a crucial role in the security of Indonesia’s beef supply. … Continue reading
Chinese students find Australia’s capital city too quiet for study
The majority of Chinese do not consider Canberra as a study destination and those that do find it too quiet, ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher has found. Ms Gallagher is in China, with University of Canberra vice-chancellor Stephen Parker and Australian National University vice-chancellor Ian Young, to promote Canberra as a tertiary education and business … Continue reading
Australia captures five major people smugglers
Federal police have arrested five ‘major’ alleged people smugglers operating in Australia. Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Steve Lancaster made the announcement on Thursday after a series of raids across the country. The AFP has described it as Australia’s largest ever people smuggling strike. Mr Lancaster says four of the five people – three Afghans, … Continue reading
Australian politicians to have final say on towing asylum boats back to Indonesia
Political leaders in Canberra could have the final say on individual tow-backs of people-smuggling boats to Indonesian waters under the Coalition’s refugee strategy, Scott Morrison says. Interviewed on Sky News‘s Australian Agenda this morning, the Opposition’s immigration spokesman also confirmed the Australian Navy would be expected to siphon petrol from smuggler’s vessels before abandoning them … Continue reading
Japan attacks Australia’s kangaroo culling to justify Tokyo’s whaling program
A Japanese diplomat has seized on the slaughter and consumption of kangaroos to justify Tokyo’s whaling program. The comments by Noriyuki Shikata came as Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus at the International Court of Justice accused Japan of using “false” and “offensive” statements to justify its annual “scientific” whale hunt in Antarctic waters. Canberra has ramped up … Continue reading
China steals Australian spy agency blueprints in cyber attack
Classified blueprints of the new ASIO headquarters in Canberra have been stolen in a cyber hit believed to have been mounted by hackers in China. The ABC’s Four Corners program has discovered the plans were taken in an operation targeting a contractor involved with building the site. The stolen blueprints included the building’s security and … Continue reading
China dismisses Australia’s defence white paper, says it changes nothing
China has warned that Labor’s new white paper is a political document unlikely to bring major changes to Canberra‘s defence strategy or alter Australia’s position in the Asia-Pacific region. Han Feng, a deputy director at the China Academy of Social Science, a think tank closely linked to the Communist Party and government, said the paper … Continue reading
Australia neglects two trillion dollar opportunity exporting agricultural produce to Asia
Major parties are neglecting the $2 trillion opportunity of exporting agricultural produce to Asia, instead miring themselves in the “140 character” world of political bickering and failing to provide the vision and leadership required to take the nation forward, says the head of Australia‘s largest beef producer. AACo chief executive David Farley said Australia should … Continue reading
Experts warn that China’s main motive in new deal is to prise Australia away from US
The “strategic partnership” announced this week between Australia and China is widely viewed within China and by experts internationally as a move in which Beijing hopes to start prising Canberra away from Washington on security matters. But this is a long-term strategy, which is easier for China’s new leaders, who anticipate a 10-year term ahead, … Continue reading
Canberra doesn’t understand reality of China-Japan conflict, or consequences to Australia
In the event of a conflict between China and Japan, it’s hard to think of a country that would be more exposed than Australia. Yet several leading defence scholars have warned that this prospect is receiving little attention from policy-makers and academics, and Australia is in denial about the risks. Defence specialist and consultant Ross … Continue reading
Australia has a secret China Unit
After years of policy confusion, a high-powered task force has been quietly pulling the China threads together in the federal bureaucracy. Canberra‘s leading mandarins have formed a secret task force to cope with the unprecedented challenges of rising China. The Committee of Secretaries on China was formed by a cabinet decision of December 2010 following … Continue reading
Australia to ease restrictions on Myanmar, arms embargo to stay
Australia will ease restrictions on military engagement with Myanmar following democratic reforms since the country’s ruling generals relinquished their half-century grip on power in 2011, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said on Monday. During a visit to Canberra by Myanmar’s President Thein Sein – the first leader from the former Burma to visit the Australian capital … Continue reading
Australia cancels diplomatic visit by North Korea in response to nuclear test
A planned trip to Australia by North Korean diplomats to establish an embassy in Canberra has been cancelled by the Gillard government following a nuclear test by the secretive state. Foreign Minister Bob Carr said officials from Pyongyang were due to arrive in the nation’s capital this weekend to scope out property for a diplomatic … Continue reading
Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd back on television
Cabinet Minister Tony Burke was unceremoniously dumped from Seven’s Sunrise program by email yesterday afternoon to make way for Kevin Rudd’s return to the show that made him a political star. Mr Rudd faced off against his old sparring partner Joe Hockey on Sunrise this morning after agreeing early last month to resume duties with … Continue reading
Australian Prime Minister’s speech to have China, cyber crime focus
Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, reportedly will seek to boost Labor’s defence credentials in a speech singling out China and cyber attacks as key security concerns. Ms Gillard will make the comments on Wednesday in her first important speech of the election year to the Australian National University’s National Security College in Canberra, The Australian newspaper … Continue reading
Craig Hill Media and Consulting 