Margie Pestorius

#GiveEmtheBoot Events Coming Up in Sydney!

Public Meeting. Tuesday, July 17th

Launch of the #GiveemtheBoot Project

“Keep Australia Out of US Wars”

LIVE FEED FROM OZANTIBASES on FACEBOOK

Speakers:

Senator Lee Rhiannon, Greens Senator NSW
Richard Broinowski
Nick Deane, Independent Peaceful Australia Network

Australian Needs an Independent Foreign Policy
Richard Broinowski will speak on peace for Korea and Australia’s role;
Lee Rhiannon on the need for an independent foreign policy for Australia, and
and Nick Deane will introduce the ‘Give ’em the boot!’ campaign to terminate the ‘Force Posture Agreement’ with the USA, and send the US marines in Darwin back home.

Venue: NSW Teachers Federation: 23-33 Mary Street, Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia 2010

Commemorate Don’t Commercialise

Tell the Australian War Memorial Director and Council to Australian War Memorial: Stop accepting funding from weapon-makers.

The Australian War Memorial increasingly seeks and accepts sponsorships from the world’s largest multinational weapon manufacturers. These companies reap enormous profits from war; for them, ongoing warfare leads to greater business success. They have no place in a memorial to our war dead.

@MarisePayne “I call upon you to restore Australian’s reputation by fighting this culture of abuse.”

Dear Minister @MarisePayne

Australia is a country that calls itself an open and accountable democracy. We aim to show other countries how to act in a humane way to their citizens. So I was appalled to hear from a friend about events in September 2014. Protesters were hooded, zip-tied and had their clothing cut from their body. They were then beaten and threatened with rape and drowning at the secretive SAS military base at Swan Island, Victoria. Apparently a 2015 defence report admits this.

I note that the mission for the Australian Defence Forces is just that- the defence of Australia from armed attack. Yet in recent years we have strayed from this mission to support foreign countries in their wars against some of the poorest nations in the world.

I am concerned that the more brutal culture of US forces has contaminated our military. If this is the treatment given to Australians, how are the military behaving to people caught in the centre of armed conflict?

I call upon you to restore Australian’s reputation by fighting this culture of abuse. Transparency and taking responsibility for the terrible events at Swan island at the current court case concerning the protesters’ violent ordeal would be a start.

Please also support the next Chief of Defence Angus Campbell to continue his work addressing the culture of abuse. Angus Campbell knows that for the mental health of his soldiers he must demand open discussion.

Support is needed to fight drug addict and post traumatic stress disorder. And a rethink of the foreign policies that are sacrificing our ideals, our soldiers’ mental and physical health- and even their lives – for tenuous wars that result in the slaughter and suffering of so many of our fellow human beings.

I would be very interested in hearing your views on this matter.

Regards,

Sarah

A letter from Sarah Isaacs regarding #ToxicSAS

SMH: SAS soldiers committed alleged war crimes in Afghanistan: official report

By Nick McKenzie & Chris Masters

7 June 2018 — 6:38pm

Militarism May: the Rise and Rise of Australian Militarism

“So you wanna do something to stop this crazy rise in Australian militarism?”

It might have been the Government Duopoly’s prescribed month: “Militarism May”.

Brendan Nelson proudly proclaimed he invited corporate weapons manufacturers such as Lockheed and BAE to build advertising installations to commemorate their weapons at the Australian War Memorial – @AWMemorial.
A new Cooperative Research Centre – the CRC for Defence was set up by @cpyne [Christopher Pyne] in Brisbane. WARNING: don’t hit on that link or you will puke.
The weapons manufacturers have been slurping over our universities, popping their people through the #revolvingdoor of governance and signing deals. Just the other day, at the end of Militarism May, Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce has been reappointed as chancellor of University of Adelaide, continuing for a further two years.
You can watch the ghastly show unfold at Defence Connect our friendly Momentum Media managed facilitator of weapons contracts and killing projects. See horrid examples down the bottom; but make sure you have a counsellor on hand.

Analysis Here Analysis There: US Foreign Policy for Australia

Richard Tanter, movement professor, writes that not only is defence spending growing massively at 4% a year but that our entire foreign policy is built on colonial settler assumptions about Australia’s pathetic place in the world: a long and complex piece but well worth-while.

John Menadue questions on his excellent blog ‘who is in charge of Australia’s relations with China: the PM or ASIO?’

In a second article, Prof. Tanter reminds us that Pine Gap uses so much energy that the Government has to interfere with ‘free market’ energy contracts to protect the US interests. More US meddling in Australian foreign policy.

Turns out #warcoststheearth; So a new Earth and Militarism project is underway at Friends of the Earth Australia.

But Australia is Waking up – #DisarmUnis #DisarmAWM [The War Memorial]

We know people young and old are interested. They are waking up about militarism. Watch Jodie Pall as she makes a pointed speech at her graduation. Check out the scientist who kindly supports her by holding her degree for her!

Every few days there is a new Facebook page challenging the rise of militarism.

Building on the leading work of LockoutLockheed, now we have #DisarmUnis …with DisarmFlinders DisarmMonash DisarmUNSW and others…

What’s the #Disarmunis Plan

#DisarmUnis crew have produced this fabulous article by Lara Sonnenschein. It’s actually useful writing! It points to a comprehensive set of nonviolence campaign objectives that – if enacted – might actually create change. This work will be replicated by other unis to address University projects and divestment with skilled campaigning.

What to do? Your organisation can endorse the report which is expected from this investigation.

Contact Margaret or Cate at Wage Peace or Ed at Disarmunis

#DisarmAWM – Commemorating US weaponry!

MAPW’s Sue Wareham put the spot light on the change in focus at the War Memorial in Canberra (the Australian War Memorial or AWM). See the Canberra Times artilce, and letters to the Editor. Also published in The Age.

What to do?!

– Tweet – search War Memorial to find the conversation and retweet adding the #DisarmAWM
– Share on Facebook
– Point out it is now commemorating weaponry rather than death.
– You might even add a call for Brendan Nelson’s retirement 🙂
– And chime in with your considered views with a letter to the editor in the Canberra Times.

Watch out for a more focussed set of campaigns with the objective of removing the influence of the weapons manufacturers on the AWM. Contact MAPW.

America and Me: Exclusive online screening for Wage Peace Subscribers for June. Organise a Group or Community Screening

AMERICA & ME documents the filmmaker’s observations over three months in the US during the lead up to the surprise election of Donald Trump. Eight US cities later he chronicled what was happening on the streets of America; 40 years after Ronald Reagan introduced the economic theories of Milton Friedman and the infamous Chicago Boys to the world.

Bradbury interviews veterans of America’s failed wars to maintain Empire, gets down in the gutter with the homeless to find out what life is like on the streets, speaks to a nun who was violated by the military junta in Guatemala under the directions of a CIA operative, goes to the US/Mexican border where Trump plans to build the Wall, films out front of CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia where deadly drone attacks are ordered up every ‘Killer Tuesday’ by the US President…and ends up at the Standing Rock protest camp for Election Day.

Watch the Tra iler – Read a review

We’ve been offered – exclusive to Wage Peace subscribers – America & Me free to watch until the end of June.

Watch America and Me Use code: WPFREE

Organise a group or community screening! Contact Frontline Films for more information.

Beyond War is Coming Soon

The team at Australian Nonviolence Projects has started Beyond War to raise funds and provide support and resources for anti-militarism activities, events and campaigns such as those mentioned in this letter.

Watch this space because we will communicate with y’all first… soon … to kick it off.

Wage Peace, Peacebus and West Papuan nonviolence projects will be amongst the project partners.

#ToxicSAS

We are still looking for a lead campaigner for July and August to work on the #ToxicSAS trial.

Trial starts August 13th. The politics calls on @MarisePayne for transparency on the #toxicSAS report. Write directly to Marise Payne at her ministry office – or call.

Melbourne: Potatoes Super-glue Themselves to BorderForce: Blockade Entry.

#FakeSpud! #SackDutton! Our excellent friends at WACA and their potato friends still lead creativity with this formative action yesterday. They are addressing the militarisation of borders and migration with ongoing targeting of Border Force and its Commandant. Join them and learn.

And God, do we need to keep a creative prophetic imagination…

And there’s SOS: “Stu dents of Sustainability National Camp” in July. This is a gathering of activist folk and place of great transformation.

Sponsor an Aboriginal Activist to attend because you have money and they don’t! 🙂

Independent Peaceful Australia Network

Hear Dr Vince Scappatura on “US soft power influence in Australian politics and culture”. Newcastle/FB Live Feed, Sat 23rd June, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM AEST

Wage Peace picked this from IPAN Events as a useful and interesting event. We will help to broadcast it by IPAN Facebook Live Feed. Vince will scare you with the story of the relational, crawly enculturalisation that is facilitated by the Yanks to win over politicians. You’ll have to listen. It’s truly awful. But its is a potential target for future action.

So stick it in ya diary. 7 pm, IPAN’s Facebook Live Feed.

If you volunteer for Wage Peace we might ask you to put it around in some sort of systematic and useful way.

Assange

Folk are organising. Assange is a North Queenslander whose organisation took some big risks to reveal the corporations links and State lies in relation to corporate driven war.

Events are to be held in Brisbane Sydney and Melbourne in solidarity.

19th June, 7pm, our friends at EvoLens are organising a Bring Assange Home Light Vigil Thanks EvoLens!

Scouting for Intellect 🙂 Campaign thinkers and writers.

We at Wage Peace reckon we need to build a bit of intellectual capital! We are scouting for someone to work between movement activities and parliament to support interactive actions and research across those two spaces.

And we are are looking for a very short term ‘lead campaigner’ for the #ToxicSAS campaign. For an intensive few weeks – suit a uni student.

Tell us: What would you need to do these projects?

Volunteer. There’s plenty happening. We’ll give you a little something…and make friends… Get your friends to sign up

Yours sincerely

Margaret, Cate, Treena, Miriam and the team at
Wage Peace!

The anti-military movement has about 3 days of paid workers per week for the whole of Australia! That’s why we have set up Wage Peace – to link projects, provide platforms and infrastructure for start up initiatives, to amplify the stuff that is happening. Lets make it build: Become a monthly donor and we’ll pass your money on where it can be used.

Those of us working on the project are around the country and we invite you to play with us, or donate!

Defence Connect: A must for your nonviolence strategy… 🙁 This is only a tiny fraction of their daily newsletter.

Pine Gap electricity supply and the Ausgrid controversy

By RICHARD TANTER Published in John Menadue – Pearls and Irritations 30 May 2018

The giant Pine Gap intelligence and military base outside Alice Springs consumes a great deal of electricity to operate its intelligence-gathering and analysis operations.

It now appears that the Turnbull government’s rejection of a $25 bn. bid for the NSW-government owned Ausgrid electricity distribution company on national security grounds from the Cheung Kong Consortium (CKI), owned by Asia’s second richest man, Li Ka-Shing, and State Grid of China (SGC) was prompted by concerns about Pine Gap, possibly including its electricity supply.

At the time of the veto, the government did not publicly identify the national security concerns that prompted its decision, which came at a diplomatic cost in bruised relations with China and an opportunity cost of more than $4 bn. to the NSW government when it subsequently sold to an Australian consortium for $20.1 bn.

Peter Hartcher reported in the Sydney Morning Herald that the government’s decision to veto the Ausgrid bid was prompted by a realisation at ‘half a minute to midnight’ by the Australian Signals Directorate, which operates Pine Gap together with the U.S. National Security Agency, that ‘Ausgrid hosts a piece of infrastructure that is a critical support’ to Pine Gap.

Hartcher does not identify the ‘critical infrastructure’, but one of the Chinese companies bidding for Ausgrid is known to have had a role in the supply of gas-powered electricity to Pine Gap.

For almost half a century from the beginning of its construction in 1967 until 2011, Pine Gap’s considerable energy needs were provided by onsite diesel generators, with diesel fuel supplied by tankers. This changed in 2011 when primary power provided by onsite diesel-gas generators was fuelled by natural gas supplied by a pipeline from Palm Valley, with backup supplied by the same generators operating on diesel.

The pipeline to supply the gas was constructed by a company under contract to Envestra, a company that owned the gas distribution system in South Australia. In 2014 Envestra was acquired for $2.37 bn. by the Cheung Kong Consortium (CKI Australia), renamed Australian Gas Networks, and then delisted from the Australian Securities Exchange.

In August 2016, the Australian government announced that it would reject a bid to buy the NSW government-owned electricity distribution company Ausgrid by CKI and State Grid of China (SGC) on national security grounds.

Electricity is critical to Pine Gap, and the base’s electricity supply has been upgraded as the base expanded physically and new surveillance systems were introduced. In 2002 a tender was announced for a $1.5 mn. contract to provide a new 2000 kW diesel generator and add to twelve existing diesel generators located in two buildings.

The big change came in after a 2008 Indigenous Land Use Agreement with the traditional owners of the Owen Springs pastoral lease to the southwest of Pine Gap permitted the energy distribution company Envestra to utilise a 100 m wide corridor of land 10 kms. long to build a gas pipeline.

The $5 mn. pipeline branched off from the Palm Valley to Alice Springs Pipeline to two destinations, one of which was Pine Gap, and was completed by AP Group under contract to Envestra in 2011. In March 2011 the Defence Department signed a 15 year contract with Northern Territory Power and Water Corporation to supply natural gas to Pine Gap.

Overhead imagery shows the generator building expanding considerably between 2005 and 2013, from 1800 m² to 2800 m², and the six original diesel generators’ cooling radiators remaining in 2013, with four more, considerably larger, dual diesel-natural gas generators added.

CKI’s acquisition of Envestra appears not to have set off Canberra security alarms in 2014. But two years later, the CKI-State Grid of China bid for Ausgrid seems to have rung a bell somewhere in the Australian Signals Directorate, perhaps after Defence felt the heat of the Pentagon’s rage about Canberra waving through the Chinese acquisition of the port of Darwin in October 2015

It is not clear whether the Ausgrid-hosted Pine Gap infrastructure Hatcher identifies was connected to the base’s electricity supply. If it was, then that would be a legitimate security concern for any Australian government – whether the would-be foreign purchaser of Ausgrid was Chinese, Singaporean or – in my view – American (Pine Gap being a US base apart!).

However, the question of whether the government’s abrupt veto of the Cheung Kong Consortium – State Grid of China in its entirety was the only option left to the government would be another matter.

Would it have been possible to quarantine that part of the deal that posed a national security issue, and let the CKI-SGC purchase of the main subject of the deal, the NSW grid, proceed?

Hartcher’s article has let the cat out of the bag. We still cannot be sure whether the ASD objection was to CKI’s connection to the Pine Gap power supply. But either way, the government now needs to trust the Australian people to judge for themselves whether the threat warranted the response.

To avoid the suspicion that the Ausgrid veto was yet another abrupt lurch in the increasingly orchestrated revivified Australian fear of China, the Turnbull government needs to make public its actual national security concerns about the Ausgrid deal, and demonstrate that there was no alternative.

Richard Tanter is a researcher with the Nautilus Institute and teaches at the University of Melbourne. His work with Des Ball and Bill Robinson on Pine Gap is collected in The Pine Gap Project.

Photo shows Power station GE Nov 2015