Mining Oligarchs bending the ear of the Coalition

Tuesday, 17 April 2012 00:48

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So Julie Bishop has a Huawei-donated MediaTablet. Dangerous. Dangerous for her and dangerous for Australia if she ever aspires to become Foreign Minister. The iPad alone is but one of the micro details to emerge from Ms Bishop’s visit to China as a guest of the Chinese telco. Some Liberals led by Julie Bishop together with vested mining interests questioned the Gillard Government’ accepting ASIO’s advice against letting Huawei bid for NBN. But the bar on Huawei has wider significance because the controversy it has sparked illuminates the most vexing issue of Australian foreign policy – our relationship with China.

Letter to the Editor: The Australian

Saturday, 07 April 2012 00:00

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Dear Editor, Michael Sainsbury’  article “Chinese Burn at fumbles”  (The Australian 5/4/2012)  criticises the Gillard Government for what he sees is Australia’s ‘spiky relationship’ with China. He claims there was an apparent ‘fumble’ over Chinese company Huawei Technologies bidding on the NBN.  There was no fumble. Mr Sainsbury knows the decision was made based on national secuirtuy advice from ASIO and the Defence Signals Directorate.

Massacre in Toulouse

Tuesday, 27 March 2012 00:00

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My heart is broken. I am unable to speak. There are no ways for me to be able to express the great and all-consuming pain resulting from the murder of my dear husband Rabbi Jonathan and our sons, Aryeh and Gavriel, and of Miriam Monsonego, daughter of the dedicated principal of Ozar Hatorah and his wife, Rabbi Yaakov and Mrs. Monsonego.

May no one ever have to endure such pain and suffering.

Because so many of you, my cherished brothers and sisters in France and around the world, are asking what you can do on my behalf, on behalf of my daughter Liora and on behalf of the souls of my dear husband and children, I feel that, difficult though it may be, it is incumbent upon me to answer your entreaties.

Australia – What a Country

Thursday, 08 March 2012 02:02

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In his Shabbat droscha (sermon) at Elwood Shule last week, Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick said it was permissible to ask if changes to the national leadership were not just good for Australia, but whether it impacted on the Australian Jewish community. Australia is a country where Australian Jews can live in normality. Of course anyone who knows Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s record on Israel knows we have another warm friend in Canberra. Whether it is under Prime Minister’s Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, John Howard we have had friends in Canberra. It will be the same under Tony Abbot and Bill Shorten in the future. Australia is now a country of 22 million where its 120,000 Jews are not just tolerated but our involvement and active approval and participation is keenly sought.