Latest news with #Shipton
Scoop
a day ago
- Health
- Scoop
Care-Experienced Rangatahi Concerned Response To Royal Commission Won't Stop History Repeating
Press Release – VOYCE Whakarongo Mai VOYCE Whakarongo Mai has been advocating for care experienced tamariki since 2017, and CEO Tracie Shipton says 99 recommendations are being considered further, and 23 have been declined. '15 years is too long to wait for change' There's relief that the government has released its full response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry's recommendations over abuse in state care, but care-experienced advocates say there needs to be more reassurance that the atrocities of the past won't be repeated. The Royal Commission made 95 recommendations in its 2021 interim report, He Purapura Ora, He Māra Tipu from Redress to Puretumu Torowhānui and 138 in its final report in 2024, Whanaketia – Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light. 207 of the recommendations were addressed to the crown, and as of May this year, just 85 of them have been accepted or partially accepted. VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai has been advocating for care experienced tamariki since 2017, and CEO Tracie Shipton says 99 recommendations are being considered further, and 23 have been declined. 'We are pleased there was a Royal Commission of Inquiry and that the country acknowledged this collective shame with the national apology, but there needs to be a line in the sand.' 'Rangatahi bravely shared their experiences of abuse, harm and neglect in care post 1999, and also made recommendations in a group submission Korowai Aroha. Young people need assurances that this won't happen again.' Shipton says VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai's priority is tamariki and rangatahi going through state care now, next year and into the future. 'Whilst we appreciate there is complexity to navigate in working through the recommendations, we also know that abuse in care didn't magically end in 1999. We are concerned that we are not cutting through all the red tape and bureaucracy to ensure our tamariki are safer now.' 'We know that the community has been awaiting this response from the government, we are still left wondering what real changes will result that will make tamariki safer now, because in 15 years those tamariki will be adults, so what's making them safer in the meantime?' Care-experienced advocate Ihorangi Reweti Peters is gutted that all of the recommendations haven't been implemented. 'The government has yet again failed survivors of abuse in care and many young people are still being abused in care today.' 'We do not want to end up having another Royal Commission of Inquiry in 15 years time. They need to get it right now, they need to draw a line under this.' Shipton is also questioning whether the learnings from the Royal Commission's final report are being considered when making wider policy and funding decisions, particulalry those decisions being made outside of the Royal Commission response work. 'We've just seen a huge contradiction in this year's budget with money allocated to improvements to the redress system and improvements to the safety of young people, but at the same time funds are being pumped into bootcamps and a facelift of youth justice facilities.' Shipton says there's now a real opportunity to make meaningful change for the tamariki and rangatahi of Aotearoa. 'We've made a huge investment into the inquiry, survivors have shared the taonga of their lived experience and a huge level of analysis has been conducted by the Royal Commission. Let's not let that go to waste.' 'We all need to absorb the gravity of what has occurred under the 'care' of the state, and ensure we learn and commit to acting with urgency and making decisions that will keep our tamariki safe.' ABOUT VOYCE: We are VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai, which stands for Voice of the Young and Care Experienced – Listen to me. Established in 2017, we are an independent charity organisation that helps to advocate for the approximately 6000 children with care experience (children in foster or whanau care) in New Zealand. We exist to amplify the voices of these children and ensure that they are heard – so as to positively influence their individual care and to collectively affect change in the wider care system. VOYCE was co-designed by children with care experience for children with care experience.
Scoop
a day ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Care-Experienced Rangatahi Concerned Response To Royal Commission Won't Stop History Repeating
'15 years is too long to wait for change' There's relief that the government has released its full response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry's recommendations over abuse in state care, but care-experienced advocates say there needs to be more reassurance that the atrocities of the past won't be repeated. The Royal Commission made 95 recommendations in its 2021 interim report, He Purapura Ora, He Māra Tipu from Redress to Puretumu Torowhānui and 138 in its final report in 2024, Whanaketia – Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light. 207 of the recommendations were addressed to the crown, and as of May this year, just 85 of them have been accepted or partially accepted. VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai has been advocating for care experienced tamariki since 2017, and CEO Tracie Shipton says 99 recommendations are being considered further, and 23 have been declined. 'We are pleased there was a Royal Commission of Inquiry and that the country acknowledged this collective shame with the national apology, but there needs to be a line in the sand.' 'Rangatahi bravely shared their experiences of abuse, harm and neglect in care post 1999, and also made recommendations in a group submission Korowai Aroha. Young people need assurances that this won't happen again.' Shipton says VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai's priority is tamariki and rangatahi going through state care now, next year and into the future. 'Whilst we appreciate there is complexity to navigate in working through the recommendations, we also know that abuse in care didn't magically end in 1999. We are concerned that we are not cutting through all the red tape and bureaucracy to ensure our tamariki are safer now.' 'We know that the community has been awaiting this response from the government, we are still left wondering what real changes will result that will make tamariki safer now, because in 15 years those tamariki will be adults, so what's making them safer in the meantime?' Care-experienced advocate Ihorangi Reweti Peters is gutted that all of the recommendations haven't been implemented. 'The government has yet again failed survivors of abuse in care and many young people are still being abused in care today.' 'We do not want to end up having another Royal Commission of Inquiry in 15 years time. They need to get it right now, they need to draw a line under this.' Shipton is also questioning whether the learnings from the Royal Commission's final report are being considered when making wider policy and funding decisions, particulalry those decisions being made outside of the Royal Commission response work. 'We've just seen a huge contradiction in this year's budget with money allocated to improvements to the redress system and improvements to the safety of young people, but at the same time funds are being pumped into bootcamps and a facelift of youth justice facilities.' Shipton says there's now a real opportunity to make meaningful change for the tamariki and rangatahi of Aotearoa. 'We've made a huge investment into the inquiry, survivors have shared the taonga of their lived experience and a huge level of analysis has been conducted by the Royal Commission. Let's not let that go to waste.' 'We all need to absorb the gravity of what has occurred under the 'care' of the state, and ensure we learn and commit to acting with urgency and making decisions that will keep our tamariki safe.' ABOUT VOYCE: We are VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai, which stands for Voice of the Young and Care Experienced – Listen to me. Established in 2017, we are an independent charity organisation that helps to advocate for the approximately 6000 children with care experience (children in foster or whanau care) in New Zealand. We exist to amplify the voices of these children and ensure that they are heard – so as to positively influence their individual care and to collectively affect change in the wider care system. VOYCE was co-designed by children with care experience for children with care experience.
Business Insider
10-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Meet the 93-year-old grocery store worker who loves his job — and has no plans to stop
John Shipton starts work three days a week at 8 a.m. on the checkouts at a supermarket in Exeter, southwest England. He's no different from his colleagues — apart from being 93 years old. "It's so much fun. I've got lovely customers," he told Business Insider. "I think I'll hang about a bit — I won't dash off at 95." Shipton started working at Waitrose, an upmarket British supermarket chain, on a three-month contract in 2011 before being offered a permanent role. "Every week the same customers are coming back time and time again," he said. "They're great, I love them." "I don't feel like it's work — it's more like play, to be honest." He described Waitrose as an incredible employer. Shipton said when he'd only been working at the store for about four years, he broke his hip while gardening but was given three months paid leave to recover. "And when I went back, they made sure that I had everything I needed to make life easy for me," he said. Shipton decided to apply for the supermarket job after reading a book by John Spedan Lewis, who established the John Lewis Partnership, which owns Waitrose along with the John Lewis department store chain. It's the UK's largest employee-owned business and all staff have a stake in the business. "I figured this man was going to be good to work for," he said. "I figured, although he died, his business was still running, and it was running as they organized it." Shipton said he'd previously worked at another supermarket for six years but wasn't entirely happy there. His career spanned a range of industries. He worked in electronics, as a maintenance controller for his city council and on a freelance basis as a computer programmer, and repairing antique furniture. Shipton attended college for two years but decided it wasn't for him. "They weren't teaching me what I wanted to know," he said, so he decided to join the army. "I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I could see that when I got to the age of 45 I was going to become grown out," he said. Shipton then worked in sales and marketing for big electronics companies. "I've always wanted to do something." 'Curious about the world' Shipton said he was "at a loss" for about a year when his wife, Julia Marise, died in 2021, followed by his cat a year later. "Then I thought, 'right, I'll take on some Ukrainian refugees,'" he said. Shipton said he spent his school days with Jewish refugees after World War II. "There was a lot of information about Auschwitz and so on, which made me think, you know, how can people start a war and treat people so badly?" he said. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Shipton felt he had to do something to help. He wrote to the chairman of John Lewis to help Oksana get a job with the retailer. Her son, Illia, is in his final year of school and due to go to college next year. "They're fabulous people," he said. "I might have cooked three dinners in the last three years." Shipton said he and Illia have bonded over their shared interest in math. "I'm very interested in anti-matter and I'm studying that at the moment." No retirement plans The 93-year-old also regularly paints and reads. "I try and learn on a daily basis almost. I'm curious about the world. I'm curious about people." Shipton said he's never retired — and has no plans to do so: "I just enjoy working. As I say, it's not work, it's play." A few months ago Shipton said he was thinking of working until 95, but has decided to continue even longer. "My life is very full."
SBS Australia
25-04-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
How this Russian disinformation network uses BRICS to advance its narratives in Australia
Reports last week that Russia had requested the use of a military base in Indonesia, a new BRICS member, caused an uproar in Australia. The suggestion that Russian military planes might be positioned just 1300 kilometres from Darwin elicited strong comments from both the Prime Minister and the leader of opposition. Two days later, a spokesperson from Indonesia's Foreign Ministry published an official statement that the country "never granted permission to any country to build or possess a military base". Politicians, commentators and experts are now grappling with how to respond to the growing influence of Russia and , an intergovernmental organisation of 10 countries with "emerging economies". But reports suggest some Russian organisations have already been using BRICS as a platform for spreading disinformation abroad, including in Australia. 'Geopolitical centre of the world shifting to the East' In September 2024, John Shipton, activist and father of Julian Assange, appeared via conference call from Australia at a panel discussion in Kazan, Russia, titled "Freedom of Speech in Digital Multipolarity: Guarantees and Risks". At the event, organised by the BRICS Journalists Association (BJA), Shipton received a "Voice of the World BRICS 2024" award. Mira Terada, chair of the panel discussion and co-director of BJA, said her organisation decided to award Shipton for his "steadfastness, dedication and honesty". The same award was also presented to another Australian, Simeon Boikov. Also known as Aussie Cossack, Boikov has reportedly been evading arrest by hiding out in the Russian consulate in Sydney for over two years. Terada said that BJA was awarding him "for courage, loyalty and assistance to the front". Speaking to the event via conference call from the Russian consulate in Sydney, Boikov said that BRICS should become a foundation for new, alternative platforms that support freedom of speech. Mira Terada (L) and John Shipton (R) present at a panel discussion in Kazan, Russia, in September 2024. Terada is co-director of the BRICS Journalists Association, and director of the Russian Foundation to Battle Injustice (R-FBI). Researchers at Clemson University have linked R-FBI to disinformation campaign Storm-1516, that creates and promotes pro-Russian disinformation narratives. A month later, in October 2024, the Russian city of Kazan was in the spotlight again. It hosted the 16th BRICS summit, with India's Narendra Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping in attendance. This time appearing in person, John Shipton Russian state media outlet RT, which is subject to sanctions in Australia, that "the movement of the geopolitical center of the world" was shifting towards the East. "I am enthralled with ... the Russian Federation, China and Xi Jinping and Modi in India … I'm enthralled by the emergence of their vision within the difficulties [of the] historical distribution of geopolitical power," he said. Shipton appeared at the BRICS summit alongside another Australian, Adrian McRae, member of Port Headland Council in Western Australia. with a Russian state media outlet during the summit, McRae praised BRICS for offering a "new system of cooperation and trade" as opposed to "the hegemony of the US dollar". What is BRICS? BRICS was founded in 2009 as a meeting of four countries — Brazil, Russian, India and China (BRIC) — interested in reforming global financial systems. They were joined by South Africa in 2010. Melissa Conley Tyler, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue (AP4D) and an honorary fellow at the University of Melbourne, told SBS Examines BRICS has gone through significant change in the past two decades. "[There was] this sense of networks across the countries. That could be everything from hospital administrators to academics to think tanks and journalists. "They were saying: the BRICS countries had more in common, and they should network more with each other ... essentially sharing knowledge. "But then surprisingly, in 2024, the third stage happens and we had expansion. So we now have Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Nigeria. And most recently, just this year, after Indonesia's election, President Prabowo had Indonesia join." Today, BRICS has a network of organisations and professional forums from a range of spheres — from law to theatre — and even has its own BRICS TV, a media outlet registered in Russia. The BRICS Journalists Association (BJA) is not officially affiliated with BRICS, but actively participates in events organised by other government agencies around BRICS, and hosts its own events, sometimes with Russian government officials in attendance. BJA states on its that it is "a public formation and is outside the sphere of state policy". Among its purposes, it lists: "Ensuring a strong and coordinated media response to information attacks, which continue to be directed both at the BRICS countries and at all states supporting multipolarity. Especially from the mainstream Western media." 'Russia is not a cancelled country' While in Russia, Shipton appeared alongside BJA co-director Mira Terada for an , where she told the outlet he arrived at the invitation of BJA. "It is important to show that Russia is not a cancelled country with cancelled culture, how the West is trying to show to the rest of the world. And this is a good example," she said. Dr Robert Horvath, specialist in Russian politics at La Trobe University, told SBS Examines that Terada belongs to a group of pro-Kremlin so-called human rights activists. These activists have served prison time in countries regarded as adversaries of the Kremlin, and are presented as victims of unjust persecution. Terada served two years in US prison for money laundering. After she arrived back in Russia, she became the director of the Russian Foundation to Battle Injustice (R-FBI). "Terada's Foundation to Battle Injustice is probably the most extreme Kremlin-backed 'human rights organisation'," Dr Horvath told SBS Examines. "This is not surprising, because it was originally created by Evgeny Prigozhin as part of his media and disinformation empire". Dr Horvath said some of the activities of Terada's R-FBI include fake reports defaming leading German politicians, suggesting they support the legalisation of paedophilia. "Another [report] falsely alleged that the Ukrainian armed forces were engaged in medical experimentation. The clear aim was to suggest parallels with medical experimentation in Nazi death camps and to reinforce Kremlin propaganda about democratic Ukraine as a neo-Nazi regime." Narrative laundering campaign In October 2024, the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University published a report linking R-FBI and a "narrative laundering campaign" known as Storm-1516. Microsoft's Threat Analysis Centre identified the Storm-1516 campaign earlier that year as an actor that "successfully laundered anti-Ukraine narratives into U.S. audiences using a consistent pattern across multiple languages". described "narrative laundering" as a process of spreading disinformation while trying to conceal its origins. It detailed how Storm-1516 and R-FBI generate fake news stories and "propagandistic reports", sometimes with the help of AI, then use networks of influencers to share and promote them online. According to the report, stories are published in multiple languages, with content critical of the US, and "with particular focus on the relationship between the West and the Zelensky government". Professor Patrick Warren, co-director of the Media Forensics Hub and one of the authors of the report, told SBS Examines there are several narratives "pushed" by R-FBI. "By far the most common is a narrative about corruption in the Zelensky government in Ukraine. They're pushing this idea that any aid given to Ukraine will just be wasted or stolen, that the regime is both financially and morally corrupt. "These include lots of examples of Zelensky buying fancy things, Olena Zelenska buying jewellery or yachts." These narratives have been created from whole cloth, where they've actually created fake eyewitnesses and fake documents. Patrick Warren, Clemson University Another type of narrative, Prof Warren said, targets global leaders and countries supporting Ukraine, with fake news and disinformation shared about Emmanuel Macron, Joe Biden and the British government. "The main goal here is to make it less attractive to support Ukraine." 'Oddball unusual journalists' Clemson University's report suggested that the BRICS Journalists Association (BJA) is used by R-FBI as a network to promote this content. "[R-FBI] has really set itself up as the leading Russian organisation that pulls in what they call independent journalists, sort of outsider journalists from many countries around the world; especially BRICS countries, but other countries too," Prof Warren said. "It uses that network of kind of aligned voices to distribute narratives that make the Russian government look attractive, and maybe even more common than that — make competitors to the Russian government look unattractive. "So that's the role that the organisation plays: bringing together these disparate voices that might be led to sing the same song, a song that the Russians like." The Clemson report lists some individuals who have been especially active in promoting false narratives. Originating from a range of countries, from the US to the Netherlands, they have either fled for Russia after charges were pressed against them back home, or have moved to the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia. Many of them are also affiliated with RT, Russia's English-language state media sanctioned by a number of countries, including Australia. Analysis by SBS Examines found many of these individuals regularly appear virtually or in-person at the BJA's panel discussions, including the event where Shipton was presented with the "Voice of the World BRICS 2024" award. So although it's called the BRICS Journalists Association, I think you should think about it more broadly than that. Patrick Warren, Clemson University "I'm gonna call them kind of oddball, unusual journalists, " Prof Warren said. Prof Warren added that in a few cases, some of the individuals have affiliations with relatively mainstream media outlets. "In the cases of more Western-oriented journalists, these tend to be journalists who don't have any sort of mainstream media credentials at all." SBS Examines sent a request for comment to Mira Terada, but she did not respond by the time of publication. 'I have a knack and a talent for it' In Australia, Simeon Boikov, also known as Aussie Cossack, "has been tightly linked to the R-FBI for quite a long time," Prof Warren told SBS Examines, adding that Boikov was often the first person to share misinformation narratives linked to R-RBI and Storm-1516. Prof Warren said that "rather than just being one amongst many, [Boikov] was the guy that was breaking this story every time. "Then we find out the whole history about him fleeing to the embassy and hiding out. Of course, that made us a little more suspicious." Boikov has repeatedly claimed he is being persecuted for exercising free speech and sharing his political views. Sentenced to 10 months in prison for breaching a suppression order and naming an alleged paedophile at an anti-lockdown rally in May 2022, Boikov told SBS Examines his sentence was "extreme government persecution ... payback for my opinions, for my outspoken position". Boikov successfully appealed the sentence and was released early. In December 2022, while on parole, he was charged with assaulting a 76-year-old man at a pro-Ukraine rally in Sydney. He was granted conditional bail ahead of the trial, and reportedly fled to the Russian consulate, where he still resides over two years later. Boikov claims the alleged assault was "self-defense ... not a serious crime", and said he had no faith in the Australian legal system to prosecute the case fairly. In July 2024, French security officials alleged that Russian actors could be behind fake videos warning of imminent violent attacks by Palestinian militants during the Paris Olympic Games. France24 reported allegations some of the videos were published on X by Boikov's since-suspended account, '@aussiecossack'. In April 2024, ABC's Investigations team alleged that Boikov was "one of the key figures" spreading misinformation about the Bondi Junction stabbing attack, falsely claiming the offender was a Jewish man and stoking antisemitism. In October that year, allegations that Boikov had paid US-based bloggers to post fake videos of Kamala Harris ahead of the US presidential election. In late December 2024, Boikov volunteered to be swapped for Oscar Jenkins, an Australian man captured by the Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine. At the time of publication, Boikov remains in the Russian consulate in Sydney. In a phone call with SBS Examines, Simeon Boikov said he has never been contracted by Mira Terada or R-FBI. "I get plenty of different contracts on and off. But if they're formal state media affiliated contracts, I declare them and I put them on the transparency register. "If it's just some type of private thing, then I'm not obliged to declare that. And that's my legal advice from my lawyers also," Boikov said. He went on to add that apart from contract work, he does "a lot of independent work" and considers himself an independent journalist. "Because even the money that they would pay me, the Russian state media, it's peanuts to me. "It's like a symbolic thing. It's not a high-paying thing. You don't go there for the money." Collaborating with Russian state media is more of a patriotic thing. I'm a dual citizen, a Russian citizen. I've got a homeland in Australia, I've got a homeland in Russia. Simeon Boikov, also known as Aussie Cossack Boikov told SBS Examines that "no one regulates ever" what he does. "I'm never told what to write or what to say or what to publish or what to say in my broadcast. I have a knack and a talent for it myself, I have to admit." He said he has a team of people working for him from a range of countries, "networks and circles of employees who work as admins, editors, producers, tech guys, and influencers". "I never say no. When people send me anonymous things all the time through our feedback bot, through Telegram, tips, stories, leads, my team publishes. "Sometimes I wake up in the morning, I check my channels and there's 70 posts while I was asleep. I've got employees in India, in Pakistan, in Britain, in the Philippines, in the United States, in Canada, in Russia, in Belarus, where else? We've got people all over the place." Boikov confirmed to SBS Examines he has paid for "exclusive" content shared on his channels. "Sometimes people pay me, sometimes I pay people. I pay lots of people. I pay people through subscriptions, through all sorts of support buttons, 'buy me a coffee'. "That's normal in our business, in the social media world, because it's good to have good networks." He added that he has also sold clips to Sputnik, a Russian state media company, "many times in the past". "That's our industry. You know that as a journalist. I'm very open to everyone. You could say I'm not shy, I'm not averse, I pay first, ask questions later." When asked about the fake narratives he allegedly broke first, Boikov responded that the volume of content he posts is "a lot," and he and his team are not obliged "to go and investigate everything". "The news cycle is so fast and so instant, and often Telegram channels, such as my own, actually are first to report, even before the mainstream media news. Especially when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine war there. "Now, being in front of the news cycle means if we're unsure, we can say this is unverified. 'This is unconfirmed, breaking'. Or we can say — 'can anyone confirm this?'" He added that he believes if mainstream media hasn't debunked his posts, it means they are correct. When asked what his relationship is with Mira Terada, he said he had never met her in-person and called her "a very talented journalist". SBS News 20/02/2024 10:39 'Fascistic' elites in Australia A few days before the 16th BRICS summit, Mira Terada appeared titled "The decline of freedom of speech in the West: State censorship as a tool for suppressing pluralism". The discussion was organised jointly with Rossiya Segodnya, a Russian state media organisation whose director Dmitriy Kiselyov is subject to sanctions in Australia. All three invited guests appearing in person alongside Terada were Australian: John Shipton, Adrian McRae, and legal expert Augusto Zimmermann from Western Australia. The moderator of the panel said they had been brought to Russia by Terada and the BJA. During the discussion, Shipton expressed sympathy towards Europeans, whose civilisation he said is in decline. As an example, Shipton mentioned the "spread of perversities where it is believed that a man can have a baby, from a back hole not a front hole". Councillor Adrian McRae said that government censorship in Australia is so severe he had "to travel to Russia to actually say things that, if I dared say back in my own country, in Australia, [I] would risk serious persecution and in many cases even potential arrest and jail time". McRae had already made headlines in Australia earlier the same year, when he travelled to Russia for the presidential elections, which he praised in an interview with local press as "democratic and transparent". He concluded his presentation to the BRICS panel discussion by thanking Russia. "I hope and pray that Russia and the BRICS nations do continue to hold onto the reverence of the ideals of free speech. Because certainly we see it rapidly deteriorating across the West. And if it disappears here as well, then God help what happens to the rest of the world," he said. Augusto Zimmermann was the last to present. He called himself "a warrior for free speech" and said that "things have gotten completely out of control" in regards to freedom of speech in Australia. I can tell you that the behaviour of the elites in Australia is absolutely fascistic. They are suppressing diverse opinions…and those who dare to disagree will face severe punishments, severe persecution. Augusto Zimmermann "They are already establishing laws that will indeed not only destroy a person's life, removing him from his professional activities. But potentially even sending people to jail for the crime of opinion. Which is very typical of totalitarian regimes." SBS Examines approached Adrien McRae and Augusto Zimmermann to request further comment regarding their claims during the panel discussion about the deterioration of free speech and the risk of persecution in Australia. Neither McRae nor Zimmermann responded to these requests. SBS Examines also sent requests to John Shipton, Adrien McRae and Augusto Zimmermann asking whether they were paid for their trips to Russia, and whether they received legal advice before the trips. They did not respond to the requests in time for publication. Australians Augusto Zimmermann, John Shipton and Adrian McRae appear alongside head of R-FBI, Mira Terada, at a panel discussion in Moscow ahead of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia Credit: @voiceofrightness/Mira Terada, Telegram The Australian Government continues to advise against travel to Russia due to the dangerous security situation, the impacts of the military conflict with Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary detention or arrest. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) does not comment on specific matters, but in a statement to SBS Examines, a spokesperson for DFAT said: "The Australian Government has joined international partners in expressing serious concerns about Russia's continued use of disinformation globally, including efforts to justify its illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine. "The Australian Government has clearly and consistently advised Australians not to travel to Russia since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022." Senate committee urging action In October 2024, a Senate inquiry into Australia's aid to Ukraine published a report urging action against Russian propaganda. The Senate committee referred to submissions discussing the presence of Telegram channels, run by supporters of Russia and based in Australia, spreading Russian propaganda. According to the committee, reporting of these channels to authorities was "falling on deaf ears". When questioned by the committee, a representative of the Department of Home Affairs said it was aware of "a range of different misinformation campaigns", and that it was coordinating across all national intelligence agencies to counter those activities. "It is clear that Russia is not being held to account for its dissemination of propaganda," the report concluded. The committee is of the view that the Australian government must take concrete steps to curtail the effects of disinformation on public debate on the conflict. Senate inquiry report into Australian support for Ukraine The committee recommended that the Australian Government should "ensure relevant agencies are appropriately resourced to identify and address foreign interference and disinformation activities in Australia, including from Russian actors, and to respond to community and diaspora concerns regarding these activities". to the Senate committee report, the Australian government agreed to the recommendation, saying that "Australia has robust and tested frameworks and safeguards in place to protect its democratic institutions at the federal, state and territory, and local level". It listed several steps it takes in this regard, including the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce, AFP Community Liaison Teams and the Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce. It added that the Australian government, through the Department of Home Affairs, has established the Community Interference Cross Agency Engagement Program, that coordinates engagement with eleven identified at risk communities. "The Department of Home Affairs has engaged with the Ukrainian community at their request, under this program," the response read. SBS Examines asked ASIO whether it was aware of foreign organisations paying local actors to spread Russian disinformation in Australia, and what steps the agency was taking to combat Russian disinformation in Australia. The agency's spokesperson referred SBS Examines to Home Affairs. A Home Affairs spokesperson did not provide a statement, noting that the Australian Government is currently in a caretaker period until a new government is sworn in, following the upcoming federal election.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
Former Air Force Commander Punished with 21 Days' Confinement, Forfeiture of Pay After Guilty Plea
A former commander at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio was sentenced to 21 days in confinement and forfeiture of pay after he pleaded guilty to having an inappropriate relationship with a staff sergeant despite being ordered by superiors to stop. Col. Christopher Meeker, the former commander of Wright-Patterson's 88th Air Base Wing, was sentenced Tuesday evening after entering a guilty plea to violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including Article 90, willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer, and Article 134, fraternization. As part of his plea agreement, the government dismissed a specification of extramarital sexual conduct that he was previously charged with. Col. Matthew Stoffel, the judge in the case, sentenced Meeker to 21 days' confinement at the Ohio base, as well as reprimand and forfeiture of $7,000 of pay per month for two months, a news release from Air Force Materiel Command said. Read Next: Vehicle Incident at Border Kills 2 Marines, Injures Another; Investigation Underway A UCMJ legal expert told that the case is significant, noting that it's quite uncommon for those types of cases to end in imprisonment and adding they often are settled with administrative and nonjudicial punishment. "There was something extra egregious here," Eric Carpenter, a former military lawyer who is now a law professor at Florida International University, told in an interview Wednesday. "The jail time really probably reflected the egregiousness of the violation of the orders." Meeker had been removed from his command of the 88th Air Base Wing on Dec. 29, 2023, by Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton, the commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. But the behavior that led to the court-martial took place after Meeker's time in that leadership position, the base said in the news release. "Air Force prosecutors said Meeker fraternized by engaging in a personal and sexual relationship with a staff sergeant," the news release from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base said. "He also disobeyed Shipton's direct order to discontinue all electronic and personal contact with the enlisted airman by continuing the relationship." Meeker was eventually charged Oct. 25 with violations of three articles of the UCMJ. Shipton had transferred the case to 18th Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Charles Bolton, who served as the convening authority, due to potentially being called as a witness in the case. Notably, Meeker opted to waive an Article 32 pre-trial hearing and, upon entering a guilty plea Tuesday, "permanently waived his right to present evidence and had to explain why he was guilty." Meeker did not answer a phone call or text messages sent to a number listed for him in public records Wednesday. Wright-Patterson detailed that Meeker said he "willfully disobeyed" an in-person and electronic no-contact offer and that he acted "selfishly, for my own personal happiness." Meeker marks the latest Air Force officer in recent years to plead guilty during court-martial proceedings. Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart, the former commander of the 19th Air Force, faced a court-martial last year after being accused of sexual assault and other allegations by a subordinate. He pleaded guilty to some of the lesser charges and was found not guilty of sexual assault. Former Maj. Gen. William Cooley, previously the commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, was convicted in 2022 of forcibly kissing his sister-in-law and then retired as a colonel. Related: 2-Star Air Force General Pleads Guilty to Unprofessional Relationship, Adultery as Sexual Assault Trial Begins
