Life without parole

AUSTRALIAN TERRORIST IMPRISONED FOR LIFE

Following a four-day hearing in a New Zealand high court, the 29-year-old Australian terrorist responsible for the Christchurch mosque massacres has received life without parole after pleading guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one of engaging in a terrorist act.

As the New Zealand Herald and Stuff report, Justice Cameron Mander yesterday handed handed down the harshest sentence in the country’s history to a man “empty of any empathy”, “detached” and “entirely self-absorbed”, while highlighting that victims’ families — 91 of whom had read impact statements this week — are now “living their own sentence”.

Now, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has demanded Australia take back the terrorist to serve out his life sentence on home soil, a valid request given the man was radicalised here and, post-2014, Australia automatically deports anyone sentenced to cumulative 12 months or more.

A TAYLOR-MADE DEFINITION

As RenewEconomy reports, Energy Minister Angus Taylor has sought to expand the Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s investment remit — which, until now, excludes fossil fuels — to include gas projects.

The amendment forms part of legislation to establish the Morrison government’s $1 billion Grid Reliability Fund, which would be administered but not funded by the CEFC and is currently considering six renewable projects, one gas, and one coal-fired station by Coalition donor Trevor St Baker.

Elsewhere, The Guardian reports that a coalition of unlikely business-farming-environmental groups — including the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Industry Group, the National Farmers’ Federation, the Australian Aluminium Council and the ACTU — have released a statement slamming Australia as “woefully unprepared” for climate change and calling on the Morrison government to create a stronger (i.e. existent) emissions policy.

PS: For perspective on Taylor’s investment priorities since taking on the role in late 2018, check out RenewEconomy’s latest analysis; investment for new wind and solar farms has fallen from new-record highs to near record lows, with just three new projects closed in the last quarter — 90% of which came from a single solar farm courtesy of the Queensland government.

MORRISON TO RESCUE CITIZENS TRAPPED BY MORRISON

In COVID-19 headlines:

• According to The Age, the Morrison government is drawing up a “rescue plan” for stranded overseas citizens who have previously been barred from returning due to “strict caps on international arrivals”
• The ABC reports that Victoria Police wanted private security guards used in the state’s hotel quarantine program
• Epidemiologists speaking with The Sydney Morning Herald flag that, with just 30% of Sydney residents seen wearing masks in August (via CCTV footage), the state should make them mandatory on public transport
• In a speech at News Corps’ bush summit in NSW today, the Herald Sun ($) reports that Scott Morrison will call for an end to Victoria’s hard border for neighbouring residents not deemed essential workers or who haven’t otherwise been granted exemptions.

PS: And in yet another win for centrism, The Guardian reports that Anthony Albanese has slammed for-profit aged care providers, but stopped short of pledging to nationalise the sector and only said Labor would form its policy following the royal commission.

[free_worm]

UNITY THROUGH *CHECKS NOTES* DIVISION?

In an address at the National Press Club today, Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge will outline harsher values tests for would-be citizens (The Sydney Morning Herald) and hit out at foreign governments “exploiting” Australia’s multicultural communities (ABC).

The speech is called “A united Australia: Safeguarding our social cohesion and keeping Australians together in a time of COVID”, a slightly ironic title given his core policy contribution until now amounts to trying to take mobile phones off detained migrants.

THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

Just watch the job they try and do on this guy.

James Morrow

The opinion editor of The Daily Telegraph decries reports into the alleged BLM shooter’s history as a Trump supporter. Good thing the guy isn’t accused of anything worthy of mass media attention, like working for the ABC while supporting Islam or protesting offshore detention.

CRIKEY RECAP

‘Ignorance, incompetence, misinformation’: how did Victoria’s sexual assault laws go backwards?

Amber Schultz

Aug 27, 2020

16

“Victoria’s new sexual assault laws have gone backwards, gagging survivors from speaking out against their convicted abusers.

“The timing is bizarre: for the last few years, campaigners have successfully advocated law reform that allows sexual assault victims to publicly reveal their identities — most recently in the NT and Tasmania.”

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Nice work, Tehan. Knocking off our Western heritage without even knowing it

Guy Rundle

Aug 27, 2020

38

“The classics department of Sydney University was established in 1850, that of Melbourne University in 1855. They are older than the unified nations of Germany and Italy, of the city of Budapest, of Berlin and Manchester as anything more than towns; of the knowledge of dinosaurs, the works of Charles Darwin, the writing of Tolstoy, the sculpture of Rodin, of all except six British universities.”

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‘It’s baffling to us’: Uyghurs don’t understand why their people need ‘re-education’

David Hardaker

Aug 27, 2020

31

“The woman leading the call for mining magnate Andrew Forrest to use his position of influence and speak out against the Chinese government’s treatment of the Uyghur population is Meyassar Ablat, whose parents emigrated to Australia in 1985.

“Ablat was four years old when the family arrived and settled in Adelaide. In her words she has ‘had her kids’ and is now vice president of the East Turkistan Australian Association, an organisation co-founded by her father to support the community across Australia and, more recently, to ‘stand up and fight’ for the Uyghurs trapped in their homeland in the north-west of China.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

More than 100 Aboriginal sacred sites – some dating before the Ice Age – could be destroyed by mining companies

Coronavirus vaccines are being fast-tracked and calming fears over safety is vital

The Early Years: Investing in Our Future report shows more than 20 per cent of WA kids under five in poverty ($)

Satellite imagery reveals, in precise detail, extent of NSW bushfire destruction across Black Summer

Google lobbying Labor and crossbench to oppose ACCC news media code

Daniel Andrews’ eyes wide shut on Chinese spy threat ($)

Former Greens leader Richard Di Natale on COVID, climate and his successor

Sports rorts: 70% of grants from separate fund went to Coalition seats, Greens say

Naomi Osaka pulls out of Cincinnati event as sporting boycott grows

Hong Kong teachers told classrooms no longer safe

Authorities finally give their first version of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, three days later

THE COMMENTARIAT

The Christchurch mosque survivors have to find a way to move on – but New Zealand must not — Mohamed Hassan (The Guardian): “Grief is a messy and fragile thing. It invades a person’s life without warning and consumes everything, an uninvited guest demanding attention. We seek assurance and grounding from those around us, our communities, our families, but for the most part, it is a solitary ordeal. Most grieving happens in the quietest of moments, when we are alone.”

Our Clive Palmer law will save taxpayers billions ($) — John Quigley (The Australian): “It’s an unfortunate fact that while many Australians do not have the financial resources to have their disputes decided in a court, others have the means to joke that litigation is a hobby. Such is the case with Queensland billionaire Clive Palmer, who has launched numerous actions against the state of Western Australia in numerous jurisdictions.”

Rio’s latest mistake: Putting a price on the priceless — Elizabeth Knight (The Sydney Morning Herald): “The biggest problem with this week’s response from Rio Tinto to its management-made destruction of an archaeological treasure is that it put a $7 million price on destroying something that was priceless. Three senior executives, including the chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques, had a portion of their bonuses docked and were absolved of any blame because, as Rio says, the mistakes had been made collectively over a number of years under different management regimes.”

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Canberra

• Hearings will be held for parliamentary inquiries into the destruction of the Juukan Gorge and, separately, COVID-19 and law enforcement.

Cooma, NSW

• Scott Morrison, Anthony Albanese, Gladys Berejiklian and others will speak at The Daily Telegraph’s second bush summit, which will examine issues including regionalisation of the workforce, COVID-19 recovery, and drought.

America

• Donald Trump will address the final day of the Republican National Convention.