Nambucca River ALP

21/08/2026

👏👏👏👏👏👏

Aged care services are critical supports that must be protected, strengthened and properly resourced.

This CHSP extension by the Albanese federal government provides certainty to 830,000 older Australians, their families, and communities who rely on these services, including many in regional, rural, and remote communities.

14/08/2026

I was born into an Australia where domestic violence was seen as a private issue, not a crime.

Where women were regularly asked “what were you wearing?” when they were r***d.

I remember watching my mother open our home to friends in the night. Women terrified of their husbands, worried about the safety of their children.

Politicians argued that funding refuges would destroy the family - as if it was the escape from violence that was breaking up families, not the violence itself.

I went to school with girls who were sexually assaulted who wouldn’t dream of telling their parents or police because they were sure they’d get in trouble. Not the boys who did it.

Decades of advocacy has helped chip away at the culture which sees women silenced or intimidated.

But the 45 women killed this year, the rising rates of sexual violence among under 18s, and the misogynistic abuse that is driving teachers out of classrooms today, are all devastating reminders that while there has been progress – we’ve got a really long way to go.

Over the past few months, I’ve heard from victim-survivors, frontline workers and advocates to better understand the gaps in our systems.

We’ve held over 160 roundtables across the country where thousands of people have shared their stories.

Their generosity and knowledge is helping our government build the next phase of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children.

Many reinforced what we already know: that we have to confront the drivers of this violence, not simply deal with its symptoms.

That means investing in prevention and early intervention; focusing on children; and staying ahead of new frontiers of tech-facilitated abuse.

We’re not waiting to act. This week alone Clare O'Neil announced a $308 million package for emergency and transitional housing for women and children escaping violence.

While governments can and must lead this work, it falls on all of us to hold those who use violence to account.

Every one of us can be the decent and loving role model our children and teenagers need.

Violence is learnt, as are love and respect.

We can change this story if we act collectively.

13/08/2026

Cutting off somebody's income for four weeks is unfair, harmful and serves no purpose other than to cruelly punish people who are experiencing poverty, especially when these punishments are part of a system that has a troubling history of unlawfulness.

That's why advocacy organisations and Members of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations’ Targeted Compliance Framework Reference Group are speaking out. They strongly oppose compulsory activities for people on Centrelink payments and the Government’s plans to restart some payment cancellations and suspensions under the problematic framework.

The lessons of the Targeted Compliance Framework are clear: punitive financial penalties cause harm, deepen poverty and undermine trust. Building a better employment services system requires leaving behind failed and coercive policies such as compulsory activities and investing instead in proper support and genuine pathways to employment.

Along with NATSILS - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services, The Antipoverty Centre and Economic Justice Australia, we call on the Government to:

1️⃣Remove the Targeted Compliance Framework immediately, including payment suspensions and financial penalties.

2️⃣Provide full back-pay and compensation to every person affected by unlawful decisions.

Read more: https://www.acoss.org.au/media-releases/?media_release=advocacy-organisations-oppose-plans-to-revive-harmful-welfare-penalties

09/08/2026

Kangaroo Court of Australia is an independent publisher of news, led by Shane Dowling.

Arnold Bloch Leibler
Senator James Paterson earns his Israeli $$$ by publicly attacking antisemitism Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell
Australian Senator James Paterson has made a frivolous and vexatious attack on antisemitism Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell for the benefit of Israeli supporting Jewish Zionists, which has nothing to do with Paterson’s role as an Australian Senator.

I accused Senator James Paterson of being on Israel’s payroll in an article published only a few weeks ago on the 16th of July 2026 titled “Israel bribes Liberal Senator James Paterson with free legal services from Arnold Bloch Leibler and Angus Taylor’s Israel trip”, which starts off:

Liberal Party Senator James Paterson is the latest politician to take a bribe from Israel via free legal services from Israeli-aligned law firm Arnold Block Leibler, who have offices in Melbourne and Sydney.

Arnold Bloch Leibler is home to Zionists Mark Leibler and his son Jeremy Leibler, who is also President of the Zionist Federation of Australia.

And right on cue, Senator Paterson does Israel’s bidding by attacking antisemitism Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell, which helps prove my allegation.

The reason for the attack? Because Jewish groups weren’t happy with the way one of their witnesses was cross-examined in the witness box.

As it turns out, Israeli-aligned law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler is representing numerous Jewish groups at the Royal Commission, with their website saying:

A group of organisations that together represent Australia’s mainstream Jewish communal organisations at both national and state level have appointed Arnold Bloch Leibler, working with senior counsel, to represent them before the Royal Commission.

Some of the organisations are: Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBOD), Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV), Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA), National Council of Jewish Women of Australia (NCJWA), The Dor Foundation (Dor), Australia Israel Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC).

Having Arnold Bloch Leibler represent Jewish organisations is the same as having Israel running their legal team at the Royal Commission.

Australian Jews are not happy to be cross-examined at the Royal Commission

Every day in courts and legal inquiries around Australia and the world, witnesses are cross-examined which is what helps courts and other legal proceedings make true and just decisions.

Cross-examinations often become aggressive, with witnesses being accused of lying and deceiving.

But some Australian Jews became very upset when one of their witnesses was cross-examined by a barrister representing Palestinian groups.

The Guardian reported (5/8/26):

Ragni Mathur SC, counsel for Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, asked a Jewish leader about the timeline of Israel’s response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack in the context of a protest held at the Sydney Opera House two days later.

Alex Ryvchin, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s co-chief executive, told the Australian newspaper it was “deeply concerning that these groups predictably used the opportunity to hijack an examination of lethal antisemitism for their clickbait theatrics and gratuitous slurs against Israel”.

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, later told News24 Mathur’s questioning was “disappointing”.

Alex Ryvchin didn’t like the cross-examination of Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip, which was restricted to one paragraph of his witness statement, so he ran off to Rupert Murdoch’s The Australian and said the Royal Commission has been hijacked.

Saying the Royal Commission has been hijacked is in effect saying Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell in incompetent for allowing it to happen.

And then NSW Premier Chris Minns chips in by saying to Rupert Murdoch’s News24 (formerly Sky News) the “questioning was “disappointing”.

But there is more, Senator James Paterson reposted a message from Rupert Murdoch’s Sharri Markson which also attacks Royal Commission Virginia Bell and Paterson adds his own attack.

Sharri Markson said on “X” (Formerly Twitter):

Commissioner Virginia Bell allowed the lawyers representing the Palestinian advocacy groups to cross-examine David Ossip about the actions of the Israeli government while he was giving evidence about the fear, trauma and antisemitism experienced by Australian Jews.

This was a profound perversion where a witness appearing before the Royal Commission was placed in the position of answering for the conduct of a foreign government.

This is victim-blaming – and the Royal Commission outrageously allowed it to unfold.

Worse still, allowing this line of questioning plays into the dangerous narrative that Australian Jews are legitimate proxies for Israel and may be blamed, challenged or held collectively accountable for events in the Middle East.

This conflation is at the heart of the antisemitism crisis that has swept Australia since October 7.

And it happened on the Royal Commission’s watch. (Click here to read more)

Sharri Markson is a major league Israeli government propagandist and it’s worth noting she says “allowing this line of questioning plays into the dangerous narrative that Australian Jews are legitimate proxies for Israel”

Sharri Markson says she is Jewish, and she had a private meeting with wanted war criminal Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in October 2024 which is very unusual. Why a private meeting for a journalist?

Since then, Sharri Markson has done a couple of soft interviews with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with one in August 2025 receiving widespread criticism by Australian journalists and its own Media Watch segment, as per below.

Senator James Paterson reposted Sharri Markson’s comment and added:

The Royal Commission is supposed to combat anti-semitism, not facilitate it. Cross-examining an Australian Jew about the actions of the Israeli government is an abuse of the process.

It should not happen again and David Ossip deserves an apology.

Who does Senator James Paterson suggest should apologise to David Ossip, and for what? Having to answer questions under cross-examination at a Royal Commission?

The ABC in their article titled “Royal commissioner denies pro-Palestinian groups tried to ‘hijack’ antisemitism inquiry” quoted Senator James Paterson’s above comment on “X” which shows the value to Israel by having a Senator on the payroll.

I responded to James Paterson’s comment on “X” with a link to my article accusing him of being bribed by Israel, which he hasn’t responded to.

If there was a genuine legal basis to stop Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip from being cross-examined or certain questions stopped, then it would have been stopped by the lawyers representing the Jewish organisations, such as Arnold Bloch Leibler.

But it was not stopped because there was no legal basis to stop it, so Arnold Bloch Leibler’s client Alex Ryvchin, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s co-chief executive, ran off to Rupert Murdoch’s media.

Then other Murdoch media pushed the same lies with the help of NSW Premier Chris Minns.

And finally we have Senator James Paterson, who receives free legal services from the Israeli-aligned law firm Arnold Block Leibler, pushing the same lies by promoting the lies of Israeli and Rupert Murdoch propagandist Sharri Markson and then adding his own lies.

It looks like Arnold Block Leibler, on behalf of Israel, couldn’t influence the Royal Commission how they would like inside the hearing room, so they decided to try to influence the Royal Commissioner outside the hearing room with the help of Rupert Murdoch and their paid puppet Senator James Paterson.

There is nothing that Senator James Paterson has done, as outlined above, that is in Australia’s interest, and Liberal politicians wonder why they are tanking in the polls.