Thursday 18 June 2015

People smugglers paid by Australian spy, Indonesia police documents allege | Australia news | The Guardian

 "New documents allege an Asis officer paid $US31,000 to people smugglers after customs authorities escorted their boat back to Indonesian waters"



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Labor hypocrites have a death wish on border control and security

 "To fully appreciate why Bill Shorten's approval numbers have sunk to Gillardesque levels in the polls, and why his opposition has had an appalling week on national security, it pays to remember four things."



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Australia to spend millions on growing threat of cyber attacks

"FEDERAL Government will invest tens of millions of dollars and employ dozens of “cyber warriors” as it moves to combat the growing threat from cyber attacks."



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Cyber attack on US government personnel data

 "The massive cyber attack that has unfolded in the United States over the last two weeks is hugely damaging, both to the lives of many millions of current and former US government employees whose personal information was stolen and to their nation’s interests."



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Technical Lead / Senior Software Developer - Australian Signals Directorate Job in ACT - SEEK

 "The Australian Signals Directorate is looking for Software Engineers with a range of experience levels from university graduates to seasoned professionals. We are looking for enthusiastic, motivated individuals to join our Agile development team to help shape the future of computer network operations within the Australian Signals Directorate."



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 CPA - The Guardian - #1689

"The United States Pine Gap satellite tracking station, 19 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs, was built in 1966 and came on line soon after. A new report * by leading espionage experts has revealed that there has been a massive expansion of satellite communications surveillance capabilities by the US National Security Agency and its Five Eyes partners – the Australian Signals Directorate, the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters, Canada’s Communications Security Establishment and New Zealand’s Government Communications Security Bureau."



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Australia needs MOAR L33T WHITE HATZ, says Federal Police • The Register

"Australia needs a bunch more experts in disciplines you're barely allowed to discuss here, according to the Australian Federal Police."



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Minister no longer deny payment to people smugglers - The West Australian

"Cabinet ministers no longer deny that people smugglers were paid to return a boatload of asylum seekers to Indonesia, amid the prospect of three inquiries into the affair."



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Cash for boats a new deal: Wilkie

 "A FORMER intelligence analyst says the practice of paying cash to people smugglers is a recent and unhelpful development."



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Australia's first Cyber budget? - Government News

 "The latest federal Budget is the first to explicitly earmark funds to address the issues of fighting cyber crime and cyber terrorism. Security specialist Craig Richardson welcomes the move, but cautions it means government agencies now face a challenge to ensure the money is spent effectively."



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Tuesday 16 June 2015

Indonesia's Vice President calls Australia's alleged payment of people smugglers 'bribery' as country demands the allegations are taken seriously | Daily Mail Online

"Indonesia's Vice President Jusuf Kalla has said that Australia's alleged payment of people smugglers amounts to 'bribery'."



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Spies, police have paid Indonesian informers for years | The Australian

"Australian spies and police working inside Indonesia have been involved in a secret war against people-smugglers since 2001, including using paid informers to help destroy the trade."



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John Key in the dark over Aussie government people smuggler payout claims

 "Prime Minister John Key says he has no knowledge of whether the Australian Government paid around NZ$33,000 for a people-smuggling boat to turn around."



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Australian 'spies' may have 'paid people smugglers to turn their boats around' - 9news.com.au

"Australian spies may have paid people smugglers to turn their boats around as part of a covert operation, according to a shocking new revelation by a senior intelligence source."



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Catching Up on the OPM Breach — Krebs on Security

 "As part of my visit to Australia (and then to gorgeous New Zealand) these past few weeks, I was invited to speak at two separate security conferences. At one of them, my talk was preceded by a speech from Mike Burgess, chief information security officer at Telstra, Australia’s largest telecom provider. Burgess knows a few things about attribution: He is an 18-year veteran of the Australian Signals Directorate (formerly the Defence Signals Directorate and the Australian equivalent of the U.S. National Security Agency)."



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A move towards cyber resilience in a world without borders - CSO | The Resource for Data Security Executives





"Late last year, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission chairperson, Greg Medcraft called for Australia to focus on "cyber resilience" to prevent destabilisation of financial markets. Coincidentally, a day later, the Australian Government announced the formation of a cyber security expert panel to review the nation’s cyber security efforts. This came in the wake of the Australian Signals Directorate reporting a 37 per cent increase in cyber security incidents on the previous year."



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Monday 15 June 2015

ASIS' crime, and the Labor-Liberal cover-up - Echonetdaily



"The lawyer at the centre of the East Timor cabinet-bugging scandal has finally broken his silence to defend himself and his client against attacks by Attorney-General George Brandis and Abbott government lawyers."





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Aussie spies may have paid people smugglers | dailytelegraph.com.au





"AUSTRALIAN spies may have been involved in paying people smugglers to turn their boats around as part of a classified­ operation to disrupt their movements, a senior intelligence­ source revealed."



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Saturday 13 June 2015

MUSLIMS IN AUSTRALIA are outraged that Prime Minister Tony Abbott has proposed revoking Australian citizenship of jihadis who join the Islamic State (ISIS) - Walid Shoebat

 "MUSLIMS IN AUSTRALIA Are Outraged That Prime Minister Tony Abbott Has Proposed Revoking Australian Citizenship Of Jihadis Who Join The Islamic State (ISIS)"



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Australia called to Hague on Timor Gap | The Saturday Paper

 "With its defence department gearing up to join the Americans in the occasional defiant flyover of the new Chinese artificial islands in the South China Sea, the Australian government finds itself on the same side of the dock as the Chinese in international maritime law proceedings."



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ISIS Goes Nuclear

 "An alarming report comes from the Australian Intelligence community: The radical Islam terrorist group ISIS has collected enough nuclear material to assemble a “dirty” bomb. Said material was likely seized from captured government facilities in Iraq including hospitals and research labs."



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Security concerns must be followed to the letter | The Australian

 "It is natural for ministers to defend their own fiefdoms but not always wise to take the fight too far."



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Thursday 11 June 2015

Australia defends Jakarta envoy s return after executions - The West Australian

"Indonesia executed Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran by firing squad in April, ignoring impassioned pleas from the Australian government and public."



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Recalled ambassador Paul Grigson returns to Indonesia

"Australia's ambassador to Indonesia has returned to Jakarta five weeks after he was recalled by the Federal government to express its anger over the Bali nine executions."



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Monday 8 June 2015

Stand against China from the middle ground | afr.com

"On April 17, 2001, three Royal Australian Navy (RAN) warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait. This was soon after a Chinese fighter collided with a US EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft, forcing it to land on Hainan Island in the South China Sea. "



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Australian government vilifies human rights commissioner - World Socialist Web Site

"For the second time in four months, the Abbott government has denounced Australian Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs for criticising the extensive violations of basic legal and democratic rights by successive Australian governments."



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In Terror Fight, Australia Debates Revoking Citizenship | The Diplomat

 "A controversial proposal would strip would-be terrorists of citizenship. Will that help?"



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Land tax can be unfair

 "In the current enthusiasm for depriving Australians of their citizenship through a minister advised by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, it has been overlooked that most of those young volunteers for the caliphate are likely to have been born in Australia and tohave no guarantee of citizenship anywhere else."



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Timor-Leste presses ahead with challenge to Timor Sea oil and gas treaty | World news | The Guardian

"Timor-Leste is set to resume a formal challenge against an oil and gas treaty that became mired in controversy following claims Australia bugged the cabinet room in Dili to gain the upper hand in negotiations."



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Friday 5 June 2015

Monis letter wasn’t referred to inquiry admits Julie Bishop | The Australian

"Labor legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus said Senator Brandis should have referred Monis to the Australian Federal Police or the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation when the self-styled sheikh wrote about contacting the “caliph” of the terrorist group."



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Aussie spy agency prepares for ICT upgrade - Computerworld

 "The Australian Secret Intelligence Service has set the wheels in motion for its mammoth ICT upgrade program."



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Thursday 4 June 2015

East Timor 'reactivates' bid for new maritime boundary with Australia

"An espionage operation by Australia's foreign spy service underpins a new bid by East Timor to establish a maritime boundary between the two countries and gain a bigger share of the lucrative Timor Sea oil and gas fields."



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Tuesday 2 June 2015

Tackling the human problem of security - Security - iTnews.com.au

"The former cyber chief for the Defence Signals Directorate set out to change the mindset within Telstra when he joined in February 2013, a mammoth task given the size of the telco and its exposure to security threats thanks to the very nature of its business."



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Monday 1 June 2015

Pine Gap’s new spy role revealed

"Central Australia's Pine Gap spy base has taken on a new electronic surveillance role, making it a "multi-purpose mega-intelligence centre," as Australia and our allies massively increase interception of global satellite communications, a new report by leading espionage experts has revealed. "



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