Penny Wong talks tough

WONG ON THE WORLD STAGE

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has met with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, the first such visit by an Australian since 2019. Although she had warned Australians not to expect immediate breakthroughs, she reportedly didn’t shy away from tough topics. She urged the release of detained Australians Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun, the easing of Chinese trade “blockages” against Australian exports, and stressed the need for China to ­respect human rights and international rules. She said after the meeting — organised to coincide with the 50th anniversary of official China-Australia diplomatic relations — that the pair had had a “good discussion”. For his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping marked the date by sending a message to Governor-General David Hurley, saying he attached “great importance to the development of China-Australia relations and I am willing to work with the Australian side”.

Elsewhere in statecraft, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is making his first trip outside his besieged country since it was invaded by Russia in February. He’s headed to Washington for talks with US President Joe Biden and to address Congress. He is seeking “weapons, weapons and more weapons”.

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LEHRMANN LAWYERS UP

Lawyers acting on behalf of former Liberal political staffer Bruce Lehrmann have sent legal letters to various media outlets, including the Ten Network and News Corp, over their coverage of rape allegations made by his former colleague Brittany Higgins. Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting Higgins in March 2019. His trial — having already been delayed on account of media coverage — was eventually aborted in October due to a juror conducting “their own research”. The case against Lehrmann was ultimately dropped, with ACT director of public prosecutions Shane Drumgold expressing concerns about the effect of another trial on Higgins’ mental health.

Further, several outlets “understand” that Lehrmann himself has written to the ACT Bar Association alleging Drumgold is guilty of serious misconduct. This follows the announcement of a public inquiry into authorities’ involvement with the case, after Drumgold complained that police had attempted to influence the trial and pressure him into not prosecuting Lehrmann. Lehrmann’s lawyers have said he “welcomes” an inquiry.

Elsewhere in media news, the ABC has hit out at the Australian Communications and Media Authority after the media watchdog concluded a year-long investigation into a piece examining the role Fox News played in spreading former US president Donald Trump’s baseless claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The ACMA, having investigated following a complaint from Fox, said the ABC had misled its audience by omitting relevant information in two instances. Fox has welcomed the decision, but the ABC has issued a statement, strongly defending its journalism and arguing the decision “will have negative consequences for the future production of strong public interest journalism”.

QUEENSLAND POLICE COMMEMORATED

About 8000 people, including police from Queensland, Australia and New Zealand, gathered in Brisbane on Wednesday to honour Constable Rachel McCrow and Constable Matthew Arnold, the two police officers shot and killed in Wieambilla, Queensland — alongside civilian Alan Dare — earlier this month. McCrow and Arnold were posthumously awarded the National Police Service Medal and the National Medal,  the Queensland Police Service Medal and the Queensland Police Valour Medal in a ceremony attended by many dignitaries including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

The murders have raised several questions, including why junior officers were sent to visit individuals who were known to police to be hostile and erratic, and how those individuals were able to amass their arsenal of weapons.

Editor’s note: today is Crikey’s last publishing day of the year. The Worm will be back in your inboxes from January 16.

SAY WHAT?

I hope that Santa brings us all some cannabis and maybe some reform on those outdated THC driving laws, too.

Brian Walker

WA’s Legalise Cannabis upper house MP has sent out his Christmas card, calling for, well… the policy his party is named after. Most notable are the visuals, which depict Walker being pulled over by the cops while driving a sleigh stuffed with the old jazz cabbage like he was some kind of spliffed-up Saint Nick. Happy Holi-Blaze to you too, Brian.

CRIKEY RECAP

Crikey’s 2022 Politician of the Year goes to the bloke who knows the virtue of patience

Bernard Keane

Dec 21, 2022

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“Albanese was patient, backed his political judgment, used the Rudd formula of keeping a small-target strategy where he didn’t want a fight and going large where he did want one, and when he stumbled, he admitted it, took guard again and waited for the next delivery. It’s hard for Labor to win elections from opposition in Australia against News Corp and a generally hostile media, which is why it happens so rarely, but now Albanese’s name’s on the list.

“That wouldn’t have counted for much if his prime ministership had started badly, but he cruised into office and kept his momentum going, looking more and more comfortable as he began delivering on his agenda with major legislation and a faultless performance internationally, backed a by a strong team that, Richard Marles apart, so far looks competent and productive.”

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Integrity was in tatters after the Morrison era. But is Labor doing enough to fix it?

Maeve McGregor

Dec 21, 2022

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“On Tuesday evening, 215 days into the term of the 47th Parliament of Australia, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said something that was both blindingly remarkable and unremarkable at the same time. ‘The former government left Australia’s privacy laws out-of-date and not fit-for-purpose,’ the attorney-general tweeted. ‘I’ve now received the review of the Privacy Act by my department, which I will carefully consider as I prepare to overhaul the act next year.’

“The familiarity of the announcement stems from the reality it is but the latest addition to the symphony of significant law reform pledges Dreyfus has announced since the election — some of which are complete, the rest under way.”

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Explainer: what crimes has Trump been accused of by the January 6 committee?

Leslie Cannold

Dec 21, 2022

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“The final meeting of the January 6 committee, which has been investigating the siege attack on the US Capitol in 2021, was gavelled out on Tuesday morning.

“It delivered what most people expected, given where the evidence presented over the previous nine public hearings had led: namely to it issuing four criminal referrals to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) against Donald Trump, as well as collectively against Trump, legal academic John Eastman, and others central to conspiracy to delay or impede the peaceful transfer of presidential power.”

THE COMMENTARIAT

The future is now, and politics has to cope with the consequences — Laura Tingle (The Australian Financial Review) ($): “As 2022 staggers to its close, COVID-19 may not be quite the mortal threat it was in 2020, but we have become resigned to it continuing to cut a swathe through our lives — and much more ambivalent about what governments should, or even can, do about it. The pandemic has also left governments at all levels burdened with debts that would have been deemed unimaginable and politically unacceptable a couple of years ago.

“But here we are. It is just what it is. It transforms the discussion about what governments can afford to do, but conversely also sets new parameters for what is acceptable as an investment now to transform the future.”

I don’t care whether Musk is CEO. I’m a #twemainer — Margot Saville (The Sydney Morning Herald) ($): “I couldn’t care less whether Musk is the CEO, running the software and servers teams (as he has announced he will be doing instead) or cleaning the toilets at head office. I love the platform and I’m staying. Yes, it can be a spiky place, but reading articles written by people I profoundly disagree with is the main reason I’m there.

“I went to university in the 1980s, when I spent five blissful years debating, arguing and disagreeing with at least half the people around me. I’ve had relationships with people which largely consisted of having screaming fights in the pub. College debating set me up for a lifetime of having to argue my case, rather than just make assertions. I could spend the rest of my life living in my white, inner-west bubble, agreeing with my fellow progressives, but where’s the fun in that?”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

‘Liberal brand not fit for purpose’ (The Australian)

Brian Houston maintains it was the ‘right thing’ not to report father’s abuse (The Age)

QIMR Berghofer scientists could have found the ‘master switch’ to kill cancer (The Courier-Mail)

Lost at sea, all Shirui could think about was the apology she had to make (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Hawthorn probe author facing fraud investigation (The Australian)

James Hardie warns of ‘perfect storm’ and slashes hundreds of jobs (The Australian Financial Review)

National Library’s treasure Trove under threat from budget cuts (The Age)

Timeline: Taliban crackdown on Afghan women’s education, rights (Al Jazeera)

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Eora Nation Country (also known as Sydney)

• NSW government response to the inquiry into Support for Children of Imprisoned Parents in NSW to be delivered.

Nationwide

• The Australian Bureau of Statistics to release two sets of data: the labour force statistics for November, and the provisional deaths data for measuring changes in patterns of mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, reference period January-September 2022.

Noongar Country (also known as Perth)

• Former WA treasurer Troy Buswell faces court charged with breaching his protective bail conditions.