http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/security/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-is-who-thursdays-event-was-supposed-to-be-about/ The Australia Day event at The Lobby in Canberra has become all about Tony Hodges, Kim Sattler, Barbara Shaw, Michael Anderson, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, the police and a bunch of idiots who saw fit to hijack the day. It wasn’t supposed to be about them. Our political leaders had gathered at the restaurant to bestow the new National Emergency Medal on 26 Australians who, paid or unpaid, did extraordinary work during the Victorian Bushfires and Queensland floods. In her speech before the event was hijacked by an appalling set of bad decisions the Prime Minister said: “Today we award these Medals to a group of Australians who inspired us with their courage and service during two of the most devastating summers of natural disaster Australia has ever witnessed: the Victorian bushfires of 2009 and the Queensland floods and cyclone of December 2010 and January 2011.” feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-is-who-thursdays-event-was-supposed-to-be-about/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-is-who-thursdays-event-was-supposed-to-be-about/#item7630 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 So we now know who is responsible for putting Julia Gillard into the most peril she’s been in since she became Prime Minister - her own office. A senior member of the Prime Minister’s team has tonight resigned after it emerged he was the one who tipped off an Aboriginal Tent Embassy contact that Tony Abbott was in the Lobby restaurant yesterday - information that led to the Prime Minister being dragged to her car in undignified scenes that are now world news. Tony Hodges, who was the one trawling the Press Gallery yesterday afternoon trying to sheet home blame for the ugly scenes to the Opposition Leader, is tonight no longer working for the PM. If it wasn’t so disgusting it would be funny. This came a day after a member of senior Cabinet Minister Anthony Albanese’s staff saw fit to send his boss off to the Press Club armed with a raft of fantastic quotes from a Hollywood movie. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/when-is-this-sorry-mess-going-to-end/ So we now know who is responsible for putting Julia Gillard into the most peril she’s been in since she became Prime Minister - her own office. A senior member of the Prime Minister’s team has tonight resigned after it emerged he was the one who tipped off an Aboriginal Tent Embassy contact that Tony Abbott was in the Lobby restaurant yesterday - information that led to the Prime Minister being dragged to her car in undignified scenes that are now world news. Tony Hodges, who was the one trawling the Press Gallery yesterday afternoon trying to sheet home blame for the ugly scenes to the Opposition Leader, is tonight no longer working for the PM. If it wasn’t so disgusting it would be funny. This came a day after a member of senior Cabinet Minister Anthony Albanese’s staff saw fit to send his boss off to the Press Club armed with a raft of fantastic quotes from a Hollywood movie. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/when-is-this-sorry-mess-going-to-end/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/when-is-this-sorry-mess-going-to-end/#item7629 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 So we now know who is responsible for putting Julia Gillard into the most peril she’s been in since she became Prime Minister - her own office. A senior member of the Prime Minister’s team has tonight resigned after it emerged he was the one who tipped off an Aboriginal Tent Embassy contact that Tony Abbott was in the Lobby restaurant yesterday - information that led to the Prime Minister being dragged to her car in undignified scenes that are now world news. Tony Hodges, who was the one trawling the Press Gallery yesterday afternoon trying to sheet home blame for the ugly scenes to the Opposition Leader, is tonight no longer working for the PM. If it wasn’t so disgusting it would be funny. This came a day after a member of senior Cabinet Minister Anthony Albanese’s staff saw fit to send his boss off to the Press Club armed with a raft of fantastic quotes from a Hollywood movie. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-was-yesterdays-drama-ever-allowed-to-happen/ Julia Gillard should be congratulated for maintaining even a shred of dignity after being dragged minus a shoe through a crowd at a speed she couldn’t keep up with. Most Australians were horrified by the images from the steps of the Lobby restaurant, and in turn would have been relieved when a composed PM, with two fresh shoes on, reassured everyone from outside The Lodge that she was fine. She should never have been placed in that terrible position in the first place, and there are many questions unanswered about how and why she was. 1. The location for yesterday’s inaugural emergency services medal presentation was poorly chosen. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-was-yesterdays-drama-ever-allowed-to-happen/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-was-yesterdays-drama-ever-allowed-to-happen/#item7620 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 So we now know who is responsible for putting Julia Gillard into the most peril she’s been in since she became Prime Minister - her own office. A senior member of the Prime Minister’s team has tonight resigned after it emerged he was the one who tipped off an Aboriginal Tent Embassy contact that Tony Abbott was in the Lobby restaurant yesterday - information that led to the Prime Minister being dragged to her car in undignified scenes that are now world news. Tony Hodges, who was the one trawling the Press Gallery yesterday afternoon trying to sheet home blame for the ugly scenes to the Opposition Leader, is tonight no longer working for the PM. If it wasn’t so disgusting it would be funny. This came a day after a member of senior Cabinet Minister Anthony Albanese’s staff saw fit to send his boss off to the Press Club armed with a raft of fantastic quotes from a Hollywood movie. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/when-your-facebook-friends-pimp-you-out-for-kicks/ In one of the earliest scenes in The Social Network, the nerds are shown using the net to rank the hotness of women at their university. That nerds are still using Facebook for these very same purposes a decade on should surprise few. In recent days a private Facebook group has been exposed as trading in images of women. Of pilfering snaps from the pages of friends, of reposting them, of ranking the women like cuts of meat. In a surprising twist, a group which clearly demonstrates no ethics apparently has a code of conduct for members including a mandate to never discuss the group, a rule I daresay imposed for fear of outing oneself as a geek, a letch and as a perv rather than to preserve any Stonecutter secrets. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/when-your-facebook-friends-pimp-you-out-for-kicks/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/when-your-facebook-friends-pimp-you-out-for-kicks/#item5881 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 So we now know who is responsible for putting Julia Gillard into the most peril she’s been in since she became Prime Minister - her own office. A senior member of the Prime Minister’s team has tonight resigned after it emerged he was the one who tipped off an Aboriginal Tent Embassy contact that Tony Abbott was in the Lobby restaurant yesterday - information that led to the Prime Minister being dragged to her car in undignified scenes that are now world news. Tony Hodges, who was the one trawling the Press Gallery yesterday afternoon trying to sheet home blame for the ugly scenes to the Opposition Leader, is tonight no longer working for the PM. If it wasn’t so disgusting it would be funny. This came a day after a member of senior Cabinet Minister Anthony Albanese’s staff saw fit to send his boss off to the Press Club armed with a raft of fantastic quotes from a Hollywood movie. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/uh-oh-were-gonna-need-a-new-chief-enemy-of-the-west/ Position Vacant. One (1) Villain. A unique, high-profile opportunity has arisen for the role of Chief Enemy of the West. Wide-ranging experience in terrorism, mass murder and threats of worldwide destruction essential. Applicants must look evil (long beard and walking cane preferable). Extensive travel required. The full story is still unfolding, but what is clear is that almost 10 years after the September 11 attacks, the US finally has their man. Their pursuit of Osama bin Laden has been relentless, as well it should have been: The man admitted to plotting the murder of over 2,500 people. But the victory is a double-edged sword for the American government and its allies. In killing bin Laden, they have brought a murderer to justice, but they have also lost their poster boy for the ‘war on terror’. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/uh-oh-were-gonna-need-a-new-chief-enemy-of-the-west/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/uh-oh-were-gonna-need-a-new-chief-enemy-of-the-west/#item5770 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 So we now know who is responsible for putting Julia Gillard into the most peril she’s been in since she became Prime Minister - her own office. A senior member of the Prime Minister’s team has tonight resigned after it emerged he was the one who tipped off an Aboriginal Tent Embassy contact that Tony Abbott was in the Lobby restaurant yesterday - information that led to the Prime Minister being dragged to her car in undignified scenes that are now world news. Tony Hodges, who was the one trawling the Press Gallery yesterday afternoon trying to sheet home blame for the ugly scenes to the Opposition Leader, is tonight no longer working for the PM. If it wasn’t so disgusting it would be funny. This came a day after a member of senior Cabinet Minister Anthony Albanese’s staff saw fit to send his boss off to the Press Club armed with a raft of fantastic quotes from a Hollywood movie. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/exclusive-the-bin-laden-tapes-/ In yet another extraordinary exclusive, The Punch has obtained a transcript of the last minutes of Osama bin Laden, his wife Amal and courier Abu in his Pakistani compound… AMAL: (Sigh…) Well I guess it’s another night in. OSAMA: What’s that supposed to mean? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/exclusive-the-bin-laden-tapes-/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/exclusive-the-bin-laden-tapes-/#item5778 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 So we now know who is responsible for putting Julia Gillard into the most peril she’s been in since she became Prime Minister - her own office. A senior member of the Prime Minister’s team has tonight resigned after it emerged he was the one who tipped off an Aboriginal Tent Embassy contact that Tony Abbott was in the Lobby restaurant yesterday - information that led to the Prime Minister being dragged to her car in undignified scenes that are now world news. Tony Hodges, who was the one trawling the Press Gallery yesterday afternoon trying to sheet home blame for the ugly scenes to the Opposition Leader, is tonight no longer working for the PM. If it wasn’t so disgusting it would be funny. This came a day after a member of senior Cabinet Minister Anthony Albanese’s staff saw fit to send his boss off to the Press Club armed with a raft of fantastic quotes from a Hollywood movie. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-next-terror-plot-will-be-hatched-in-a-leafy-suburb-near-you/ The death of Osama Bin Laden will make no difference to global terrorism inspired by Islamic fundamentalism, and it will have scant impact on the war in Afghanistan.  But the way that the US killed Osama Bin Laden needs recognition; it was the sort of precise, human intelligence-driven operation that must be employed ruthlessly in Afghanistan to capture or kill insurgent leaders as we enter another fighting season. Al-Qaida has not been about Osama bin Laden for quite some time and the Taliban in Afghanistan have not received support from al-Qaida or Osama Bin Laden since the end of initial operations in 2001.  The global Islamic terrorist movement is now a leaderless jihad and is more likely to come from a young IT whiz-kid in his bedroom in one of our leafy suburbs than from an old man hiding in the mountains of the AfPak border.  feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-next-terror-plot-will-be-hatched-in-a-leafy-suburb-near-you/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-next-terror-plot-will-be-hatched-in-a-leafy-suburb-near-you/#item5753 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 So we now know who is responsible for putting Julia Gillard into the most peril she’s been in since she became Prime Minister - her own office. A senior member of the Prime Minister’s team has tonight resigned after it emerged he was the one who tipped off an Aboriginal Tent Embassy contact that Tony Abbott was in the Lobby restaurant yesterday - information that led to the Prime Minister being dragged to her car in undignified scenes that are now world news. Tony Hodges, who was the one trawling the Press Gallery yesterday afternoon trying to sheet home blame for the ugly scenes to the Opposition Leader, is tonight no longer working for the PM. If it wasn’t so disgusting it would be funny. This came a day after a member of senior Cabinet Minister Anthony Albanese’s staff saw fit to send his boss off to the Press Club armed with a raft of fantastic quotes from a Hollywood movie. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-us-now-wants-to-bury-the-rest-of-al-qaeda/ President Barack Obama, whose presidency has been instantly and spectacularly rejuvenated, will visit Ground Zero in Manhattan tomorrow and provide the next major rallying point for Americans to consider life after Osama. Despite scenes of intense celebration, the reality is that gatherings outside the White House, Times Square and Ground Zero have been quite small. The shock of the announcement saw people rushing out to the streets late at night to join with their fellow Americans, but the lack of any large screens for people to focus on, or any organised speakers, meant the gatherings burned out quickly and people went home. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-us-now-wants-to-bury-the-rest-of-al-qaeda/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-us-now-wants-to-bury-the-rest-of-al-qaeda/#item5755 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 So we now know who is responsible for putting Julia Gillard into the most peril she’s been in since she became Prime Minister - her own office. A senior member of the Prime Minister’s team has tonight resigned after it emerged he was the one who tipped off an Aboriginal Tent Embassy contact that Tony Abbott was in the Lobby restaurant yesterday - information that led to the Prime Minister being dragged to her car in undignified scenes that are now world news. Tony Hodges, who was the one trawling the Press Gallery yesterday afternoon trying to sheet home blame for the ugly scenes to the Opposition Leader, is tonight no longer working for the PM. If it wasn’t so disgusting it would be funny. This came a day after a member of senior Cabinet Minister Anthony Albanese’s staff saw fit to send his boss off to the Press Club armed with a raft of fantastic quotes from a Hollywood movie. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/revealed-the-man-who-hacked-the-governments-emails/ As you can probably guess it was me who hacked into the email accounts of ten senior federal ministers. I hacked into Julia Gillard’s because I wanted to know what it was like to run a country, I hacked into Kevin Rudd’s because I wanted to know what it was like to run the world, and I hacked into Stephen Smith’s because…well, I just really wanted to get some sleep. But what I found was deeply shocking and in yet another extraordinary exclusive I can now reveal their explosive contents for the first time… feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/revealed-the-man-who-hacked-the-governments-emails/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/revealed-the-man-who-hacked-the-governments-emails/#item5511 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 So we now know who is responsible for putting Julia Gillard into the most peril she’s been in since she became Prime Minister - her own office. A senior member of the Prime Minister’s team has tonight resigned after it emerged he was the one who tipped off an Aboriginal Tent Embassy contact that Tony Abbott was in the Lobby restaurant yesterday - information that led to the Prime Minister being dragged to her car in undignified scenes that are now world news. Tony Hodges, who was the one trawling the Press Gallery yesterday afternoon trying to sheet home blame for the ugly scenes to the Opposition Leader, is tonight no longer working for the PM. If it wasn’t so disgusting it would be funny. This came a day after a member of senior Cabinet Minister Anthony Albanese’s staff saw fit to send his boss off to the Press Club armed with a raft of fantastic quotes from a Hollywood movie. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/julian-assange-lord-byron-of-the-internets/ Few people, apparently, support the jailing of Julian Assange - Australia’s very own electronic Lord Byron,  the “romantic” hero of the Internet generation - for his organisation’s use and misuse (and, presumably, sale) of stolen US diplomatic documents.  Fortunately, those rights he may have as an Australian citizen in a foreign country have been actively supported by the Australian Embassies in Britain and Sweden, as they should be.  Perhaps even more fortunately for Mr. Assange, the United States Ambassador to Australia, Jeff Bleich, has decried the exaggerated claims of ideologues in US media and politics. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/julian-assange-lord-byron-of-the-internets/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/julian-assange-lord-byron-of-the-internets/#item5295 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 So we now know who is responsible for putting Julia Gillard into the most peril she’s been in since she became Prime Minister - her own office. A senior member of the Prime Minister’s team has tonight resigned after it emerged he was the one who tipped off an Aboriginal Tent Embassy contact that Tony Abbott was in the Lobby restaurant yesterday - information that led to the Prime Minister being dragged to her car in undignified scenes that are now world news. Tony Hodges, who was the one trawling the Press Gallery yesterday afternoon trying to sheet home blame for the ugly scenes to the Opposition Leader, is tonight no longer working for the PM. If it wasn’t so disgusting it would be funny. This came a day after a member of senior Cabinet Minister Anthony Albanese’s staff saw fit to send his boss off to the Press Club armed with a raft of fantastic quotes from a Hollywood movie.