http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/stephen-smith/ 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 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +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/a-herculean-effort-in-afghanistan/ Among the multiple emergency exits built into the mighty C130 Hercules is one in the forward half of the aeroplane helpfully surrounded with the words “danger” and “propeller” in huge red letters. It invites an interesting dilemma in an idle passenger’s mind. How bad would things have to be in here, to make using that exit worth the risk? It is the kind of dark thinking that occurs as one stares blankly at the internally netted walls of the Herc’s cavernous fuselage. This military transport is designed for function over comfort. The noise during flight into a mostly hostile Afghanistan is deafening. Literally. As well as full body armour, passengers wear earplugs and each is thus cocooned in a strangely solitary world of sound and thoughts. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-herculean-effort-in-afghanistan/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-herculean-effort-in-afghanistan/#item8222 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Setting aside any questions of consent, it is hard to imagine a more bizarre or unpalatable violation of privacy than discovering that a moment of intimacy with your partner has been secretly filmed and broadcast for the titillation of others. This is the key fact at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy “skype” scandal, where an 18-year-old girl, a cadet at the military academy, slept with a guy who had a computer video camera rigged up in his room, creating a virtual porno for the amusement of his mates. No-one is disputing that the incident occurred. Worse, no-one in defence seems to give much a damn about it either. In Australia this week we have witnessed one of the more pathetic displays by senior members of our military and their allies in politics and the press, where the issue now seems to be not whether the girl deserves some kind of redress for a life-altering breach of privacy, but whether the military boss at the centre of the original investigation deserves his own little apology for being unfairly grilled over his handling of the scandal. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/sorry-sight-of-a-frat-house-under-the-microscope/ Setting aside any questions of consent, it is hard to imagine a more bizarre or unpalatable violation of privacy than discovering that a moment of intimacy with your partner has been secretly filmed and broadcast for the titillation of others. This is the key fact at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy “skype” scandal, where an 18-year-old girl, a cadet at the military academy, slept with a guy who had a computer video camera rigged up in his room, creating a virtual porno for the amusement of his mates. No-one is disputing that the incident occurred. Worse, no-one in defence seems to give much a damn about it either. In Australia this week we have witnessed one of the more pathetic displays by senior members of our military and their allies in politics and the press, where the issue now seems to be not whether the girl deserves some kind of redress for a life-altering breach of privacy, but whether the military boss at the centre of the original investigation deserves his own little apology for being unfairly grilled over his handling of the scandal. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/sorry-sight-of-a-frat-house-under-the-microscope/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/sorry-sight-of-a-frat-house-under-the-microscope/#item8025 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Setting aside any questions of consent, it is hard to imagine a more bizarre or unpalatable violation of privacy than discovering that a moment of intimacy with your partner has been secretly filmed and broadcast for the titillation of others. This is the key fact at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy “skype” scandal, where an 18-year-old girl, a cadet at the military academy, slept with a guy who had a computer video camera rigged up in his room, creating a virtual porno for the amusement of his mates. No-one is disputing that the incident occurred. Worse, no-one in defence seems to give much a damn about it either. In Australia this week we have witnessed one of the more pathetic displays by senior members of our military and their allies in politics and the press, where the issue now seems to be not whether the girl deserves some kind of redress for a life-altering breach of privacy, but whether the military boss at the centre of the original investigation deserves his own little apology for being unfairly grilled over his handling of the scandal. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/theres-no-need-for-stephen-smith-to-apologise/ The gallant defenders of Fort Fumble, AKA Defence HQ in Canberra,  have heard the bugle call and trained their guns on a new enemy. Stephen Smith, they cry, is unfit for office and must resign as Defence Minister. Smith has refused to apologise for accusing the Commandant of the Australian Defence Force Academy, Commodore Bruce Kafer, of an error of judgement during the so-called “Skype Affair”. Andrew Kirkham QC, a barrister hired to inquire into the matter, disagreed with Smith’s characterization of the Commandant’s actions, so of course the minister is deemed to be wrong. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/theres-no-need-for-stephen-smith-to-apologise/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/theres-no-need-for-stephen-smith-to-apologise/#item7974 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Setting aside any questions of consent, it is hard to imagine a more bizarre or unpalatable violation of privacy than discovering that a moment of intimacy with your partner has been secretly filmed and broadcast for the titillation of others. This is the key fact at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy “skype” scandal, where an 18-year-old girl, a cadet at the military academy, slept with a guy who had a computer video camera rigged up in his room, creating a virtual porno for the amusement of his mates. No-one is disputing that the incident occurred. Worse, no-one in defence seems to give much a damn about it either. In Australia this week we have witnessed one of the more pathetic displays by senior members of our military and their allies in politics and the press, where the issue now seems to be not whether the girl deserves some kind of redress for a life-altering breach of privacy, but whether the military boss at the centre of the original investigation deserves his own little apology for being unfairly grilled over his handling of the scandal. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Defence-goes-on-the-attack-as-Smith-hangs-tough/ Rising proudly from the rich green lawns between the main Defence Department buildings at one end of Canberra’s Kings Avenue stands an enormous concrete eagle atop a giant octagonal spire. A gift from the Americans, the militarily erect structure brooks no ambiguity and invites no compromise. Its clean straight lines proclaim strength and purpose. Its positioning is important too, across the basin of Lake Burley Griffin where it forms a counterpoint to the four-strutted flag of democracy over Capital Hill. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Defence-goes-on-the-attack-as-Smith-hangs-tough/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Defence-goes-on-the-attack-as-Smith-hangs-tough/#item7963 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Setting aside any questions of consent, it is hard to imagine a more bizarre or unpalatable violation of privacy than discovering that a moment of intimacy with your partner has been secretly filmed and broadcast for the titillation of others. This is the key fact at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy “skype” scandal, where an 18-year-old girl, a cadet at the military academy, slept with a guy who had a computer video camera rigged up in his room, creating a virtual porno for the amusement of his mates. No-one is disputing that the incident occurred. Worse, no-one in defence seems to give much a damn about it either. In Australia this week we have witnessed one of the more pathetic displays by senior members of our military and their allies in politics and the press, where the issue now seems to be not whether the girl deserves some kind of redress for a life-altering breach of privacy, but whether the military boss at the centre of the original investigation deserves his own little apology for being unfairly grilled over his handling of the scandal. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/stephen-smith-the-minister-in-a-minefield/ It’s a pretty special set of circumstances when a tax-payer-funded body releases a series of reviews exposing decades of cultural problems, including 775 allegations of sexual assault, and the Minister is the one facing questions over why he won’t apologise for standing down one of the people in charge. Last night on the ABC’s 7.30 Defence Minister Stephen Smith was asked in numerous ways why he wouldn’t apologise to Australian Defence Academy Commandant Bruce Kafer, who has been reinstated this week, 11 months after being stood down over the so called “Skype” scandal. When the scandal broke, involving an 18-year-old woman cadet being filmed without her consent having sex, and the vision broadcast via the internet to some of her classmates, Smith went in pretty hard and fast. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/stephen-smith-the-minister-in-a-minefield/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/stephen-smith-the-minister-in-a-minefield/#item7951 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Setting aside any questions of consent, it is hard to imagine a more bizarre or unpalatable violation of privacy than discovering that a moment of intimacy with your partner has been secretly filmed and broadcast for the titillation of others. This is the key fact at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy “skype” scandal, where an 18-year-old girl, a cadet at the military academy, slept with a guy who had a computer video camera rigged up in his room, creating a virtual porno for the amusement of his mates. No-one is disputing that the incident occurred. Worse, no-one in defence seems to give much a damn about it either. In Australia this week we have witnessed one of the more pathetic displays by senior members of our military and their allies in politics and the press, where the issue now seems to be not whether the girl deserves some kind of redress for a life-altering breach of privacy, but whether the military boss at the centre of the original investigation deserves his own little apology for being unfairly grilled over his handling of the scandal. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-alp-still-so-tender-the-lightest-touch-causes-agony/ The Gillard prime ministership is like a badly scalded arm. The mildest touch can cause pain way out of proportion to the force behind the blow. Even when she does nothing unusual, remarkable or even particularly clumsy, the Government ends up screaming in agony. So when Julia Gillard followed standard procedure by canvassing possible candidates for a Senate vacancy and for the post of Foreign Minister, there was an outcry over what was actually a light brush. In broad terms, the suggestion is that Julia Gillard had decided former NSW Premier Bob Carr would fill the Senate slot and become Foreign Minister replacing Kevin Rudd, but was rolled by furious ministers led by Defence Minister Stephen Smith who wanted the job for himself. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-alp-still-so-tender-the-lightest-touch-causes-agony/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-alp-still-so-tender-the-lightest-touch-causes-agony/#item7900 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Setting aside any questions of consent, it is hard to imagine a more bizarre or unpalatable violation of privacy than discovering that a moment of intimacy with your partner has been secretly filmed and broadcast for the titillation of others. This is the key fact at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy “skype” scandal, where an 18-year-old girl, a cadet at the military academy, slept with a guy who had a computer video camera rigged up in his room, creating a virtual porno for the amusement of his mates. No-one is disputing that the incident occurred. Worse, no-one in defence seems to give much a damn about it either. In Australia this week we have witnessed one of the more pathetic displays by senior members of our military and their allies in politics and the press, where the issue now seems to be not whether the girl deserves some kind of redress for a life-altering breach of privacy, but whether the military boss at the centre of the original investigation deserves his own little apology for being unfairly grilled over his handling of the scandal. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/odds-shorten-on-a-different-leader/ Labor MPs now feel condemned to an unhappy routine of Gillard Government advances crashing into the roadblock of the leadership standoff with Kevin Rudd. Many are also despairing over the prospect that the only way to end instability caused by Kevin Rudd’s ambitions is to gratify them. For many, that reward for all the trouble caused is unacceptable. Which means the next leadership change—and the odds of one happening are growing stronger—is likely to be from Julia Gillard to Bill Shorten or Stephen Smith. Not Kevin Rudd. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/odds-shorten-on-a-different-leader/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/odds-shorten-on-a-different-leader/#item7774 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Setting aside any questions of consent, it is hard to imagine a more bizarre or unpalatable violation of privacy than discovering that a moment of intimacy with your partner has been secretly filmed and broadcast for the titillation of others. This is the key fact at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy “skype” scandal, where an 18-year-old girl, a cadet at the military academy, slept with a guy who had a computer video camera rigged up in his room, creating a virtual porno for the amusement of his mates. No-one is disputing that the incident occurred. Worse, no-one in defence seems to give much a damn about it either. In Australia this week we have witnessed one of the more pathetic displays by senior members of our military and their allies in politics and the press, where the issue now seems to be not whether the girl deserves some kind of redress for a life-altering breach of privacy, but whether the military boss at the centre of the original investigation deserves his own little apology for being unfairly grilled over his handling of the scandal. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-to-listen-to-those-on-the-ground-in-afghanistan/ The ongoing criticism of the Australian Defence Force’s deployed resources in Afghanistan, firstly by the 6 RAR Digger’s email and now also by a senior soldier in Townsville and a recently returned Officer, raise the real issue of the Government’s commitment to the fight. Has the Government deployed every possible resource needed to achieve the mission? In response to that now widely publicised email, Defence stated that the Commander on the ground at Deh Rawood had a range of direct and indirect fire assets at his disposal. The Commander chose to use some of those assets and others he did not, for a variety of reasons such as airspace deconfliction. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-to-listen-to-those-on-the-ground-in-afghanistan/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-to-listen-to-those-on-the-ground-in-afghanistan/#item4138 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Setting aside any questions of consent, it is hard to imagine a more bizarre or unpalatable violation of privacy than discovering that a moment of intimacy with your partner has been secretly filmed and broadcast for the titillation of others. This is the key fact at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy “skype” scandal, where an 18-year-old girl, a cadet at the military academy, slept with a guy who had a computer video camera rigged up in his room, creating a virtual porno for the amusement of his mates. No-one is disputing that the incident occurred. Worse, no-one in defence seems to give much a damn about it either. In Australia this week we have witnessed one of the more pathetic displays by senior members of our military and their allies in politics and the press, where the issue now seems to be not whether the girl deserves some kind of redress for a life-altering breach of privacy, but whether the military boss at the centre of the original investigation deserves his own little apology for being unfairly grilled over his handling of the scandal. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/grieving-lost-soldiers-doesnt-eqaute-to-supporting-the-war-in-afghanistan/ NOW there will be a new Defence Minister, Stephen Smith, who will have the rotten task of taking to the podium with Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston to announce that yet another Digger has been killed in action. Senator John Faulkner did it too many times. It was clear from watching Faulkner that he truly hated these death calls. He appeared to feel almost too deeply the burden of being the minister in the government which has ordered its troops to fight. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/grieving-lost-soldiers-doesnt-eqaute-to-supporting-the-war-in-afghanistan/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/grieving-lost-soldiers-doesnt-eqaute-to-supporting-the-war-in-afghanistan/#item4034 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Setting aside any questions of consent, it is hard to imagine a more bizarre or unpalatable violation of privacy than discovering that a moment of intimacy with your partner has been secretly filmed and broadcast for the titillation of others. This is the key fact at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy “skype” scandal, where an 18-year-old girl, a cadet at the military academy, slept with a guy who had a computer video camera rigged up in his room, creating a virtual porno for the amusement of his mates. No-one is disputing that the incident occurred. Worse, no-one in defence seems to give much a damn about it either. In Australia this week we have witnessed one of the more pathetic displays by senior members of our military and their allies in politics and the press, where the issue now seems to be not whether the girl deserves some kind of redress for a life-altering breach of privacy, but whether the military boss at the centre of the original investigation deserves his own little apology for being unfairly grilled over his handling of the scandal. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/rudd-or-turnbull-the-only-safe-hands-for-foreign-affairs/ In the next few days we should know whether Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott will be the next Prime Minister. Regardless of whoever prevails they should do the country a favour and appoint the leader they knocked off to be the country’s chief diplomat. The position of Minister for Foreign Affairs, which for the moment at least also has trade tacked on, is a coveted portfolio. Unlike most other ministries it has traditionally involved dealing almost exclusively with matters core to the national interest with a lesser regard for the day-to-day trench warfare of politics. Until Kevin Rudd came along. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/rudd-or-turnbull-the-only-safe-hands-for-foreign-affairs/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/rudd-or-turnbull-the-only-safe-hands-for-foreign-affairs/#item3974 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Setting aside any questions of consent, it is hard to imagine a more bizarre or unpalatable violation of privacy than discovering that a moment of intimacy with your partner has been secretly filmed and broadcast for the titillation of others. This is the key fact at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy “skype” scandal, where an 18-year-old girl, a cadet at the military academy, slept with a guy who had a computer video camera rigged up in his room, creating a virtual porno for the amusement of his mates. No-one is disputing that the incident occurred. Worse, no-one in defence seems to give much a damn about it either. In Australia this week we have witnessed one of the more pathetic displays by senior members of our military and their allies in politics and the press, where the issue now seems to be not whether the girl deserves some kind of redress for a life-altering breach of privacy, but whether the military boss at the centre of the original investigation deserves his own little apology for being unfairly grilled over his handling of the scandal.