oneworldtalk

The leak of undeclared trips by taken Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon paid by Madam Liu which have hit the headlines may have been blown out of proportion by the media and the political opposition. Most writers to the newspapers think that it's innocuous and not such a big deal.

Espionage is universal

It would be naive to believe that the world -- it happens among states as well as in the business and corporate world among friendly associates and rivals. It is however surpriging that when the party involved was Chinese or Russian, the cases are subject to closer scrutiny and investigations. The previous Howard government's many attempts at bending backwards to accommodate his US buddy GW Bush and rendevous deserve similar treatment and apologies. How many Australian lives have been lost in the war which they led the nations into through sheer deception. Many politicians have taken unnecessary junkard trips at the public's expense -- that is probably more criminal.

Accountability

It there's nothing to hide, Ministers and bureaucrats should be above board. It is often the duty of the personal assistants of senior officials and their staff to keep track of any "gifts" no matter how small in value they may be. If nothing else, it is a good practice for record purposes and demonstrate that the nation or company's interests are not compromised. Strangely, despite the bureaucratic nature of the Australian system, such discipline has not be strictly observed.

Minister answers leak allegations

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon implies his reform agenda may be behind a covert departmental investigation into his ties to a Chinese-born businesswoman.
Mr Fitzgibbon late last night conceded that he had not declared the trips to Parliament as required, and had misled the Australian public by saying earlier he had received only "very small gifts" from Helen Liu.

He was forced to make a public apology by acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who issued a statement saying she had "full confidence" in Mr Fitzgibbon.

The Age revealed yesterday that Defence officials had conducted a covert investigation into Mr Fitzgibbon's relationship with Ms Liu, a friend of 16 years from whom he sub-lets a Canberra residence.

As the political crisis over the affair deepened, more details emerged about Ms Liu's links to senior Chinese officials.

It is believed that Ms Liu has been mentioned in secret reporting by Australian intelligence officers. Intelligence officials in Canberra have noted Ms Liu's business activities and contact with senior Chinese Government officials in the course of monitoring Chinese activity in Australia.

Mr Fitzgibbon said that, after examining his statements of interests to the parliament, he had identified two trips paid for by Ms Liu when he was an opposition MP - to Beijing and Shanghai in 2002, and to Shanghai in 2005. - that he had failed to declare. "This was a mistake and for that I apologise," he said in a statement.

This contradicted a statement his spokesman, who said earlier yesterday: "The minister has not accepted any gifts that would require a declaration on the members' interest register."

http://www.theage.com.au/national/minis ... -9cd3.html

Is Defence Minister's job in jeopardy?

Kevin Rudd has publicly scolded his Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon and told him to lift his game. But he has refused to sack him.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Mr Rudd said Mr Fitzgibbon had no option but to apologise for failing to declare two overseas trips that he took in 2002 and 2005, when in Opposition.

The trips to China were paid for by family friend and businesswoman Helen Liu.

However, he dismissed calls by Malcolm Turnbull for Mr Fitzgibbon to be sacked from the ministry.

"Mr Fitzgibbon is doing a good job as Minister for Defence. And there is a big reform program in Defence and he is doing a first class job," Mr Rudd said.

Mr Fitzgibbon is currently overseeing a Defence White Paper due for release soon.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/kevin-ru ... -9cpt.html

Dirt diggers in defence

March 27, 2009

THE collection and leaking of a "dirt sheet" targeting the Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, is a deeply disturbing development in the Rudd Government's efforts to bring the huge defence establishment into alignment with changing security contingencies and budget constraints, redolent of the late Lionel Murphy's battles as a Labor attorney-general with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.

The Defence Department and the armed forces enjoyed a golden run of guaranteed funding growth and big equipment orders under the previous government. It is only to be expected that a new government, even though it has pledged continued growth in allocations, would put spending and practices under tight scrutiny to ensure these resources are used to maximum efficiency. As the Herald has reported in recent months, this has created a tense relationship between Mr Fitzgibbon and some sections of the department, culminating in his recent embarrassment over bungled payments to the special forces.

It now appears that department officials have been researching Mr Fitzgibbon's personal life and family connections, in particular his friendship with a Chinese-born businesswoman and the business activities of his relatives. This may have involved the Defence Security Bureau, the department's internal agency that protects classified information, and is reported to have employed staff of the Defence Signals Directorate to open up Mr Fitzgibbon's office computer or email account. One of DSD's missions is the protection of government information and communications systems, but spying on domestic communications is outside its charter.

That middle-level officials might have taken it upon themselves to conduct such an operation is not entirely inconceivable. It has been reported that in 2001 some military intelligence officers claimed the Labor Opposition leader, Kim Beazley, had been compromised by Indonesian intelligence through a friendship with an Indonesian female journalist, a slur dismissed when it was checked by the agency responsible for counter-espionage, ASIO. It is hard to believe that the cautious and professional officials running the department and its security branches would have sanctioned it without some top-level prodding that nobody is 'fessing up to.

Of course there is Chinese espionage in this country, and it often tries to build networks among Chinese migrants. ASIO devotes a lot of resources to it. But Mr Fitzgibbon's friendship with the businesswoman has been open for some 15 years. If there really is a security risk, to raise it now at the height of the internal defence feuding is extraordinarily inept. A thorough inquiry by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security is needed, with appropriate legal follow-up.

Sydney Morning Herald Editorial

Some people may be from Mars or Venus as evident from their ignorance and lack of understanding of how government works and the different levels and avenues of conducting foreign policy. It shows that the Opposition's attempts to undermine the Government has been futile so far.

http://oneworldtalk.freeforums.org/muds ... .html#6755