Can You Help?
This website is in imminent danger of being shut down. It has been online since 1995, but the personal circumstances of the owner, Malcolm Farnsworth, are such that economies have to be made. Server costs and suchlike have become prohibitive. At the urging of people online, I have agreed to see if Patreon provides a solution. More information is available at the Patreon website. If you are able to contribute even $1.00/month to keep the site running, please click the Patreon button below.
This is the audio of UK Foreign Secretary William Hague’s Howard Lecture at the Menzies Resource Centre in Sydney.
Hague was introduced by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. He also answered questions. Former Prime Minister John Howard gave the thank you speech. [Read more…]
This is the text and audio of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s speech to the Menzies Research Centre, in Sydney.
Abbott introduced UK Foreign Secretary William Hague who gave the John Howard Lecture. [Read more…]
Ecuador has agreed to grant asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
Assange is an Australian citizen. He has been in Ecuador’s London embassy for the past two months since seeking asylum shortly after English courts ordered his extradition to Sweden to face sex charges.
Ecuador has issued a statement of reasons for their decision. British Foreign Secretary William Hague has also made a statement on the asylum decision.
This is Ecuador’s Foreign Minister, Ricardo Patino, explaining the decision to grant asylum:
Statement from Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Integration. (Google Translation)
Declaration by the Government of the Republic of Ecuador on the asylum application Assange
On June 19, 2012, the Australian national citizen Julian Assange, appeared at the premises of the Embassy of Ecuador in London, to request diplomatic protection of the Ecuadorian State to benefit from the existing rules on Diplomatic Asylum. The applicant has based its request on the fear that the eventual results might suffer political persecution in a third country, it could use his extradition to the Kingdom of Sweden to get to turn the subsequent extradition to that country.
The Government of Ecuador, faithful to the asylum procedure and attach the utmost seriousness in this case, has reviewed and evaluated all aspects involved in it, particularly the arguments presented by Mr. Assange to support the fear they feel about a situation that this person perceives as a threat to life, personal safety and freedom.
It is important to note that Mr. Assange has taken the decision to seek asylum and protection of Ecuador over allegations that it says, have been made ??by alleged “espionage and treason”, which exposes the citizen who inspires fear the possibility of being handed over to the United States of America by the British, Swedish or Australian, for he is a country, said Mr. Assange, chasing him because of the declassification of information embarrassing to the U.S. Government. Is also the applicant, that “a victim of persecution in various countries, which derives not only from their ideas and actions, but of their work to publish information which compromises the powerful, to publish the truth and, Therefore, exposing corruption and severe human rights abuses of citizens around the world.” [Read more…]
The third Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations were held at HMAS Watson in Sydney. This is the Joint Communique issued after the talks.
A joint press conference was held after the meeting by the Australian and UK Foreign Ministers, Kevin Rudd and William Hague, and the Defence Ministers, Stephen Smith and Liam Fox. [Read more…]