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Hussein Malla / AP“We have examples where supply chains were compromised in very elaborate, long lasting, super sophisticated ways for espionage. This may be the first supply chain attack that actually really deserves to be called a supply chain attack,” said Thomas Rid, a Johns Hopkins University professor who studies the history of intelligence operations. “Supply chain compromises are tried and true in intelligence work,” said Harding, who is the director of the Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I literally cannot think of a single example that is unclassified.”But she said the combined scope, planning and violence behind the pager and walkie-talkie operation made it a unique incident in the history of supply chain compromises. While the attack in Lebanon broke with spy agencies’ tradition by using a supply chain for an attack rather than for espionage, it could benefit Israel’s military objectives and have larger political implications.

Persons: It’s, Hussein Malla, ”, Thomas, Israel, Icom, pagers, Emily Harding, Harding, “, Edward Snowden, There’s, Fidel Castro, Yahya Ayyash, it’s Organizations: NBC News, Johns Hopkins University, Lebanon’s Telecommunications Ministry, New York Times, CIA, U.S . National Security Council, Intelligence, National Security, Technology, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Crypto, Washington Post, ZDF, National Security Agency, NSA, FBI, Australian Federal Police Locations: Israel, Beirut, Swiss, Cuban, Lebanon

☆ Australian police infiltrate encrypted messaging app Ghost and arrest dozens
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Australian police said Wednesday they have infiltrated Ghost, an encrypted global communications app developed for criminals, leading to dozens of arrests. In an undated photo provided by the Australian Federal Police, illicit drugs are found in a concealed compartment in a vehicle. Australian Federal Police/APPolice allege that Jung developed the app specifically for criminal use in 2017. Australian police technicians were able to modify software updates regularly pushed out by the administrator, McCartney said. The modified smartphones sold for 2,350 Australian dollars ($1,590) which included a six-month subscription to Ghost and tech support.

Persons: Jay Je Yoon Jung, Jung, Ian McCartney, “, ” McCartney, Kirsty Schofield, Col, Florian Manet, McCartney, ’ Organizations: CNN, Australian Federal Police, AP Police, Home Affairs Ministry, Command, Department, Australian, ’ Sydney Locations: Canada, Sweden, Ireland, Italy, Australia

☆ Traveler ordered to pay more than $5,000 in fuel costs after flight diverted due to bad behavior
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A problematic airline passenger has been hit with an unusual form of punishment – he has to pay back the airline for the cost of fuel. According to the Australian Federal Police, a then-32-year-old man from Western Australia was disruptive on a flight headed from Perth to Sydney. Now, the passenger has been ordered to pay $8,630 AUD ($5,806 USD) back to the airline to cover the cost of the wasted fuel. While charging a disruptive traveler for the cost of fuel is not a typical penalty, other kinds of fines are more common. The single highest individual penalty, $40,823, was issued to a traveler who brought their own alcohol on board, was intoxicated, attempted to smoke marijuana in the lavatory, and sexually assaulted a flight attendant – all in a single flight.

Persons: ” Shona Davis, “, – Organizations: CNN, Australian Federal Police, US Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Justice Locations: Western Australia, Perth, Sydney, United States

☆ A passenger was given an $11,780 fine after his bad behavior led to a flight being diverted and eventually canceled
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

An unruly passenger was ordered to pay $11,780 after causing a flight cancellation. About half of the bill went towards fuel costs after the plane had to dump fuel before landing. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAn unruly passenger has been ordered to pay 17,630 Australian dollars ($11,780), including fuel costs, after causing a flight to be canceled.

Persons: —, Wade Corbett Organizations: Jetstar, Service, Australian Federal Police, Sydney, Business Locations: Perth

☆ Forced marriage: She wanted ‘the world’ for her daughter. Instead, she got a landmark prison sentence
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Jan is the first person in Australia to be convicted of forced marriage since it was criminalized in 2013. Sakina Muhammad Jan was the first person convicted under Australia's forced marriage laws. Some of the measures borrow from forced-marriage laws in Britain, where hundreds of people take out protection orders each year to thwart an impending forced marriage. Other countries such as France, Canada and Germany also have specific laws against forced marriage. A month before Jan’s sentencing, the immigration minister circulated a directive specifically naming the crime of forced marriage as serious enough to warrant the removal of a visa.

Persons: Australia CNN — Ruqia Haidari, Sakina Muhammad Jan, Haidari, Jan, “, ”, Fran Dalziel, Helena Hassani, Boland Parwaz, she’s, ” Helena Hassani, Haidari’s, Mohammad Ali Halimi, Ruqia Haidari, Facebook Halimi, ’, Halimi, he’d, ” Hassani, Wakil Kohsar, Jennifer Burn, Andrew Buckland, it’s, Dalziel, Hassani, It’s, “ I’m Organizations: Australia CNN, Victoria County Court, Australian Federal Police, University of Technology Sydney, UTS, AFP, Facebook, “, Getty, Slavery, Refugee Convention, United Nations, Afghanistan Association Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Shepparton, Victoria, Hazara, London, Perth, Western Australia, Baharak, Badakhshan province, AFP, Slavery Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Britain, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, Melbourne, Australian, Goulburn

☆ Australia PM tells Russia to 'back off' after claims over espionage arrests
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Russia accused Australia of inciting "anti-Russian paranoia" for charging a Russian-born couple with espionage, prompting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday to tell Moscow to "back off." Albanese, speaking to reporters on Saturday, said Russia needed to "stop interfering in domestic affairs of other sovereign nations." Russia engages in espionage here and around the world," Albanese said in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland state, according to a transcript. The wife, 40, an information systems technician in the Australian Army, travelled to Russia and instructed her husband in Australia to log into her official account to access defense materials, police said. Canberra has been supplying defense equipment to Kyiv, banned exports of aluminium ores to Russia and sanctioned more than 1,000 Russian individuals and entities.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Kira, Igor Korolev, Albanese, " Albanese Organizations: Australian Federal Police, Labor Party, Kyiv, NATO, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Australian Army Locations: Russian, Australia's, Canberra, Russia, Australia, Moscow, Brisbane, Queensland, Ukraine, Washington, Brisbane magistrate's, Kyiv

☆ Russian-born couple charged with spying offense in Australia
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Brisbane, Australia CNN —Australia has charged two Russian-born Australian citizens with preparing for an espionage offense after allegedly obtaining information from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) that they were intending to hand to Russian authorities. Her Russian-born husband, 62, obtained Australian citizenship in 2020, they added. The couple were not named by authorities in Friday’s announcement, but both are expected to appear in court later that day. Australian Federal Police will allege the woman went to Russia without notifying Australian authorities while she was on long-term leave from the ADF. “We allege her husband would access requested material and would send to his wife in Russia.

Persons: ”, Reece Kershaw, ” Kershaw, “ Organizations: Australia CNN —, Australian Defence Force, Everton, Australian Federal Police, AFP, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, ADF, Australian Defense Force, Brisbane Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Australia CNN — Australia, Russian, Australian, Russia

☆ A passenger with 'no clothes on' ran through a plane mid-journey, causing chaos and knocking over a flight attendant
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A Virgin Australia flight turned around after a man ran naked through the cabin. The flight from Perth to Melbourne was already delayed over an hour before taking off. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementA Virgin Australia flight had to turn around after a man is said to have run naked through the cabin, The Guardian reported. Monday's flight from Perth to Melbourne was already more than an hour late taking off, according to data from Flightradar24.

Persons: — Organizations: Virgin Australia, Australian Federal Police, Service, Guardian, Boeing, Business Locations: Perth, Melbourne, Flightradar24

☆ David McBride: Former Australian military lawyer who exposed alleged war crimes jailed for leaking documents
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | Angus Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

However, during proceedings against McBride, the court heard that he did not bring the documents to the media’s attention to highlight the alleged war crimes. “David McBride leaked documents to our national broadcaster which contained credible evidence of war crimes committed by Australian forces in Afghanistan. Pender and others pointed out that no one had yet been prosecuted over Australia’s alleged war crimes in Afghanistan – except the man who had brought it to the country’s attention. Australian Federal Police officers raided the ABC offices in Sydney in 2019 seeking documents as they pursued potential charges against the journalists behind the story. The Australian Federal Police is working with the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) to investigate potential charges.

Persons: CNN —, ”, David Mossop, David McBride, McBride, Mark Davies, Brereton, Mossop, “, ” McBride, Justice Mossop, ” Mossop, McBride’s, Kieran Pender, “ David McBride, Pender, Australia’s, “ Will, Peter Greste, Greste, ” “ David, ” Greste, he’ll, Anthony Albanese, “ I’m, Mark Dreyfus Organizations: CNN, Australian Army, Canberra, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC, Australian Defense Force, Australian Special Air Service, SAS, Human Rights Law, Australian, Journalists, Australian Federal Police, Commonwealth, Public Prosecutions, ADF, AFP Locations: Afghanistan, Egypt, Sydney, New South Wales

☆ Parents of Australian surfers murdered in Mexico remember loving sons who adored adventure
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The grieving parents of two Australian brothers killed on a surfing trip in Mexico alongside their American friend said their deaths had made the world a “darker place,” days after their sons’ bodies were identified. On Sunday, Mexican authorities confirmed their identities as the three missing friends with the help of relatives who flew out help investigators. Mexican authorities have vowed to investigate the murders, saying the surfers may have been attacked in an attempted vehicle robbery. Mexico’s homicide rate is among the highest in the world, and more than 100,000 people remain missing in the country. Studies show only around seven percent of murders in Mexico are ever solved.

Persons: Jake, Callum Robinson, Jack Carter Rhoad, ”, Debra Robinson, “, Carter Rhoad, Martin, Callum, “ Callum, Debra, Callum’s, Penny Wong, Jesús Gerardo “, “ El Organizations: CNN, Seven Network Australia, Australia’s, team, Seven, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Australian Federal Police, Australian Embassy Locations: Mexico, Ensenada, Tijuana, San Diego, Perth, Australia, United States, Baja California

☆ After Months of Cocaine Washing Ashore, Australian Police Make an Arrest
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Inside were 39 sealed packages, each containing about two pounds of cocaine, according to the police. Then, within days, nine more packages were found across eight beaches and bays spanning a 60-mile stretch of coastline between Sydney and Newcastle. And more kept washing ashore in the following weeks and months. In one instance, a lifeguard plucked a two-pound block out of the water off Bondi Beach in Sydney. In another, a fisherman found a blue barrel containing 39 two-pound blocks.

Organizations: Australian Federal Police Locations: New South Wales, Australia, Sydney, Newcastle, Beach, Queensland

☆ Mexican drug gangs ‘increasingly targeting’ Australia as meth supplies overtake rivals, police say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Drug cartels from North America have overtaken rivals in Southeast Asia to become Australia’s top suppliers of methamphetamine, police said, warning that Mexican gangs are “increasingly targeting” the country. Meanwhile, Southeast Asian meth fell to less than 15% of seizures of the drug, a highly addictive and potent stimulant. A wastewater detection program led by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission projected meth to be Australia’s second most used drug. In 2022, authorities stopped 1.8 tons of liquid meth masquerading as coconut water in Hong Kong before it reached Australia. They were bound for New Zealand, Australia and the surrounding Pacific region, police said.

Persons: Jared Taggart, Taggart, ”, Sam Gor, Terry Goldsworthy, Criminologist John Fitzgerald, Masood Karimipour Organizations: CNN —, Australian Federal Police, Police, ”, Australian Institute of Health, Welfare, Australian Criminal Intelligence, AFP, Bond University, Australian Capital Territory, University of Melbourne, Drugs, New Zealand police, Southeast, Pacific, United Nations Office Locations: North America, Southeast Asia, Australia, AFP, Mexico, United States, Canada, ” Australia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Japan , New Zealand, Hong Kong, Asia, Pacific, Queensland, American, Europe, Ukraine, New Zealand

☆ Medibank attack: Australia publicly names and sanctions Russian hacker Aleksandr Ermakov over data leak
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Brisbane, Australia CNN —Australia has publicly named and imposed cyber sanctions on a Russian hacker for his alleged role in a 2022 ransomware attack, in the country’s first use of the penalty. At the time, the Australian Federal Police said investigators knew the identity of the attackers but declined to name them. On Tuesday, the Australian government revealed the name of the individual sanctioned — Russian national Aleksandr Ermakov, 33, an alleged member of the Russian ransomware gang REvil. When the Medibank attack took place later that year, experts said it could have been perpetrated by a REvil member — which Australian authorities confirmed on Tuesday. An initial ransom demand was made for $10 million (15 million Australian dollars).

Persons: Aleksandr Ermakov, “, ” Richard Marles, GCHQ —, Marles, “ REvil, ” Abigail Bradshaw, Medibank, — Organizations: Australia CNN —, Australian Federal Police, Medibank, Australian Signals Directorate, FBI, National Security Agency, NSA, United Kingdom’s, Microsoft, JBS Foods, Russia’s Federal Security Service, REvil, Australian Cyber Security, ” Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Australia CNN — Australia, Russian, United States

☆ Papua New Guinea to recruit Australia police in security deal - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape will travel to Canberra on Thursday to sign the security agreement, his office said. "The security arrangement is in the best interest of Papua New Guinea and also for Australia and its regional security interests," Marape said in a statement on Tuesday. The Australian Federal Police and the defence minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the security agreement. "Its a big issue and Australia can help us out considerably," said Tkatchenko, who began negotiations with Australia on the deal last year. They will be contracted officers reporting directly to the police commissioner of Papua New Guinea and they will be under all the laws of PNG.

Persons: James Marape, Lillian Suwanrumpha, Marape, Justin Tkatchenko, Tkatchenko, Kirsty Needham, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Guinea's, APEC, APEC Business, Economic Cooperation, Rights, Papua New Guinea, Australia, U.S, Reuters, Defence, Australian Federal Police, PNG Royal Constabulary, CID, Australian, Thomson Locations: Papua, Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, biosecurity, Papua New, Canberra, United States, China, Solomon Islands, Australia, France

☆ DP World cyberattack: Australian ports restart some operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —One of Australia’s biggest port operators has restarted some operations after a crippling cyberattack that led to a huge backup of cargo. DP World Australia, which manages the flow of nearly 40% of the country’s goods and is owned by Dubai-based logistics giant DP World, announced Monday that the resumption came three days following a breach of its IT systems. The ports’ reopening comes after “successful tests of key systems overnight,” DP World Australia said in a statement, adding that about 5,000 containers would move out of its four terminals across the country on Monday. CNN has reached out to DP World Australia for confirmation. The Australian Federal Police told CNN on Monday that it was investigating the incident, while declining to comment further.

Persons: “, Darren Goldie, Goldie, ”, Home Affairs Clare O’Neil Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Australia’s, DP, Commercial Bank of China, Australian Financial, CNN, Fremantle, National Cyber, ABC, Australian Federal Police, Twitter, Home Affairs Locations: Hong Kong, Dubai, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane

☆ Police investigate 'cyber incident' at Australia ports operator
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The Australian Federal Police said on Sunday they were investigating a cybersecurity incident that forced ports operator DP World Australia to suspend operations at ports in several states. DP World Australia told Reuters on Saturday that operations at impacted ports were not yet restored. DP World Australia, part of Dubai's state-owned ports giant DP World, operates four container terminals in Australia in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Western Australia's Fremantle. Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said on Saturday that the government was coordinating a response to the "cyber incident". According to DP World, in the Asia Pacific region it employs more than 7,000 people and has ports and terminals in 18 locations.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, We've, we're, Darren Goldie, Goldie, Clare O'Neil, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Australian Federal Police, Australia, DP, Reuters, Fremantle, Cyber, Twitter, Home Affairs, Thomson Locations: Dubai's, Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Western, Sydney , Melbourne, Asia

☆ Australian woman arrested in suspected death cap mushroom poisoning
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Australian police have arrested a woman who served a lunch in late July that led to the deaths of three people from suspected death cap mushroom poisoning. Victoria Police confirmed a 49-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the case. CNN affiliate Nine News said Patterson was arrested at her home in the town of Leongatha in southern Victoria. In the same statement she claimed she bought the mushrooms used in the meal from two separate stores. Following the arrest, the woman will be interviewed and the investigation remains ongoing, police said.

Persons: Erin Patterson, Patterson, Dean Thomas, “, it’s, Gail Patterson, Gail’s, Heather Wilkinson, Don, Ian Wilkinson, ” Patterson, Patterson’s, Thomas, Simon, ” Thomas Organizations: CNN, Australian, Victoria Police, ABC, Nine, Gibson, Australian Federal Police Locations: Leongatha, Victoria, Melbourne’s

☆ Security raid on Chinese academic fuels concern over Australia-China exchanges
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese academic, who specialises in foreign affairs research at a Beijing university, had visited universities in three Australian states in July and August. The Guardian first reported on Monday that the man had his accommodation raided and his laptop taken by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and Australian Federal Police in Perth, and was told his visa was being assessed for security reasons. A high-level dialogue between Chinese and Australian academic, industry and media delegations resumed in Beijing on Thursday after a four-year halt. It included a Chinese scholar who had his Australian visa revoked in 2020 by ASIO, amid concern over foreign interference in politics. "Any Chinese academic with an interest in relations with Australia would surely be re-assessing travel plans fearing the same thing could happen to them.

Persons: Florence Lo, Anthony Albanese, James Laurenceson, Greg McCarthy, McCarthy, Albanese, Kirsty Needham, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Guardian, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Australian Federal Police, Reuters, ASIO, China Relations Institute, University of Technology, University of Adelaide, Peking University, The Australian Federal Police, Thomson Locations: Australia, China, Western Australia, Beijing, Perth, Sydney, Canberra

☆ Man arrested after Malaysian Airlines plane from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur forced to turn around mid-flight
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Alex Stambaugh | Jake Kwon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A 45-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly disrupted a Malaysian Airlines flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, which was forced to turn around mid-flight and land back in Sydney International Airport on Monday. “The man is expected to be charged later tonight,” according to a spokesman for the Australian Federal Police. “Malaysia Airlines flight MH122 on 14 August 2023 returned to Sydney International Airport due to a disruptive passenger on board. Sydney International Airport said in a statement to CNN that 32 domestic flights, including 16 inbound and 16 outbound, were canceled with other domestic flights experiencing delays of up to 90 minutes. “Currently there are no international flight cancellations,” the airport said.

Persons: “ Organizations: CNN, Malaysian Airlines, Sydney International Airport, Australian Federal Police, Police, Twitter, “ Malaysia Airlines, Sydney International Locations: Sydney, Kuala Lumpur

☆ Australian police charge man over bomb threat on Malaysia Airlines flight
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Malaysia Airlines planes sit on the tarmac at Kuala Lumpur International Airport July 21, 2014. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry laid out what he called overwhelming evidence of Russian complicity in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 as international horror deepened over the fate of the victims' remains. REUTERS/File PhotoSYDNEY, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Australian police on Tuesday charged a man after he allegedly claimed to have explosives on board a Malaysia Airlines flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, forcing it to return to Sydney. Flight MH122 left Sydney on Monday afternoon for Malaysia and returned to Sydney about three hours later after the passenger "allegedly became disruptive" during the flight, police said. There were no international flight cancellations.

Persons: John Kerry, MH122, Renju Jose, Stephen Coates Organizations: Malaysia Airlines, Kuala, REUTERS, Australian Federal Police, Malaysia, Police, Sydney Airport, Thomson Locations: Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Canberra

☆ Former childcare charged with over 1,600 counts of abuse in Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Alex Stambaugh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A former childcare worker has been charged with 1,623 child abuse offenses allegedly carried out against 91 children in Australia and elsewhere over 15 years, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a statement on Tuesday. The 45-year-old man from the Gold Coast has been in police custody since August 2022, when he was initially charged with making child exploitation material and using a carriage service to distribute it. “This is one of the most horrific cases of alleged child abuse our detectives have seen,” Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald with the New South Wales police said in a news conference. Other charges include hundreds of counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 years, counts of making child exploitation material and other charges related to possessing, producing, distributing or obtaining child exploitation material. The AFP said it is working with international authorities to help identify four children recorded in the alleged child abuse material overseas.

Persons: CNN —, Michael Fitzgerald, Col Briggs Organizations: CNN, Australian Federal Police, AFP, Police, New South, New South Wales police, Queensland Police, Court Locations: Australia, Brisbane, Sydney, New South Wales, AFP

☆ Australia inquiry says ex-PM Morrison misled cabinet on debt recovery scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, July 7 (Reuters) - An Australian inquiry into a programme to recover welfare debt said on Friday former Prime Minister Scott Morrison had misled the cabinet about the scheme in an earlier ministerial role. The report recommended unnamed people be referred for prosecution or civil action over the automated "robodebt" programme, designed to ensure welfare recipients were not underreporting income and over-receiving government payments. The report said Morrison, who in 2015 monitored the rollout of the programme as the social services minister, took the proposal to the cabinet without necessary information. Morrison, prime minister from August 2018 to May 2022 and still a member of parliament, rejected each finding adverse to him and critical of his involvement in "authorising the scheme". In 2020, he apologised in parliament for distress caused by the robodebt scheme but did not admit legal liability.

Persons: Scott Morrison, Anthony Albanese, Morrison, Renju Jose, Jamie Freed, William Mallard Organizations: SYDNEY, Royal Commission, Australian Federal Police, Thomson Locations: Australian, Sydney

☆ Why PwC is selling part of its business in Australia for less than $1
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —PwC, one of the world’s big four consulting firms, is selling its government advisory business in Australia for just cents after a scandal left its reputation there in shreds. As a result, PwC will sell its government consultancy practice in Australia to Allegro Funds, a private equity firm, for just 1 Australian dollar ($0.7), PwC said in a statement. The business accounts for about 20% of the firm’s revenue in the country. PwC Australia has taken steps to try to regain trust. The firm also ordered nine partners to go on leave as it carried out an investigation “into who may have shared or misused confidential information,” acting CEO Kristin Stubbins said in an open letter in May.

Persons: CNN —, PwC, Peter Collins, Tom Seymour, Kristin Stubbins, Stubbins, Collins, ”, “ Organizations: CNN, Allegro Funds, Australian Treasury, Australian Senate, Police, PwC, Mr Locations: Australia, PwC, PwC Australia

☆ Australia Russia embassy row: Suspected Russian diplomat squatter dismissed as just "a bloke" by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Australia’s government last week terminated its lease on the grounds of national security. A man, believed to be Russian diplomat, has remained at the site in defiance of the move. Albanese was asked by journalists on Friday to comment on reports that a Russian diplomat had taken up residence in a shed. “The national security threat that was represented by a Russian Embassy on site is not the same as some bloke standing on a blade of grass on the site – that, we don’t see really as a threat to our national security,” he replied. On Friday, Australia’s home affairs minister said Moscow had told the Australian government that it would take the matter to court.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, ”, “ We’re, Clare O’Neil, Australia’s, Moscow, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Australian, Russian Embassy, Home, Russian, Reuters, Australian Federal Police, CNN, Russian Federation, Commonwealth Locations: Hong Kong, Russian, Moscow, Canberra, Yarralumla, Australia, Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Australian state bans PwC from new tax contracts for three months
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, June 15 (Reuters) - An Australian state on Thursday imposed a three-month ban on PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) local unit from receiving new tax-related contracts - the latest repercussion to hit the firm after its misuse of confidential federal government tax plans. PwC has come under fire after a former tax partner in the firm who was advising the Australian federal government on laws to prevent corporate tax avoidance shared confidential drafts with colleagues that were used to pitch to companies for work. Last week, PwC named at least 67 current and former staff involved in the leak of government tax plans. The Australian Federal Police is investigating the misuse of confidential government documents and four major pension funds have paused work with the firm. Some private-sector clients and government agencies have also suspended or are reviewing their dealings with PwC.

Persons: PwC, Courtney Houssos, Houssos, Kristin Stubbins, Renju Jose, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: SYDNEY, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Australian Federal Police, PwC, Thomson Locations: Australian, New South Wales, Sydney

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