| | 24/02/2025 ADF officer loses security clearance over Israel; far right vote surges in Germany; Telegram fined $1m |
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| | | Good morning. We reveal today that an Australian military officer has been stripped of his security clearance after telling investigators that he would share classified information with the Israel Defence Forces if they asked for it. Encrypted messaging app Telegram has been handed a fine of almost $1m for taking 160 days to come up with answers about how it tackles terrorism and child abuse material found on its platform. Overseas, Germany’s conservatives are projected to win the most votes in the election – amid a dramatic surge in support for the far-right AfD party. And Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he would step down if it means Ukraine can have peace. |
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| Australia | | Telegram | Encrypted messaging app Telegram has been fined nearly $1m by Australia’s online safety regulator for failing to respond on time to questions about what the company does to tackle terrorism and child abuse material on its platform. | ADF concerns | An officer in the Australian army has been stripped of his security clearance because Asio believes he is more loyal to Israel than Australia, and at risk of being exploited by the Mossad. | Mustafa Hajj-Obeid | Multiple experts say the Australian government should repatriate and investigate any alleged crimes of an Islamic state member who was wounded in the extremist group’s final battle. | Analysis | In a campaign where Peter Dutton has built up some momentum, a protracted argument about Medicare could be the coin on the tracks to derail his train, Josh Butler writes. | Exclusive | Energy giant AGL is disputing a $25m fine it received for wrongly taking Centrepay welfare money from hundreds of vulnerable Australians as “manifestly excessive” in an appeal. |
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 | Full Story | | Trump brings Russia in from the cold, but at what cost to Ukraine? In a matter of days, Donald Trump has completed the most radical shift in US foreign policy in decades, bringing Putin back into the fold while sidelining Europe. He claims to have brought the end of the Ukraine war within sight. But are we really any closer to peace? And at what price? Jonathan Freedland speaks with veteran US diplomat Kurt Volker and the Guardian’s US live news editor, Chris Michael. | |
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| In-depth | | In 1985, a bus carrying 49 mostly teenagers pulled up to the Blamey Barracks, in Kapooka, New South Wales, where they were to undertake the same army training as men for the first time in Australian history. The women and girls at Kapooka were there to blaze a trail, to make history – but didn’t know they were about to enter a world of pain. This is the story of how Australia’s first female combat troops made it through and proved the doubters wrong. |
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| Not the news | | There are a few travel rules Rachel Griffiths swears by. Don’t drink or eat on the plane. Get on local time as quickly as possible. In the latest of our Away With interviews series, the Australian acting legend shares her secret beach hideaway, the Italian city that left her feeling frazzled – and her obsession with packing cubes. |
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| What’s happening today | Queensland | A conference is being held in Brisbane on critical mineral investments and planning to support Australia’s energy transition. | WA | Hearings are scheduled in Perth in the Yindjibarndi compensation case over the Fortescue Solomon mining hub. | ACT | Senate estimates are due in federal parliament. | Victoria | Hearings continue in the police capsicum spray class action case. |
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| id: 'cb55'}} | Brain teaser | And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. | |
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A message from Lenore Taylor editor of Guardian AustraliaI hope you appreciated this newsletter. Before you move on, I wonder if you would consider supporting our work as we prepare for a pivotal, uncertain year ahead.
The course of world history has taken a sharp and disturbing turn in 2024. Liberalism is under threat from populist authoritarianism. Americans have voted to install a president with no respect for democratic norms, nor the facts that once formed the guardrails of public debate.
That decision means an alliance critical to Australia’s national and economic security is now a series of unpredictable transactions, with a partner no longer committed to multilateralism, nor efforts to curb global heating, the greatest threat we face. We just don’t know where this will lead.
In this uncertain time, fair, fact-based journalism is more important than ever – to record and understand events, to scrutinise the powerful, to give context, and to counter rampant misinformation and falsehoods.
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| Lenore Taylor
Editor, Guardian Australia |
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