This public servant would not have said what he did off his own bat. Note that neither the prime minister nor the defence minister have disagreed with Pezzullo. And those snorting about only politicians being able to make such pronouncements overlook that our politicians become more cowardly every day, and actually want to hide behind officials who can't be touched by voters as they can. They need only look at the way the PM hides behind the absurd, and probably unconstitutional, 'national cabinet' to know that.

And trying to get the dozy public to face up to the reality of Chinese Communist intentions is not 'war mongering'. We are under real threat, and there might be a war that we are ill-prepared for, physically and psychologically. In fact, the CCP is already waging what they see as one aspect of a war against Australia. The penny has yet to drop for many of us. Pezzullo is trying to get us to see the danger we are in - or at least least his masters are.

The enemy within has to be dealt with before threats from outside can be met. And that's going to be a tough job with the white anting, self hating Leftists in our midst.

UWA's Defence and Security Institute, Peter Dean, advises that Pezzullo's comments are aligned with the government's own strategic updates, and that people in the know believe that he didn't go far enough with his warning.

Evidently, the Public Service Commission has a completely different set of APS rules for "Benito" Pezzullo. He can do and say as he pleases.

Even if I could tolerate his infinite ego and loony ideas about strategic policy, his utterly banal and pompous prose crushes my will to live.

The price of freedom has always been, will always be, eternal vigilance!

And self-reliant defense!

Just no need to shout it from the rooftops and rattling rusty sabres that so rusted as to be almost scabbard bound!

Want to defend against tanks and bombers etc? Need a bit more than the odd slingshot and angry old white men.

I prefer the more pragmatic Swiss approach and an armed sane and tested, registered civilian population.

And give Mike a big gun and send him to the intended front line! Let see how defiant he'll be then!?

Odds on it'll be, whimper, whimper and Mummy Mummy!? I need clean undies.
Alan B.

People seem to be unaware, or are choosing to ignore, the calls by Communist thug Xi for his troops to be ready for war "in any second". They also ignore or are aware of the fact that the CCP regards their continual insults, 200% tariffs on Australian goods, stated intention to take over Taiwan, and their militarisation of the South China Sea as preparation for war. Those whining and calling for an Australian senior public servant to 'tone it down' are the same Marxist cranks who would rather be Red than Dead because they are too young or too stupid to no what Communism really means.

Democracy will never work for exactly the same reason that Communism will never work. One will not accept the other & will do everything in their power to foil successful governing.
The only option left is to install a benevolent Dictator if one could be found !
Or, in simpler terms, the stupid will always oppose the logical & the greedy will always oppose economic progress !
What it all boils down to is that people will never learn & therefore the only way to control them is by telling them to toe the line ! Anarchy is assured when both sides are of equal stength.

China has just blocked Australia's application to the WHO to investigate the Chinese Communist Party's imposition of an 80% tariffs on our barley exports.

What most Westerners do no understand is that totalitarian regimes do not see peace and war as separate situations as we do. Even when their is no killing, war is always there, in trade, spying, commercial spying, theft of intellectual property - anything that damages other countries without actual shots being fired. We have allowed these dreadful people into the WHO: now they are manipulating that organisation and breaking the rules.

We have been at war with China ever since the greedy idiots in the West stupidly thought that a totalitarian, Communist country was going to act like everyone else.

ttbn,
Correct all the way !

Not even China has enough clout to block our application to the WHO! Even soo, no sense whatsoever going to war over trade we don't need and can replace. All we need to do is use what we have, MSR thorium and the brains we were born with, to compete with them for their markets.

And given success, sure to produce a less belligerent China still fearful of its own!

It's not too hard, just blocked by recalcitrant tin-eared podium thumping pollies afraid of their own shadows, the fossil fuel lobby, or sane decisive action!?
Alan B.

What a pity. I thought AlanB had gone.

China most certainly does have the clout with BRI and all the other totalitarian crooks in the UN. Waffling about our politicians and fossil fuels instead of blaming Communist thugs indicates a clear incompetence to comment.

Thought thought he had a car, but woke up to find he only had a horn!

Though thought his feet were out of bed, so he got out to put them back again.

D Trump's Lady Lawyer is being sued for millions by those she libeled trying to steal the election. Her defense? Any reasonable person would have known her claims were all BS!

Y'all have a nice day now y'hear.
Alan B.

Whatever happened to the concept of talking softly while carrying a big stick. As opposed to shouting loudly and carrying a twig?

This bloke is, I believe, much like his masters? A boneheaded, tin-eared, recalcitrant idiot who wouldn't know the time of day if it weren't for the clocks?

We do not need armed conflict with anybody we can't beat! Nor loudmouthed idiots hissing into the wind!

What we need is an economic template that is based on thorium and energy prices as low as 1 cent PKWH. That then allows us to compete economically on the world stage with industrial giants and even as we effectively deal with very real climate change as we eliminate endemic generational poverty, while there is still time. Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock!
Alan B.