I long ago gave up thinking I had any power to change any direction of any Government.

Voting is a worthless exercise.

An anti-American mouthpiece quotes Senator Shoebridge.

Enough said.

The useless team blaming the coach !

Excellent article, Binoy Kampmark!

Penny Wong's response to David Shoebridge was unbelievably rude and arrogant, not to mention dangerously ignorant in its sycophantic grovelling to US dictates. So she thinks it's perfectly okay for US B-52s to fly in and out of Australia and to remain on Australian soil … and yet Australians should be kept completely in the dark as to whether or not they're carrying nuclear missiles. No wonder she didn’t like the line of questioning. She knew damn well she was defending the indefensible.

AC is correct. Our servile toadying to the US is putting a target on our back that otherwise would not be there. It's also antagonizing our Pacific neighbours who quite correctly do not want nuclear weapons in their region. China's military build-up is a direct response to the aggressive bullying and containment it's been subjected to since Obama's pivot to Asia in 2012. China is no threat to Australia. The only thing that could change that is allowing ourselves to be used as America's spearhead in the region which appears to be exactly what is happening.

Australia needs to assert its neutrality and to chart an independent foreign policy course. Pine Gap and other bases should be shut down and all US troops and weaponry sent packing. Unfortunately, it's never going to happen. The only Australian government ever to have stood up to the US was brought down by a CIA-driven coup. No Australian government is ever likely to go down that path again.

Australia is being used by the US to get at China, just as Taiwan is … and just as Ukraine has been used by the US to get at Russia. The US doesn't give a fig about Australia, Taiwan or Ukraine. Its only interest is in bringing down any regime it perceives is rivalling its power and in maintaining its self-appointed position as global hegemon. It doesn’t care who gets hurt along the way. And anyone who believes the US would defend Australia is sadly deluded.

anyone who believes the US would defend Australia is sadly deluded.
Bronwyn,
Isn't the Australian Govt registered as a corporation in America ? Why wouldn't they look after their own interests ?

In World War Two the US saved Australia's bacon in the Battles of the Coral Sea and Guadalcanal

with th US losing 1,000s of men preventing a blockade or invasion of Australia by Japanese forces.

Equally conventional and nuclear weapons on B-52s and the latest B-21 stealth bombers, moving through the Northern Territory, can act as deterrent against any future escalation of Chinese military/naval pressure on Australia.