Wage Peace has created this set of slides to share with friends and family. We think many people would be disgusted to know about the massive spending on military technologies for both export, and domestic projects. These projects are #NotDefence, but #Crapitalism.
Click to view full size – in gallery.
Please share this ‘zine’: Cancel the Weapons Trade!
Full Steam Ahead for Weapons Industries Under the Cover of Covid
Not all of you follow Wage Peace on Facebook so we’ve put together a summary of important developments since the fires.
- We see the continued roll out of “defence” industry plans and the announcement of $4bn worth of early payments for contracts.
- Military industry gained itself a cell at the South Australia Covid Taskforce; And a ‘working group’ in the Federal Covid Taskforce.
- Austal, ship builders in Western Australia gained an order of 6 Navy patrol boats as a “stimulus”. Defence Industry godfather, WA Governor Kim Beazley and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds are both from Western Australia. Reynolds has recently said she is “spruiker-in-chief” for the so called ‘defence’ industries.
- The US military arrival in Darwin postponed for just 8 weeks: arriving at the start of June.
- There was a tenuous ceasefire in Yemen. Predictably a huge surge in covid-related deaths has now followed there. The Saudi-US bombing of infrastructure (a war crime) had already resulted in a starving population and now a failed health care system. Australian companies such as EOS have been targeting Saudi Arabia to buy weapons exports. Australian Anti Bases encourages you to contact Marise Payne’s office (02) 9687 8755 foreign.minister@dfat.gov.au and ask them to cancel the licences issued to nations which continue human rights violations: Saudi Arabia, Indonesia.
- Three weapons trade events were postponed. Land2020 (Brisbane) and Avalon (Melbourne) and the Indo Pacific Maritime Expo (Sydney) will all be reset a year later than usual. Friends of the Earth published this essay calling for the cancellation.
Exposing the Corporations
Wage Peace has been mapping what is going on with developments in the weapons industries in Australia. Wage Peace, with others, are closely monitoring militarism growth in Australia. Together we are building a picture of what is going on and making it visible.
| What actions can you take to expose the influence of the military corporations in your location?
You can make a big difference by talking about the weapons trade and sharing the links on this page. |
Revolving Doors: At Michael West Publishers there is interest in our “defence” money and the people responsible for giving it away. Michelle Fahy is writing and researching with Callum Foote, gaining significant reach with their reflections about who is moving through the ‘defence’ #RevolvingDoors. Use the hashtag! The picture is grim: new projects, new contracts, billions of tax payers money facilitated by parliamentarians who appear to work directly for the weapons trade.
Source www.MichaelWest.com.au/Revolving doors
#StopKillerRobots The Australian Campaign to Stop #KillerRobots is producing a report on the development of autonomous weaponised robots in Australian universities. The ABC introduced this issue last year.
It’s clear that ethics in universities are scant in the face of dollars from the weapons corporations. Australia has failed to rule out developing these weapons.
“The removal of a ‘human in the loop’ makes a weapon that independently selects and engages targets unable to comply with International Human Rights Legislation. Therefore, the development and deployment of fully autonomous weapons are unlawful.”
#DisarmUnis Wage Peace is recording information about the activities of the weapons corporations in the universities on LittleSis. Maps like this can help us trace the interface between universities and the weapons industries. The relationships are all in plain sight, if we look. This is an open source project so feel free to add information.
Training: There’s a 6am 3rd June – Little Sis Workshop on Power Mapping and divestment if you are really keen. It focuses on fossil fuels but it’s the same deal. Men and women linked by education and industry, constructing systems.
Wage Peace Weapons Industry Database: Our researchers have been compiling a database of what the big companies are doing to inform activists.
PROJECTS: Here’s a view of our database showing SOME of the projects with contracts more than $1bn
CORPORATIONS: Here’s a view of the Corporations and SOME of what they are involved in
| Parliamentarians are paid by the corporations, not by the voters, so we don’t think targeting government for change is helpful. For example, the Labor Party is responsible for promotion of the King Pin: Kim Beazley who is now Governor of Western Australia. He is still doling out projects.
We are looking for a volunteer to join our research team and follow up on the States. We invite you to contact us. Tell us which ‘target’ project or corporation will inspire movement building. Lethality, human rights, the manipulation created by the US alliance, cost, corruption: all are possible points of outrage. |
| BOEING’S CONTRACTS Boeing has billions of dollars worth of contracts in Australia. Your tax dollars at work.
BOEING’s FLASHY PROJECTS Boeing has just worked with Australians to produce an Australian designed and built drone – the “Wingman”. It doesn’t fly yet but it looks good and everyone is pleased that though Australia doesn’t produce a car or a phone, it produces a semi autonomous flying drone that flies alongside Jet Fighters. It will have the capacity to fire missiles (bombs). Because it is designed to fly as an offsider to the F35 or another jet, it’s called a “Wingman”. BOEING’S BIGGEST PROJECT Boeing’s biggest contract approaching $1bn is for BattleSpace Communications Systems which are arrangements for distinct communications: radio, antennas, data transfer. (Can’t rely on the NBN in a time of difficulty.) BOEING AND BRENDAN NELSON Dr Brendan Nelson, recently stepped through the revolving doors landing as President of Boeing Australia. Brendan Nelson was previously Defence Minister and director of the Australian War Memorial. Nelson has been rewarded for delivering two Boeing windfalls over the last 15 years: We have to ask: Was he working for them all the time? 1/ Extensive advertising delivered for the War Memorial. 2/ $6.6bn jet fighter contract given to Boeing against the advice of Defence in 2007. Here’s an excellent podcast by 7AM – Schwartz Media. BOEING and THE WAR MEMORIAL You can contact David Stephens from Honest History to contribute your name for a “Public Works Committee” submission against the half a billion dollar redevelopment of the War Memorial to include more weapons advertising. BOEING SELLS TO DUTERTE: In the last week Human Rights Watch have raised an alarm that US Boeing are selling their Apache Attack helicopters to the Duterte government in the Philippines. Duterte has been involved in severe human rights violations. The Apache was the helicopter that delivered Raytheon’s ‘Hellfire’ missiles in the famous WikiLeaks Collateral Murder Video. Attack helicopters have one main purpose: to kill people. BOEING ON OUR AIRTABLE DATABASE click on the table
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Thanks for hanging in with us.
Yours sincerely
Margie and the team
References
Dept Defence – Support to industry during COVID-19