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4 votes
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Australia's Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton's citizenship case against terrorist Neil Prakash shredded
1 vote -
'Influential' Australia should join the G7, says London think tank
5 votes -
Neil Prakash, Islamic State terrorist, stripped of Australian citizenship
4 votes -
Susan Moylan-Coombs to run as an independent against Tony Abbott in Warringah
2 votes -
Australian Prime Minister urges voters to 'get shopping' as retailers sweat on last-minute sales
2 votes -
Child asylum seeker allegedly raped on Nauru sues Federal Government for damages
6 votes -
Nationals MP Andrew Broad used taxpayer funds for part of his bombshell Hong Kong 'sugar baby' trip
3 votes -
Australian Cardinal George Pell convicted of child sex abuse offences - but reporting of this is banned in Australia.
So... here's an article I read in my newspaper earlier this week: "Why the media is unable to report on a case that has generated huge interest online". As you might imagine, this left me quite...
So... here's an article I read in my newspaper earlier this week: "Why the media is unable to report on a case that has generated huge interest online". As you might imagine, this left me quite unenlightened. I had no way of knowing or guessing what this case was, or who was involved. It was only a few days later, in conversation with some people I work with, that I found out what had happened.
And this is the first chance I've had since then to sit down and research the story for myself.
In short, Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic Church official to stand trial for sexual abuse, has been convicted of sexual abuse offences relating to his time as Archbishop of Melbourne in the late 1990s.
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From the National Catholic Reporter: "Cardinal Pell found guilty of sex abuse, expected to appeal, reports say"
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From the Washington Post: "Australian court convicts once-powerful Vatican official on sex-abuse-related charges"
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From the Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/vatican-no-3-cardinal-george-pell-on-trial-for-historical-child-sex-charges (I can't confirm this one - it's reportedly geo-blocked for Australian readers)
However, the Victorian court hearing the case has imposed a suppression order on the case, which applies in every jurisdiction in Australia. We have seen no reporting of the case as it proceeded, and no reporting of the outcome.
Before some people start assuming that this is protecting the Church, it's related to the right of an accused person to a free trial. Cardinal Pell is facing another trial in a few months for further charges of sexual abuse on a minor (relating to his time as a priest in Ballarat in the 1970s), and the court feels that reporting the outcome of this trial will potentially influence any possible jurors for that trial. Those possible jurors should go into that trial without any preconceived ideas of the accused person's guilt - and reporting that he is guilty of similar charges will undermine his right to a fair trial.
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From the Washington Post: "A top cardinal’s sex-abuse conviction is huge news in Australia. But the media can’t report it there."
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From the New York Post: "Australian media barred from covering cardinal’s conviction for sex abuse
All that we in Australia are being told is "George Pell removed from Pope Francis's cardinal advisory body". It's obvious why he was removed... if you know about the conviction.
32 votes -
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Australian Government recognises West Jerusalem as Israel's capital but keeps embassy in Tel Aviv
10 votes -
Australian government to unveil new laws to guard religious freedom but stalls on LGBT students
10 votes -
ABC and SBS cleared by review into claims they compete unfairly with commercial rivals
6 votes -
Google, Apple, Facebook face world-first encryption laws in Australia: Tech companies can be forced to "build new capabilities" that allow access to encrypted messages.
17 votes -
Australian army captain sentenced to three months in jail over beer bottle rape 'prank'
4 votes -
Victorian Government calls royal commission into potentially tainted gangland convictions
4 votes -
Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes denied visa to tour Australia with 'The Deplorables'
15 votes -
Students strike for climate change protests, defying calls to stay in school
11 votes -
Will Britain’s beaten, betrayed migrant children find justice at last? Thousands forcibly sent to the Commonwealth from 1945-70 still await compensation – and for many time is running out
5 votes -
Muslim leaders say they will boycott a proposed meeting with PM Scott Morrison after he said they should do more to combat extremism
5 votes -
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will cut the number of migrants coming to Australia, declaring the "roads are clogged" and buses, trains and schools in Sydney and Melbourne "are full".
4 votes -
US to partner with Australia, Papua New Guinea on Manus Island naval base
4 votes -
Which country gives the most aid to Pacific Island nations? The answer might surprise you. (Spoiler: It's Australia.)
1 vote -
Jerusalem embassy proposal delays Australia-Indonesia trade agreement
5 votes -
Strawberry needle contamination: Accused woman motivated by spite, court hears
8 votes -
Melbourne Bourke Street incident: Police confirm assailant dead after 'terror' attack - live updates
10 votes -
Mark Latham will contest NSW election with One Nation to 'fight for civilisational values'
3 votes -
US names former Ronald Reagan lawyer as new ambassador to Australia
4 votes -
Wentworth by-election: Kerryn Phelps officially declared winner
4 votes -
Australias's largest cycling lobby group calls for relaxed helmet laws
4 votes -
Milo Yiannopoulos' Australian tour cancelled with "no refunds"
8 votes -
Australia triggers $222b trade pact as fears grow over Indonesia deal
4 votes -
One Belt, One Road: Victoria (Australia) signs Memorandum of Understanding to join China's controversial global trade initiative
10 votes -
Australia abandoned plans for Taiwanese free trade agreement after warning from China
8 votes -
Ex-Prime Minister Julia Gillard's portrait unveiled in Parliament House
1 vote -
Federal Labor has dropped its opposition to a contentious immigration bill, increasing pressure on the Government to allow refugee children on Nauru to go to New Zealand
2 votes -
Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologises to victims of institutional child sex abuse
5 votes -
Bureau of Meteorology hits out at 'inaccurate' reports of local forecasting changes
2 votes -
Wentworth by-election: Independent candidate Kerryn Phelps claims victory, Government loses majority.
5 votes -
United Nations cautions against unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital
13 votes -
Heritage tick for Federation Square jeopardises Apple store plans
5 votes -
'Dirty tricks': Fake email sent to Wentworth voters claims Kerryn Phelps has HIV
3 votes -
Teen rides around the world in record attempt until someone in Townsville steals his bike
9 votes -
A senior Australian doctor offering medical care to refugees on Nauru was detained by police yesterday and deported from the island this afternoon
7 votes -
Palestinians warn Jerusalem shift would turn Australia into 'international pariah' and risk trade
6 votes -
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison open to following President Donald Trump in moving Israel embassy to Jerusalem
7 votes -
Separated refugee families launch legal action against Australian government at UN
7 votes -
NSW Young Nationals investigate alt-right 'infiltration', suspend new memberships
5 votes -
United Nations urges Australia to evacuate offshore refugees over health crisis
3 votes -
"Who Are Our Politicians Really Working For?" by Waleed Aly [video 6m:50s]
3 votes -
ABC board members appointed by Communications Minister Mitch Fifield despite being rejected by merit-based panel
3 votes