Visiting US Congressman reveals a few home truths

 Written by: Nick G. on 16 September 2026

 

A visiting US politician has just stated that US nuclear-powered submarines stationed at the Stirling naval base in WA can be assumed to be carrying nuclear weapons.

Michael McCaul, a former chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, said that US submarines that rotate through Western Australia under the AUKUS pact could be carrying nuclear weapons and Australia should welcome that.

McCaul made the comments to the Sydney Morning Herald in Washington after returning from an official visit to Australia as part of a congressional delegation. While there, he met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Defence Minister Richard Marles, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Conroy, among others.

This gang of four US Empire loyalists, at the heart of the Australian government, have not dared ask their US masters whether US planes and submarines in Australia will be carrying nuclear weapons. 

They prefer to sell-out our sovereignty, professing to honour the US policy of neither conforming nor denying the presence of nuclear weapons in Australia.

But McCaul, one of the richest members of the US Congress, has saved them the embarrassment of their silence by telling us to “just assume” US bombers and submarines are carrying nuclear weapons.

When questioned whether the stationing of US troops, bombers and submarines in Australia, often referred to by the weasel word “rotation” to disguise their now permanent presence here, made us a target, he confirmed that too. 

“Australia is a target,” he said.

He said it was “absolutely critical” that Australia joined the US in any conflict with China over Taiwan, and had no doubt Australia would do so. “I don’t think it was even questioned. It’s just obvious,” he said.

Of course its obvious when you look at the calibre of those Australian politicians most strongly supportive of the hold that the US has over our country.

Australia must honour the Treaty of Rarotonga under which Australia has committed not to acquire its own nuclear weapons nor allow others to station their nuclear weapons on our soil or in our waters. 

While the US Empire loyalists busy themselves listening to their master’s voice, we prefer to listen to the voices of the Australian people which are becoming more and more insistent on breaking the hold of US imperialism over Australia.

We should thank McCaul for calling in on us and clarifying, through his arrogance and his assumptions, that we are not an independent nation, and that our rulers deserve to be treated like the puppets they are. 

 

Condemn the US placement of weapons in Outer Space

 Written by: Nick G. on 16 September 2026

 

Two days ago, a US military spokesman confirmed that the US has already placed weapons in space.

This adds urgency to our demands to stop the militarisation of space.

US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink confirmed on Monday that the so-called “space control weapons” would be used to defend US forces on Earth, but gave no details of what the weapons were or where they orbits occurred.

The admission is likely to bring to a halt a Russian-sponsored UN initiative for an international commitment known as “No First Placement of Weapons in Outer Space” (NFP).

As we have just seen with calls to “slow down the development of AI”, big corporations and nations try to stymie competitors’ advantages by putting up “holier than thou” obstacles in their way.

The US has been front-runner in the race to win military control of space. Russia and China are its main competitors.

The Russian NFP initiative, began in 2004 and regularly visited in the UN, has so far won the support of a minority of 37 UN member states.

China has strongly supported the objective of preventing an arms race in outer space and, together with Russia, has proposed a treaty prohibiting the placement of weapons in space.

However, China is not a signatory to the NFP, saying that the NFP is merely a political declaration and that it favours a legally binding international treaty prohibiting the placement of weapons in outer space.

Indeed, China voted against the 2025 UN NFP resolution, as have the US and its main imperialist partners.

Australia is one of the countries that have refused to make the NFP commitment. 

Australia's position permits it to develop and acquire space capabilities, including capabilities that could potentially have military applications. Australian company EOS has boasted that it already has the capability to shoot hundreds of “enemy satellites”.

“We could intercept and interdict the satellite operations of any country on earth, if we chose to. That’s a really powerful platform for us,” said EOS spokesperson Dr Ben Greene . “It’s quite feasible now to talk about taking out hundreds of satellites a day if that was necessary.”

There is no doubt that the US admission will spur Russia and China, as well as European imperialists, to place their own weapons in space.

The violence of imperialism is no longer confined to Earth. 

Their rivalry brings to an end humanity’s dreams of the peaceful exploration and use of space.

Government "Rescue Package" NO SECURITY FOR WHYALLA STEEL WORKERS

Written by: Ned K. on 16 September 2026

 

(Above: Whyalla Steelworks.  Picture supplied)

On Monday 14 September SA Premier Peter Malinauskas went to Whyalla to announce the final shutdown of the blast furnace at the Whyalla Steel Works in South Australia. 600 workers, including about 100 contractors, will lose jobs. The Premier blamed the failure of previous owners of the steelworks over several decades for the demise of the blast furnace. 

These previous owners - Gupta's GFG Alliance, Arrium and One Steel and before that BHP - all had one thing in common. They manufactured high grade steel from locally mined high grade iron ore for profit. Thousands of workers lived at Whyalla and worked at the steel works and up until the 1970s at the Whyalla shipyards as well. 

Many of these workers were new migrants to Australia. Over the decades they produced the wealth appropriated by large corporations from BHP through to Gupta's GFG Alliance.

In February 2025, the SA and federal ALP governments announced a $2.4billion "rescue package", ousted the heavily in debt GFG Alliance from control of the Steelworks and placed the Steel Works into the hands of administrator Korda Mentha.

Korda Mentha was the corporate shark that recommended Gupta's GFG Alliance purchase of the Steel Works in the first place!

The "rescue package" by the SA and federal governments was a case of governments acting in the interests of capitalism as a whole as so many different sectors of the economy relied on the high-grade steel produced at Whyalla.

During the period of GFG Alliance ownership and the period of Korda Mentha administration, the resilient backbone of the Steel Works, the steel workers themselves and the working people of Whyalla generally, kept the steel production going and with limited resources tried to keep the blast furnace operating.

Workers were told that "help is on its way" in the form of a new Steel Works owner who would not only purchase the Steel Works, but instal a new electric arc furnace replacing the old blast furnace. 

The SA Government told workers and the Whyalla community a decision on the new owner would be made by September 2026. As the old blast furnace shutdown announcement was made on 14 September 2026, the Government said it was hopeful of announcing a new owner by the end of 2026.

Workers Win All Entitlements

The strength of Whyalla since the first blast furnace operated in 1941 has been the workers of Whyalla, across not only the steel works, iron ore mines and the port but throughout the community. 

The steelworkers and earlier shipbuilding workers have been not only unionised but highly organised with strong delegate structures, good communication networks among themselves, strong community leisure and sports clubs and strong support for workers in the many services sectors without which the steelworks and shipbuilding works would not have functioned.

This is the main reason why on 14 September 2026, the SA Premier had no real choice but to guarantee all workers made redundant would receive all monetary entitlements owing plus support services to find workers other jobs.

Reading between the lines, the Government may know that whoever the new owner selected (M Resources from Qld or Jindal Steel from India), there may be no new electric arc furnace. If this is the case, none of the 600 jobs will return. The Steel Works will do what it does at the moment. Import steel billets which will be rolled and refined at Whyalla to customers’ requirements but no longer manufactured at Whyalla. 

Workers Need a Real "Rescue Package"

Both SA and federal ALP governments are parties of capitalism. Their "rescue package" of putting the Steelworks into administration has only had partial short-term success. The next phase of their "rescue package" is to once again hand the Steel Works to yet another large corporation whose prime reason for bidding for the Steel Works is to maximise profit.

Whyalla workers know this and sense that the only real short to medium term secure "rescue package" is for the steel industry in Australia to be nationalised as a step towards national independence and socialism with an economy based on people's needs rather than being based on profits for big capitalist corporations.

 

Pax Silica, the Philippines and US war preparations against China

Written by: (Contributed) on 14 September 2026

 

(Source: National Democratic Front of the Philippines » NDFP )

The decision by the Trump administration to re-open military facilities from the previous Cold War in the Philippines forms part of a rising tide of US-led militarism sweeping the Indo-Pacific region. Serious questions arise about Australian involvement. The proposed military facilities have been given as little publicity as possible, revealing sensitive telecommunications and intelligence provision; information forthcoming from the Philippines, however, has revealed widespread opposition to the proposals.

During December, 2025, the Trump administration finalised an agreement with the Philippines to establish a huge AI facility on 4,000 acres of land with a 99 year lease. (1)
Based in Tarlac Province, the proposed Pax Silica facility has made use of the former US Clark Air Force Base, officially closed in 1991, with the ending of the previous Cold War. (2) It was noted, furthermore, that the decision was taken in light of 'Clark's historical role as a logistics and defence hub'. (3)

The sensitive nature of the US role in both the past and present Cold War has included the base facilities being used for flights to both Guam and Diego Garcia, two US intelligence hubs swinging on an arc from the centrally-placed Pine Gap facilities in Australia. (4) Both hubs have been subject to extensive upgrading of facilities over many decades.

The interplay between data centres, AI and their military and security applications, is merely the latest addition to the US-led militarism of our age. (5) The struggle, by the US, to establish a monopoly of highly advanced technologies, forms part of what is generally referred to in military circles as the study of asymmetrical warfare techniques, and unconventional warfare. The establishment of data centres, AI and military usage has become a sophisticated form of global intelligence-gathering and signals-intelligence.

The Philippines has long been a major preoccupation with the Pentagon due to its centrality within the wider Indo-Pacific region: its history has followed endless US connivance to install presidential puppets to control the sprawling landmass; repression has always been commonplace. Governments come and go in Metro Manila, they all sing the same songs.

US assessments of the Philippines tend to provide a useful insight into the dominant mindset of the Pentagon. One, written in the early 1990s after the end of the previous Cold War, for example, included the Philippines as one of seven likely and possible scenarios where US military forces could be required to defend US citizens residing in the country. (6) No information was provided in the 70-page intelligence report about the status of the US citizens concerned, although a sensible conclusion might be concern raised by the Pentagon about a similar hostage-taking drama along the lines of what happened in Iran in 1979. (7)

The Philippines, therefore, also has the added advantage for the US of not having governments which have the power to introduce legislation which may not be in 'US interests'. Campaigns by government departments in Australia to restrict data centres has already led to their outsourcing to other countries, including the Philippines. (8)  

In fact, the present Australian Human Rights Commission has already called on Canberra to introduce 'robust and trusted regulatory protocols on data centres to protect fundamental human rights'. (9) The whole data centre project, however, has raised questions about accountability, control and uses and abuses of power. No answers have been forthcoming.

No doubt, moreover, the standard underground facilities at the Clark base, made to withstand a nuclear attack, will now house new and sensitive defence and security facilities. (10) Such facilities also provide a convenient cover against prying eyes.

Scant media releases about Pax Silica were also subsequently and unsurprisingly couched in terminology including reference to the 'economic and geo-political project … and a… gateway into the global AI economy … with a … US-led effort to bolster supply-chains', leaving little to the imagination about its use as an additional major US regional defence and security hub. (11) It is likely to complement existing facilities at Pine Gap, central Australia.

The proposed Philippine-based US facility is generally understood to cause massive social disruption, particularly amongst local subsistence farming communities. (12) Widespread protests have already taken place, with very little publicity outside the Philippines.

In conclusion, Australian involvement in Pax Silica has not been given much publicity although it can be safely regarded as taking place due to strong military connections with the so-called 'alliance'. Pentagon directives are regularly issued to Canberra, with requests for compliance: the significance of the Queensland Crisafulli government and its Defence Q project, headed by Brigadier Mick Say, for example, with a strong focus upon 'industry with government, strategic partners, supply-chains, suitable locations and investment opportunities to support advanced manufacturing and investment', casts light upon the shadowy agendas of those lurking in the corridors of power. (13)  

And for the record, Queensland hosts nine military bases, some of which house secret-intelligence signals facilities and electronic warfare provision, together with training schools. (14)  It is in a front-line position for regional deployments, presided over by a brigadier: a coincidence?

                                            We need an independent foreign policy!

(Further reading: Reject Pax Silica and promote the national democratic alternative! )

1.     Newsletter, IPAN., 28 August 2026.
2.     Pax Silica brings promise – but at what cost? The Inquirer, (Philippines), 30 July 2026.
3.     Ibid.
4.     Wikipedia: Clark Air Force Base, Philippines; and, Peter Projection, Map of the World, Actual Size.
5.     See: Agentic Bond in the West's secret service, Australian, 31 August 2026.
6.     Covert Action, Edited: Ellen Ray and Wm. H. Schaap, Melbourne, 2003), page 10.
7.     Ibid.
8.     Rights warning on data centres, Australian, 31 August 2026.
9.     Ibid.
10.   See: Mysterious underground tunnels and bunkers, Lisette Marie, The Burlington Bunker, U.K., 13 November 2025.
11.   Pax Silica, explained, The Manila Bulletin, 22 July 2026.
12.   Inquirer (Philippines), op.cit., 30 July 2026; and, Manila Bulletin, ibid., 22 July 2026.
13.   Defence Q aims to target industry spending, Australian, 27 August 2026; and, Data Centres – an issue for peace and independence, www.renegadeactivists.org
14.   Wikipedia: Australian Military Bases.

 

Pauline Hanson is no friend of Farmers

 

Written by: Duncan B. on 9 September 2026

 

Pauline Hanson is trying to claim credibility as serious, mainstream politician, after years on the sidelines, where she is noted  mainly for her stunts and bizarre utterances. Hanson and One Nation are painting themselves as the friends of farmers and country people, with a win in the Farrer by-election showing that they are having some success in fooling country people.

Hanson spoke at the Bush Summit held in Dubbo on August 26 and 27. (The Bush Summit is sponsored by Pauline’s friends at Murdoch’s News Limited, and Hancock Prospecting, owned by Pauline’s boss Gina Rinehart.)  Hanson has also been invited to open the Henty Machinery Field Days on September 22. This decision by the organisers of the Field Days is causing controversy in the region. Make no mistake. Hanson is no friend of the bush. Hanson’s policies are disastrous for farmers and country people.

Hanson’s denial of climate change, her opposition to net zero and her support for fossil fuels over renewable energy sources means that the effects of climate change on farmers in Australia can only get worse. Farmers are already  experiencing more severe cyclones and floods, and bushfires that are more ferocious than ever before.

Farmers, country businesses and tourist operators rely heavily for workers on skilled migrant labour, working holidaymakers and workers from Pacific Island countries under the PALM Scheme. At present the Government is slowing down some visa applications from these workers, and farmers and country businesses are already complaining that this is harming their businesses. Hanson’s immigration policies would only make the situation much worse.

According to research by the Regional Australia Institute, migration accounted for 46.2% of regional population growth in 2025, helping to overcome workforce shortages and strengthen local economies. Hanson’s immigration policies would help destroy country towns.

Hanson and her boss Gina are devoted supporters of Donald Trump. Trump’s tariffs have caused considerable loss to Australian farmers and exporters. Trump’s war against Iran has caused massive economic losses to Australian farmers. Shortages of diesel fuel and fertiliser and higher prices resulted, making it harder for farmers to put in their crops. Some farmers had to reduce the area they planted.

Trump’s war has caused disruption to shipping and flights carrying Australian farm produce to the Middle East, with perishable cargoes stranded at sea, and shipping companies imposing war surcharges on containers from US$1500 to $4000.

There has only been one shipment of live sheep to the Middle East this year, compared to nineteen for the previous year.  Only 4426 tonnes of sheep meat have been sent this year, only 30% of last year’s exports.

In 2025, Australia exported 60,000 tonnes of vegetables, valued at $53 million to the Middle East. This year there have been no shipments of vegetables.

Hanson claims to be the farmers’ friend. With friends like her they don’t need any enemies.

 

How Maoists were treated commemorating the 50th death anniversary of Chairman Mao

 Written by: Perrin on 12 September 2026

 

(Above: Chinese authorities try to disperse pro-Mao crowd in Shaoshan September 9, 2026. Supplied)

The following accounts concerning the September 9 commemorations marking the fiftieth anniversary of Mao Zedong’s death were written by Comrade Perrin and based on reports sent to him by comrades in China. We think they are important to share with those who still harbour the hope that China remains socialist, when all the evidence is to its restoration of capitalism and development into to a “socialist in words, but imperialist in deeds” form of imperialism – eds.

A Maoist friend visited Chairman Mao Memorial Hall in Beijing to pay his respects. According to his account, he passed through security checks three or four times before being stopped and held by the police. Officers inspected visitors’ phones for VPNs and certain overseas apps, and would examine browsing histories if they found them. A number of visitors were then held together and given a stern lecture.

He recalled remarks along the lines of: “We know what you get up to,” “I advise you to spend less time looking at foreign material—it does you no good,” and “Think about your own future.”

During the bag searches, officers also temporarily withheld books. My friend had deliberately brought what he thought would be the “safest” possible choice—a collection of Mao’s poetry—but even that was taken away. He had to provide his name and telephone number and collect the book on his way out after his details were checked.

On his return journey, he met an older man from Tianjin and began chatting with him. When the conversation turned to universities, the man recalled working near Nankai University in his youth and often going to its canteen for meals. He then began discussing a politically sensitive episode from those years. He remembered a particularly passionate speaker from a university and spoke about that person’s subsequent suffering. The names were not specified in the account relayed to me.

As they continued talking, my friend mentioned a name while discussing Shanghai’s comparatively restrained handling of the episode. The older man immediately raised a finger to his lips and said, in effect: “Keep your voice down. The platform is listening. Certain keywords or sensitive topics can trigger a warning.”

I cannot verify his claim about monitoring, and it was not clear which platform he meant. What struck me was his immediate instinct to lower his voice and urge someone else to do the same.

Separately, at a commemorative gathering in Shaoshan, some young people reportedly held up a banner reading, “Mao Zedong’s later years marked a glorious new chapter in Marxism-Leninism.” After security personnel confiscated the banner, they began chanting revolutionary slogans, including “Down with the capitalist roaders!” This incident involved a different group from the visitors to the Memorial Hall in Beijing.

I thought these accounts were worth sharing with you. The detail about my friend’s poetry collection particularly struck me: he had chosen Mao’s own poems because he expected them to be unobjectionable when visiting the Memorial Hall, yet the book was still temporarily withheld. The separate incident in Shaoshan also shows how the true Maoist is treated in China.

 

New Zealand is being drawn into US plans to achieve military supremacy in space.

Written by: Nick G. on 10 September 2026

 

In 2024 New Zealand was invited by the US to join the US-led multinational space initiative Olympic Space Defender. Australia, Canada, Germany, the UK and France complete the seven-nation military space partnership.

According to New Zealand media website RNZ, a briefing on Olympic Space Defender provided to the chief of NZ Joint Forces made it clear that under Olympic Defender, if there was a war, the US and its partners "if directed ... would act to deny space capabilities to nations hostile to the national security interests of the US and partner nations where these were threatened".

Who would give the direction was not identified in the media report of the briefing, but we can assume that it is the US Commander-in-Chief, the President.
In April 2025, US Space Command chief General Whiting spoke at a space symposium in Colorado, which NZ Defence and Space minister Judith Collins also attended and spoke at.

Whiting stated that there is “no debate - the space environment has become a battlefield, with adversaries, particularly China, aggressively developing orbital weaponry."

A briefing quoted him saying: "War in space is not inevitable, but we must apply our best thinking to be ready."

On July 4 last year, as NZ Minister for Space, Judith Collins, in the presence of the chiefs of the defence force and air force, announced the reactivation of a WW2 air force squadron as its first dedicated space unit.

Ms Collins said, “Recent global developments have highlighted the need for resilient, advanced defence capabilities. This move is part of the work the New Zealand Defence Force is doing to maintain a combat-capable, flexible force.”

The announcement came one week after a visit by head of the US Space Command General Stephen Whiting and discussions between him and Ms Collins.

During Whiting’s visit, the New Zealand military offered to help America with the rapid launch of satellites. The US Space Force has said that rapid - or "responsive" - satellite launch was crucial in a crisis or war. This involves having satellites ready to go within, say, 24 hours if deployed ones fail or are blown up.

Whiting also visited NZ company Rocket Lab which claimed to have the capacity to provide rapid satellite launches.

On September 2, 2026, the NZ and Australian militaries formally endorsed a shared Space Vision Statement, to formalise defence collaboration on space.

According to Brian Hartigan, editor of the Australian Contact online military magazine, “The statement highlights the growing importance of space to modern military operations, underpinning communications, navigation, intelligence, surveillance and command and control.”

RNZAF Air Component Commander Air Commodore Andy Scott said “military space operations were a rapidly expanding area of development.”

There is no place on Earth that imperialism has not sought to bring under its control through force and violence and through the utilisation of treacherous local elites.

Australia and New Zealand are no exception to this.

Now space, which ordinary people everywhere hope to see explored and used peacefully for the shared benefit of the peoples of the world, is being militarised as both China and the US, as well as Russia and the European Union, openly plan its colonisation and control by threat of space warfare.

As more people become aware of the threat of the militarisation of space, so will the international movement to oppose and defeat imperialism deepen and grow.