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Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Times
Joe Schmidt not just fighting to win but to save rugby union in Australia
Australian rugby is not in a good place. The Wallabies are a lowly eighth, below Scotland and Argentina, in the world rankings. They finished last in both the 2023 and 2024 Rugby Championship campaigns. In the 2023 World Cup they were eliminated at the pool stage for the first time in their history. The Green and Gold lost 40-6 to Wales. That in itself tells quite a tale. As did the decision to hire Eddie Jones. Joe Schmidt has initiated some improvement. His team did beat England and avenged themselves against Wales last autumn but they also suffered the worst defeat in their history, 67-27, at the hands of Argentina. Domestically their Super Rugby Pacific season ended in mostly premature failure. The Queensland Reds failed to make the knockout section. So too the New South Wales and Western Australian franchises. The Brumbies, from Australia Capital Territories, managed a morale-boosting quarter-final victory against the Hurricanes before the Chiefs — from New Zealand, like the Hurricanes — overwhelmed them in the semi-final. The actual tournament is struggling to retain much interest because it has become an exclusively New Zealand competition at the sharp end. It is ten years since the Wallabies won the Rugby Championship, and 11 since Michael Cheika's Waratahs beat the Crusaders in front of nearly 62,000 supporters in Sydney, the last time an Australian team won the Super Rugby title. The reflection of this in crowd sizes is glaring. The average attendance in Sydney was 16,000 this season, while it was 1,000 less in the union stronghold of Brisbane. Twenty years ago, these averages were almost double today's figures. When the Brumbies beat the Hurricanes, I was horrified with the endless rows of empty seats in Canberra. As for Western Australia, they have averaged a fraction over 6,700. Rugby league averages 21,000 per game compared with Australian Super Rugby's 12,000. Aussie Rules packs in 39,000 spectators on an average match day. Football is also on the rise. On a Sunday morning there are throngs of kids playing 'touch footie' in Sydney and plenty of supporters turn up for the city's Shute Shield, featuring the long-established union clubs. It is predominantly middle class — but that's no different to England. In some ways, the two countries have similar problems. New South Wales and Queensland continue as the nation's rugby epicentre — for fans, clubs and schools — but it struggles to make an impact in other parts of the country. Just as the Premiership has struggled to understand that outside the traditional strongholds the sport has stagnated so it has failed to thrive in Victoria and Western Australia. The failure of Melbourne to maintain a team was testament to Aussie Rules' grip over union. Whereas Aussie Rules has made dents in the union markets of Sydney, union has not been able to nationalise rugby union. Last weekend, at the Optus Stadium in Perth, where the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia kicks off for real, 31,000-plus turned up on the Saturday for North Melbourne v Fremantle Dockers, and nearly 44,000 for the next day's game, West Coast Eagles v Carlton. These are figures beyond union's dreams. Until now. The Lions begin their tour against Western Force in Perth, Western Australia, next Saturday. The legion of Lions supporters, anticipated to number about 40,000 through the tour, will pack the stands, almost certainly outnumbering the locals with their average crowd of 6,700. That life support for the union code is the Lions playing doctor and revitalising the sport's ailing body. Australia needs an end to echoing stadiums and, more than any team in the world, the Lions quartet of nations guarantees non-stop atmosphere. But what — other than to replenished coffers — are the long-term implications should the tour degenerate into a sequence of one-sided affairs before the Test series? The Wallabies' so-called 'Super' teams will be stripped of some of their Test performers. And though Schmidt does not have the strength in depth to risk all of his core players, he has made more than expected available for Western Force. On Thursday revealed that Wallabies squad members Nick Champion de Crespigny, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain, Tom Robertson, Dylan Pietsch and Nic White would all be free to play. For the tour, this is promising news. Andy Farrell's job isn't to play the part of rugby missionary and go easy on the opposition. The Lions have hit Western Force for a century of points in the past. If they thrash them on June 28, where does that leave the already sparse loyal core of 6,700 fans? It may be pure coincidence but this week the venue for the first Lions match hosted rugby league's showpiece, the State of Origin; New South Wales versus Queensland brings the East Coast of Australia to a grinding halt. This match, the second of the three-game series, was played at the Optus Stadium in Perth a mere ten days before the Lions kick off. Queensland, having lost in Brisbane, fought back to level the series at 1-1, with the decider now set for Sydney. The marketing men couldn't be more delighted with the way the State of Origin has panned out in the distant west. It will take a stunning performance from Western Force to eclipse the 26-24 windswept Origin thriller. League has made the sort of mark in Western Australia that union can only dream of. As for the Tests, Australia have one warm-up game against Fiji before the series. The Lions have the advantage in terms of preparation and strength. Schmidt has to gamble with his stars, arguably throwing the warm-up games. Nothing but a compelling Test series stops Australia from sliding further away from its already tenuous position among the nation's winter sports. On the terraces and in the bars the tour will be a riotous carnival. The Lions' combined support base guarantees colour in abundance. On the pitch, however, Schmidt is tasked with the toughest test for Australia's coach since the game turned pro. They triumphed in 2001, two years after winning their second World Cup and two years before losing to England in the 2003 final. That was a great Aussie team and the series went dramatically down to the dying seconds. If Australia lose the series and the Lions leave a trail of hammerings in their wake, the 2027 World Cup in Australia is going to rely on tourists and ex-pats. This tour is about more than the future of the Wallabies. It is a threat to the entire code of rugby union.
Canberra Times
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Canberra Times
A soul-stirring journey of culture, Country and knock-out views
Did You Know? As noted by ArchivesACT which featured the mock funeral in its 'Find of the Month' in 2017, "the NCDC was abolished after the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 with many of its functions, staff and files passed on to the new ACT government. The remaining functions were passed to the National Capital Authority (NCA) which was established under the Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988 to undertake the Commonwealth role in the development of the national capital as the Seat of Government."
BreakingNews.ie
28-05-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Whistleblower who exposed war crime allegations loses bid to reduce prison time
Australian army whistleblower David McBride, who leaked allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan to the media, lost a court bid to have his prison sentence reduced on Wednesday. The Australian Capital Territory Court of Appeal rejected the 61-year-old former army lawyer's appeal against the severity of a five-year and eight-month prison sentence imposed a year ago. Advertisement Mr McBride said through his lawyers that Australians would be outraged by the Court of Appeal decision. Mr McBride had argued that he leaked the documents out of a sworn duty to act in the public interest. 'It is my own conscience and the people of Australia that I answer to. I have kept my oath to the Australian people,' Mr McBride said in the lawyers' statement. Mr McBride's lawyers said they would take their appeal to the High Court (AP/Rod McGuirk) Mr McBride pleaded guilty last year to three charges, including theft and sharing with journalists documents classified as secret. He faced a potential life sentence. Advertisement Rights advocates complain that Mr McBride remains the only person to be imprisoned over allegations of war crimes committed by elite Australian special forces troops in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. A military report released in 2020 recommended 19 current and former soldiers face criminal investigations over 39 unlawful killings in Afghanistan. Former Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment soldier Oliver Schulz was charged in March 2023 with murdering an unarmed Afghan in 2012. Mr Schulz pleaded not guilty to the war crime and has yet to stand trial. Former SAS Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated living veteran, lost an appeal two weeks ago against a civil court ruling that he unlawfully killed four unarmed Afghans. Advertisement Mr Roberts-Smith said he would appeal his loss in the High Court. He has not been criminally charged. Mr McBride's lawyers also said they would take their appeal to the High Court. 'We believe that only the High Court can properly grapple with the immense public interest and constitutional issues at the heart of this case,' the lawyers' statement said. 'It cannot be a crime to expose a crime. It cannot be illegal to tell the truth,' the statement added. Advertisement The lawyers also called on attorney general Michelle Rowland, who was appointed after the Labor Party government was re-elected on May 3, to recommend Mr McBride be pardoned. 'It is now time for the attorney general to show leadership. To show Australians that this Labor government will no longer jail whistleblowers,' the lawyers said. Ms Rowland did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. The documents became the source of a series of Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports in 2017 called the Afghan Files. Advertisement The reports detailed allegations against Australian soldiers, including the unlawful killing of men and children. Mr McBride sought to fight the charges, but the court would not allow his defence that he had had a sworn duty as a military officer to act in the public interest. The Court of Appeal will publish reasons for its decision at a later date. Mr McBride can be considered for parole after he has served two years and three months, meaning he must remain behind bars until at least August next year.
The Independent
28-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Australia whistleblower who exposed war crime allegations loses bid to reduce prison sentence
Australian army whistleblower David McBride, who leaked allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan to the media, lost a court bid to have his prison sentence reduced on Wednesday. The Australian Capital Territory Court of Appeal rejected the 61-year-old former army lawyer's appeal against the severity of a five years and eight months prison sentence imposed a year ago. McBride said through his lawyers that Australians would be outraged by the Court of Appeal decision. McBride had argued that he leaked the documents out of a sworn duty to act in the public interest. 'It is my own conscience and the people of Australia that I answer to. I have kept my oath to the Australian people,' McBride said in the lawyers' statement. McBride pleaded guilty last year to three charges, including theft and sharing with journalists documents classified as secret. He faced a potential life sentence. Rights advocates complain that McBride remains the only person to be imprisoned over allegations of war crimes committed by elite Australian special forces troops in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. A military report released in 2020 recommended 19 current and former soldiers face criminal investigations over 39 unlawful killings in Afghanistan. Former Special Air Service Regiment soldier Oliver Schulz was charged in March 2023 with murdering an unarmed Afghan in 2012. Schulz pleaded not guilty to the war crime and has yet to stand trial. Former SAS Cpl. Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated living veteran, lost an appeal two weeks ago against a civil court ruling that he unlawfully killed four unarmed Afghans. Roberts-Smith said he would appeal his loss in the High Court. He has not been criminally charged. McBride's lawyers also said they would take their appeal to the Hight Court. "We believe that only the High Court can properly grapple with the immense public interest and constitutional issues at the heart of this case,' the lawyers' statement said. 'It cannot be a crime to expose a crime. It cannot be illegal to tell the truth,' the statement added. The lawyers also called on Attorney General Michelle Rowland, who was appointed after the Labor Party government was re-elected on May 3, to recommend McBride be pardoned. 'It is now time for the attorney general to show leadership. To show Australians that this Labor government will no longer jail whistleblowers,' the lawyers said. Rowland did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. The documents became the source of a series of Australian Broadcasting Corp. reports in 2017 called the "Afghan Files.' The reports detailed allegations against Australian soldiers including the unlawful killing of men and children. McBride sought to fight the charges, but the court would not allow his defense that he had had a sworn duty as a military officer to act in the public interest. The Court of Appeal will publish reasons for its decision at a later date. McBride can be considered for parole after he has served two years and three months, meaning he must remain behind bars until at least August next year.
Associated Press
28-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Australia whistleblower who exposed war crime allegations loses bid to reduce prison sentence
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian army whistleblower David McBride, who leaked allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan to the media, lost a court bid to have his prison sentence reduced on Wednesday. The Australian Capital Territory Court of Appeal rejected the 61-year-old former army lawyer's appeal against the severity of a five years and eight months prison sentence imposed a year ago. McBride said through his lawyers that Australians would be outraged by the Court of Appeal decision. McBride had argued that he leaked the documents out of a sworn duty to act in the public interest. 'It is my own conscience and the people of Australia that I answer to. I have kept my oath to the Australian people,' McBride said in the lawyers' statement. McBride pleaded guilty last year to three charges, including theft and sharing with journalists documents classified as secret. He faced a potential life sentence. Rights advocates complain that McBride remains the only person to be imprisoned over allegations of war crimes committed by elite Australian special forces troops in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. A military report released in 2020 recommended 19 current and former soldiers face criminal investigations over 39 unlawful killings in Afghanistan. Former Special Air Service Regiment soldier Oliver Schulz was charged in March 2023 with murdering an unarmed Afghan in 2012. Schulz pleaded not guilty to the war crime and has yet to stand trial. Former SAS Cpl. Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated living veteran, lost an appeal two weeks ago against a civil court ruling that he unlawfully killed four unarmed Afghans. Roberts-Smith said he would appeal his loss in the High Court. He has not been criminally charged. McBride's lawyers also said they would take their appeal to the Hight Court. 'We believe that only the High Court can properly grapple with the immense public interest and constitutional issues at the heart of this case,' the lawyers' statement said. 'It cannot be a crime to expose a crime. It cannot be illegal to tell the truth,' the statement added. The lawyers also called on Attorney General Michelle Rowland, who was appointed after the Labor Party government was re-elected on May 3, to recommend McBride be pardoned. 'It is now time for the attorney general to show leadership. To show Australians that this Labor government will no longer jail whistleblowers,' the lawyers said. Rowland did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. The documents became the source of a series of Australian Broadcasting Corp. reports in 2017 called the 'Afghan Files.' The reports detailed allegations against Australian soldiers including the unlawful killing of men and children. McBride sought to fight the charges, but the court would not allow his defense that he had had a sworn duty as a military officer to act in the public interest. The Court of Appeal will publish reasons for its decision at a later date. McBride can be considered for parole after he has served two years and three months, meaning he must remain behind bars until at least August next year.
