Greg Barns

Hobart

Freelance Contributor at Freelance

Barrister and writer. Adviser to Australian Assange campaign. Columnist with Hobart Mercury. Author of The Rise of the Right (Hardie Grant Publishing 2019)

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Articles

Federal election: Time to hold MPs accountable for stance on genocide

2 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Greg Barns

Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza, and now its seizing of their land is the worst example of genocide since the horrors of the genocides of Darfur in Sudan in 2003 and Rwanda in the 1990s. Candidates running in the 2025 federal election, particularly those in marginal seats, must be held accountable for their actions and attitudes concerning the conduct of one of Australia’s closest allies.
Porter a convenient target for rage but must be accorded fairness

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Greg Barns

No inquiry could come to any conclusion about the allegations. However, an inquiry that examines the impact of the allegations on the capacity of Christian Porter to hold office as the first law officer and as the person responsible for the administration of justice at the Commonwealth level is required. What to do about Christian Porter, the ambitious federal Attorney-General who finds himself under siege over untested allegations by a woman, now deceased, that he sexually assaulted her in 1988?
A refugee deal with NZ after nine years of cruelty

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Greg Barns

We recognise the First Peoples of this nation and their ongoing connection to culture and country. We acknowledge First Nations Peoples as the Traditional Owners, Custodians and Lore Keepers of the world's oldest living culture and pay respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
Legal case set to expose Australias facilitation of war crimes

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Greg Barns

Is the Albanese government aiding and abetting the Israeli military and intelligence services in actions in Gaza which are serious violations of international human rights laws? Successive Australian Defence ministers have assured us that any weapons or other military hardware that is exported cannot be used to enable the commission of war crimes and other human rights violations.
For Washington, the US-Australia alliance counts for less than nothing

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Greg Barns

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will have plenty to talk about when he meets with US President Joe Biden this week. The Middle East, China, AUKUS and submarines will no doubt dominate the agenda. But there is one matter in respect of which Mr Albanese should insist on a quick resolution. That is the case of Australian publisher and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Australian government must intervene on Julian Assange's behalf

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Greg Barns

When Australia allows the US’s pursuit of Julian Assange to continue, it tells Australians that it does not care about a free press. The pursuit of Australian citizen Julian Assange must end here.
US continues pursuit of Assange, and Canberra neglects its moral obligation to protect him

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Greg Barns

Surely the Australian government should leverage the AUKUS pact to save Julian Assange from the US government. Today Australian citizen Julian Assange’s long running battle against extradition to the United States where he faces espionage legislation charges relating to his publication in 2010 of material that revealed war crimes by the US in Iraq and Afghanistan, is back in the courts. The United States is appealing the January decision of Judge Vanessa Baraitser to block the extradition request.
The plot to murder Julian Assange is being ignored by the mainstream media

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Greg Barns

The US government reportedly planned to kidnap and murder Julian Assange. And yet the Australian commentariat and media are silent. Why? One of the features of the long running case of WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange is how little interest is shown in it and him by the Australian mainstream media. There are spikes in interest at key points, such as when in 2019, Assange was dragged out of the Ecuadorean embassy where he was granted asylum in 2012.
Selective enforcer: ICC must warn Israel on crimes against humanity

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Greg Barns

The International Criminal Court (ICC) faces a test of its credibility in how it monitors and deals with the conduct of Israel as it strikes back against the horrific attacks committed by Hamas. It must send a clear warning that while Israel has a right to defend itself, crimes against humanity and war crimes will not be tolerated.
Who are the gang of five pushing Australia to war?

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Greg Barns

The Age and Sydney Morning Herald have failed to publish, except in the most cursory sense, the current or recent past associations of their gang of five experts who apparently believe Australia could be at war with China in as little as three years.