Brian Toohey

Brian Toohey is author of Secret: The Making of Australia’s Security State.

Brian's recent articles

Recall Rudd

Recall Rudd

The Foreign minister Penny Wong should recall Kevin Rudd as Australia’s ambassador to Washington.

Private Korolev and Australia’s national security state

Private Korolev and Australia’s national security state

The security vetting process has gone off the rails in Australia.

American folly-starting and fighting endless wars

American folly-starting and fighting endless wars

Politics have come to this in America. Several former US presidents committed extremely serious war crimes that killed, maimed and displaced huge numbers of people without any suggestion that they be charged with these crimes. However, a former president Donald Trump has been found guilty of the crime of trying to cover up a brief sexual encounter with a porn actress that he denied occurred. Just how this is a crime is a little hard to understand.

Ghost shark

Ghost shark

The Ghost Shark, a new underwater drone being developed for the Australian Navy, could kill off the deeply flawed plan to acquire eight nuclear submarines for a projected cost as much as $360 billion.

Albo muddies the waters

Albo muddies the waters

Labor’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has a strange attraction to muddying the political waters in areas that are going well, such as its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Serious gains are already occurring in the efficiency of battery storage of electricity from solar, wind and pumped hydro sources. Bigger gains seem likely as breakthroughs in battery components reduce the need to rely on expensive lithium-ion for storage.

Albo's continual failures

Albo's continual failures

Thanks to Anthony Albanese’s prolonged refusal to change the Morrison government’s damaging policies that he has endorsed, Labor is struggling to stay around 30% in the opinion polls for the next election. One upshot is the latest OECD figures show low and middle income workers in Australia had the highest increase in personal income taxes in the developed world in 2023. The increase for singles below $67,000 (about 2/3 of average income) was was 17% higher than in 2022. Little wonder many voters complain about the cost of living. The Sydney Morning Herald’s Shane Wright points out that those on...

Pine Gap supports nuclear war fighting, not monitoring arms control agreements

Pine Gap supports nuclear war fighting, not monitoring arms control agreements

Richard Tanter stated in Pearls and Irritations on March 21 in regard to my piece on a former Defence Deputy Secretary, Paul Dibb on 14 February, that Media self-censorship, and acceptance - if not cultivation - of a mystique of impenetrable opacity about Pine Gap has facilitated public acceptance of government silence, misdirection and mendacity about Pine Gap. The inference is that I am guilty as a member of the media.

Government thrashes our democracy, removes RBA safeguards

Government thrashes our democracy, removes RBA safeguards

The Albanese government is about to free the Reserve Bank of Australia from a rarely used constraint allowing a Treasurer to override a decision of the central bank, such as a policy to push interest-rates so high they cause a severe recession.

Untruths, the CIA, and Whitlams dismissal

Untruths, the CIA, and Whitlams dismissal

A highly regarded commentator on national security, Paul Dibb, has written an astonishing article in the Australian Strategic Policy Institutes The Strategist on January 15 astonishing because it is riddled with major errors.

Who is the war criminal?

Who is the war criminal?

John Howard took Australia into the devastating war of aggression in Iraq in March 2003 but has still not been held accountable.

The greedy jaws of national security

The greedy jaws of national security

With some honourable exceptions, most of the media and the parliament enthusiastically support almost everything the Director General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Mike Burgess has to say. Although Burgess is not an extreme hardliner in the Australian intelligence world, many of his statements should not go unchallenged.

Why ASIS should be abolished

Why ASIS should be abolished

The Australian Secret Intelligence Service was established in 1950 to conduct spying overseas and morally repulsive covert operations. It had a slow start, but in the 1970s it sent three staff to Chile to help the CIA overthrow the democratically elected government of President Salvador Allende.

ASIO and the KGB: New information on Hawke v. Combe

ASIO and the KGB: New information on Hawke v. Combe

Although ASIO dropped the intercept on Labors former national secretary David Combes phone after alleged KGB officer Valeriy Ivanov left Australia, Prime Minister Bob Hawkes interest in what had already transpired, increased dramatically. Hawke suddenly asked to listen to the Combe-Ivanov tapes. After Hawke had listened for an hour and a half, The Prime Minister believed that Bushfowl [the codename for the ASIO operation] showed a much closer involvement of Brian Toohey with Ivanov via EPIC [Combe] than recognised before.

Time for Labor to focus on those who are hurting

Time for Labor to focus on those who are hurting

It was only in March this year that The Sydney Morning Herald claimed in a series called Red Alert that Australia faces the real prospect of war with China within three years that could involve a direct attack on our mainland. There were no grounds to believe this then and even fewer after Anthony Albaneses recent visit to China which both countries described as providing a positive outcome.

Threat to democracy: The case for sacking Tange and Pezzullo

Threat to democracy: The case for sacking Tange and Pezzullo

A good case exists for sacking the head of the Home Affairs department Michael Pezzullo for taking sides in internal political party matters among other activities, as recently reported by the Nine media group. There is an even stronger case that Sir Arthur Tange, the head of the Defence department should have been sacked in the 1970s.

Why are government officials manufacturing false espionage threats?

Why are government officials manufacturing false espionage threats?

Government ministers and senior officials are conditioning Australians to become frightened, very frightened.

A tremendous addition to the Australian publishing machine

A tremendous addition to the Australian publishing machine

Pearls and Irritations (P&I) is a tremendous addition to an Australian publishing scene in which propaganda is increasingly replacing accurate news and analysis.

Australian media's alarm over Chinese spy ship highlights stark double-standard

Australian media's alarm over Chinese spy ship highlights stark double-standard

The mainstream media has once more tried to generate alarm about the presence of two relatively innocuous Chinese electronic spy ships in international waters during the latest biennial Talisman Sabre military exercise spread across the Australian mainland and offshore oceans. It involves 30,000 troops from 13 countries. Although the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi had publicly assured his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese that his country would attend, India did not turn up.

Good news on nukes: US cant sell Australia nuclear subs

Good news on nukes: US cant sell Australia nuclear subs

The good news is the US cant sell Australia the three to five used Virginia class nuclear subs that the Albanese government has announced it will buy. Nor will it sell us any new ones.

Dambusters

Dambusters

The famous World War II Dambusters raid in 1943 killed many more Ukrainians and other civilians than the collapse of the large Kakhovka dam in Ukraine in June.

Treasurer must wield power, rein in the RBA

Treasurer must wield power, rein in the RBA

The parliament wisely gave a treasurer the power to reign in the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) when it was not acting in the best interests of the Australians. Jim Chalmers should use it.

Very bad advice: $368b nuclear submarines and the Federal budget

Very bad advice: $368b nuclear submarines and the Federal budget

At a time when the Reserve Banks interest rate rise is adding to cost of living pressures and increasing the chances of a recession, Albanese is finding it hard to justify the staggering $368 billion cost of AUKUS nuclear submarines.

The DSRs desultory treatment of nuclear submarines

The DSRs desultory treatment of nuclear submarines

The Albanese governments Defence Strategic Review is marred from the outset by its bald assertion that Chinas military build-up is the largest and most ambitious of any country since the end of the Second World War.

Destroying deterrence

Destroying deterrence

The Albanese government wouldnt be able buy nuclear attack submarines from the US without agreeing to let them keep performing all their core roles in our region.

President Biden resorts to extortion

President Biden resorts to extortion

President Biden has resorted to extortion to destroy one of Chinas leading digital companies ByteDance, the owner of the highly successful social media group, TikTok.

Labor prepares return to disastrous Forward Defence doctrine

Labor prepares return to disastrous Forward Defence doctrine

Nearly everything the Labor government says about nuclear subs is ludicrous and highly damaging.

Nuclear safety agency silent on disposal of AUKUS radioactive waste

Nuclear safety agency silent on disposal of AUKUS radioactive waste

At this stage there is little interest in how to dispose of the high level uranium waste from AUKUS SSNs, let alone put First Nations voices to the fore. This is unlikely to change while the nations most prominent journalists see it as their job to promote the dominant military doctrine and boost the demonisation of China, while rubbishing inconvenient interlopers such as the former prime minister Paul Keating.

Scorpion thresher: Albanese trashes the moral core of his party

Scorpion thresher: Albanese trashes the moral core of his party

A White House fact sheet released as part of publicity for Australias decision to spend almost $400 billion on nuclear submarines is false. It claims, For over 60 years, the UK and the US have operated more than 500 naval nuclear reactors . . . without incident or adverse effect on human health or the quality of the environment. In fact, as discussed below, two US nuclear submarines sunk during that period with the loss of all lives on boarda loss most people would consider to have had a serious effect on human health.

The cost and unnecessary suffering of military spending

The cost and unnecessary suffering of military spending

The authoritative Peterson Foundation calculates that last year the US spent more on its military than the next nine countries together. This means more than China, India, Russia, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Japan and South Korea combined. In 2023, the US allocated $US 858 billion to military spending compared to Chinas $US224 billion. China's spending is 1.7% of GDP compared to 2% for Australia and 3.5% for the US.

Modern Olympics: Russian athlete bans violate the charter

Modern Olympics: Russian athlete bans violate the charter

Will Australian athletes face a similar ban on participation in the Olympics for their governments wars of aggression?

Arms control: the only road to peace

Arms control: the only road to peace

The world was a very dangerous place in the late 1960s. It is again. This time the danger is in Asia as well as Europe, as highlighted by John Lyonss recent two-part series on the ABC.

Australias national security strategy: no room for peace, arms control?

Australias national security strategy: no room for peace, arms control?

In contrast to Labor politicians such as Paul Keating, Bill Hayden, Gareth Evans and Gough Whitlam, the four part series recently published by Keating and Stanford on Australian national security sees no place for arms control measures and peace initiatives.

Wong warns US: Indo-Pacific does not want great power competition

Wong warns US: Indo-Pacific does not want great power competition

US policy needs to be based on a clear understanding of what the rest of the Indo Pacific wants. We need to demonstrate we have interests we want to nurture beyond security interests.

We should ask for a refund on the F-35 fighter planes, not buy more

We should ask for a refund on the F-35 fighter planes, not buy more

Despite the constant talk about how Australias strategic focus must be on the long distances our ships and planes have to cover, the Defence Strategy Review has recommended buying a fourth squadron of short range F-35 fighter planes.

Marles pushes China Threat in PNG Rugby League talks

Marles pushes China Threat in PNG Rugby League talks

Defence Minister Marles and PM Albanese would like to see two Papua New Guinea rugby league teams join the Australian club competition as a way to counter Chinas growing influence. Instead of banging on about China, why not start a new regional competition including one or two Pacific Islands teams, New Zealand and Australia? Sport will deliver much better foreign policy dividend if it is not used as a crude geopolitical instrument.

Marles pushes China threat, advocates ability to attack Chinese territory

Marles pushes China threat, advocates ability to attack Chinese territory

Defence minister Richard Marles has a dangerous habit of relying on unfounded assertions to decide that Australia must not only increase military spending on a vast scale but have the ability to attack China from close to its home land.

Australian submarine madness and the phoney China threat

Australian submarine madness and the phoney China threat

Nobody knows what military threats to Australia from China or anyone else will exist in 2050. In these circumstances, it is folly to commit to spending over $200 billion on acquiring eight US designed nuclear attack submarines to deploy in support of the US on the China coast.

Who are the war criminals?

Who are the war criminals?

One of the few heartening things to come out of Russias war against Ukraine is the renewed emphasis on how its a crime for national leaders to start a war of aggression. Putin is not the only one who can reasonably be accused of committing war crimes. Most US president since World War II have done so. So have some Australian Prime Ministers.

The Defence Strategic Review - we need to urgently reduce conflicts and global warming

The Defence Strategic Review - we need to urgently reduce conflicts and global warming

Cabinet needs to insist Marles return to Labors previous support for an independent foreign policy and recognise there is no guarantee an arms build-up wont lead to a calamitous war. Crucially, the Albanese government needs to give a clear priority to helping reduce conflicts and global warming that cause horrendous suffering to innocent people around the globe.

The terrible reputation and performance of intelligence agencies

The terrible reputation and performance of intelligence agencies

At some stage Albanese may need to re-examine Shearers role as head of the Office of National Intelligence.

What is Anthony Albanese up to!

What is Anthony Albanese up to!

Anthony Albanese has shown during his recent trip to Europe that he is a prime minister addicted to hyperbole and oblivious to how countries can change in unexpected ways.

The United States-the Pacific bully

The United States-the Pacific bully

The US dominates the Pacific Islands to an extent China can never hope to achieve. With Australias support, the US is now engaged in an arms build-up in its Pacific territories and de-facto colonies in a little known boost to its containment of China.

If Penny Wong becomes foreign minister will she repeat the numerous blunders Australia and the US have made in the Pacific?

If Penny Wong becomes foreign minister will she repeat the numerous blunders Australia and the US have made in the Pacific?

The discussion of foreign policy is one of the low points in the election. It is hard to be otherwise when both major parties are committed to integrating Australias military forces with those of the US. This severely curtails the scope for proposing independent policies and raises expectations ensuring the Government and Opposition contribute forces to almost any war America wants it to.

War crimes and the traps in sanctions

War crimes and the traps in sanctions

Vladimir Putin would seem to fit the bill for war crimes in Ukraine. But what about the illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq?

No liberal democracy, including Australia, should have a Magnitsky Act

No liberal democracy, including Australia, should have a Magnitsky Act

The law gives the foreign minister the power to punish foreigners without going to court. The accused are given no chance to provide a defence.

Quad queers its pitch: champions of democracy fail to walk the talk

Quad queers its pitch: champions of democracy fail to walk the talk

The much-touted alliance designed to provide a counterweight to China is backsliding on its professed liberal principles, writes Brian Toohey.

Relax Mr Dutton, China is not an invading power (like US and us)

Relax Mr Dutton, China is not an invading power (like US and us)

The defence minister fails to acknowledge the superpowers efforts to calm tensions, or that the US has jumped in to claim some of our former markets.

AUKUS nuclear submarines deal must be abandoned

AUKUS nuclear submarines deal must be abandoned

Australia doesn't need nuclear powered submarines, especially given the Australia's long-standing support for the world's nuclear non-proliferation goals.

Brian Toohey: Australia's nuclear submarine deal won't make us any safer

Brian Toohey: Australia's nuclear submarine deal won't make us any safer

Despite what some commentators say, China does not pose a nuclear threat to Australia: its submarines and other nuclear weapons systems are much inferior to those of the US.

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