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Senior Australian Government sources have confirmed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and US President Donald Trump had a "robust" and shorter than expected phone call, which Mr Trump reportedly labelled "the worst by far" of a clutch of calls to world leaders.

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"I've been watching the alliance relationship for more than 30 years now and I think this is as difficult a period as we've seen since the so-called MX missile crisis of the early 1980s," said Peter Jennings, the director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

"I think it's sensible for us to be working through all manner of contingencies, which includes a temporary freezing of the alliance, a sort of lull in alliance cooperation," Mr Jennings warned.

"Ordinarily you'd say that was very unexpected, but I just think we've got to be prepared for any contingency under the new presidency".

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Hockey heads to the White House amid refugee deal row

Ambassador Joe Hockey heads to the White House for talks with senior Trump advisers Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus amid ongoing discussions over the agreement to resettle refugees from Manus Island and Nauru.

I would blow Dane Cook posted:

Comstar posted:

What? I don't get it.

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Investigators from Victoria police have delivered their brief of evidence relating to Australia’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, to the Department of Public Prosecutions for consideration.

Police have been investigating allegations that Pell exposed himself to three young boys at Torquay life-saving club in Victoria in the summer of 1986 or 1987.

Another two allegations involve two former St Alipius students, who allege Pell repeatedly touched their genitals while swimming with them at the Eureka pool in Ballarat in 1978-79. At the time, Pell was episcopal vicar for education in the Ballarat diocese.

Doctor Spaceman posted:

Sinead, with whom [Cory] has two sons, aged ten and 12, says they have the perfect marriage because they’re “both in love with the same man”. “Cory obviously has this huge belief in himself … If you didn’t love a guy who was so in love with himself you’d have a lot of trouble living with Cory. Life – I don’t think he’d mind me saying this – it’s all about Cory. I am all about Cory, and he is all about Cory, so it makes it easy.”

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Get a job with Adani and infiltrate coal project, activists urge supporters
Galilee Blockade, which opposes the $16bn Carmichael mine, urges followers to apply for jobs with the Indian company

gay picnic defence posted:

Moderate liberal voters?

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A senior member of Victoria's Country Fire Authority has been stood aside amid allegations they were caught covertly filming female colleagues getting changed in a storage shed.

The CFA has launched a full investigation into the incident, saying an "unauthorised" security camera had been discovered in a shed at the Bendigo fire station.

The CFA said it would launch a 'full investigation' into the use of the camera.
The shed had been used to store fire extinguishers and other equipment, but was also used by women as an unofficial change room.

The CFA said the camera had been removed, and authorities had seized the footage.

A spokeswoman would not say how long the camera had been there, but in a statement the authority said the incident could have affected "a number of volunteers" who used the shed as a change room.

"We understand this incident may have affected a number of volunteers who used this facility as an unofficial change room," the CFA said in a statement.

"We are in the process of contacting those individuals and will provide appropriate support."

The senior CFA member will not be allowed back to work until the investigation is complete, and the matter has also been referred to police. A spokeswoman would not say whether the person under investigation was employed by the fire authority, or was a volunteer.

The Bendigo CFA is one of 34 "integrated" fire stations across Victoria, which has both paid and volunteer staff.

"We are committed to ensuring our workplaces are safe, secure and support the wellbeing of staff and volunteers at all times," the authority's statement said.

"This includes constantly reviewing our workplaces to ensure they provide a safe environment for women at all times, where we ned to make improvements we will take action immediately."

The incident comes amid long-running allegations of discrimination and intractable workplace problems in the fire services.

Fewer than 4 per cent of staff and volunteers at Victoria's two major fire agencies, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and the Country Fire Authority, are women.

In July 2015, the Victorian Government commissioned a review of the management and culture of the CFA and MFB, which recommended the fire services work harder to improve diversity and end harassment and discrimination in their services.

In March last year, the Andrews government announced it had engaged the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to investigate discrimination, equity, sexual harassment and workplace bullying at the CFA and Metropolitan Fire Brigade.

That review is still underway.

A survey of members in 2015 revealed a widespread view among women that the CFA is a club of blokes, many of whom do not believe women are up to the physical demands of fighting fires.