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Miranda Devine: It’s not overspending on War Memorial rebuild that has upset the Left

The Lefties attacking War Memorial renovations use thriftiness as a decoy, because it’s the generation of young Aussies who revere our Anzac tradition that they’re really upset about, writes Miranda Devine.

Planned pumped hydro project aims to lower energy prices

Right on cue, the usual tired old lefties are seizing the opportunity of global unrest to wage war on our military history.

John Menadue, a Whitlam-era public servant turned activist, former ambassadors Richard Broinowski and Tony Kevin, Paul Barratt, a secretary of defence who was sacked by the Howard government, novelists Tom Keneally and Richard Flanagan, black armband historians Henry Reynolds and Stuart Macintyre, former Labor premier Carmen Lawrence and former human rights commissioner Gillian Triggs are among the spoilsports trying to stop the expansion of the Australian War Memorial.

It’s not overspending but young people honouring our Anzac tradition that seems to upset some of the Left. Picture: Rohan Thomson/Getty Images
It’s not overspending but young people honouring our Anzac tradition that seems to upset some of the Left. Picture: Rohan Thomson/Getty Images

You’d recognise their names from their frequent attacks over the past two decades on Liberal government policies from Howard to Morrison.

After a campaign waged mainly in The Guardian newspaper, many of these partisan activists have signed a submission to a parliamentary inquiry slamming the $500 million renovation, along with former AWM directors Brendan Nelson and Steve Gower.

They describe the project, which was launched by Mr Nelson, as a waste of money and “excessive veneration of the Anzac story”.

That’s the real beef. It’s not about being thrifty, which might be a worthy criticism.

No, what the Left really hates is that a generation of young Australians has come to revere our Anzac tradition of sacrifice and valour. Lest we forget.

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Troubling move to reward China

Labor Senator Deborah O'Neill called out the troubling tender. Picture: Gary Ramage
Labor Senator Deborah O'Neill called out the troubling tender. Picture: Gary Ramage

Wake up, Australia. How can we even contemplate awarding a tender for crucial energy assets to a Chinese company that shipped medical supplies offshore during the coronavirus crisis?

It sounds like a bad joke.

Have we learned nothing from the pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 people and crippled the world economy?

That is the fault of the Chinese Communist Party, no matter how much they lie or cover up the source of the outbreak in Wuhan.

The last thing we should be doing is making ourselves more dependent on the CCP, which controls every Chinese business.

But now, as The Daily Telegraph reported, Chinese firm Goldwind Australia, a subsidiary of Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co, the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer, is about to be given the green light to build two hydro-electric power stations in the Hunter Valley.

To her credit, NSW Labor Senator Deb O’Neill blew the whistle on Monday in the Senate, declaring she was “deeply, deeply troubled” by the prospect of “a major utility with access to critical NSW energy assets being owned by a company with major ties to a foreign power …”.

“What is even more troubling to me is Goldwind’s desire to hide their ties with the ruling Chinese Party,” she said.

“If they cannot be trusted with medical gloves and masks how can we expect them to act in Australia’s interest with our dams and our power grid.”

Hear hear.

@mirandadevine

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/miranda-devine-its-not-overspending-on-war-memorial-rebuild-that-has-upset-the-left/news-story/a0230448f423b92618fee4566c7eb196