In Australia recently we’ve heard the report that two Australians have been charged with spying for Russia. At present, there’s only the preliminary reporting from the press conference from AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw and ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess. As such, I don’t want to speculate too much.
However, this follows on the heels of:
- attribution of sophisticated cyber attacks to the People’s Republic of China
- conviction of a Sydney man for brokering arms deals with North Korea
- considerable foreign interference by multiple countries and non-state actors
- disruptions of campuses and streets by activists overtly and covertly backed by foreign powers
- and too many more to list, not even including the role of transnational organised crime and its link to state actors
It is apparent that Australia is constantly targeted by a range of bad actors seeking to harm our way of life and undermine our diverse and inclusive democracy.
These bad actors are relying on Australians to do their dirty work for them.
Culture Wars
They are relying on the fertile groundwork laid for them by past generations of, usually KGB-backed, special operations, seeding radical ideas into our education system and cultural institutions. The Soviet Union may be gone, but the damage done by their agents of influence remains.
Countering these influences has been a core work of The Movement since its inception in the 1930s.
Building up and supporting free and independent thinkers grounded in humane principles has been one of our main works.
This is why we run events like YPAT and support groups like the Democratic Clubs.
This is why we emphasise the importance of art and culture just as much as we consider economics and geopolitics.
Highlighting just how effective The Movement has been at achieving this, The Australian’s recent celebration of 60 years of publishing, selected B.A. Santamaria in their sixty most influential Australians list.
As Greg Sheridan penned, “Santamaria’s profound critique of communism was vindicated by history…He ran specialist groups in defence, family policy and the battle for orthodoxy within Christian churches…He championed defence self-reliance, taxpayer assistance for non-government schools, compulsory superannuation, rigour in education, and state support for the family long before many of these positions became mainstream.”
Human beings are not a set of atomised individuals.
We live in a complex web of relations with those who’ve gone before us, those who are with us, and those who are yet to arrive.
In such a web as this, everything and everyone matters.
Building Good Foundations
Yesterday, our Perth branch brought together a diverse group of people of different ages and backgrounds for lunch with the Hon. Tony Abbott AC.
Guests were able to hear firsthand about the exciting work we are doing behind the scenes to build up a deeper and sharper understanding of Australia’s place in the world and the citizen’s place in Australia.
Central to this is the importance of mentorship, of forming and informing the next generation, of connecting them with those who have gone before them, and building their hope for what they can do for those coming after them.
Subversives do not appear out of thin air. Bad actors, be they states or revolutionaries, exploit human weaknesses and real difficulties to turn people for their own purposes.
The way to counter this is to provide people with a well-reasoned vision and a community that offers hope and realistic action.
This is what we are doing.
But to make it really work, we need your help and the help of your friends.
To scale these projects, we need more resources. We have an exceptional team, with an increasing number of trained alumni to call upon.
Our plan is to:
- Expand our current highly successful projects with the Thomas More Centre, such as YPAT, and the important work of News Weekly
- Develop additional programs to suit teenagers, and others tailored to young professionals, and professionals at any stage of their careers
- Build the network of alumni and intergenerational supporters, all committed to the common good, for conferences, symposia, debates, dinners and local gatherings
Consider becoming a regular donor and News Weekly subscriber today.
