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Resources

Feb 25 2025

Deregister AMDA

A person holds a sign high above the heads of a crowd. The sign reads 'This is toxic'.

Aerospace Maritime Defence Australia (AMDA) is the agency that organises massive weapons expos like Land Forces on this continent. AMDA currently has charity status. Outraged? Here’s a step by step guide to taking AMDA’s charity status away.

HOW TO SUBMIT A COMPLAINT ABOUT AMDA’S “CHARITY” STATUS TO THE AUSTRALIAN CHARITIES AND NON PROFITS COMMISSION

Step 1

You can raise a concern about a registered charity by completing an online form.

https://public-forms.acnc.gov.au/form/5ad817c1a71dbe77e8fc3790

Step 2

Copy AMDA’s ABN into the form: 63091147787

A person holds a sign high above the heads of a crowd. The sign reads 'This is toxic'.

Step 3

Choose ‘yes’ and enter your personal info or choose ‘no’ and skip to next step.

Step 4

Select the reasons AMDA should not have charity status:

Step 5

Write a few sentences explaining why an organisation that runs weapons sales events like Land Forces should not have charity status. Feel free to copy/paste the text below into the form. There is a longer version or a shorter version to choose from.

  • Longer version

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding the charitable status of AMDA Foundation Limited, an organisation currently registered under the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act. Based on publicly available information and AMDA’s own descriptions of its activities, it appears that the organisation operates primarily as an industry networking and lobbying body for the defence sector, rather than serving a genuine charitable purpose.

AMDA Foundation Limited states that its mission is to promote the development of Australian industrial, manufacturing, and technology resources, particularly in aviation, aerospace, maritime, defence, security, and space. However, a review of its core activities reveals that AMDA functions as a facilitator for large-scale industry expos that overwhelmingly serve private, for-profit defence contractors. The promotion of commercial weapons manufacturers and defence corporations does not align with a charitable purpose as defined by the ACNC.

Key concerns include:

  1. Industry Promotion Over Public Benefit – AMDA’s primary function appears to be organising major defence industry expositions, which are platforms for private weapons corporations to promote and sell their products. These events are fundamentally commercial and profit-driven in nature, rather than serving the broader public interest.
  2. Lobbying and Industry Networking – The organisation’s role in fostering engagement between private defence contractors, government bodies, and the Australian Defence Force suggests that it operates as a networking and lobbying facilitator rather than a charity delivering a measurable public benefit.
  3. Misalignment with Charitable Purposes – The ACNC defines charitable purposes under categories such as advancing education, relieving poverty, or promoting public welfare. AMDA’s focus on defence industry development does not fit within these categories. Instead, it serves to strengthen private sector profits in the arms and defence industries.
  4. Political and Government Influence – AMDA works in close collaboration with multiple government departments, including Defence, Industry, and Foreign Affairs and Trade, raising concerns about undue influence and a lack of independence. While it claims to be politically neutral, its facilitation of defence expos inherently supports the financial interests of private military contractors.
  5. Ethical and Social Considerations – The weapons and defence industry has significant ethical implications, particularly regarding international arms sales, conflict, and militarisation. The promotion of such industries under the guise of a charitable foundation raises serious questions about whether AMDA should continue to receive the financial and legal benefits associated with charitable status.

Given these concerns, I urge the ACNC to conduct a thorough review of AMDA Foundation Limited’s registration as a charity. If the organisation is found to be primarily serving the commercial interests of defence corporations rather than delivering a clear public benefit, its charitable status should be reconsidered and revoked.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response and to any further action the ACNC may take regarding this complaint.


  • Shorter version

I am writing to formally request a review of the charitable status of AMDA Foundation Limited. Despite its registration as a charity, AMDA primarily operates as an industry networking and lobbying body for the defence sector, promoting private weapons corporations through large-scale expos.

Key concerns include:

  • Industry Promotion Over Public Benefit – AMDA’s events serve the commercial interests of private defence contractors rather than the public.
  • Lobbying and Government Influence – AMDA facilitates networking between defence companies and government, acting as a lobbying body rather than a charity.
  • Misalignment with Charitable Purposes – Promoting the arms industry does not align with ACNC’s categories of charitable activities.

Given these concerns, I urge the ACNC to reassess AMDA’s charitable status and take appropriate action. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Step 6

Submit your complaint. Let’s get this shill for war profiteers deregistered!

Protesters sit and stand at disrupt land forces with banners calling for an arms embargo to Israel.
Photo Matt Hrkac

Written by allen · Categorized: Resources

Oct 26 2024

Community Letter

Published 25 October 2024

Community letter on Land Forces PolicingDownload

Written by allen · Categorized: Resources

Sep 09 2024

Background and research

Students For Palestine – Protest Research Sheet

Published 8 September 2024
Source: Students for Palestine

Landforces 2024 research sheetDownload

Students for Palestine is an Australian. The group advocates for the rights of Palestinians, focusing on raising awareness about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and promoting solidarity with Palestinian struggles. Through protests, educational events, and community outreach, Students for Palestine aims to highlight issues related to occupation, human rights violations, and social justice, aligning itself with global movements for Palestinian liberation.

Written by allen · Categorized: Resources

Aug 09 2024

Hanhwa

Chaebol

“South Korea’s family-run conglomerates, known as chaebol, are often accused of corruption, abuse of power, and widening of social and economic inequality. Hanwha has been no exception.”


Kim Seung-youn, third from left, seen with his three sons, from left Kim Dong-seon, Kim Dong-won, the chairman and Kim Dong-kwan. (November 2022). In April 2024, Hanwha announced changes to the structure of Hanwha Aerospace thought to be related to succession.

The youngest son Kim Dong-seon, rejoined the group seven years after he left Hanwha’s construction unit over the allegation that he had assaulted new employees at law firm Kim & Chang during a binge-drinking session at a bar in Seoul. His father was convicted of assault after beating these employees.


Quick Facts

Founder: Chong hee KIM started the company in 1952 during the Korean War making dynamite

Owner:  Seung-youn KIM (Chairman)  (43.56%) son of the founder. A criminal who has served time in jail with at least two convictions including assault and embezzlement.

Total Assets: 179.7Billion US (2023)

Headquarters:86, Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul South Korea

Number of employees: 43,690 (2020)

Hanwha companies: energy and materials, finance, retail & services, and aerospace including defence.

Hanwha Aerospace: Weapons production comes under this subsidiary.

Hanwha Aerospace CEO: Dong Kwan KIM – the eldest son of the Chairman and grandson of the founder.

Profiting from War

South Korea is one of the world’s fastest-growing defence exporters and was ranked by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute as the world’s ninth-largest arms exporter from 2018-2022.

Hanwha Aerospace accounts for nearly half of overseas arms exports in South Korea which rose to a record $17.3B (US) in 2023. In South Korea weapons manufacturers, such as Hanwha, can build weapons faster and cheaper than the US due to:

  • the joint venture model between the government and arms companies, which allows companies to rearrange domestic deliveries to meet export orders
  • technological prowess, mass-production capacity, and competitive pricing.

South Korean law prohibits its defence companies from selling directly to countries engaged in conflict so Hanwha cannot currently supply Israel or Ukraine. Still, Hanwha’s annual revenue from arms exports has jumped 11 times to $1.1 billion (US) since the war in Ukraine.

Hanwha Australia


Dean Michie
  • Established 2019
  • A subsidiary of Hanwha Aerospace, which in turn is a division of the vast South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Corporation. 
  • Hanwha companies have been operating in Australia since 2005 in areas including mining equipment, logistics and sustainable energy.
  • The vision of HDA:Be the partner the ADF counts on most to help protect our nation, our region, our world.
  • Headquarters: 550 Bourke Street, Melbourne
  • People
  • Managing Director: Dean Michie – acting in the role since April 2024. Previously worked for Elbit Systems.

HDA contracts with the Australian Government:

Pyne and Partners are advising Hanwha Defence Australia

  • Sole tenderer to supply Self-Propelled Artillery Systems under LAND 8116 Phase 1, a $0.9 billion to $1.3 billion project.
  • The successful tenderer for the AU$5–7 billion LAND 400 Phase 3 program to replace Australia’s Cold War-era fleet of M113AS4 armoured personnel carriers. The acquisition and initial support contracts for LAND 400 Phase 3 have a combined value of approximately $4.5 billion dollars. The total value of the project is approximately $7 billion dollars. It is the Army’s largest-ever acquisition program.

This “rapid — and increasingly entwined — development of the Australian and South Korean armaments industries is part of a US-led anti-China militarisation of the region.”’

Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE)

The fleet of Redback IFV’s will be built at the $170M Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE ) just about completed on a 15-hectare site at Avalon Airport in the Greater Geelong precinct some 60km west of Melbourne’s CBD, within the Corio electorate of Richard Marles Minister for Defence.

The initial order was for over 400 vehicles which went down to 300 – finally landing at 129. This is because Australia doesn’t need any of these vehicles for defence as there are no enemies on the northern border … and at 42 tonnes the Redbacks are far too heavy for most roads in Northern Australia, but the project had gone too far and had to proceed. Most are most likely to be sold overseas 3 The first Redback vehicle will be ready for delivery in 2027 with the final vehicle to be delivered in late 2028.

The facility, known as Plant 4 by the global Hanwha organisation, is seen as a secondary source of supply for the Republic of South Korea supplementing armoured vehicle manufacturing capabilities in South Korea’s Changwon city, Geelong’s sister city.

The project to build the Redback includes an Australia Industry Capability (AIC) package which is supposed to reinvigorate this old vehicle manufacturing area. The development of militarised areas for weapons manufacturing industries is happening across Australia in similar manufacturing areas such as the Hunter Valley, Woolongong, Ipswich and North Adelaide.

It is said the project will create 2,100 jobs inclusive of 1,800 direct jobs and provide approximately AU$9 billion worth of economic value across the country, ‘’with more than AU$5.7 billion expected to be generated in Victoria alone.”

Albanese government’s mid-genocide-commitment of $917 to Elbit Systems 

Elbit Systems – currently making record profits from supplying weapons to the genocide – has signed a $926M contract with the Victorian government to support HDA in building the Redback turret integrated with the Redback vehicle.’

The Government claims that it is not involved in a contract with Elbit Systems because Elbit is subcontracted to Hanwha. Australia was required to consent to the sub-contract with Elbit and engaged closely to ensure some of the work occurred in targeted electorates.

According to HDA, the Redback turret was designed to integrate advanced technologies such as Elbit’s Iron Fist Active Protection Systems, and Iron Vision Head Mounted Display Situational Awareness System and the Spike LR2 Anti-Tank Guided Missiles. The turret is designed to easily integrate these advanced systems to achieve optimum performance for the vehicle rather than bolt on aftermarket solutions.

Plasan

Plasan is an Israeli weapons manufacturing company owned by Kibbutz Sasa which is complicit in the genocide of Palestinians. Plasan, provided a significant portion of the armoured vehicles to the IOF free of charge as an “emergency mobilization”. Plasan works in cooperation with Hanwha Defence Australia (HDA) including the Huntsman and will provide advanced armour for the Redback. It also collaborates with Thales Australia and BAE Australia Plasan is establishing an office in Australia

Australia Territory Manager:  Ofir Frenkel second from left

Contact Details

Info@plasan.com

Level 1, 10 Yarra St
South Yarra
VIC
Australia – 3141
Phone : + 61 3 9825 6100

Plasan Sasa Ltd.
Kibbutz Sasa
13870, Israel
Tel: +972-4-680-9000
Fax: +972-4-680-9001


Written by allen · Categorized: Fact Sheets, Hanwha, Resources, Weapons Companies

Aug 08 2024

Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is the biggest weapons dealers in the world, selling their killing machines all over the world. Partners in crime include the U.S. Department of Defense, the UK, Israel, and Australia. They are known for their F-35 and F-16 fighters, and murdering missile systems. Corporate crime accomplices include Boeing, BAE systems and Thales. They are based in the USA.

Warren McDonald. Jim Taiclet

Quick Facts

Total revenue 2023: $67.5 billion

Offices and facilities in Naarm: unknown (let us know if you have info on this!)

President: Jim Taiclet                                  

CEO of Lockheed Martin Australia: Retired Air Marshal Warren McDonald AO, CSC

F-35 Fighter Jets

Lockheed Martin is the primary contractor for the over 990 F-35 Fighter jets that have been manufactured for the USA and its allies, including Israel. F35s are murder machines and have aided ‘Israel’ to commit a genocide in Palestine.

F-16 Fighter Jets

As well as F-35’s, Lockheed Martin is the primary supplier for F-16 Fighter Jets, including the 33 that have been supplied to the Indonesian Air Force, actively aiding the genocide in West Papua

What does Lockheed Martin do for the Australian Military ?

A better question would be ‘what doesn’t Lockheed do for the Australian Military?’. Lockheed is a major supplier of just about every killing machine and technology to ever exist. From fighter jets and helicopters to cybersecurity and surveillance systems, training simulations to missile systems. Lockheed Martin is truly a one stop genocide shop for the ADF.

Chief Executive Officer, Lockheed Martin Australia, Warren McDonald (left) and Head Air Defence and Space Systems Division Air Vice Marshal David Scheul

In Early 2024, Lockheed was awarded a $37.4 Million contract to manufacture missiles in Australia, including Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, shown right, and Launch Pod Containers, shown below, which are used to launch missiles.

Contact: Lockheed doesn’t provide personal phone numbers and emails for their executive staff due to “security reasons” but if you gain access to this info then please share it!!

Download Factsheet. 5 pages

Written by allen · Categorized: Fact Sheets, Lockheed Martin, Weapons Companies

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