“Seriously, how many children, along with their parents and grandparents, we must witness being starved, burned alive, or gathered into plastic bags after Western‑manufactured bombs have shattered them?” – Francesca Albanese.
“Beware the ides of March” – Shakespeare, ‘The Tragedy of Julius Caeser.‘
The Ides of March refers to 15 March in 44 BC, the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar, a turning point in Roman history. More than two millennia later, on 15 March 2023, Australia’s ambassador to the United States visited Ferra Engineering in Tingalpa. This was near Rudd’s electorate of Griffith when he was prime minister.
A slow genocide was ongoing in Gaza. In the year previous, more people had been shot dead or wounded in the West Bank by the occupation forces and settlers than at any previous time since the 1967 war. Israel stole land previously called Trans Jordan and set up an apartheid regime with the Palestinian population under occupation. Half the people murdered and wounded were children. Israel had flooded the West Bank was settlers in flagrant violation of international law. Being a student of history, Kevin Rudd knew all this when he visited Ferra Engineering in an industrial corridor of suburban Tingalpa.
Rudd’s office in Washington DC put out a media statement on his US Facebook page on that day:
“This week in Brisbane, Ambassador Rudd met with the team at Ferra Group and toured the Australian facility. Ferra is a great example of Australian innovation in aerospace. With a strong presence in the United States, Ferra is playing a crucial role in building our industrial capability, supporting AUKUS and further strengthening the Australia-US partnership.”
What Rudd and his office in Washington DC did not say is that Ferra Engineering Australia had signed a contract and a memorandum of agreement with Lockheed Martin (life-of-program value often cited as >US$ / A$1 billion scale). In 2010, Ferra began supplying F-35 AME weapons adapters enabling Israel to drop 2,000 pound bombs on Gaza. In October 2023 Rudd made this calculated normalisation statement about Ferra Engineering and AUKUS:
Kevin Rudd AC 15 March 2023 @AmboRudd X.com
“Fantastic to meet with the team at Ferra Group and tour the Australian facility in Brisbane this week. Ferra is a great example of Australian innovation in aerospace. With a strong presence in the United States, Ferra is playing a crucial role in building our industrial capability supporting AUKUS and further strengthening the Australia-US partnership.
Having said ‘Sorry’ to aboriginal people in Australia, Kevin Rudd went on to support the development of weapons to be used in a genocide in Gaza, Palestinian land stolen by the Israelis in 1947.
Kevin Rudd – beware the ides of March
On Remembrance Day 2025, 50 years after the Dismissal, Kevin Rudd needs to
1. Say ‘Sorry’ to the Palestinian people.
2. Tell Donald Trump that the Australian government will sanction Ferra Engineering because of its endeavour to profit from making such murderous and devastating weapons as these used in the genocide of the Palestinian people.
3. Rudd must inform Trump that he will no longer support AUKUS.
So, 50 years after the dismissal, Australia must break the ANZUS Treaty with the United States because of its genocide in Palestine.
An Angel Cometh …
On 10 November 2025, the Friends of Palestine from Northern Rivers in concert with Justice for Palestine Magandjin conducted a picket at Ferra Engineering in Tingalpa. About 37 people turned up and discussed various issues during the first hour of a 7-hour blockade of Ferra’s front entrance, thus stalling weapons production, heat treatment and deliveries. There was no damage down to the factory. Nor was there any violence. Save for the arrest of three people and wilful damage down by police to a hire vehicle blocking the Ferra driveway.
Issues raised included land ownership, resistance, and activism. Rafeef Ziadah words played from a small speaker: “Heartbroken beyond words. Now, Israel has killed Refaat Al-Areer’s eldest daughter, Al-Shaimaa, her husband, and newborn. No words can convey this endless loss and pain. For days now I stood on stages saying “they are killing our poets, but they can’t kill their words.” Her theme, refusal to accept silence or exile.
There was mention of police action, reports from police liaison about police wanting us to move across the road leaving behind the two people locked on and a third person on a tripod, shutting down of the Ferra weapons factory for the day before Remembrance Day.
Our dialogue touched on personal histories of activism, including blockades and protests. There was singing songs of liberation like “Bella Ciao”, the anti-fascist song:
This is the flower of resistance
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
This is the flower of resistance
And those who died for liberty
However they were substituting their own words:
There were 50 police in attendance and a number of first responders from the fire brigade.
At about 10.30am, a Channel 9 camera guy came in close to get a clear shot of the police cutting two women locked on to a van in front of the gates to Ferra Engineering.
Police told Channel 9 camera guy to F*** off!
It gets worse. Given little choice, the Channel 9 camera guy retired to the other side of New Cleveland road to place some distance between him and police. He tried to get a clear line of sight, focussing on the safety of the women being cut free from the van.
In response police and fire bricade commander placed their vehicles between the camera and the women who were locked on. As if this was not enough, police then placed a line of three more police in the gap between two fire trucks. Special ops then appeared to remove the rear wheel assembly on the hire van, removed the women, and unlocked the pipe from the van.
One participant said, “that’s wrong, you only behave like that when you are doing something wrong.“ What is that police motto again? “With honour, we serve.” Perhaps police were only there to serve the honourable Mr Rudd and his cronies at Ferra Engineering?
Remah Naji from Justice for Palestine Magan-djin made the following statement: “We are here at Ferra Engineering – demanding end to weapons manufacturing industry. Ferra makes the parts that drop the F35 bombs. We refuse Magandjin be tied to weapons. The same weapons being used to masacare the palestinian people. We will continue to blockade until this factory is shut down.”
#NotInMyName #shutfownferra #freepalestine
Conclusion
At the very least, Kevin Rudd has made a liar of his bosses, Penny Wong and the bad, bad Albanese. But we already knew that.
Like Israel, they are all beyond rehabilitation.
Ian Curr, 11 November 2025
Reference
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DGpqv4vNE/
Ian Curr,
11 November 2025