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April 4th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda The war in Afghanistan is being won but Australian troops won’t be coming home any time soon, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has told a community cabinet meeting in Sydney’s west.
About 250 people of widely varying ages and backgrounds packed into Macarthur Girls High School in Parramatta for the meeting on Wednesday night.
The community cabinet meetings are held regularly around the country, offering locals the chance to throw questions on any topic at ministers.
Questions in Parramatta ranged in subject from the economy to the local tennis club, and one young girl, 11-year-old Siobhan Gregory, demanded to know why a new all-weather soccer pitch isn’t being built in nearby Granville.
But it was on the war in Afghanistan that Ms Gillard was grilled hardest.
“Defence force personnel who have been there over a long period of time can explain to you very vividly progress that is being made,” Ms Gillard told the meeting.
“We will at some point, and work is being done on this now, move to transition security leadership in the province in which we work … to Afghan forces.
“But that doesn’t mean that there’s a hard end point at 2014.”
Ms Gillard was asked by one Muslim man how the government could engage Muslims when troops remained in Afghanistan.
He also alleged Muslims were being intimidated in mosques.
“We are not in Afghanistan because we think we should be engaged in some war on Islam,” Ms Gillard continued.
“We are engaged in a struggle against terrorism.”
Treasurer Wayne Swan talked up the economy, saying the Asian-Pacific region is in for sustained growth.
“If for instance we were located somewhere near Europe we would need to be very worried,” he told the meeting.
“Because they’re in for a long, painful period of adjustment.
“What we’re going to see in this region is a period of very strong growth, which gives us a great opportunity to create more wealth.”
Concerns about the future of Thompson Square, in Windsor, an 18th century square that is at risk of being damaged by a proposed $31 million, two-lane, high-level bridge, were also raised.
Environment minister Tony Burke said he’d look at the plans.
A woman from SpeakOut, a body representing immigrant and refugee women, demanded to know what programs would be put in place to ensure new immigrants and refugee women were aware of Australia’s stance on forced marriages.
Immigration minister Chris Bowen acknowledged it was a serious issue and that more work was needed to ensure marriages were “completely voluntary”.
Prime Minister Gillard was mobbed as she arrived at the meeting, with dozens of people asking to have their photo taken with her.
“I think she answered the questions well,” Shelley Carmichael, 45, told AAP afterwards.
“I think we’re all worried about some of these broad issues such as the economy and the war, but it was actually quite refreshing to hear that they understand some of the local issues here as well.”
Parramatta resident Jesse Fiske, 23, was less impressed.
“I found a lot of the answers pretty bland,” she told AAP.
“But I suppose they’re pollies. That’s kind of what you would expect.”
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