A highly secretive defence intelligence facility, on the outskirts of Alice Springs, is likely gathering information about the escalating situation in Ukraine. As the employer, you would withhold and remit applicable U.S. and Australian taxes throughout the year to the IRS and ATO, respectively. 29 days ago Access Control - TS/SCI with Poly new Leidos - Alice Springs NT Missing: defence In the Pine Gap Agreement, Australia agreed that the income of U.S. employees of U.S. federal government contractors at the JDFPG who are in Australia solely to work at the JDFPG would be exempt from income tax in Australia provided that income is taxed in the United States. The work of the jointly run US and Australian base known as Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap is vital after Russian President Vladimir Putin puthis country's nuclear deterrent forces on "high alert". The IRS and ATO expect only that the employees income from employment at JDFPG is properly withheld, reported, and paid, as appropriate, in the United States and Australia. Click to reveal In a statement, the Department of Defence said it did not comment on staff composition or numbers of staff at different facilities. Alice Springs is a city in the Northern Territory of Australia. Pine Gap is an international political thriller which is set around the Australian and American joint defence intelligence facility at Pine Gap, south-west of the town of Alice Springs, Australia. Originally code-named MERINO, it is the ground station for a satellite network that intercepts telephone, radio, data links, and other communications around the world. Under ordinary tax principles, you, as the employer, would withhold and remit applicable U.S. and Australian taxes throughout the year to the IRS and ATO, respectively. Plan and deliver an educational program to the children in your care. Any information exchanged under Article 25 is protected from disclosure under the limitations of Section 6105 of the Internal Revenue Code and Article 25(2) of the Treaty.Added: 05-22-2019 Source: IRS, A11. [20][21], In 2020, previously confidential private correspondences between the Palace and the Governor-General were released. Looking for an Early Childhood Teacher to inspire a room full of eager little learners. In 2004, the base began operating a new satellite system known as the Space-Based Infrared System, which is a vital element of US missile defense. Professor Tanter said Pine Gap workedin conjunction with Menwith Hill, a similar base in Yorkshirein the United Kingdom. No. Peter "Turbo" Teatoff is seen delivering heavy machinery to JDFPG in season 4's 11th episode of series Outback Truckers. In outdoor scenes shot near Alice Springs, fictional Arrernte activist and law student, Immy Dupain (Madeleine Madden), tells a group of tourists that Pine Gap's operations may implicate. Then, you would file individual income tax returns with the IRS and ATO annually to pay additional taxes due or claim a refund, depending on your tax situation, including whether you claim the foreign earned income exclusion for your JDFPG employment income. Mr Blundell-Thornton said that in the past the workforce at the base had been "largely" Australian. As Sino-US tensions escalate, Kath, Ethan and Rudi question Moses, who confesses to giving Marissa $12,000 to settle her welfare fraud debts. Is this your business? of 1 In short, Pine Gap collects a huge amount of data from signals intelligence as well as providing information on early warning of ballistic missile launches. Given the complexities caused by dual U.S. and Australian requirements for U.S. employees at JDFPG and their employers because of the Pine Gap Agreement, in the 1980s the IRS and ATO developed procedures to allow these employees to avoid withholding of Australian tax installment deductions for their JDFPG employment income and the corresponding need to file Australian income tax returns with respect to that income. Professor Tanter said Putin's threat of nuclear weapons hadcatapulted world politics back to the Cold War. However, another former employee of the joint defence facility said he did not believe there was a deliberate effort to hire more US nationals for positions at the base. Storms threaten north-east United States after tearing through the south, leaving 10 dead, Cabinet documents reveal Pine Gap expansion deal and concerns about 'weaponising space', Pine Gap protesters spared jail to avoid creating 'martyr', Pine Gap activists found guilty over entering top-secret US-Australian facility, Aerospace and Defence Equipment Manufacturing, Canberra coach Ricky Stuart slams NRL, RLPA following further concussion controversy, 'How dare they': Possum Magic author hits out at 'ridiculous' Roald Dahl edits, 'Dastardly and heinous crime': Philippines governor killed at home by unknown gunmen, Vanuatu hit by two cyclones and twin earthquakes in two days, Emily was studying law when she had to go to court. Pine Gap Jobs in All Australia - SEEK What All work types paying $0 to $350K+ listedany time 3 jobs Sorted by relevance Receive new jobs for this search by email Create alert Lead Educator Queensland Childcare Services Pty Ltd 12d ago Crestmead, Brisbane QLD $27 - $31 per hour Education & Training Childcare & Outside School Hours Care A1. Starring: Parker Sawyers, Jacqueline McKenzie, Steve Toussaint. foreign instrumentation signals intelligence, Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, "Premiere dates set for 'Pine Gap' and 'Fighting Season', "Mat King to direct 'Pine Gap' for the ABC and Netflix", "Pine Gap - Episodes Guide and Summaries", "Pine Gap review lots of yakkety yak and occasional scenes of bonking", Vietnam orders Netflix to remove Australian spy show Pine Gap over South China Sea map, Vietnam orders Netflix to remove Australian spy show over South China Sea map, "Netflix ordered to remove 'Pine Gap' episodes on China's nine-dash line DFA", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pine_Gap_(TV_series)&oldid=1135865167, English-language Netflix original programming, Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming, Television shows set in the Northern Territory, Use Australian English from November 2021, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The A-Crew intelligence team at the Pine Gap joint defence facility detects a missile launch in Myanmar that brings down a small passenger plane. It's a 3 day drive from Sydney to Alice Springs. While returning from an all-night hunting trip, [1] at around 4:30 am in the early hours of 22 nd December 1989, three men would be witness to a surreal encounter. [1], The station is partly run by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), US National Security Agency (NSA), and US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and is a key contributor to the NSA's global interception/surveillance effort, which included the ECHELON program. Professor Tanter said infrared satellites also provide the United States with valuable data about the early warning satellite systems. Political expertRichard Tanter saidthe base would be playing a crucial role in gathering intelligence through covert communications from the Ukraine and border regions. Your employer also will be required to withhold from your salary to satisfy your U.S. and Australian tax obligations. The intent of the agreement was to ensure that the income earned by these individuals would be taxed only in the United States, rather than in both jurisdictions. After ruling Moses out as a suspect, the Australia and US investigators question the Arrenrte law student Immy, who claims someone used her phone to send leaked footage of A-team ordering the Bangladesh drone strike. Q3. Six former employees of Raytheon said that when the company lost its contract to complete specialised IT work at the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap near Alice Springs they were offered jobs with the organisation well below their level of expertise. ITS considered one of the countrys most secretive and strategically important sites. Two words showed something was wrong with the system, After centuries of Murdaugh rule in the Deep South, the family's power ends with a life sentence for murder, With Prince Andrew's sweetheart mansion rental ending, King Charles offers compromise that shocks his son, Flooding in southern Malaysia forces 40,000 people to flee homes. Pine Gap operations and maintenance contract up for renewal. If your employee enters into a closing agreement with the IRS, the employee will generally also submit a Consent to Disclose document, which allows the IRS and the employees employer to discuss the closing agreement. Today's top 373 Alice Springs jobs in Australia. "It certainly isn't a WikiLeaks type of story," concedes David . [11], Pat LaMarco of The Daily Free Press described the series as a "dull and sluggish attempt at a thriller". Q1. According to Nautilus report released this year, Australians are completely enmeshed into the management structure at the station. Your family situation (for example, if your spouse is a resident of Australia or earns income in Australia from employment outside the JDFPG) also affects your Australian tax reporting and payment obligations. It is jointly operated by Australia and the United States, and since 1988 it has been officially called the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap (JDFPG); previously, it was known as Joint Defence Space Research Facility. The amount of withholding would depend on various circumstances, including the contents of the employees U.S. Forms W-4 and Form 673, and whether the employee has an Australian tax file number (TFN). [1], Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian gave Pine Gap a critical review, writing that the series was "less a spy drama than an attempt to cure insomnia." Can the dogs of Chernobyl teach us new tricks when it comes to our own survival? Gus and Jas repair their relationship and Zhou meets with Immy, hinting that she is working for Chinese intelligence. 8a-5p (PT no Benefits) Big Stone Gap, VAJob Code:MSHA000AZALocation:LONESOME PINE HOSPITAL, Big Stone. The IRS and Australian Taxation Office (ATO) then developed procedures to implement the agreement. The series is a political thriller, portraying the lives of the members of the joint AmericanAustralian intelligence team. A spokesperson from Maurice Blackburn said the two parties could enter into mediation over the matter. Pursuant to the closing agreements terms and section 7121 of the Internal Revenue Code, a closing agreement that is properly executed by a taxpayer and an IRS official is a final agreement and may not be reopened, except in the event of fraud, malfeasance, or misrepresentation of material fact.Added: 05-22-2019 Source: IRS, A9. Conversely, both U.S. and Australian tax would be withheld if the employee does not enter into a closing agreement.Added: 05-22-2019 Source: ATO/IRS, A3. If the IRS issues a refund, can I assume that the IRS agrees with my tax position? The United States and Australian governments jointly operate the Joint Defense Facility Pine Gap (JDFPG) in Alice Springs, Australia. [19], According to documents published in August 2017, Pine Gap is used as a ground station for spy satellites on two secret missions:[6], Gough Whitlam, Prime Minister of Australia (between 1972 and 1975), considered closing the base which some have claimed led to the downfall of the Prime Minister, who was already in a politically precarious situation. [8] NSA employee David Rosenberg indicated that the chief of the facility was a senior CIA officer at the time of his service there. Your employees JDFPG employment income is taxable in the United States and Australia. "While we may not know the exact minutia of what they do on a day-to-day basis, the arguments we are putting forward about a worker being entitled to redundancy when their job is lost, is the same arguments we would be having, regardless of the secret nature of their work," he said. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/pine-gap-defence-contractor-sued-employees-raytheon-secretive-nt/10959388, Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article, Australia's biggest drug bust: $1 billion worth of cocaine linked to Mexican cartel intercepted, 'Pincers are closing': Ukrainian forces under pressure as Russians shell roads out of Bakhmut, Four in hospital after terrifying home invasion by gang armed with machetes, knives, hammer, 'We have got the balance right': PM gives Greens' super demands short shrift, Crowd laughs as Russia's foreign minister claims Ukraine war 'was launched against us', The tense, 10-minute meeting that left Russia's chief diplomat smoking outside in the blazing sun, 'Celebrity leaders': Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley take veiled jabs at Donald Trump in CPAC remarks. The six-part series was . Terrifying reality of China war laid bare, Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability, Independent and Peaceful Australia Network argue Pine Gap and its value to the US makes us a target. Pine Gap features prominently in the third and fourth thriller novels of the Jack West Jr. seriesThe Five Greatest Warriors and The Four Legendary Kingdoms, respectivelyby the Australian writer Matthew Reilly. (Note that because the United States and Australia use different taxable years (that is, January 1-December 31 in the United States, and July 1-June 30 in Australia), the closing agreement must cover the entire Australian income year to satisfy your withholding obligation as employer.) He explicitly confirmed the western interest in Beijing's activities, saying Pine Gap - the installation near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory - was "crucial to, let's say . Route 1023 (Nature Run Road) in Ligonier Township from Hall Road to Kissell Springs Road due . Pursuant to the closing agreements terms and section 7121 of the Internal Revenue Code, a closing agreement that is properly executed by a taxpayer and an IRS official is a final agreement and may not be reopened, except in the event of fraud, malfeasance, or misrepresentation of material fact.Added: 05-22-2019 Source: IRS, A7. Cast []. That's a really important question," he said. These procedures allow these employees to avoid withholding throughout the year of Australian tax installment deductions for their JDFPG income and the requirement to file Australian income tax returns with respect to that income if a closing agreement is concluded. Pine Gap is the commonly used name for a satellite tracking station approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) south-west of the town of Alice Springs in the centre of Australia which is operated by both Australia and the United States.Since 1988 it has been officially called the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap; previously, it was known as Joint Defence Space Research Facility. Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code states that tax returns and return information must be kept confidential by the IRS except as otherwise authorized by the Code. As stated in FAQ Q3, the IRS and ATO developed voluntary procedures allowing you to enter into a closing agreement with the IRS in which you agree that you will not claim the foreign earned income exclusion for JDFPG employment income earned during the taxable period(s) listed in the closing agreement. [12] By contrast, Genevieve Burgess of Pajiba gave Pine Gap a favourable review, describing it as a "spy thriller for people who don't like spy thrillers." But how much do we really know about this significant site? When they established the facility in 1966, the governments signed an agreement (the Pine Gap Agreement). "Between the two of those satellites, the footprint of them covers everything from the edge of the Pacific, China and Japan, in this case, right through to Russia and Ukraine. What are the implications for me, as the employer, if my JDFPG employee does not enter into a closing agreement with the IRS in which the employee agrees not to claim the foreign earned income exclusion for JDFPG employment income? No. As explained in FAQ Q2, above, income earned as the employee of a U.S. federal government contractor is not exempt from Australian tax under Article 19 (Governmental Remuneration) of the United States-Australia income tax treatyPDF.Added: 05-22-2019 Source: ATO/IRS, A10. In 1982 the Australian band Midnight Oil released "Power and the Passion", which contains a reference to Pine Gap. Edwina Wren as Eloise Chambers, an American, Michael-Anthony Taylor as Will Thompson, Gus's father, This page was last edited on 27 January 2023, at 09:46. It has grown from 400sq m to 20,000 sq m in less than 50 years. What Lies Below Pine Gap Australia? Hiring ongoing Tier 2 System Maintainer - TS/SCI with Poly new Leidos Alice Springs NT $66,300 - $137,700 a year Full-time Officially, Pine Gap is a collaboration between the Australian Department of Defence and the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. A Defence Department spokesman told news.com.au it made an important contribution to our national security. Performance & security by Cloudflare. The ranges form the present town's ramparts, shielding its southwest side like the remains of a European city's Roman walls. [6] Journalist Brian Toohey states that Pine Gap intercepts electronic communications from Australian citizens including phone calls, emails and faxes as a consequence of the technology it uses. He said the work at Pine Gap had receivedbilaterally support since the facility's establishment. Lead your team to success. The Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap is situated on the outskirts of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory The base is thought to be playing a crucial role in gathering intelligence on Russia's attack on Ukraine Experts say Pine Gap is vulnerable given its importance to US intelligence and surveillance It basically acts as a satellite tracking station and its remote location makes intercepting signals emitted from within more difficult to decipher. In addition, if you provide a fringe benefit to the employee you may be liable for Australian fringe benefits tax (FBT) on its taxable value.Added: 05-22-2019 Source: ATO/IRS, Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 07-Feb-2023, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and Certification, Employers engaged in a trade or business who pay compensation, Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). The dispute was now being taken to court, with the workers claiming more than $2.6 million from Raytheon. A conditional exemption from Australian income tax in the Pine Gap Agreement was enacted into Australian income tax law. We probably would have got in some serious trouble if this wasn't a simulator.. You are not considered to be an employee of the United States government or of a U.S. government agency for purposes of the TreatyPDF. "What that tells them [is]where the Russian forces areand then how they're moving and what they're planning to do.". Joint Defence Facility - Pine Gap, Alice Springs Medical Office (08) 8951 3030. [9]:p 4546[10], The location is strategically significant because it controls United States spy satellites as they pass over one-third of the globe, including China, the Asian parts of Russia, and the Middle East. Pine Gap, near Alice Springs, employs nearly 1,000 people, mainly from the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office. Naval Security Group Detachment, Alice Spring was established in October, 1998. Jas lands herself in trouble with Jacob when she hacks into the Australian Prime Ministers Chief of Staff Robert Boyles email account. The U.S. In the Pine Gap Agreement, Australia agreed that the income of U.S. employees of U.S. federal government contractors at the JDFPG who are in Australia solely to work at the JDFPG would be exempt from income tax in Australia provided that income is taxed in the United States.