Pine Gap is a secretive facility nearly 20km south-west of Alice Springs which has been there since 1970. The spy base has been operating in Australia for more than 50 years, yet little is known about its activities. 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. 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.. Alice Springs author and journalist Kieran Finnane will be launching her latest book this morning exploring local dissent against military operations at Pine Gap facilities. . The IRS has recently revised the pro forma closing agreement and consent to disclose document for employees of U.S. federal government contractors who wish to enter into closing agreements with respect to their employment income earned at the JDFPG. Australians are now officially barred only from the National Cryptographic Room (similarly, Americans are barred from the Australian Cryptographic Room). Route 1023 (Nature Run Road) in Ligonier Township from Hall Road to Kissell Springs Road due . The closing agreement applies for the U.S. taxable year(s) listed in the closing agreement as the taxable period(s) covered by the closing agreement. How does the availability of the U.S. foreign earned income exclusion affect my obligations as a withholding agent? If an international agreement does not contain language addressing the impact of an earlier agreement, provisions of the earlier international agreement, if it has not been terminated or suspended, apply to the extent they are consistent with provisions in the later agreement. With Parker Sawyers, Jacqueline McKenzie, Steve Toussaint, Tess Haubrich. Naval Security Group Detachment, Alice Spring was established in October, 1998. Why am I asked to sign a Consent to Disclose document when I sign a closing agreement with the IRS? Route 982 in Mount Pleasant Township from Tall Pine Drive to Route 130 due to downed trees and wires. These FAQs address common questions regarding how these employees and their employers meet their U.S. and Australian tax obligations in light of the Pine Gap Agreement, including the effect of a closing agreement that an employee might enter into with the IRS regarding the taxation of JDFPG employment income. The town of Alice Springs has changed a great deal since the early 1980s. [11], In late 1966, during the Cold War, a joint USAustralian treaty called for the creation of a US satellite surveillance base in Australia, to be titled the "Joint Defence Space Research Facility". Article 19 does not apply to income earned by employees of U.S. federal government contractors. Your IP: Except Uluru is open to tourism and Pine Gap only to a select 1000 or so workers. The West is making a big miscalculation when it comes to a conflict with China and it could be a very costly mistake. However, as a U.S. citizen or resident alien, you must file a U.S. income tax return reporting and paying taxes on your worldwide income, including your JDFPG employment income. 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. The refund is considered an erroneous refund and must be paid back to the IRS. 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).Added: 05-22-2019 Source: ATO/IRS, A5. Under these voluntary procedures, you may enter into a closing agreement with the IRS, in which you agree that you will not claim the foreign earned income exclusion for your JDFPG income for the taxable period(s) covered by the closing agreement. Q10. In 2005 there were 26,486 people living in Alice Springs. Do these FAQs and procedures apply to me? It basically acts as a satellite tracking station and its remote location makes intercepting signals emitted from within more difficult to decipher. This is acknowledged in Article 1(1) of the Treaty, which states, This [treaty] shall not restrict in any manner any exclusion, exemption, deduction, rebate, credit or other allowance accorded from time to time . But how much do we really know about this significant site? The action you just performed triggered the security solution. If you were ordinarily resident in Australia before working at JDFPG, then your JDFPG employment income is not eligible for an exemption from Australian tax under the Pine Gap Agreement.Added: 05-22-2019 Source: ATO/IRS, A12. What if I do not enter into a closing agreement with the IRS? [12] The purpose of the facility was initially referred to in public as "space research". #ClosePineGap 2016 - Alice Springs Peace Convergence (Australia) 19th Sep - 3rd Oct 2016. No. No. ITS considered one of the countrys most secretive and strategically important sites. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. 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. According to Ball, since 9 December 1966 when the Australian and United States governments signed the Pine Gap treaty, Pine Gap had grown from the original two antennas to about 18 in 1999, and 38 by 2017. By entering into a closing agreement with the IRS, the employee agrees that he or she will not claim the foreign earned income exclusion for the employees JDFPG employment income earned during those periods. [17][18] This was confirmed by an NSA document from 2013, which says that Pine Gap plays a key role in providing geolocation data for intelligence purposes, as well as for military operations, including air strikes. Share via SMS. Q1. In December 2005 six members of the Christians Against All Terrorism group staged a protest outside Pine Gap. Generally, when countries enter into successive international agreements addressing the same subject matter, and an agreement indicates that its provisions are subject to the provisions of an earlier or later international agreement, the provisions of the earlier or later international agreement prevail. New Alice Springs jobs added daily. [8] NSA employee David Rosenberg indicated that the chief of the facility was a senior CIA officer at the time of his service there. Gus and Jas repair their relationship and Zhou meets with Immy, hinting that she is working for Chinese intelligence. While police raid Eloise, Gus decides to remain at Pine Gap after his father believes that he helped save the President's life by making the decision to execute the drone strike. Do these FAQs and procedures apply to me? How is my tax information protected from disclosure by the IRS, and how may it be shared with Australia? Hiring ongoing Tier 2 System Maintainer - TS/SCI with Poly new Leidos Alice Springs NT $66,300 - $137,700 a year Full-time "It's quite frankly outrageous that a large, multinational defence contractor like Raytheon, who has lost the contract at Pine Gap through no fault of its workforce, is trying to get out of paying these workers their redundancies," he said. Plan and deliver an educational program to the children in your care. Under the closing agreement, you agree that you will not claim the foreign earned income exclusion for your JDFPG employment income earned during the taxable period(s) covered by the closing agreement. By logging into your account, you agree to Jora's, By creating an email alert, you agree to Jora's. This process was developed to alleviate the burden of dual withholding and reporting of U.S. residents income from employment at JDFPG, and it is completely voluntary for the employee. Note, however, that as a U.S. citizen or resident alien your worldwide income is subject to U.S. federal income tax, subject to any available deductions, credits, exemptions, or exclusions, such as the foreign earned income exclusion. He said the teams would be working to build a "full order of battle". [13], Pine Gap was removed from Netflix in Vietnam, following an order from the country's Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information, as a map with the nine-dash line was shown in two episodes of the series, albeit in a context in which characters criticised China's claim over the waters in on-screen dialogue. Pine Gap, near Alice Springs, employs nearly 1,000 people, mainly from the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office. [6], One of Pine Gap's primary functions is to locate radio signals in the Eastern Hemisphere, with the collected information fed into the US drone program. Join us for a flyby of the Pine Gap Joint Defence Facility near Alice Springs. The majority of Pine Gap's 1000 staff are Americans drawn from branches of the US military, including the National Security Agency, Army and Navy Information Operations Command, US Navy and Combined Support Group, Air Intelligence Agency, US Air Force, 704th Military Intelligence Brigade, 743rd Military Intelligence Battalion, Marine Cryptologic Ball described the facility as the ground control and processing station for geosynchronous satellites engaged in signals intelligence collection, outlining four categories of signals collected: Ball described the operational area as containing three sections: Satellite Station Keeping Section, Signals Processing Station and the Signals Analysis Section, from which Australians were barred until 1980. Pine Gap is one of the largest ground satellite stations in the world, at the present time the facility currently contains eight large radomes, an extremely large computer room and 20 or so service, support buildings. [6] In 1999, with the Australian Government refusing to give details to an Australian Senate committee about the relevant treaties, intelligence expert Professor Des Ball from the Australian National University was called to give an outline of Pine Gap. Mr Rosenberg described the incursion by the four as "the most serious security breach in Pine Gap's history". 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. It collects a wide range of signals intelligence as well as providing information on early warning of ballistic missile launches. 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. 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. You and the employee also will sign a Declaration that is to be provided to the ATO to inform it that your employee has not and will not claim the foreign earned income exclusion for JDFPG employment income, and thus the exemption from Australian tax for this income is appropriate.Added: 05-22-2019 Source: ATO/IRS, A4. The Pine Gap Agreement applies only to U.S. employees, who are not also Australian citizens, of U.S. federal government contractors at the JDFPG who went to Australia solely to work at JDFPG. [20][21] Victor Marchetti, a CIA officer who had helped run the facility, said that this consideration "caused apoplexy in the White House, [and] a kind of Chile [coup] was set in motion", with the CIA and MI6 working together to get rid of the Prime Minister. Security and intelligence expertJohn Blaxland said Pine Gap's work was vital. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/pine-gap-base-gathering-information-russia-ukraine-conflict/100878478, 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. (If you have other income from Australian sources, you may have Australian tax reporting and payment obligations associated with that income. Or, depending on your Form W-4 on file, your employer might over- or under-withhold U.S. taxes on your income.Added: 05-22-2019 Source: IRS, A6. Job DetailsApplySave Print this jobEmail a FriendJob Title:RN - Wound Care, Lonesome Pine Hosp. Pine Gaps secrets are slowly starting to emerge. In The Secret History of Twin Peaks by Mark Frost, President Richard Nixon claims that Pine Gap is actually the site of an underground facility constructed by extraterrestrials. The plant is in the town of Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory of Australia. [14] The number of staff had increased from around 400 in the early 1980s to 600 in the early 1990s and then to 800 in 2017, the biggest expansion since the end of the Cold War. Please refer to the ATO or a qualified tax adviser for guidance on your individual circumstances. More. The Pine Gap base near Alice Springs is expanding, and so is its importance to the US military. Laboratory Manager new HiQA Geotechnical - Alice Springs NT $110,000 - $130,000 a year Missing: industry We are seeking an experienced Laboratory Manager to lead our team in Alice Springs. According to Prof Tanter, a researcher with the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability, the floor space of the sites computer room, or operations building, has grown massively since the 1970s and now takes up a room the size of the entire playing field of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 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 A Defence Department spokesman told news.com.au it made an important contribution to our national security. "It also collects the thermal imagery, that heat bloom, of missiles launching.". I am a U.S. federal government contractor with employees working at JDFPG. This significant infrastructure investment will be funded and owned by the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap. According to Nautilus report released this year, Australians are completely enmeshed into the management structure at the station. Peter "Turbo" Teatoff is seen delivering heavy machinery to JDFPG in season 4's 11th episode of series Outback Truckers. 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. This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 15:22. Belle has an affair with Zhou, whose gas mining deal with the Arrenrte people has been approved by the Australian authorities. "There was very little chance of Putin using those nuclear weapons in war," he said. 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 A Defence White Paper released earlier this year also detailed how important Pine Gap is to both the US and the Australian governments. 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. If your JDFPG employment income is taxed in Australia, that income is considered foreign-source income for U.S. tax purposes and may be eligible for a foreign tax credit on your U.S. tax return, subject to any applicable limitations, including the restrictions on claiming foreign tax credits if you choose to exclude foreign earned income from your U.S. income. This is what happens when Pine Gap happens. The IRS and Australian Taxation Office (ATO) then developed procedures to implement the agreement. [20][21], In 2020, previously confidential private correspondences between the Palace and the Governor-General were released. 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. Professor Tanter said Pine Gap workedin conjunction with Menwith Hill, a similar base in Yorkshirein the United Kingdom. Joint Defence Facility - Pine Gap, Alice Springs . There was only 1 season of the political thriller which had six episodes. The base is staffed by both Americans and Australians, who monitor satellite and communication transmissions in the area for potential threats to either country. 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. At top-secret U.S.-Australian joint defense facility Pine Gap, fissures appear in the critical alliance as spies work with, and against, each other. His remarks also seemed to suggest that Australia is much more powerful than what all of us think. That income would be taxable in Australia if you claimed the foreign earned income exclusion to exclude that income from U.S. tax. Can the dogs of Chernobyl teach us new tricks when it comes to our own survival? It was set in the titular Pine Gap, a joint defense intelligence facility near the town of Alice Springs in Australia. Lawyer for the workers, Giri Sivaraman from Maurice Blackburn, said despite the base's secretive activities, he saw the dispute as a typical workers' rights conflict. Pine Gap is a joint United States-Australia military spy base located on Arrernte country near Alice Springs, Northern Territory. Satellite station in the Northern Territory, Australia, This article is about the earth station. About Publication 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and the Pine Gap Facility. As research and knowledge into the facility grows, we are starting to learn more about what goes on here, including: Run by both Australia and the United States, its official name is the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap. Pine Gap is an Australian television series that was released on Netflix and broadcast on ABC in 2018. ECT Mentor - offering you support and advice. This process was developed to alleviate the burden of dual withholding and reporting of U.S. residents income from employment at JDFPG. It is 200 km south of the centre of mainland Australia. United States-Australia income tax treaty. Australia is a wretched sunbed maintained by debt and founded in unspeakable acts of racist brutality. It is taxable in the United States because, as a U.S. citizen or resident alien, the employee is taxable on worldwide income. If you do not execute a closing agreement with the IRS, you must file tax returns with both the IRS and the ATO and pay the appropriate tax to both jurisdictions. A union has claimed Pine Gap has been increasing the preferencing of US workers to help run the base 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. Professor Tanter said the bases would also be collecting information about Russian military movement in Belarus, communication from politicians and the military's high command. Technical Consultant Telstra 3.9 Australia $73,000 - $80,000 a year Permanent + 1 R-00102475Description Job Description: Job DescriptionThis position is a 24/7 crew positionThe Integrated Solutions Division at Leidos has an opening for an Intelligence Analyst. "One is telephone transmissions, radar transmissions, any kind of electronic transmissions, communications or otherwise. 2018 | Maturity Rating: TV-MA | 1 Season | Political TV Shows. One day, I'm all "this is a culturally inert toilet remarkable only for its willingness to be shat upon by empire". Pine Gap, 19 kilometres southwest of Alice Springs in Central Australia, has long been the subject of intrigue and misinformation christened with the moniker of 'Australia's Area 51', complete with tales of espionage and UFO sightings. 1986 - Over 300 people arrested at a Pine Gap Protest Rally at the gates of Pine Gap. 15 Wilkinson Street, Alice Springs NT 0870 Save Contact. He said the work at Pine Gap had receivedbilaterally support since the facility's establishment. [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." You are not obligated under U.S. or Australian taxation law to enter into a closing agreement; the IRS and ATO expect only that you properly report and pay U.S. and Australian taxes consistent with whether you entered into a closing agreement for the taxable period. Pine Gap spy base contractor Raytheon locked in redundancy payout dispute. Unless you work at Pine Gap, or possess special invisible powers, you wont even get too close to it. But Melbourne-based photographer Kristian Laemmle-Ruff got closer than most people when he snapped a series of photos of the facility last year. An employer will, however, be liable for FBT if it has withholding obligations and provides taxable fringe benefits. 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 . 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. "Successive governments on both political persuasions have consistently endorsed, once they have been briefed on the capability and that iswhat Pine Gap delivers in terms of bolstered defence capabilitiesmore than offsets the remote risk of vulnerability," he said. A4. All employees transferred to Alice Springs on the O&M Program are provided good quality [Pine Gap] housing. If you exclude your JDFPG employment income from your U.S. gross income under the foreign earned income exclusion, however (and thereby exempt that income from U.S. tax), that income is assessable in Australia under Australian tax law. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [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. Critical new transmission infrastructure including a new power line will be constructed, creating up to 30 new local jobs over 12 months. Supportive team with long term staff. Q2. I am a U.S. citizen or resident alien and an Australian citizen employed by a U.S. federal government contractor working at JDFPG. What Lies Below Pine Gap Australia? We probably would have got in some serious trouble if this wasn't a simulator.. In addition, you would be required to file an income tax return reporting your JDFPG employment income to the ATO. The ABC's Pine Gap is a stinker. Almost half of the workers are locals which includes government personnel, operations workers, AFP Protective Services officers, as well as Australian contractors. As a U.S. citizen or resident alien, you must report your worldwide income, including your JDFPG employment income, to the IRS on a timely filed tax return. 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. The series is a political thriller, portraying the lives of the members of the joint AmericanAustralian intelligence team. 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. Alice Springs NT $32 - $60 an hour Full-time + 3 Weekend availability + 4 Hiring multiple candidates NDIS compliant: All services are NDIS coded, and mobility works with self, plan and agency managed participants of the NDIS. An official website of the United States Government. It is understood the workers who took over the positions of the six former IT employees with the new contractor are all US nationals. The group said not only does Pine Gap allow access to satellites to spy on every continent except Antarctica and the Americas, but also question the role it plays in the use of drone technology. 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. Looking for an Early Childhood Teacher to inspire a room full of eager little learners. If your employer does not have proof that you entered into the closing agreement, your employer must withhold Australian taxes on your JDFPG employment income, which would then require you to apply for any applicable refund in Australia. 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. No. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. He also viewed the show's release on Netflix as a sign of what he regarded as the deteriorating quality of the streaming company's content. You therefore must include all of your JDFPG employment income in your worldwide gross income reported on your U.S. income tax return and cannot exclude it from U.S. taxation. "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. Politics and a joint defense intelligence base at Pine Gap are the main themes in this movie. if you do not receive a closing agreement signed by the employee and the IRS, or any other evidence that the employee has entered into a closing agreement with the IRS, you should assume that the employee has not entered into a closing agreement with the IRS and withhold and remit U.S. and Australian taxes accordingly.