Grubby tourists use Uluru as dunny
EXCLUSIVE by Ben Langford
September 8th, 2009
SPENDING A PENNY: The climb up Uluru takes about half an hour and tourists are taking toilet paper
SPENDING A PENNY: The climb up Uluru takes about half an hour and tourists are taking toilet paper
TOURISTS are using the top of Uluru as a toilet, the head of a Central Australian tour company said yesterday.
Andrew Simpson, general manager of the Aboriginal-owned Anangu Waai tour company, said many tourists took a toilet roll with them when they climbed the rock.
The claims could be another blow to chances of the rock staying open to climbers.
Gallery: Uluru & Central Australia
Mr Simpson said if tourists needed to go they found somewhere before making the half-hour descent.
"That's been going on for years," he said.
When people climb up the top of the rock there's no toilet facilities up there.
''They get out of sight like most German tourists do ... like most tourists do.
''Most of them have a toilet roll tucked away.
''They're sh**ting on a sacred site.''
Uluru is sacred for the Anangu people, to whom the land was handed backin 1985.
Traditional owners have complained rubbish and human waste has been making its way down from the top into a sacred pool.
Mr Simpson's claims are in a submission on the draft Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park management plan, which includes the proposal to ban climbing on the rock.
Anangu Waai would benefit from the climb's closure as the company offers tours around the area that do not involve climbing the rock.
Public submissions on the plan closed last Friday and park manager Lara Musgrave said more than 150 were received.
''It's eclipsed all of the Commonwealth-managed parks when they've had public comment periods on their draft plans,'' she told the ABC.
Questions were raised about whether the decision was a fait accompli after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he believed the climb should not be closed.
But Mr Garrett said he would deal with the recommendations when he saw them.
''I will give proper consideration to what the board brings forward,'' he said.
It is not likely Mr Garrett will announce his decision this year.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
INDIVIDUAL INTERNET MUSIC FREEDOM UNDER ATTACK FROM BIG BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT
Rock stars slam disconnection plan for pirates
Asher Moses
September 7, 2009 - 2:56PM
Some of the biggest names in the music business, including Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney, have slammed the record labels' plans to disconnect from the internet people who are caught repeatedly downloading music illegally.
The artists label the plans backward, illogical, expensive and "extraordinarily negative".
The movie and music industries have been pushing ISPs to implement this "three-strikes" scheme voluntarily for years but talks have stalled.
In Australia, the film industry is now suing iiNet in an attempt to have the courts force ISPs to do more to prevent illegal downloading over their networks.
Behind the scenes, the content owners have been pressuring the Government to step in and resolve the impasse through legislation.
The Government, which flagged a crackdown on unauthorised file sharing in its Digital Economy report in July, has said it will decide whether to make legislative changes "depending on the outcome of the [iiNet] case".
Now, the British Government has said it is considering giving its telco regulator, Ofcom, the power to force ISPs to disconnect illegal file sharers, sparking a torrent of debate in Britain.
In direct conflict with their record labels, a broad alliance of musicians, songwriters and producers have spoken out against the three strikes plan, in a statement obtained by The Guardian.
The statement was co-signed by the Featured Artists Coalition, the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and the Music Producers Guild.
Together they represent a broad range of British stars including McCartney, John, Robbie Williams, Radiohead and Tom Jones.
The musicians labelled the disconnection plan illogical, "extraordinarily negative", expensive and backward looking.
"We vehemently oppose the proposals being made and suggest that the stick is now in danger of being way out of proportion to the carrot," the statement, quoted by The Guardian, read.
"The failure of 30,000 US lawsuits against consumers and the cessation of the pursuit of that policy should be demonstration enough that this is not a policy that any future-minded UK government should pursue."
The bodies urge the music industry to consider new ways of licensing and selling their music - such as through video games such as Guitar Hero - to make up for losses through file sharing.
Asked for a response, Marianna Annas, the general manager of the music industry's Australian anti-piracy arm, Music Industry Piracy Investigations, said the three-strikes scheme had been "greatly misperceived".
"It is not an aggressive policing regime which leads to an abrupt disconnection, but rather a fair means by which people engaging in illegal activity online are given a series of warnings, which may lead to eventual disconnection if their activities are not rectified," she said.
In addition to the musicians, producers and songwriters, British ISPs, academics and consumer groups also oppose the scheme.
Just as in Australia, they claim the scheme could result in a "kangaroo court" whereby innocent people are disconnected based on mere allegations of copyright infringement.
It is unclear exactly how much the music industry loses to file sharing, but a recent online survey of 2240 Australians found only 11 per cent admitted to engaging in illegal downloading "frequently".
Just 2 per cent did it exclusively, while 15 per cent did it moderately and 20 per cent rarely.
More than 62 per cent of respondents bought music from a digital store in the past year, while 72 per cent bought a CD.
Other studies have shown that people who download music illegally are far more likely to pay for songs than those who don't.
This contradicts claims by the music industry that it loses hundreds of millions of dollars a year to file sharing.
These claims are usually based on the assumption that every illegally downloaded track is a lost sale.
The British Government came out with figures claiming 7 million Britons were illegal file sharers, but this was revealed by the BBC this week to be an extrapolation from responses of just 136 people.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/rock-stars-slam-disconnection-plan-for-pirates-20090907-fdtd.html
Asher Moses
September 7, 2009 - 2:56PM
Some of the biggest names in the music business, including Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney, have slammed the record labels' plans to disconnect from the internet people who are caught repeatedly downloading music illegally.
The artists label the plans backward, illogical, expensive and "extraordinarily negative".
The movie and music industries have been pushing ISPs to implement this "three-strikes" scheme voluntarily for years but talks have stalled.
In Australia, the film industry is now suing iiNet in an attempt to have the courts force ISPs to do more to prevent illegal downloading over their networks.
Behind the scenes, the content owners have been pressuring the Government to step in and resolve the impasse through legislation.
The Government, which flagged a crackdown on unauthorised file sharing in its Digital Economy report in July, has said it will decide whether to make legislative changes "depending on the outcome of the [iiNet] case".
Now, the British Government has said it is considering giving its telco regulator, Ofcom, the power to force ISPs to disconnect illegal file sharers, sparking a torrent of debate in Britain.
In direct conflict with their record labels, a broad alliance of musicians, songwriters and producers have spoken out against the three strikes plan, in a statement obtained by The Guardian.
The statement was co-signed by the Featured Artists Coalition, the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and the Music Producers Guild.
Together they represent a broad range of British stars including McCartney, John, Robbie Williams, Radiohead and Tom Jones.
The musicians labelled the disconnection plan illogical, "extraordinarily negative", expensive and backward looking.
"We vehemently oppose the proposals being made and suggest that the stick is now in danger of being way out of proportion to the carrot," the statement, quoted by The Guardian, read.
"The failure of 30,000 US lawsuits against consumers and the cessation of the pursuit of that policy should be demonstration enough that this is not a policy that any future-minded UK government should pursue."
The bodies urge the music industry to consider new ways of licensing and selling their music - such as through video games such as Guitar Hero - to make up for losses through file sharing.
Asked for a response, Marianna Annas, the general manager of the music industry's Australian anti-piracy arm, Music Industry Piracy Investigations, said the three-strikes scheme had been "greatly misperceived".
"It is not an aggressive policing regime which leads to an abrupt disconnection, but rather a fair means by which people engaging in illegal activity online are given a series of warnings, which may lead to eventual disconnection if their activities are not rectified," she said.
In addition to the musicians, producers and songwriters, British ISPs, academics and consumer groups also oppose the scheme.
Just as in Australia, they claim the scheme could result in a "kangaroo court" whereby innocent people are disconnected based on mere allegations of copyright infringement.
It is unclear exactly how much the music industry loses to file sharing, but a recent online survey of 2240 Australians found only 11 per cent admitted to engaging in illegal downloading "frequently".
Just 2 per cent did it exclusively, while 15 per cent did it moderately and 20 per cent rarely.
More than 62 per cent of respondents bought music from a digital store in the past year, while 72 per cent bought a CD.
Other studies have shown that people who download music illegally are far more likely to pay for songs than those who don't.
This contradicts claims by the music industry that it loses hundreds of millions of dollars a year to file sharing.
These claims are usually based on the assumption that every illegally downloaded track is a lost sale.
The British Government came out with figures claiming 7 million Britons were illegal file sharers, but this was revealed by the BBC this week to be an extrapolation from responses of just 136 people.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/rock-stars-slam-disconnection-plan-for-pirates-20090907-fdtd.html
ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT AGENCY G20 AIMS TO STRENGTHEN WORLD BANKERS AT EXPENSE OF NATIONAL BANKERS
G20: tougher time ahead for bankers
Eric Johnston
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
AUSTRALIAN bank executives face tougher rules on bonus payments while banks' capital reserves would come under greater scrutiny in measures proposed by the G20 group of nations.
The new rules aim to tackle some of the regulatory flaws exposed by last year's collapse in credit and financial markets.
Leading central bank governors said they had agreed on a package of measures to strengthen the regulation and supervision of the banking industry in the wake of the financial crisis.
However, the agreement comes as the local bank regulator is pre-empting any clampdown on bonus payments, yesterday releasing its response to a range of submissions to a review on remuneration for Australian bank executives.
At the heart of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority's recommendations to the Rudd Government on tightening bonus payments are rules aimed at promoting incentive payments for behaviour that supports a bank's long-term financial soundness and risk management.
Any changes to executive remuneration could extend to foreign banks that operate in Australia.
Meanwhile, Australian banks are likely to resist calls from investors to return excess capital, until new global rules on capital are clarified.
G20 finance ministers and central bankers threw their support behind the need to strengthen capital reserves. Not only should banks hold more capital, but it should be of higher quality, G20 officials said over the weekend.
''Australian banks are part of the global financial system so they're going to be impacted by new regulations,'' one banking analyst said yesterday.
However, analysts noted APRA had previously talked down the need for widespread reform for Australian lenders, which largely avoided the excesses of the global financial crisis.
Under scrutiny are shortfalls in the Basel II rules on capital that fail to take into account certain risks associated with some assets, such as the complex credit instruments contained in the trading books, which have been blamed for the majority of losses for banks.
Other planned measures include so-called countercyclical capital buffers that will require banks to set aside funds to strengthen their reserves during good times and to protect them from potential losses when the economic cycle turns negative.
However, this could crimp profits, given that the need to hold greater levels of capital restricts lending. Australian banks are generally seen as holding higher levels of capital than their foreign counterparts, particularly after raising more than $16 billion in fresh funds over the past year.
Basel Committee chairman Nout Wellink said the new measures were aimed at resolving risks to the financial system. He said the planned measures ''will result over time in higher capital and liquidity requirements and less leverage in the banking system''.
This story was found at: http://business.theage.com.au/business/g20-tougher-time-ahead-for-bankers-20090907-fefa.html
Eric Johnston
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
AUSTRALIAN bank executives face tougher rules on bonus payments while banks' capital reserves would come under greater scrutiny in measures proposed by the G20 group of nations.
The new rules aim to tackle some of the regulatory flaws exposed by last year's collapse in credit and financial markets.
Leading central bank governors said they had agreed on a package of measures to strengthen the regulation and supervision of the banking industry in the wake of the financial crisis.
However, the agreement comes as the local bank regulator is pre-empting any clampdown on bonus payments, yesterday releasing its response to a range of submissions to a review on remuneration for Australian bank executives.
At the heart of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority's recommendations to the Rudd Government on tightening bonus payments are rules aimed at promoting incentive payments for behaviour that supports a bank's long-term financial soundness and risk management.
Any changes to executive remuneration could extend to foreign banks that operate in Australia.
Meanwhile, Australian banks are likely to resist calls from investors to return excess capital, until new global rules on capital are clarified.
G20 finance ministers and central bankers threw their support behind the need to strengthen capital reserves. Not only should banks hold more capital, but it should be of higher quality, G20 officials said over the weekend.
''Australian banks are part of the global financial system so they're going to be impacted by new regulations,'' one banking analyst said yesterday.
However, analysts noted APRA had previously talked down the need for widespread reform for Australian lenders, which largely avoided the excesses of the global financial crisis.
Under scrutiny are shortfalls in the Basel II rules on capital that fail to take into account certain risks associated with some assets, such as the complex credit instruments contained in the trading books, which have been blamed for the majority of losses for banks.
Other planned measures include so-called countercyclical capital buffers that will require banks to set aside funds to strengthen their reserves during good times and to protect them from potential losses when the economic cycle turns negative.
However, this could crimp profits, given that the need to hold greater levels of capital restricts lending. Australian banks are generally seen as holding higher levels of capital than their foreign counterparts, particularly after raising more than $16 billion in fresh funds over the past year.
Basel Committee chairman Nout Wellink said the new measures were aimed at resolving risks to the financial system. He said the planned measures ''will result over time in higher capital and liquidity requirements and less leverage in the banking system''.
This story was found at: http://business.theage.com.au/business/g20-tougher-time-ahead-for-bankers-20090907-fefa.html
KRAFT BEGINS PROCESS OF CORPORATE WARFARE WITH A SMILE
Cadbury rejects $19.6 billion bid from Kraft
Sarah Shannon and Andrew Cleary, London
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
KRAFT Foods, the world's second-largest food company, will pursue a takeover of Cadbury after the British chocolate maker rejected a £10.2 billion ($A19.6 billion) bid. A merger would create a ''global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals'', Illinois-based Kraft said.
The offer of 300 pence in cash and 0.2589 new Kraft shares per Cadbury share values the confectioner at 745 pence a share, 31 per cent above last week's close. Cadbury said the bid ''fundamentally undervalues'' the company.
Cadbury shares soared as much as 40 per cent, pushing its market value above the bid price. Analysts said Kraft's proposal might trigger rival offers from Nestle and Hershey for Cadbury's Trident chewing gum and Dairy Milk chocolate.
Kraft said its announcement aimed to ''encourage and further'' dialogue with Cadbury after its approach was rebuffed.
''It's clearly hostile,'' Andy Smith, an analyst at Icap in London, said. The deal is a ''near-perfect geographical fit. It's unlikely Kraft will just walk away.''
Mr Smith said Kraft might need to raise its bid's cash component to get Cadbury to agree to a sale.
Cadbury shares jumped 214.5 pence, or 38 per cent, to 782.5 pence in London, reversing their decline for the year.
Kraft's shares fell about 2 per cent to the equivalent of $US27.54 ($A32.39) in German trading, and have added about 3 per cent this year. US markets were closed for Labour Day. Kraft was weak in Britain and strong in markets such as Brazil and Scandinavia, where Cadbury was not a player, Mr Smith said. Kraft also lacked expertise in chewing gum, which Mr Smith called the sweets market's ''most attractive space''.
Cadbury chief executive Todd Stitzer ''has always said that Cadbury wanted to be the consolidator of the global confectionery industry, not the consolidatee'', Evolution Securities analyst Warren Ackerman said in a note. ''There is a reasonable chance that Nestle/Hershey could counter-bid, with Nestle taking gum and Hershey taking chocolate.''
Mr Ackerman, who rates Cadbury a ''buy'', estimated the chances of a counter-bid at 30 to 40 per cent. He said it was inevitable Cadbury would be bought after Mars acquired chewing-gum maker Wm Wrigley Jr Co.
''We do not anticipate any issues with financing the transaction,'' Kraft chief executive Irene Rosenfeld said on a conference call. ''We have good access to debt. We don't currently plan to tap the market for equity.'' Kraft said a combined company would have revenue of about $US50 billion and have potential to realise annual pre-tax savings of $US625 million at a cost of $US1.2 billion over three years.
The bid ''is competitively priced, but I think they will have to go higher'', Martin Deboo, an analyst at Investec Securities, said of Kraft. He rates Cadbury ''hold''.
Shares in Nestle, the world's biggest food company, were little changed in Zurich trading.
BLOOMBERG
This story was found at: http://business.theage.com.au/business/cadbury-rejects-196-billion-bid-from-kraft-20090907-feff.html
Sarah Shannon and Andrew Cleary, London
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
KRAFT Foods, the world's second-largest food company, will pursue a takeover of Cadbury after the British chocolate maker rejected a £10.2 billion ($A19.6 billion) bid. A merger would create a ''global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals'', Illinois-based Kraft said.
The offer of 300 pence in cash and 0.2589 new Kraft shares per Cadbury share values the confectioner at 745 pence a share, 31 per cent above last week's close. Cadbury said the bid ''fundamentally undervalues'' the company.
Cadbury shares soared as much as 40 per cent, pushing its market value above the bid price. Analysts said Kraft's proposal might trigger rival offers from Nestle and Hershey for Cadbury's Trident chewing gum and Dairy Milk chocolate.
Kraft said its announcement aimed to ''encourage and further'' dialogue with Cadbury after its approach was rebuffed.
''It's clearly hostile,'' Andy Smith, an analyst at Icap in London, said. The deal is a ''near-perfect geographical fit. It's unlikely Kraft will just walk away.''
Mr Smith said Kraft might need to raise its bid's cash component to get Cadbury to agree to a sale.
Cadbury shares jumped 214.5 pence, or 38 per cent, to 782.5 pence in London, reversing their decline for the year.
Kraft's shares fell about 2 per cent to the equivalent of $US27.54 ($A32.39) in German trading, and have added about 3 per cent this year. US markets were closed for Labour Day. Kraft was weak in Britain and strong in markets such as Brazil and Scandinavia, where Cadbury was not a player, Mr Smith said. Kraft also lacked expertise in chewing gum, which Mr Smith called the sweets market's ''most attractive space''.
Cadbury chief executive Todd Stitzer ''has always said that Cadbury wanted to be the consolidator of the global confectionery industry, not the consolidatee'', Evolution Securities analyst Warren Ackerman said in a note. ''There is a reasonable chance that Nestle/Hershey could counter-bid, with Nestle taking gum and Hershey taking chocolate.''
Mr Ackerman, who rates Cadbury a ''buy'', estimated the chances of a counter-bid at 30 to 40 per cent. He said it was inevitable Cadbury would be bought after Mars acquired chewing-gum maker Wm Wrigley Jr Co.
''We do not anticipate any issues with financing the transaction,'' Kraft chief executive Irene Rosenfeld said on a conference call. ''We have good access to debt. We don't currently plan to tap the market for equity.'' Kraft said a combined company would have revenue of about $US50 billion and have potential to realise annual pre-tax savings of $US625 million at a cost of $US1.2 billion over three years.
The bid ''is competitively priced, but I think they will have to go higher'', Martin Deboo, an analyst at Investec Securities, said of Kraft. He rates Cadbury ''hold''.
Shares in Nestle, the world's biggest food company, were little changed in Zurich trading.
BLOOMBERG
This story was found at: http://business.theage.com.au/business/cadbury-rejects-196-billion-bid-from-kraft-20090907-feff.html
CORPORATIONS FIGHT EACH OTHER OVER ILLEGAL TOLLED ROADS
$400m stoush over EastLink
Eric Johnston
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
CONNECTEAST is facing a $400 million-plus legal battle with Leighton Holdings, one of its biggest shareholders, over claims the toll-road operator misled the construction giant with inflated traffic forecasts.
ConnectEast, which operates Melbourne's 39-kilometre EastLink toll road, is now engaged in a $421 million capital-raising to pay down debt.
In a claim filed with the Victorian Supreme Court, Leighton subsidiary Thiess John Holland, which designed and built the tollway, argues it was misled over traffic numbers, which have fallen short of expectations since the road opened in June last year. Critically, the traffic forecasts underpinned Thiess John Holland's negotiations for a bonus payment for early completion.
Thiess John Holland also said the initial traffic forecasts provided the incentive to accelerate work on the toll road at an increased cost.
It noted ConnectEast continued to support its initial traffic forecasts from the opening of the toll road until about the middle of June this year, then revised down forecasts last month.
ConnectEast's initial estimates forecast that on average 258,000 vehicles would use the toll road daily by last year. But its latest monthly update, released yesterday, showed about 159,000 cars a day travelled on the road last month.
''The actual traffic volume for EastLink upon commencement was significantly less than the traffic volume representations,'' Thiess John Holland said in a statement of claim.
The lower-than-expected traffic figures recently prompted ConnectEast to write off about $400 million of the value of its toll road, which crosses Melbourne's south-east.
Legal sources said Thiess John Holland was likely to seek more than $400 million in damages.
Thiess John Holland acquired 226 million units in ConnectEast last March under a deferred equity deal, with its initial investment now substantially under water.
While the legal action risks putting investors offside, ConnectEast recently noted it was at loggerheads with Thiess John Holland over the early completion bonus. In the recent roadshow for its $421 million capital-raising, ConnectEast said it was in a dispute with Thiess John Holland but, based on the information it had at the time, it would not result in a material liability.
ConnectEast said it had also issued a counterclaim against Thiess John Holland, but was not specific.
ConnectEast last month raised $309 million from institutions, with the retail component of its capital raising due to close on September 21.
A spokesman for ConnectEast said last night that the toll road operator would vigorously defend the claim, but refused to comment further. A Thiess John Holland spokesman also refused to comment.
Because of the heavy write-downs, ConnectEast recently posted a full-year loss of $531.5 million, compared with a loss last year of $9.3 million.
While the latest capital raising gives the company breathing space for its looming debt repayment, it still faces $810 million more debt to be repaid or rolled over by November 2012.
This story was found at: http://business.theage.com.au/business/400m-stoush-over-eastlink-20090907-fef9.html
Eric Johnston
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
CONNECTEAST is facing a $400 million-plus legal battle with Leighton Holdings, one of its biggest shareholders, over claims the toll-road operator misled the construction giant with inflated traffic forecasts.
ConnectEast, which operates Melbourne's 39-kilometre EastLink toll road, is now engaged in a $421 million capital-raising to pay down debt.
In a claim filed with the Victorian Supreme Court, Leighton subsidiary Thiess John Holland, which designed and built the tollway, argues it was misled over traffic numbers, which have fallen short of expectations since the road opened in June last year. Critically, the traffic forecasts underpinned Thiess John Holland's negotiations for a bonus payment for early completion.
Thiess John Holland also said the initial traffic forecasts provided the incentive to accelerate work on the toll road at an increased cost.
It noted ConnectEast continued to support its initial traffic forecasts from the opening of the toll road until about the middle of June this year, then revised down forecasts last month.
ConnectEast's initial estimates forecast that on average 258,000 vehicles would use the toll road daily by last year. But its latest monthly update, released yesterday, showed about 159,000 cars a day travelled on the road last month.
''The actual traffic volume for EastLink upon commencement was significantly less than the traffic volume representations,'' Thiess John Holland said in a statement of claim.
The lower-than-expected traffic figures recently prompted ConnectEast to write off about $400 million of the value of its toll road, which crosses Melbourne's south-east.
Legal sources said Thiess John Holland was likely to seek more than $400 million in damages.
Thiess John Holland acquired 226 million units in ConnectEast last March under a deferred equity deal, with its initial investment now substantially under water.
While the legal action risks putting investors offside, ConnectEast recently noted it was at loggerheads with Thiess John Holland over the early completion bonus. In the recent roadshow for its $421 million capital-raising, ConnectEast said it was in a dispute with Thiess John Holland but, based on the information it had at the time, it would not result in a material liability.
ConnectEast said it had also issued a counterclaim against Thiess John Holland, but was not specific.
ConnectEast last month raised $309 million from institutions, with the retail component of its capital raising due to close on September 21.
A spokesman for ConnectEast said last night that the toll road operator would vigorously defend the claim, but refused to comment further. A Thiess John Holland spokesman also refused to comment.
Because of the heavy write-downs, ConnectEast recently posted a full-year loss of $531.5 million, compared with a loss last year of $9.3 million.
While the latest capital raising gives the company breathing space for its looming debt repayment, it still faces $810 million more debt to be repaid or rolled over by November 2012.
This story was found at: http://business.theage.com.au/business/400m-stoush-over-eastlink-20090907-fef9.html
ALP USES SENATE PANEL AS IT 'APPEARS' TO BE TRANSPARENT ON THE ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE
Treasury chief to face Senate panel
Michelle Grattan and Peter Martin
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
A SPECIAL one-day hearing on the Government's economic stimulus package, with Treasury secretary Ken Henry as the star witness, is expected to be approved by the Senate today.
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard hinted yesterday the Government was likely to support the Greens' move to bring Dr Henry and other officials before the Senate economics committee on Friday.
The Government has little to fear from Treasury evidence - its policy is based on Treasury advice. The Opposition is also likely to go along with the move, because it can do little else. Dr Henry and Opposition senators usually clash when he appears at Senate hearings.
The motion from Greens leader Bob Brown says the committee should get a ''full update'' on the stimulus package. This should address the efficacy of the measures to date; the costs and benefits of continuing the spending measures; any change in the stimulus ''roll-out'' that ought to be entertained given the changed economic circumstances; and an evaluation of the environmental impacts of the spending.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told Parliament that both domestic and international figures ''underscore the absolute importance of ensuring that we continue to stay the course with this strategy''.
Had the strategy of the Opposition - which voted against the $42 billion package - been adopted ''Australia right now would be in the depth of recession and with unemployment going through the roof'', he told Parliament.
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner yesterday rejected the general expectation, based on its own comments, that the Reserve Bank was likely to start putting up interest rates soon.
''The Reserve Bank is not indicating that it will soon put up interest rates,'' he told the ABC. ''It has only indicated that at some point in the future interest rates can be expected to rise because they have been at emergency lows.''
None of the mainstream economic forecasters now expect unemployment to climb above 7.5 per cent, and most expect it to peak way below the official budget forecast of 8.5 per cent.
Shane Oliver from AMP Capital is tipping a peak of just 6.3 per cent, drastically down from the 8 per cent he forecast just months ago because, as he says, ''the recession failed to arrive''.
The ANZ job advertisement count jumped in August for the first time in 16 months.
Newspaper job advertisements rebounded 5.5 per cent and internet advertisements 4 per cent in a clear indication that employers have begun to substitute hiring for firing.
This morning's Dun & Bradstreet business survey finds that five employers are planning to boost staff for every three that are planning to cut back, a further sign that the labour market is turning.
Half of those surveyed expected an increase in sales and a third expected an increase in profits. Investment plans are the highest in two years and plans to boost inventories the highest in five years.
- Opposition and cross-benchers have allowed the Safe Work Bill to pass the Senate, backing down from their earlier insistence on amendments.
The bill, which is about harmonising the country's occupational health and safety provisions, would have qualified as a double dissolution trigger if it had been defeated yesterday.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/treasury-chief-to-face-senate-panel-20090907-fedv.html
Michelle Grattan and Peter Martin
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
A SPECIAL one-day hearing on the Government's economic stimulus package, with Treasury secretary Ken Henry as the star witness, is expected to be approved by the Senate today.
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard hinted yesterday the Government was likely to support the Greens' move to bring Dr Henry and other officials before the Senate economics committee on Friday.
The Government has little to fear from Treasury evidence - its policy is based on Treasury advice. The Opposition is also likely to go along with the move, because it can do little else. Dr Henry and Opposition senators usually clash when he appears at Senate hearings.
The motion from Greens leader Bob Brown says the committee should get a ''full update'' on the stimulus package. This should address the efficacy of the measures to date; the costs and benefits of continuing the spending measures; any change in the stimulus ''roll-out'' that ought to be entertained given the changed economic circumstances; and an evaluation of the environmental impacts of the spending.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told Parliament that both domestic and international figures ''underscore the absolute importance of ensuring that we continue to stay the course with this strategy''.
Had the strategy of the Opposition - which voted against the $42 billion package - been adopted ''Australia right now would be in the depth of recession and with unemployment going through the roof'', he told Parliament.
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner yesterday rejected the general expectation, based on its own comments, that the Reserve Bank was likely to start putting up interest rates soon.
''The Reserve Bank is not indicating that it will soon put up interest rates,'' he told the ABC. ''It has only indicated that at some point in the future interest rates can be expected to rise because they have been at emergency lows.''
None of the mainstream economic forecasters now expect unemployment to climb above 7.5 per cent, and most expect it to peak way below the official budget forecast of 8.5 per cent.
Shane Oliver from AMP Capital is tipping a peak of just 6.3 per cent, drastically down from the 8 per cent he forecast just months ago because, as he says, ''the recession failed to arrive''.
The ANZ job advertisement count jumped in August for the first time in 16 months.
Newspaper job advertisements rebounded 5.5 per cent and internet advertisements 4 per cent in a clear indication that employers have begun to substitute hiring for firing.
This morning's Dun & Bradstreet business survey finds that five employers are planning to boost staff for every three that are planning to cut back, a further sign that the labour market is turning.
Half of those surveyed expected an increase in sales and a third expected an increase in profits. Investment plans are the highest in two years and plans to boost inventories the highest in five years.
- Opposition and cross-benchers have allowed the Safe Work Bill to pass the Senate, backing down from their earlier insistence on amendments.
The bill, which is about harmonising the country's occupational health and safety provisions, would have qualified as a double dissolution trigger if it had been defeated yesterday.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/treasury-chief-to-face-senate-panel-20090907-fedv.html
A.C.F ABOUT FACE ON CONTROVERSIAL WATER PIPELINE
Eco group backs Brumby on pipeline water rights
Peter Ker
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
THE environment would be better served if new water-sharing rules affecting the north-south pipeline were approved, according to long-time opponents of the project.
In a rare boost for the Brumby Government over the controversial pipeline, Australian Conservation Foundation spokeswoman Arlene Buchan denounced last month's disallowance of the pipe's water rights in the Victorian Parliament.
With the 70-kilometre pipeline now built, Dr Buchan urged opposition parties to ensure the success of the Government's second attempt at issuing a water entitlement.
''The decision that was made last time to disallow the division of water between irrigators and the environment was ridiculous,'' she said. ''It was a bad outcome for the environment, it was a bad outcome for irrigators.
''The ACF thinks the pipeline project was ridiculous in the first place but given it is now … in place, it is essential that all water savings can be divided and the environment's share is securely protected.''
Opposition parties combined in the upper house last month to disallow the pipe's water entitlement, which would have allowed the pipe to take a third of water saved in the Goulburn Murray district to Melbourne after 2011. The disallowance meant water in the district would continue to be divided under previous rules, which give rivers less water for environmental flows.
Greens MPs voted to disallow the entitlement because the Government had not assured them certain wetlands in northern Victoria would be protected under the new arrangements.
Dr Buchan said the Greens had grounds for concern, but those concerns could have been alleviated if better communication had existed between the Government and the Greens.
She urged the two parties to communicate better to ensure the second attempt to issue a water entitlement was passed.
The Brumby Government formalised its second attempt last week, and opposition parties have the opportunity to launch another disallowance motion when Parliament resumes next week.
Liberal and National party MPs in the upper house are expected to do so, meaning the Greens are again likely to have the deciding vote on the issue.
Since the first disallowance, Greens MPs have been in talks with the Government and the Department of Sustainability and Environment to try to resolve differences.
Greens MP Greg Barber said his concerns had not been fully assuaged, but he would continue to liaise with the Government.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/eco-group-backs-brumby-on-pipeline-water-rights-20090907-fedz.html
Peter Ker
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
THE environment would be better served if new water-sharing rules affecting the north-south pipeline were approved, according to long-time opponents of the project.
In a rare boost for the Brumby Government over the controversial pipeline, Australian Conservation Foundation spokeswoman Arlene Buchan denounced last month's disallowance of the pipe's water rights in the Victorian Parliament.
With the 70-kilometre pipeline now built, Dr Buchan urged opposition parties to ensure the success of the Government's second attempt at issuing a water entitlement.
''The decision that was made last time to disallow the division of water between irrigators and the environment was ridiculous,'' she said. ''It was a bad outcome for the environment, it was a bad outcome for irrigators.
''The ACF thinks the pipeline project was ridiculous in the first place but given it is now … in place, it is essential that all water savings can be divided and the environment's share is securely protected.''
Opposition parties combined in the upper house last month to disallow the pipe's water entitlement, which would have allowed the pipe to take a third of water saved in the Goulburn Murray district to Melbourne after 2011. The disallowance meant water in the district would continue to be divided under previous rules, which give rivers less water for environmental flows.
Greens MPs voted to disallow the entitlement because the Government had not assured them certain wetlands in northern Victoria would be protected under the new arrangements.
Dr Buchan said the Greens had grounds for concern, but those concerns could have been alleviated if better communication had existed between the Government and the Greens.
She urged the two parties to communicate better to ensure the second attempt to issue a water entitlement was passed.
The Brumby Government formalised its second attempt last week, and opposition parties have the opportunity to launch another disallowance motion when Parliament resumes next week.
Liberal and National party MPs in the upper house are expected to do so, meaning the Greens are again likely to have the deciding vote on the issue.
Since the first disallowance, Greens MPs have been in talks with the Government and the Department of Sustainability and Environment to try to resolve differences.
Greens MP Greg Barber said his concerns had not been fully assuaged, but he would continue to liaise with the Government.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/eco-group-backs-brumby-on-pipeline-water-rights-20090907-fedz.html
2009 AFGHAN ELECTION FRAUD JUST LIKE USA 2000 AND VIETNAM 1963
Afghanistan poll 'fraud en masse'
Dexter Filkins and Carlotta Gall, Kabul
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
AFGHAN election workers loyal to President Hamid Karzai set up hundreds of fictitious polling sites where no one voted but still registered hundreds of thousands of ballots towards the President's re-election, according to senior Western and Afghan officials.
Up to 800 fake centres existed only on paper, said a senior Western diplomat in Afghanistan who spoke on condition of anonymity. But local workers reported that hundreds, sometimes thousands, of votes for Mr Karzai in the election last month came from each of those places. Another Western official in Afghanistan confirmed this.
''We think that about 15 per cent of the polling sites never opened on election day,'' the senior Western diplomat said. ''But they still managed to report thousands of ballots for Karzai.''
Besides creating the fake sites, Mr Karzai's supporters also took over about 800 legitimate polling centres and used them to report fraudulently tens of thousands of additional votes for Mr Karzai, the officials said.
The result, the officials said, is that in some provinces, the number of votes reported in favour of Mr Karzai may exceed the number of people who voted by a factor of 10.
''We are talking about orders of magnitude,'' the senior Western diplomat said.
The widening accounts of fraud pose a stark problem for the Obama Administration, which has deployed 68,000 American soldiers to help reverse gains by Taliban insurgents.
US officials hoped that the election would help turn Afghans away from the Taliban by giving them a greater voice in government. Instead, the Obama Administration faces the prospect of having to defend for the next five years an Afghan government widely seen as illegitimate.
''This was fraud en masse,'' the Western diplomat said.
The revelations came as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel unveiled plans for an international conference on Afghanistan as pressure mounts over their countries' involvement in the war against the Taliban.
Mr Brown and Dr Merkel want the conference to take place under UN auspices before the end of the year and to address the issues of security, governance and development.
Dr Merkel said she spoke to NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen about the initiative and also gained informal US backing.
The conference, involving contributor nations, the next Afghan government, the UN and NATO would ''look ahead at the next phase of our mission'', Mr Brown said. The aim was to ''see how the Afghan population itself, its army, its police force and civic institutions can play a bigger role in the future and to ensure our strategy is properly supported by the resources''.
The two leaders are facing calls to justify their troops' presence in Afghanistan amid a rising death toll and civilian casualties. Britain has the second-biggest troop contingent in Afghanistan after the US and Germany the third-biggest.
Mr Brown said he was confident of support for the conference among all 41 members of the NATO-led alliance battling the Taliban and their ''guerilla warfare'' tactics. Dr Merkel said that French President Nicolas Sarkozy backed the move, and that it would take account of a report by US Army general Stanley McChrystal, NATO's top commander in Afghanistan.
''It concerns the security of the country, improving the leadership of the country and the introduction of the rule of law,'' Dr Merkel said. ''It's our view that the Afghan Government should take over more responsibilities.''
President Karzai leads his main rival Abdullah Abdullah by 48.6 per cent to 31.7 per cent, according to partial results published on the Election Commission website. Dr Merkel, facing elections on September 27, is under pressure after scores died in an air strike called in by German commanders.
NEW YORK TIMES, BLOOMBERG
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/world/afghanistan-poll-fraud-en-masse-20090907-febt.html
Dexter Filkins and Carlotta Gall, Kabul
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
AFGHAN election workers loyal to President Hamid Karzai set up hundreds of fictitious polling sites where no one voted but still registered hundreds of thousands of ballots towards the President's re-election, according to senior Western and Afghan officials.
Up to 800 fake centres existed only on paper, said a senior Western diplomat in Afghanistan who spoke on condition of anonymity. But local workers reported that hundreds, sometimes thousands, of votes for Mr Karzai in the election last month came from each of those places. Another Western official in Afghanistan confirmed this.
''We think that about 15 per cent of the polling sites never opened on election day,'' the senior Western diplomat said. ''But they still managed to report thousands of ballots for Karzai.''
Besides creating the fake sites, Mr Karzai's supporters also took over about 800 legitimate polling centres and used them to report fraudulently tens of thousands of additional votes for Mr Karzai, the officials said.
The result, the officials said, is that in some provinces, the number of votes reported in favour of Mr Karzai may exceed the number of people who voted by a factor of 10.
''We are talking about orders of magnitude,'' the senior Western diplomat said.
The widening accounts of fraud pose a stark problem for the Obama Administration, which has deployed 68,000 American soldiers to help reverse gains by Taliban insurgents.
US officials hoped that the election would help turn Afghans away from the Taliban by giving them a greater voice in government. Instead, the Obama Administration faces the prospect of having to defend for the next five years an Afghan government widely seen as illegitimate.
''This was fraud en masse,'' the Western diplomat said.
The revelations came as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel unveiled plans for an international conference on Afghanistan as pressure mounts over their countries' involvement in the war against the Taliban.
Mr Brown and Dr Merkel want the conference to take place under UN auspices before the end of the year and to address the issues of security, governance and development.
Dr Merkel said she spoke to NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen about the initiative and also gained informal US backing.
The conference, involving contributor nations, the next Afghan government, the UN and NATO would ''look ahead at the next phase of our mission'', Mr Brown said. The aim was to ''see how the Afghan population itself, its army, its police force and civic institutions can play a bigger role in the future and to ensure our strategy is properly supported by the resources''.
The two leaders are facing calls to justify their troops' presence in Afghanistan amid a rising death toll and civilian casualties. Britain has the second-biggest troop contingent in Afghanistan after the US and Germany the third-biggest.
Mr Brown said he was confident of support for the conference among all 41 members of the NATO-led alliance battling the Taliban and their ''guerilla warfare'' tactics. Dr Merkel said that French President Nicolas Sarkozy backed the move, and that it would take account of a report by US Army general Stanley McChrystal, NATO's top commander in Afghanistan.
''It concerns the security of the country, improving the leadership of the country and the introduction of the rule of law,'' Dr Merkel said. ''It's our view that the Afghan Government should take over more responsibilities.''
President Karzai leads his main rival Abdullah Abdullah by 48.6 per cent to 31.7 per cent, according to partial results published on the Election Commission website. Dr Merkel, facing elections on September 27, is under pressure after scores died in an air strike called in by German commanders.
NEW YORK TIMES, BLOOMBERG
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/world/afghanistan-poll-fraud-en-masse-20090907-febt.html
UK "TERRORIST" FREED WITHOUT CHARGE AFTER 3 YEARS IMPRISONMENT REMINDS US OF INNOCENT AUSTRALIAN DAVID HICKS WHO SUFFERED A SIMILAR FATE
One of the tactics of governments these days is to strip people of their rights by describing them as "terrorists" and then falsely imprisoning them for several years without charge.
This U.K incident has bought the practice of no rights for certain human beings back into the spotlight again.
David Hicks was held without charge at Guantanamo Bay for several years without charge until he was forced to plead guilty in a military court. It has never been revealed what type of torture David was subjected to, and whether or not Liberal politicians and their diplomatic proxies witnessed David being waterboarded and/or subjected to other forms of torture that defy the Geneva convention.
One thing for sure is that innocent David is still trying to deal and move on from his horrendous ordeal as evidenced by his Get Up video that he made last year.
This U.K incident has bought the practice of no rights for certain human beings back into the spotlight again.
David Hicks was held without charge at Guantanamo Bay for several years without charge until he was forced to plead guilty in a military court. It has never been revealed what type of torture David was subjected to, and whether or not Liberal politicians and their diplomatic proxies witnessed David being waterboarded and/or subjected to other forms of torture that defy the Geneva convention.
One thing for sure is that innocent David is still trying to deal and move on from his horrendous ordeal as evidenced by his Get Up video that he made last year.
UK "TERRORIST" FREED WITHOUT CHARGE AFTER 3 YEARS IMPRISONMENT
Freedom for detained UK terror suspect
Paola Totaro, London
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
AN ALLEGED terror suspect, held under house arrest for three years, has been freed by the British Government to avoid disclosing secret evidence against him.
The 28-year-old man, who holds dual Libyan and British nationality, is described as one of Britain's most dangerous suspects due to his alleged links with Islamic terrorists. But he has never been charged nor has he been told the detail of any allegations against him.
A panel of nine Law Lords has ruled unanimously that as the suspect did not know what he was accused of - or what evidence was used against him - his detention is illegal.
This opens the way for up to 20 men, who are held under special control orders as terror suspects in Britain, to challenge their detention.
The ruling suggests British anti-terror policy requires urgent reform and the system of control orders, which allows suspects to be held under virtual house arrest without charge, trial or detail of what is alleged, may need to be scrapped.
The Sunday Times revealed at the weekend that the suspect was freed and his electronic tracking devices removed without explanation last week after he had spent 16 hours a day confined to his council flat over more than two years.
The man, identified only as AF, was one of three terrorism suspects who sought rulings from the British House of Lords on the legality of the control orders used to hold them. Despite the house arrest, no evidence for the allegations of suspicion of terrorist activities has been raised in public or in court.
The QC who led the legal team, Lord Pannick, called on Home Secretary Alan Johnson to explain exactly how the British Government came to conclude the man should be released.
He asked the Government to explain whether it now believed there was no need for the control order against AF or whether ''there is a need for the controls'' but the Government had decided it did not want to detail the allegations against the man.
The man, who lives with his father on the outskirts of Manchester, was informed by letter last week that the control order had been revoked and the electronic tag was immediately removed.
His solicitor, Carl Richmond, told the Sunday Times that the legal team would now seek to have the order quashed formally in the High Court: ''AF has always insisted that he has done nothing wrong. Clearly any evidence was such that the Home Secretary felt unable to disclose it. But we would argue that it was not material and could not have been relied upon in any case.''
The man spent his formative years in Libya with his father and sister, but returned to Britain in 2004 due to a feud between his family and the Gaddafi family. It was claimed he had links with Islamist extremists in Manchester, some affiliated with the proscribed organisation, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, but an earlier ruling by a British judge found that the nub of the case against him was contained in the closed, secret material.
During his house arrest, he was held under curfew, had to wear the tag at all times and even during non-curfew hours could not move beyond 23 square kilometres.
This is the second case of control orders that have been challenged in the High Court.
In the first case, a man known as AN, who was suspected of being a link between London-based and overseas-based al-Qaeda-linked extremists, had a new order imposed as soon as the old one finished.
The decision to release the latest man was revealed as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spent the weekend trying to control the political damage caused by revelations that he had told IRA victims that it was not ''appropriate'' for him to help them seek compensation from Libya.
This seems to contradict earlier official responses to the victims of Semtex, the explosive used by the IRA and supplied by Libya.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/world/freedom-for-detained-uk-terror-suspect-20090907-febx.html
Paola Totaro, London
September 8, 2009 - 12:00AM
AN ALLEGED terror suspect, held under house arrest for three years, has been freed by the British Government to avoid disclosing secret evidence against him.
The 28-year-old man, who holds dual Libyan and British nationality, is described as one of Britain's most dangerous suspects due to his alleged links with Islamic terrorists. But he has never been charged nor has he been told the detail of any allegations against him.
A panel of nine Law Lords has ruled unanimously that as the suspect did not know what he was accused of - or what evidence was used against him - his detention is illegal.
This opens the way for up to 20 men, who are held under special control orders as terror suspects in Britain, to challenge their detention.
The ruling suggests British anti-terror policy requires urgent reform and the system of control orders, which allows suspects to be held under virtual house arrest without charge, trial or detail of what is alleged, may need to be scrapped.
The Sunday Times revealed at the weekend that the suspect was freed and his electronic tracking devices removed without explanation last week after he had spent 16 hours a day confined to his council flat over more than two years.
The man, identified only as AF, was one of three terrorism suspects who sought rulings from the British House of Lords on the legality of the control orders used to hold them. Despite the house arrest, no evidence for the allegations of suspicion of terrorist activities has been raised in public or in court.
The QC who led the legal team, Lord Pannick, called on Home Secretary Alan Johnson to explain exactly how the British Government came to conclude the man should be released.
He asked the Government to explain whether it now believed there was no need for the control order against AF or whether ''there is a need for the controls'' but the Government had decided it did not want to detail the allegations against the man.
The man, who lives with his father on the outskirts of Manchester, was informed by letter last week that the control order had been revoked and the electronic tag was immediately removed.
His solicitor, Carl Richmond, told the Sunday Times that the legal team would now seek to have the order quashed formally in the High Court: ''AF has always insisted that he has done nothing wrong. Clearly any evidence was such that the Home Secretary felt unable to disclose it. But we would argue that it was not material and could not have been relied upon in any case.''
The man spent his formative years in Libya with his father and sister, but returned to Britain in 2004 due to a feud between his family and the Gaddafi family. It was claimed he had links with Islamist extremists in Manchester, some affiliated with the proscribed organisation, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, but an earlier ruling by a British judge found that the nub of the case against him was contained in the closed, secret material.
During his house arrest, he was held under curfew, had to wear the tag at all times and even during non-curfew hours could not move beyond 23 square kilometres.
This is the second case of control orders that have been challenged in the High Court.
In the first case, a man known as AN, who was suspected of being a link between London-based and overseas-based al-Qaeda-linked extremists, had a new order imposed as soon as the old one finished.
The decision to release the latest man was revealed as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spent the weekend trying to control the political damage caused by revelations that he had told IRA victims that it was not ''appropriate'' for him to help them seek compensation from Libya.
This seems to contradict earlier official responses to the victims of Semtex, the explosive used by the IRA and supplied by Libya.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/world/freedom-for-detained-uk-terror-suspect-20090907-febx.html
MELBOURNE AGE ARTICLE ON WORKPLACE BULLYING
Bullying rife in workplaces, survey finds
September 8, 2009 - 6:39AM
Bullying is rife in Australian workplaces, a new survey shows, with one half of respondents saying they had witnessed the behaviour.
The Drake International survey of more than 800 employees also revealed 25 per cent had experienced bullying themselves.
Silence, isolation, verbal insults and sarcasm were the most common cases, with public humiliation ranking in second place.
Bullying from managers or supervisors represented about 50 per cent of cases, while 25 per cent of respondents reported being targeted by other employees.
Gender proved no barrier to the behaviour, with almost equal numbers of male and female perpetrators, the survey found.
Both sexes were also equally targeted by workplace bullies.
Poor management of the issue by companies was also revealed, with just 30 per cent of victims and 50 per cent of witnesses satisfied with their employer's response to incidents.
Drake International said the results were disappointing and worrying from an organisational perspective.
"Bullying is an identifiable psychological hazard in the workplace and therefore this is not just a conduct issue," Drake's national client services manager Judy Harper said.
"Organisations need to do more - as a minimum they have a statutory duty of care to manage and control this inappropriate and damaging behaviour."
AAP
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/small-business/bullying-rife-in-workplaces-survey-finds-20090908-fel6.html
September 8, 2009 - 6:39AM
Bullying is rife in Australian workplaces, a new survey shows, with one half of respondents saying they had witnessed the behaviour.
The Drake International survey of more than 800 employees also revealed 25 per cent had experienced bullying themselves.
Silence, isolation, verbal insults and sarcasm were the most common cases, with public humiliation ranking in second place.
Bullying from managers or supervisors represented about 50 per cent of cases, while 25 per cent of respondents reported being targeted by other employees.
Gender proved no barrier to the behaviour, with almost equal numbers of male and female perpetrators, the survey found.
Both sexes were also equally targeted by workplace bullies.
Poor management of the issue by companies was also revealed, with just 30 per cent of victims and 50 per cent of witnesses satisfied with their employer's response to incidents.
Drake International said the results were disappointing and worrying from an organisational perspective.
"Bullying is an identifiable psychological hazard in the workplace and therefore this is not just a conduct issue," Drake's national client services manager Judy Harper said.
"Organisations need to do more - as a minimum they have a statutory duty of care to manage and control this inappropriate and damaging behaviour."
AAP
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/small-business/bullying-rife-in-workplaces-survey-finds-20090908-fel6.html
Monday, September 7, 2009
US, Australian soldiers 'in brawl'
ABC
US, Australian soldiers 'in brawl'
ABC September 7, 2009, 10:34 am
A mobile police station displays its insignia in Katherine, the Northern Territory, on June 15, 2009.
ABC News © Enlarge photo
Members of the United States and Australian defence forces were involved in a large brawl in the Darwin CBD on Saturday morning, police say.
Duty Superintendent Rob Farmer says more than a dozen people were involved in the brawl, which was watched by up to 300 people.
"Just after 4am on Saturday there was a brawl in Mitchell Street down towards Duck's Nuts end and there was about 10 to 20 people fighting and something like another 300 people milling around," he said.
"Police arrived and those that were engaged in the fighting weren't obeying directions to stop and a number were sprayed with OC spray."
One police officer was taken to hospital with a head injury.
"While attempting to break up that fight a police member was king hit from behind and he was knocked down," he said.
"Additional police attended and we restored order after several minutes."
Police have charged two people and summonsed four others over the incident.
US, Australian soldiers 'in brawl'
ABC September 7, 2009, 10:34 am
A mobile police station displays its insignia in Katherine, the Northern Territory, on June 15, 2009.
ABC News © Enlarge photo
Members of the United States and Australian defence forces were involved in a large brawl in the Darwin CBD on Saturday morning, police say.
Duty Superintendent Rob Farmer says more than a dozen people were involved in the brawl, which was watched by up to 300 people.
"Just after 4am on Saturday there was a brawl in Mitchell Street down towards Duck's Nuts end and there was about 10 to 20 people fighting and something like another 300 people milling around," he said.
"Police arrived and those that were engaged in the fighting weren't obeying directions to stop and a number were sprayed with OC spray."
One police officer was taken to hospital with a head injury.
"While attempting to break up that fight a police member was king hit from behind and he was knocked down," he said.
"Additional police attended and we restored order after several minutes."
Police have charged two people and summonsed four others over the incident.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
RUDD ARTICLE REJECTED, ELEMENTS RECYCLED IN OTHER SPEECH'S-WHAT ELSE IS RUDD RECYCLING?
Spiked! The essay that never went to print
Daniel Flitton
September 5, 2009 - 12:00AM
KEVIN Rudd has felt the sting almost every author must at some point endure - his article of carefully clipped commentary dumped by an editor into the waste paper basket, never to grace a page.
Until now. The Age has obtained an essay penned by the Prime Minister earlier this year and posted for consideration to the prestigious American journal Foreign Affairs, only to have it rejected.
''For some, this may seem a pointless theoretical discussion of political taxonomies,'' Mr Rudd writes. Maybe the editor agreed. Mr Rudd has had published a number of longer magazine essays and newspaper opinion articles. Perhaps the problem this time lay with his dense descriptions. Was it the threat from ''incremental bifurcation'' in the Asia-Pacific region between China and the United States?
Or the call to ''remain vigilant against the possibility of alternative contingencies'' while accepting the ''need to work with the extant political vocabulary within China's national discourse''?
The run of cliches might also have brought him undone: ''China is the elephant in the living room that can no longer be ignored'', he writes, one that ''stands in a league of its own'' and ''needs a seat at the main table''.
The 28-page essay, dated March 12 and obtained under Freedom of Information laws, touches on a raft of contemporary challenges, ranging from climate change to the economic downturn, and managing ties between the US and China.
But Mr Rudd mostly laments the weakness of global political forums to spur the international co-operation needed to tackle such problems.
''The core challenge here is that the current edifice of global institutions is not strong enough to carry the weight of the challenges we face,'' he writes. ''There is a yawning gap between the capacity of existing global institutions designed to deal with the challenges of the past, but insufficiently mandated, resourced or representative of emerging power realities to deal with the challenges of the future.''
He champions a central role for the G20 meeting of the world's leading economies - including Australia - and for his pet project, an Asia Pacific Community to deal with growing regional security and economic threats.
It is also clear Mr Rudd has learnt the hard lesson for every writer: nothing written is ever wasted; try, and try again.
Phrases recycled from his failed entry to Foreign Affairs peppered a major speech he delivered in May to a regional strategic forum in Singapore.
He also draws on material similar to an earlier essay he published this year in The Monthly magazine.
James Hoge, the editor of Foreign Affairs, was not available to discuss the substance of Mr Rudd's submission, which the Prime Minister notes was prepared with help from Peter Varghese, then head of Australia's top intelligence agency, the Office of National Assessments, and Geremie Barme, a Chinese history professor at ANU.
In the essay, Mr Rudd variously describes the G20 as an ''incubator of global initiatives'', ''an enabling agency'' and ''a brokering mechanism'' for international action.
''In short, the G20 should act as the lightning rod for global leadership: articulating principles, defining broad objectives and crafting political consensus.''
G20 leaders will meet again this month in Pittsburgh.
He admits there is little appetite for a new organisation covering the Asia-Pacific, despite what he calls a ''strategic hotchpotch'' in the region.
But he maintains an Asia Pacific Community is needed to prevent tension between the US and China, and to draw a rising India closer to the region.
Read the essay here.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/spiked-the-essay-that-never-went-to-print-20090904-fbfz.html
Daniel Flitton
September 5, 2009 - 12:00AM
KEVIN Rudd has felt the sting almost every author must at some point endure - his article of carefully clipped commentary dumped by an editor into the waste paper basket, never to grace a page.
Until now. The Age has obtained an essay penned by the Prime Minister earlier this year and posted for consideration to the prestigious American journal Foreign Affairs, only to have it rejected.
''For some, this may seem a pointless theoretical discussion of political taxonomies,'' Mr Rudd writes. Maybe the editor agreed. Mr Rudd has had published a number of longer magazine essays and newspaper opinion articles. Perhaps the problem this time lay with his dense descriptions. Was it the threat from ''incremental bifurcation'' in the Asia-Pacific region between China and the United States?
Or the call to ''remain vigilant against the possibility of alternative contingencies'' while accepting the ''need to work with the extant political vocabulary within China's national discourse''?
The run of cliches might also have brought him undone: ''China is the elephant in the living room that can no longer be ignored'', he writes, one that ''stands in a league of its own'' and ''needs a seat at the main table''.
The 28-page essay, dated March 12 and obtained under Freedom of Information laws, touches on a raft of contemporary challenges, ranging from climate change to the economic downturn, and managing ties between the US and China.
But Mr Rudd mostly laments the weakness of global political forums to spur the international co-operation needed to tackle such problems.
''The core challenge here is that the current edifice of global institutions is not strong enough to carry the weight of the challenges we face,'' he writes. ''There is a yawning gap between the capacity of existing global institutions designed to deal with the challenges of the past, but insufficiently mandated, resourced or representative of emerging power realities to deal with the challenges of the future.''
He champions a central role for the G20 meeting of the world's leading economies - including Australia - and for his pet project, an Asia Pacific Community to deal with growing regional security and economic threats.
It is also clear Mr Rudd has learnt the hard lesson for every writer: nothing written is ever wasted; try, and try again.
Phrases recycled from his failed entry to Foreign Affairs peppered a major speech he delivered in May to a regional strategic forum in Singapore.
He also draws on material similar to an earlier essay he published this year in The Monthly magazine.
James Hoge, the editor of Foreign Affairs, was not available to discuss the substance of Mr Rudd's submission, which the Prime Minister notes was prepared with help from Peter Varghese, then head of Australia's top intelligence agency, the Office of National Assessments, and Geremie Barme, a Chinese history professor at ANU.
In the essay, Mr Rudd variously describes the G20 as an ''incubator of global initiatives'', ''an enabling agency'' and ''a brokering mechanism'' for international action.
''In short, the G20 should act as the lightning rod for global leadership: articulating principles, defining broad objectives and crafting political consensus.''
G20 leaders will meet again this month in Pittsburgh.
He admits there is little appetite for a new organisation covering the Asia-Pacific, despite what he calls a ''strategic hotchpotch'' in the region.
But he maintains an Asia Pacific Community is needed to prevent tension between the US and China, and to draw a rising India closer to the region.
Read the essay here.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/spiked-the-essay-that-never-went-to-print-20090904-fbfz.html
AGE ARTICLE ILLUSTRATES HOW KNOWING TOO MUCH CAN BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
Tape could 'bring down' NSW Government
KATE MCCLYMONT AND VANDA CARSON
September 5, 2009
SYDNEY property developer and loan shark Michael McGurk may have been killed because he was in possession of a tape that had potential to bring down the NSW Government.
The audio tape is understood to contain revelations about the bribing of senior government figures.
Controversial Sydney businessman Jim Byrnes told The Age the tape recording contained ''really, really dangerous information''.
Several weeks ago, he had advised Mr McGurk to release it.
''It could bring down the State Government,'' Mr Byrnes said. ''I wouldn't want that information because I know the pain it brings with it. [The tape was as if ] someone was holding something over your head which could strip you of everything you owned and could see you wearing orange overalls for the rest of your life.''
The Age independently confirmed the existence of the tape with Mr McGurk in July.
Police said yesterday they had identified a number of people with a motive to kill the developer, who was gunned down in front of his nine-year-old son in Cranbrook Avenue, Cremorne, on Sydney's lower North Shore, on Thursday.
Mr McGurk, a father of four, was due to appear before Justice David Hammerschlag in the NSW Supreme Court yesterday in relation to caveats he had placed over properties owned by brothers Ben and Adam Tilley.
Mr McGurk had been facing assault charges and two charges of firebombing houses, one of which was that of Adam Tilley in Point Piper. But the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions dropped the charges a fortnight ago.
Police said Mr McGurk died as a result of a single bullet to the head while his son Luke sat in the passenger seat of his Mercedes-Benz saloon. The boy is the only witness known to have seen the killing.
Police want to interview 40 people who had commercial dealings with Mr McGurk. They spoke with a number of his associates yesterday and were seeking an interview with millionaire property developer Ron Medich, who denied any knowledge of the murderer.
The grey-haired Mr Medich cut a sharp figure in black sweater, black trousers and rimless glasses as he drove down Norton Street, Leichhardt, for a lunch appointment yesterday in his black Mercedes-Benz E500.
As he emerged from his car, The Age asked if he knew who murdered Michael McGurk.
''How would I know? Christ almighty! You people are low-life. You've upset me, you've upset my wife. Now, f--- off,'' Mr Medich said.
One of Mr Medich's lunch companions came out to deliver a statement to waiting media. It read: ''Recently, Mr Medich has been a party to proceedings relating to commercial matters in which Michael McGurk was also a party. Approximately three weeks ago, a significant part of one of those proceedings was settled amicably. Mr McGurk's murder is tragic and Mr Medich's sympathy goes out to his wife and children. Mr Medich has no further comment to make.''
With JONATHAN DART and DAMIEN MURPHY
KATE MCCLYMONT AND VANDA CARSON
September 5, 2009
SYDNEY property developer and loan shark Michael McGurk may have been killed because he was in possession of a tape that had potential to bring down the NSW Government.
The audio tape is understood to contain revelations about the bribing of senior government figures.
Controversial Sydney businessman Jim Byrnes told The Age the tape recording contained ''really, really dangerous information''.
Several weeks ago, he had advised Mr McGurk to release it.
''It could bring down the State Government,'' Mr Byrnes said. ''I wouldn't want that information because I know the pain it brings with it. [The tape was as if ] someone was holding something over your head which could strip you of everything you owned and could see you wearing orange overalls for the rest of your life.''
The Age independently confirmed the existence of the tape with Mr McGurk in July.
Police said yesterday they had identified a number of people with a motive to kill the developer, who was gunned down in front of his nine-year-old son in Cranbrook Avenue, Cremorne, on Sydney's lower North Shore, on Thursday.
Mr McGurk, a father of four, was due to appear before Justice David Hammerschlag in the NSW Supreme Court yesterday in relation to caveats he had placed over properties owned by brothers Ben and Adam Tilley.
Mr McGurk had been facing assault charges and two charges of firebombing houses, one of which was that of Adam Tilley in Point Piper. But the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions dropped the charges a fortnight ago.
Police said Mr McGurk died as a result of a single bullet to the head while his son Luke sat in the passenger seat of his Mercedes-Benz saloon. The boy is the only witness known to have seen the killing.
Police want to interview 40 people who had commercial dealings with Mr McGurk. They spoke with a number of his associates yesterday and were seeking an interview with millionaire property developer Ron Medich, who denied any knowledge of the murderer.
The grey-haired Mr Medich cut a sharp figure in black sweater, black trousers and rimless glasses as he drove down Norton Street, Leichhardt, for a lunch appointment yesterday in his black Mercedes-Benz E500.
As he emerged from his car, The Age asked if he knew who murdered Michael McGurk.
''How would I know? Christ almighty! You people are low-life. You've upset me, you've upset my wife. Now, f--- off,'' Mr Medich said.
One of Mr Medich's lunch companions came out to deliver a statement to waiting media. It read: ''Recently, Mr Medich has been a party to proceedings relating to commercial matters in which Michael McGurk was also a party. Approximately three weeks ago, a significant part of one of those proceedings was settled amicably. Mr McGurk's murder is tragic and Mr Medich's sympathy goes out to his wife and children. Mr Medich has no further comment to make.''
With JONATHAN DART and DAMIEN MURPHY
Friday, September 4, 2009
NEW YORK MAGAZINE RUNS HIT PIECE ON THE 9/11 INSIDE JOB
Isn't it interesting, and perhaps revelatory, how the believers of the official fiction like to utilise such insultive language in preference to logic and reason?
Oh well, I guess that everyone has a right to express themselves.
I will not be accepting the burden of explaining how and why 9/11 was an inside job-there are plenty of websites on the net offering relevant, and not so relevant information on this event. Rather, I will offer a retort to some of the more untenable positions that I have read in both this article and some of the responses.
1."FIVE RIDICULOUS THINGS YOU HAVE TO THINK IN ORDER TO BELIEVE THAT 9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB:"
Matthew really allows his personal feelings to be illustrated by the use of the word "ridiculous"; whilst the usage of the phrase-"have to think" demonstrates a condescending attitude that implies an immature group think mentality.
The biggest problem with this premise is that every one of the 5 points are incorrect.
EVERY ONE OF THE FIVE POINTS AMOUNTS TO A BIASED SLUR AGAINST THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE PROMULGATING THE REALITY THAT 9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB.
"I would hesitate to conclude much from the BBC probably confusing a warning of the immanent collapse of WTC 7 with its actual collapse"
There is no confusion here Maczenwes. The BBC ran a live bulletin advising us that WTC 7 had just collapsed and crossed to a journalist who confirmed the story whilst the building in question was standing upright behind her.
WTC 7 collapsed 20 minutes later.
"How about this, the buildings collapsed starting at the upper floors right where the planes hit, not from the bottom of the building like all controlled demolitions are."
Your premise is incorrect Egilmore, it doesn't account for the fact that a) the WTC collapsed at free-fall speed, and that as a consequence, 'the top down' collapse theory encounters too much resistance from the the floors below it to sustain your belief, and b) no plane hit WTC 7, yet it collapsed just as quickly as the other WTC buildings.
HERE IS THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE FROM THE NEW YORKER;
I find myself astonished at how many people buy into crazy theories like this and the birthers. Honestly, it's embarrassing. egilmore - excellent point! I'm always collecting good explanations like that so I can try and counter the craziness and I hadn't heard that mentioned before.
Oh well, I guess that everyone has a right to express themselves.
I will not be accepting the burden of explaining how and why 9/11 was an inside job-there are plenty of websites on the net offering relevant, and not so relevant information on this event. Rather, I will offer a retort to some of the more untenable positions that I have read in both this article and some of the responses.
1."FIVE RIDICULOUS THINGS YOU HAVE TO THINK IN ORDER TO BELIEVE THAT 9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB:"
Matthew really allows his personal feelings to be illustrated by the use of the word "ridiculous"; whilst the usage of the phrase-"have to think" demonstrates a condescending attitude that implies an immature group think mentality.
The biggest problem with this premise is that every one of the 5 points are incorrect.
EVERY ONE OF THE FIVE POINTS AMOUNTS TO A BIASED SLUR AGAINST THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE PROMULGATING THE REALITY THAT 9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB.
"I would hesitate to conclude much from the BBC probably confusing a warning of the immanent collapse of WTC 7 with its actual collapse"
There is no confusion here Maczenwes. The BBC ran a live bulletin advising us that WTC 7 had just collapsed and crossed to a journalist who confirmed the story whilst the building in question was standing upright behind her.
WTC 7 collapsed 20 minutes later.
"How about this, the buildings collapsed starting at the upper floors right where the planes hit, not from the bottom of the building like all controlled demolitions are."
Your premise is incorrect Egilmore, it doesn't account for the fact that a) the WTC collapsed at free-fall speed, and that as a consequence, 'the top down' collapse theory encounters too much resistance from the the floors below it to sustain your belief, and b) no plane hit WTC 7, yet it collapsed just as quickly as the other WTC buildings.
HERE IS THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE FROM THE NEW YORKER;
September 1, 2009
The First Five Steps Toward Believing 9/11 Was an Inside Job
I watched a program last night on the National Geographic Channel called “9/11: Science and Conspiracy.” I learned at least three things. One: people believe what they want to believe and it’s very hard to change their minds. Two: The National Geographic Channel’s definition of “science” is suspiciously loose and mostly involves blowing stuff up and filming it. And three: thirty-three per cent of Americans believe that the U.S. government carried out 9/11, or at least allowed it to happen.
That last one’s shocking to me. That’s one in every three people. That means that one of the Jonas Brothers believes that the U.S. government blew up the World Trade Center towers with super thermite explosives, shot the Pentagon with one of its own cruise missiles, and used an F-16 to shoot down a Boeing 757 full of innocent people in order to achieve a financial or political advantage. My money’s on Nick.
I’ll just say right here that I think the conspiracy idea is ludicrous. In order to believe something like this, you have to start with at least five equally ridiculous beliefs. Here they are:
FIVE RIDICULOUS THINGS YOU HAVE TO THINK IN ORDER TO BELIEVE THAT 9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB:
- The way those buildings came down looked a lot more like the footage I’ve seen of planned demolitions than the footage from all those other times when buildings were hit by jumbo jets.
- From January 20, 2001, until January 20, 2009, whenever something bad happened, Bush was somehow behind it.
- You have to be a really accomplished pilot to crash an airplane good.
- Anyone who denies that the government operates according to secret, evil, greedy motives is secret, evil, and greedy.
- Boy, I sure wish my life were more like the movies.
Posted 9/3/2009, 12:07:58am by
Good Questions SF. Here are some possible answers. There was a real difference between the classic "steel framed" skyscraper and WTC 1 & 2. The towers were supported not by an internal frame of steel but by an exoskeleton running full height of the outside of the building (in other words, the stripes down the sides were not decorative). This was to conserve weight, increase interior space and reduce footprint. For a conventional skyscraper to reach that height it would have meant a much smaller amount of floor space due to the supports, a base covering many many more city blocks at the bottom and it would have probably sunk into the Hudson from the weight. So the fact that it didn't act like a normal skyscraper when it "disintegrated" was not surprising. It was by design something of a house of cards. When the integrity of cross supports failed (caused by the fire) the exoskeleton buckled (probably why it looked like an explosion) and once that happened structurally all bets were off. As for the confusion around WTC 7, I don't know if you remember the craziness and confusion coming out of the news agencies that day (I was downtown that day and heard reports on the radio of everything from more bombs in Stuyvesant HIgh School to an attack by aliens). I would hesitate to conclude much from the BBC probably confusing a warning of the immanent collapse of WTC 7 with its actual collapse. "Pull" can mean a lot of things, including pulling out the firefighters and evacuating the rest of the building because the building is about to collapse. Keep asking questions though.
Posted 9/2/2009, 2:53:55pm byNatGeo's presentation was weak, but these "Truthers" are absolute fools. How about this, the buildings collapsed starting at the upper floors right where the planes hit, not from the bottom of the building like all controlled demolitions are. So I guess the conspirators got into the elevator shaft, hung themselves at the 93rd floor long enough to plant mysterious explosives, then the planes hit exactly where explosives were placed without damaging the methods of detonation (also mysterious). What a bunch of idiots.
Posted 9/2/2009, 1:20:38pm byI see even the crazies read the New Yorker, too. How many steel-framed building have even been crashed into by a giant airliner and had their superstructures soaked in hundreds of thousands of flaming jet fuel? Why don't you answer that, take you meds, and get back to us.
Posted 9/2/2009, 12:47:26pm byI agree that to blame our government for involvement in the events that day is an act of serious fruitiness. On the other hand, something very strange happened. I have no theories to explain any of it. It simply frustrates me more than I can express to observe a residue of unanswered questions, and have them brushed aside as prison planet paranoia. Of course it is outrageous to implicate the government, but why does that have to be the exercise in the first place? At any rate, here is some of the residual strangeness. A steel frame skyscraper has never collapsed because of fire---never in the history of humankind, even after being engulfed in major fires for several days. Three collapsed that day, after short fires. One of the buildings has the entire top section fall off to one side. The top section disintegrated in mid-air, for no apparent reason. The rest of the building then followed suit (fell down and violently disintegrated), although there was no visible mechanism to make this happen. No problem? OK. But they were hit by jet planes you say. They behaved in ways that could not be foreseen, because we are not used to seeing buildings getting hit by planes. Fair enough. But two were, one wasn't. The leaseholder of the whole complex, Larry Silverstein, goes on television and tells the world that he and the fire chief had decided that day, on 9/11, to "pull" (or demolish) WTC Building Seven, a decision you could not possibly carry out without days of preparation and rigging. Everyone is told to leave the building and evacuate the neighborhood. The building then comes down in a classic demolition. Twenty minutes before the building comes down, a BBC television reporter reads a news bulletin that says that WTC building 7 has just collapsed. WTC Building 7 can be seen behind her in the camera shot as she reads the news. This is a correctly rendered chain of events as far as I can tell. In the end Mr. Silverstein collects a $7 billion insurance payout for two separate acts of terrorism. No problem? OK, no problem.
Posted 9/1/2009, 11:12:34pm byMe too.
Posted 9/1/2009, 11:05:32pm byFOREIGN OWNED TABLOID RUNS TYPICAL 'HIT-PIECE' ON STREET ART
Kingston police charge 100 people during nine-month graffiti crackdown
Article from: 
September 04, 2009 10:01am
ONE hundred people have been arrested and thousands of charges laid during a nine-month police crackdown on graffiti vandals.
The crackdown in Kingston council, in Melbourne’s south has also resulted in $98,000 being paid to victims of graffiti through restitution claims in court.Insp Neil Paterson said the majority of offenders arrested were teenage males who police then discovered were wanted for other crimes including theft, assault and robbery.
The crackdown came after graffiti offences in the area rose 64 per cent in the last financial year.
“Graffiti is a real issue in the Kingston area and it is something that we are working hard towards driving down,” Insp Paterson said.
“We are using a range of powers available to us under graffiti legislation to search suspected graffiti offenders and their homes for any evidence that can link them to property damage.”
He said 47 search warrants had been issued in the past nine months and those arrested had been charged with 1100 offences.
Insp Paterson said police were working on a new case management program for first time offenders.
“We really want to break the cycle of graffiti offenders much earlier on,” he said.
“Offenders can only be referred to the new program by police and in conjunction with Youth Connect, one on one management is provided to offenders over a three-month period.
”We are hopeful that this intensive program will lead to a reduction in offences and will steer would-be recidivist offenders away from a life of crime.”
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
I found this interesting article @ http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/7704
Check it out!!
Check it out!!
Time to take Dick Cheney into Custody
By: ondelette Monday August 31, 2009 11:08 amI don't write about torture as much as I used to. But I do think a little clarification of what the law is, and what the obligations of Eric Holder and Barack Obama under the Convention Against Torture are, is in order. Further, if Mr. Holder, as expressed, wants to prosecute those who went beyond the good faith interpretation of the Department of Justice memos, then with all due respect, Mr. Attorney General, Richard B. Cheney should be a target of those investigations.
From the interview with Chris Wallace:
Chris Wallace: Let me ask you, you say you’re proud of what we did. The Inspector General’s report, which was just released, from 2004, details some specific interrogations: Mock executions. Uh, one of the detainees threatened with a handgun and with an electric drill. Uh, waterboarding Khalid Shaykh Mohammad 183 times. First of all, did you know that was going on?
Dick Cheney: I knew about the, ah, waterboarding. Um, not specifically in any one particular case but as a general policy we had approved. The fact of the matter is, the Justice Department reviewed all of those allegations. Um, several years ago. They looked at this question of whether or not somebody had an electric drill in a, uh, an interrogation session. It was never used on the individual, or they brought in a weapon, never used on the individual. The judgment was made then that there wasn’t anything there that was improper, or illegal, with respect to the conduct…
Point by point:
- Mock executions, threatening with a handgun, threatening with an electric drill. Title 18, §2340: "As used in this chapter,[...]2) "severe mental pain or suffering" means prolonged mental harm caused by, or resulting from -- [...](C) the threat of imminent death; or (D) the threat that another person will imminently be subject to death,..."
- Waterboarding. Ruled multiply by the U.S. government and international criminal tribunals, the European Court of Human Rights, and assessed by the Special Rapporteur on Torture, the Committee Against Torture, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and in U.S. courts, to be torture under both the meaning of the Convention Against Torture, and the meaning of common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.
- With respect to the OLC memoes, both by John Yoo/Jay Bybee, and by Steven Bradbury, prohibit acts which would constitute a credible threat of imminent death to the prisoner. Quoting from Yoo/Bybee 08/01/02 on Abu Zubaydah, page 11-12:
We next consider whether the use of these techniques would inflict severe mental pain or suffering within the meaning of Section 2340. Section 2340 defines severe mental pain or suffering as "the prolonged mental harm caused by or resulting from" one of several predicate acts. 18 U.S.C. § 2340(2). Those predicate acts are: (1) the intentional infliction or threatened infliction of severe physical pain or suffering; (2) the administration or application, or threatened administration or application of mind-altering substances or other procedures calculated to disrupt profoundly the senses or personality; (3) the threat of imminent death; or (4) the threat that any of the preceding acts will be done to another person. See 18 U.S.C. § 2340(2)(A)--(D). As we have explained, this list of predicate acts is exclusive. See Section 2340A Memorandum at 8. No other acts can support a charge under Section 2340A based on the infliction of severe mental pain or suffering. See id. Thus, if the methods you have described do not either in and of themselves constitute one of these acts or as a course of conduct fulfill the predicate act requirement, the prohibition has not been violated. See id. Before addressing these techniques, we note that it is plain that none of these procedures involves a threat to any third party, the use of any kind of druges, or for the reasons described above, the infliction of severe physical pain. Thus, the question is whether any of these acts, separately or as a course of conduct, constitutes a threat of severe physical pain or suffering, a procedure designed to disrupt profoundly the senses, or a threat of imminent death. As we previously explained, whether an action constitutes a threat must be assessed from the standpoint of a reasonable person in the subject's position. See id. at 9.[my bold at end]
Clearly, the OLC, whatever else they did or didn't do, never explicitly or implicitly, approved any technique or procedure that would be reasonably interpreted as a threat of imminent death.
- As to waterboarding, the OLC memoes explicitly state that they are based on the information provided to the OLC by the CIA concerning the safety of the technique and it's use, the length of individual sessions, and the length of the total interrogation comprising multiple sessions. The CIA-OIG report, footnotes at pp.21-22, makes clear that this was not complete information with respect to safety, and therefore with respect to whether or not a "reasonable person" would interpret the technique as a threat of imminent death:
According to the Chief, Medical Services, OMS [Office of Medical Services] was neither consulted nor involved in the initial analysis of the risk and benefits of the EITs, nor provided with the OTS report cited in the OLC opinion. In retrospect, based on the OLC extracts of the OTS report, OMS contends that the reported sophistication of the preliminary EIT review was exaggerated, at least as it relates to the waterboard, and that the power of this EIT was appreciably overstated in the report. Furthermore, OMS contends that the expertise of the SERE psychologist/interrogators on the waterboard was probably misrepresented at the time, as the SERE waterboard experience is so different from the subsequent Agency usage as to make it almost irrelevant. Consequently, according to OMS, there was no a priori reason to believe that applying the waterboard with the frequency and intensity with which it was used by the psychologist/interrogators was either efficacious or medically safe. [my bold]
So all three cases mentioned by Chris Wallace specifically involve threat of imminent death to a reasonable person, and Dick Cheney specifically in the quote states he was aware of the waterboarding and it was a policy he (and others) approved.
- Mr. Cheney's contention that the review concluded that there was nothing illegal or improper is incorrect. It concluded that a prosecution should not be pursued. Conflating those two is the classic Ollie North defense: They didn't put me in jail so they must have concluded it was legal.
With respect to threats of imminent death, Steven Bradbury has additional opinions, and does conclude about waterboarding (5/10/05 memo at (pdf page) 43),
The sensation of drowning that we understand accompanies the use of the waterbaord arguably could qualify as a "threat of imminent death" within the meaning of section 2340(2)(C) and thus might constitute a predicate act for "severe mental pain or suffering" under the statute. Although the waterboard is used with safeguards that make actual harm quite unlikely, the detainee may not know about these safeguards, and even if he does learn of them, the technique is still likely to create panic in the form of an acute instinctual fear arising from the physiological sensation of drowning.
Although the redoubtable Mr. Bradbury goes on to debate whether or not the effects are prolonged enough to qualify as "prolonged harm", and concludes against it, based on some absolutely ludicrous interpretations of the dangers involved, the people experimented on, and so forth, it is quite clear that the dangers of waterboarding as a threat of imminent death were known when Mr. Cheney approved of its use, that in no way, shape or form did the OLC, even in its most reprehensible incarnations of Yoo and Bradbury express to the CIA that it was ever permitted to threaten imminent death or cause prolonged mental harm. Mr. Cheney, on the other hand, expressly took credit for the program, expressly approved of the explicit threats to Chris Wallace, and expressly approved of the waterboarding of Khalid Shaykh Mohammad, even exceeding the guidelines of the OLC. Clearly, Mr. Cheney fits the criteria expressed by Mr. Holder in all respects, on not remaining within the guidelines of the OLC in good faith.
So what should happen? A credible allegation of torture has been made, there are victims of torture that are available for testimony, and witnesses and documents. The name of at least one perpetrator, Richard B. Cheney, is known, as are his whereabouts and activities. The Convention Against Torture is clear on procedure, the steps are listed in a clear, temporally ordered, sequence there:
Article 6
1. Upon being satisfied, after an examination of information available to it, that the circumstances so warrant, any State Party in whose territory a person alleged to have committed any offence referred to in article 4 is present, shall take him into custody or take other legal measures to ensure his presence. The custody and other legal measures shall be as provided in the law of that State but may be continued only for such time as is necessary to enable any criminal or extradition proceedings to be instituted.
2. Such State shall immediately make a preliminary inquiry into the facts.
3. Any person in custody pursuant to paragraph 1 of this article shall be assisted in communicating immediately with the nearest appropriate representative of the State of which he is a national, or, if he is a stateless person, to the representative of the State where he usually resides.
4. When a State, pursuant to this article, has taken a person into custody, it shall immediately notify the States referred to in article 5, paragraph 1, of the fact that such person is in custody and of the circumstances which warrant his detention. The State which makes the preliminary inquiry contemplated in paragraph 2 of this article shall promptly report its findings to the said State and shall indicate whether it intends to exercise jurisdiction.
In other words, Mr. Cheney is to be taken into custody on the allegation of torture, at the beginning of the proceedings, before the preliminary inquiry, not at the end, and foreign governments are then to be notified as to whether or not the arresting state is going to "exercise jurisdiction", i.e. conduct investigation, prosecution, punishment, and reparations. And there is nothing in the CAT specifying that special procedures are to be taken for former members of the fourth branch of government, regular guests on Sunday talk shows, or people whose daughters claim "political controversy" or "policy debate" on TV.
U.S. Marshals, your duty is clear.
RUDD SET TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST THE POOR AND WORKING CLASSES
Cigarettes would rise to $20 a packet under new plan
Article from:
September 02, 2009 12:00am
CIGARETTES would rise to $20 a packet within three years under the national health plan, bringing Australia into line with other nations such as Britain and Ireland.
"Increasing prices is one of the most effective measures that government can take to reduce tobacco consumption," the Preventative Health Taskforce said.
But the Government is yet to endorse the proposal, preferring to wait for a major inquiry into the nation's tax system.
"I don't intend to tip my hand one way or the other," Treasurer Wayne Swan said.
"These are all important matters that are being considered through the Henry Review."
Tobacco giant British American Tobacco urged the Government to be mindful of smokers "who manage a budget and have made an informed choice to smoke".
But the taskforce said there should be no mercy for tobacco companies, urging legal action against them to recover money for health costs.
It also called for a ban on smoking in prisons, which could cause a backlash from nicotine-addicted inmates.
And children could be banned from seeing films starring renowned smokers Brad Pitt and Russell Crowe under a proposal to make smoking a classifiable element under censorship rules.
RUDD TO PUNISH THE INNOCENT IN HIS 'GREAT LEAP FORWARD'
Price rise will punish casual wine drinkers
Article from:
September 02, 2009 12:00am
SISTERS Sarah and Jess Heinjus regularly enjoy a glass of wine after work and do not want to see prices increased.
But they believe that something needs to be done to stop underage drinking.
"I understand they need to do something to stop young people binge drinking, but it's a bad idea for the wine industry during the drought," Sarah said.
"It will have a bad impact on the price of a glass of wine and won't stop teenagers drinking at all."
Enjoying the Melbourne sunset and drinking a local pinot noir, Jess said she didn't think the changes, such as introducing a minimum floor price for standard drinks, would be effective.
"I think it will probably stop people enjoying a glass of wine as often," she said.
"I like drinking a glass of wine almost every day, and I think if they raise the price it will mean people like me buy less Australian wine."
Cheap wine would rise dramatically in price and a minimum floor price could be applied to all alcoholic beverages under recommendations before the Rudd Government.
The television and sports industries will revolt over plans to ban advertising during sporting events.
The plan would end alcohol sponsorship of events such as the Australian F1 Grand Prix and Melbourne Cup.
The taskforce acknowledges that alcohol "is intrinsically part of Australian culture".
But it says one in five Australians aged over 14 put themselves at immediate risk at least once a month by drinking to excess.
CONTROVERSIAL WATER MINISTER RECEIVES PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT IN HIS SO-CALLED DISAPPEARANCE
WHAT IS THIS SECRETIVE SPY PLANE THAT VICTORIA POLICE ACCIDENTALLY REVEALED?
WOULD IT HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED IF YOU OR ME HAD BEEN TRAPPED ON A MOUNTAIN?Spy plane saved minister
Brendan Nicholson and Kate Lahey
September 2, 2009 - 8:45AM
The aircraft that found state Water Minister Tim Holding in the Victorian alps on Monday night was fitted with secret experimental night surveillance equipment being developed for the Australian Federal Police.
Advanced thermal imaging technology, designed to track fugitives by detecting body heat, is believed to have helped locate Mr Holding on the slopes of Mount Feathertop and hasten his dramatic rescue yesterday, ending a two-day ordeal.
Mr Holding, 37, is expected to leave hospital this morning and hold a press conference later today.
His spokesman, Luke Enright, said he was in reasonable health and spent the night in The Alfred "just for observation".
Amid the relief at Mr Holding's rescue, police and the State Government went to extraordinary lengths yesterday to withhold information about the plane that found him.
A Government spokesman said questions about the plane should be directed to the Victoria Police, adding: ''Decisions on the use of emergency resources are operational decisions for emergency agencies.''
The Victoria Police, after referring to ''an AFP plane'' in a media release earlier in the day, later withdrew the statement and amended it to remove all references to the AFP.
''For security reasons police will not confirm whose plane it is,'' spokeswoman Nicole McKechnie said. ''It was offered to us and we accepted that offer.''
The AFP, meanwhile, denied that it had any planes.
But last night The Age learnt that the plane that pinpointed Mr Holding on Monday was carrying surveillance technology secretly developed for the AFP, principally to track terrorists.
It also emerged that Mr Holding had been carrying a headlamp given to him for his birthday recently by his partner, Sunday Herald Sun journalist Ellen Whinnett, and that the light may have been detected by aerial searchers.
Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walsh confirmed that information received from a plane on Monday night had given police confidence that the minister would be found yesterday morning.
''We did have some information that came to us overnight that we had been working on this morning and we had search teams heading into the location,'' Mr Walsh said.
Mr Holding was finally spotted just before 10am yesterday by news helicopters, waving a reflective thermal blanket.
An experienced hiker, Mr Holding still had water but had run out of food and was said to be saturated and dehydrated.
He told rescuers he had become disoriented after falling about 100 metres down one of Feathertop's icy slopes.
After being winched to safety by a police helicopter, Mr Holding was taken to the nearby town of Bright, where he was reunited with his parents, Bruce and Carol, and Ms Whinnett.
The 37-year-old minister began his hike up Victoria's second highest peak on Saturday afternoon, reaching Federation Hut about 200 metres below the summit before dark. He set out alone in bad weather on Sunday morning for the final ascent.
The alarm was raised on Sunday night after he failed to return home or to contact Ms Whinnett.
Mr Holding said yesterday he was ''chilly'' but not worried during his ordeal. He was found about 2.6 kilometres from where he was last seen, near the 1922-metre summit, police said.
Asked what he would be doing last night, Mr Holding said: ''I certainly won't be going hiking, that's for sure.''
Later, he released a statement saying: "I'm very relieved to be back safely and I'm extremely grateful to everyone who helped out with the search and rescue effort."
Ms Whinnett said she began worrying about Mr Holding on Sunday. ''I was twitchy about it all day on Sunday because he hadn't contacted me at all, and that was unusual.
''I was very glad to see him get off the helicopter. He's really cold, he's got a few scratches and bruises, he's disorientated but he's fine.'' She said he had plenty of water but had not eaten much in the last day. ''He's had a biscuit at some point,'' Ms Whinnett said.
Bruce and Carol Holding said it was difficult to describe their intense worry for their son and they were relieved to have him home. ''It was a trying two days, a bit sleepless,'' Mr Holding said.
Mrs Holding said: ''We're just ecstatic that he's back, and he's safe and he seems to be OK.''
About 80 searchers, including police, SES, army and highly trained alpine bushwalking volunteers, camped on the mountain on Monday night.
Despite the secrecy over the plane, the Government and the police insisted Mr Holding had been treated no differently to any other lost hiker. Mr Walsh said of the search team: ''They're not here just because it's Tim Holding, a minister. They're here because somebody was missing in the bush and needed their assistance.''
Premier John Brumby said his minister had received ''the same standard of care, the same standard of search'' as anyone else in the same situation would have received.
Mr Holding told paramedics he had never thought he was in danger and believed he would be rescued. ''He is well aware of the amount of effort that went into his safe return and wanted me to express that to the public and the services involved,'' said paramedic Steve Grove.
''His condition is very well. He was well-prepared, his temperature was quite good considering he has been out there for a couple of days.''
However, Mr Grove said there was a lesson for hikers in the minister's experience: hikers should carry EPIRB emergency beacons. ''If he had have had an EPIRB, and they are probably a $550 to $600 item, he would have been retrieved on Sunday afternoon,'' he said.
Mr Brumby said he was delighted to receive news of the rescue. He admitted his anxiety had risen after Mr Holding did not walk out on Monday.
''These things are hard … you expect if someone is out there they'll get through one night and then after one night it gets harder and harder,'' he said.
''To say that we are elated, to say that we are delighted, to say that we are very relieved would be an understatement.''
He would not be drawn on whether Mr Holding should have attempted the walk alone. ''I don't think you can make judgments about this yet … there are plenty of people who do that walk,'' Mr Brumby said.
Other Labor colleagues reacted with relief on hearing the news of his rescue. ''We're very old friends, it's a very emotional moment for all of us,'' Industry Minister Martin Pakula said.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Mr Holding's ordeal had taken an ''extraordinary toll'' on his family and friends.
''Can I just say on behalf of all of us how thankful we are to the rescuers who have been out there for the last two days finding Tim,'' he said.
With JASON DOWLING, DAVID ROOD, LORNA EDWARDS, AAP
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/spy-plane-saved-minister-20090901-f6xy.html
IMPORTANT SPEECH ON PORT ARTHUR FALSE FLAG OPERATION BY SOMEONE WHO WAS THERE!!!
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WAS THE COLD WAR IN VAIN?-BIG BROTHER RUDD WANTS TO WATER DOWN FREEDOM OF CHOICE
Government proposal would see junk food ads banned before 9pm
Article from:
September 02, 2009 12:00am
JUNK food ads would be banned until after 9pm and new health labels required on packaged food under a blueprint to make Australia the world's healthiest nation.
The price of alcohol, cigarettes and even chips and chocolate would rise under the plan.
In addition, Kevin Rudd's hand-picked Preventative Health Taskforce called for legal action against tobacco companies to recoup health costs. And movies showing people smoking could attract an MA rating.
In its long-awaited report, the expert group set out 174 recommendations to fight obesity, smoking and alcohol-related disease.
"This strategy sets out a vision for Australia to be the healthiest country by 2020," it said.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon said urgent action was needed to fight the nation's $31 billion preventable diseases burden.
"Prevention is not just a trendy idea of the moment," she said. "It's about saving people's lives."
But Treasurer Wayne Swan dismissed the health blueprint as "simply a report", when asked about the possibility of new "sin taxes".
"We'll take that on board," Mr Swan said.
As revealed by the Herald Sun, the report calls for the price of cigarettes to rise to $20 a packet and setting of a minimum floor price for a standard alcoholic drink.
Alcohol ads would be banned during sports broadcasts and in timeslots when young people would be watching. Cheap wine would become more expensive under a proposal to tax beverages according to alcohol content.
The taskforce suggests "a tax on unhealthy food" could force manufacturers to make their products healthier.
The plan aims to reverse the rise in obesity rates, slash the number of smokers to 10 per cent or less, and halve the number of Australians who drink at risky levels.
Doctors welcomed the plan, saying it would deliver widespread benefits if adopted.
"People need help to be convinced to adopt the lifestyle changes that will provide better health and better quality of life," AMA president Dr Andrew Pesce said.
But Opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton accused the Government of being all talk and no action.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
IS SWINE FLU VIRUS "VACCINATIONS" A PART OF A EUGENICS PROGRAM??
French Government Plans Mass Swine Flu Vaccination Program
Shocking internal document outlines plan to bypass medical establishments and GP’s during military-style swine flu inoculation program
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Monday, August 31, 2009
A shocking internal document outlines the French government’s plans to impose a mass swine flu vaccination program on the entire population which would be focused around regional vaccination centers and would be carried out by H1N1 injection teams, completely bypassing medical establishments and GP’s.
French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot told the Associated Press last week that the vaccination campaign would be “voluntary,” but she urged all French residents to receive the shot when the vaccine becomes ready in mid-October. 94 million doses of the vaccine, more than enough to cover France’s population of 61.5 million, were purchased at a cost of €1 billion euros and the first batches have already been received.
However, a leaked internal government document signed by Batchelot and Minister of the Interior Brice Hortefeux describes a systematic procedure for vaccinating the entire population via specially secured “vaccination centers” that will be set up across the country and staffed by vaccine “teams” working in four hour bloc shifts.
According to the document, schoolchildren will also be vaccinated by mobile injection squads who will travel from school to school, covering the entire country. Babies from 6 months old will also be given the shot.
Crucially, GP’s and medical establishments will have no role in the vaccination program, a factor that leaves the plan resembling more of a military operation than a public health campaign.
While avoiding volatile rhetoric about “forced” injections, the document does state that the entire population will be vaccinated without exception, thereby implying that the shots will be mandatory, contradicting public statements made by Health Minister Batchelot.
Another vital aspect to the document is that it describes tracking procedures for keeping tabs on who has and who has not taken the vaccine, which will be done through microchipped state medical ID cards that all French residents hold by law. Data will be centralized to identify those citizens who have not taken the vaccine.
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According to an analysis of the document posted on theflucase.com, “Data from the health insurance bodies are to be used to ensure that everyone receives the toxic “swine flu” jab. The need to implement measures to track every single person in France to determine whether they have been vaccinated or not is stressed.”
The August 21st document issued by the French government appears to be a chilling plan to initiate the mass murder of the French population by means of toxic vaccines under the cover of offering protection against a pandemic in just four weeks time.
Similar documents are believed to be circulating in all 194 member states of the WHO.
It is addressed to high ranking government officials who are ordered to prepare to supervise and coordinate the implementation of the forced vaccination programme in their regions, and to submit appropriate plans by the middle of September.
The general public is only to be “informed” at the end of September of the plans by means of communications to the local press.
The establishment of large-scale vaccine centers in “secure” facilities is a chilling echo of the Nazi concentration camps such as Buchenwald where inmates were killed by injections.
The French plan lists in detail the duties the “vaccination” teams are to perform, the layout of the vaccination centers, the location of the furniture, such as tables, and the number of vaccinations to be carried out in specific time frames by centers of various sizes.
The number of people prescribed to be vaccinated in four-hour sessions by a typical “vaccine team” is 360.
A typical vaccination “post” is to consist of “three agents”, one “agent” responsible for “preparing” the vaccines, one for administering them and one for tracking people who have been vaccinated.
The document mentions French laws (Article L3131-8 and Article L3131-9) that compel medical personnel to administer vaccines by government decree or face penalties, a factor which clearly implies that some health workers will face difficulties arising out of people who refuse to take the shot.
As we have previously documented, the swine flu vaccine is being rushed through safety procedures while governments have provided pharmaceutical companies with blanket immunity from lawsuits arriving out of the vaccine causing deaths and injuries.
It was previously revealed that some batches of the vaccine will contain mercury, a toxin linked with autism and neurological disorders. The vaccine will also contain the dangerous ingredient squalene, which has been directly linked with cases of Gulf War Syndrome and a host of other debilitating diseases.
It was also recently reported that the UK government sent a confidential letter to senior neurologists telling them to be on the alert for cases of a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine.
While the fact that the government would plan to forcibly vaccinate people against their will, amidst rising awareness of the dangers associated with the untested H1N1 vaccine, is a shocking story in and of itself, the question of whether they would ultimately be successful in doing so is another matter entirely.
The French people are renowned for cherishing their personal liberty and resisting government enforced tyranny and are nowhere near as apathetic as their English neighbors across the channel. The French routinely go on strike, conduct mass demonstrations and set up blockades when the government attempts to force through unpopular measures, and the response to an attempt on behalf of the state to forcibly vaccinate people against their will would be no different.
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