Exraordinary accusations from Mungo MacCallum



The current Mungo has long been a much-read Australian journalist, largely because of his jocular style.  He is a past-master of maligning people with a smile on his face.  He has always been a classic Leftist hater but one who is also sometimes amusing.  A rare feat!

Now that he is in his '70s one might have hoped that he would have undergone the shift from Left to Right that age normally brings on.  A remarkable example of that is the now almost forgotten Ned Hanlon, who went from being a union firebrand in his youth to becoming a Premier of Queensland who would sool his police onto strikers in order to break up their strikes.  Better-known examples of the Rightward drift  are Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan, who were both on the Left in their early days.

But Mungo has resisted that trend.  He has learned nothing. He is, if anything, more vitriolic than ever. The accusations he makes below are both extraordinary and devoid of evidence that would support such sweeping claims.  They are so amazing that I reproduce below only the beginning of his latest article -- to focus on those accusations.  The remainder of the article is in any case basically a criticism of the ineptitude of Bill Shorten, the unpopular leader of the Australian Labor Party.

Mungo's target is the recent judicial enquiry into the well-attested thuggery in Australian building-trade unions, particularly the CFMEU.  The lawless behaviour of the unions concerned is too well-known for Mungo to deny it so he resorts to the classic Leftist dodge of moral equivalence.  He says that other more conservative groupings are just as bad. 

But in so doing he is clearly libellous.  He makes statements that would be actionable in court.  And since he made the statements on an ABC site, he might well be worth pursuing.  The ABC has deep pockets. And the legal profession is generally very guarded of its reputation so Mungo's sweeping denunciation of them seems quite likely to get a response.  At least an apology and retraction may be demanded

Mungo starts with a quote from Justice Dyson.

"In many parts of the world constituted by Australian trade union officials," declared Dyson Heydon, "there is room for louts, thugs, bullies, thieves, perjurers, those who threaten violence, errant fiduciaries and organisers of boycotts."

And no doubt there is; but with very minor changes of the last part of the statement, the same strictures apply to the business community - indeed, even to Heydon's own legal profession. In fact, it would be hard to find any group within the Australian populace free of the strictures Heydon elaborates.

Certainly he has identified a few (45, to be precise) of the alleged miscreants who warrant further investigation and may or may not face charges as a result - although it must be noted that only 27 are actually unions or their officials; the rest were companies and those associated with them and other entities.

It sounds like a reasonable bag, until you remember that the whole process took some $80 million and two full years of intensive investigation unearthing and grilling over 500 suspects. Given that level of zealotry, it is hardly surprising that Heydon gathered a few in his net."

SOURCE







Bazza backs Germaine


They wouldn't be Gladdies beside him, would they?

AUSTRALIAN comedian Barry Humphries has weighed into Germaine Greer’s row over Caitlyin Jenner, describing the former Olympian as “a mutilated man”.

Humphries — who is about to return to the stage as Dame Edna Everage — said he backed Australian feminist Greer, who caused an uproar with her claims last October that transgender women are “not real women”.

According to Greer, “trans” women such as Jenner are men “who believe that they are women and have themselves castrated.”

Humphries, who has made millions as arguably the world’s most famous female impersonator, told London’s Telegraph he agreed with his fellow Aussie expat.

“I agree with Germaine! You’re a mutilated man, that’s all,” he says. “Self-mutilation, what’s all this carry on? Caitlyn Jenner — what a publicity-seeking ratbag. It’s all given the stamp — not of respectability, but authenticity or something. If you criticise anything you’re racist or sexist or homophobic.”

Humphries, 81, is about to embark on Dame Edna’s final farewell tour in the US and Canada.

SOURCE






Prominent Australian conservative: I hope we don't become too politically correct

"Deputy Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce says he hopes Australian politics doesn't become "sterile" and overly politically correct following outrage over the behaviour of colleagues Jamie Briggs and Peter Dutton.

Mr Briggs resigned from the frontbench last week after being "overly affectionate" towards a public servant in a Hong Kong bar while Mr Dutton apologised for sending a female journalist a text calling her a "mad f---ing witch".

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has described Mr Dutton's text message, mistakenly sent to veteran journalist Samantha Maiden, as "clearly inappropriate".

Mr Joyce, who is expected to become Nationals leader and deputy prime minister when Warren Truss resigns this year, told Fairfax Media: "I never want our country to be completely sterile.  I like that Australia is to the point"

"One of the great things about Australian politics is our informality and directness and I'd hate to lose that - even if there can be faux pas."

Mr Joyce apologised to National Party colleague Bridget McKenzie in 2012 for referring to her in Parliament as a "flash bit of kit". Mr Joyce admitted to consuming alcohol beforehand but denied being drunk.

Mr Joyce said Mr Dutton had made a "stupid" mistake by sending Maiden the text but said people criticising him should not lose perspective.

It is understood Mr Dutton thought he was sending the text to Mr Briggs, but instead sent it to Maiden, who had been highly critical of the ex-minister in a column published on Sunday. "It's what one bloke thought he was saying to another bloke," Mr Joyce said.

"If I got upset about every time I have been abused on Twitter or in the newspaper or in text messages, I would be a case for an asylum.  "You have to roll with the punches.

"For a robust member of the fourth estate like Samantha, she would think this was water off a duck's back and pretty funny."

Maiden has said she accepted Mr Dutton's apology and hoped he was not sacked from the frontbench for the mistake.

Mr Joyce said he hoped politicians would not become overly cautious following the Briggs incident in Hong Kong and are still willing to socialise with colleagues and journalists.

"I don't like to be in the holier than thou crowd," he said. "Jamie made a mistake and has fallen on his sword.

"If you invite me out for a drink, you want me to speak frankly and freely rather than ring up 13 media advisers and get encrypted babble."

Mr Briggs was forced to resign after a young public servant complained about his behaviour at a Hong Kong bar in November. Sources have said Mr Briggs told the woman she had "piercing eyes" and tried to kiss her on the cheek, while others said it was her neck.

Mr Briggs sent a photo of the woman to colleagues which was later leaked to the media, a move which drew an angry response from Mr Turnbull. Such behaviour could deter women from coming forward with complaints about workplace misbehaviour, he said.

SOURCE






Muslim terrorist sympathizer in the Australian navy

Disagrees with bombing them

A navy Twitter account has been shut down after its most senior Muslim officer retweeted a counter-terrorism expert mocking Tony Abbott following the Liberal Party leadership coup and backed the Grand Mufti’s ­response to the Paris terrorist ­attacks.

Captain Mona Shindy, the Chief of Navy’s strategic adviser on Islamic affairs, appears to have run the account @navy­islamic until it was deleted last month, posting a series of tweets about attitudes towards Muslim Australians and terrorism.

The closure of the account came six months after Captain Shindy called for the word “Islam” to be removed from all reporting on Islamic State in an essay for the June edition of ­United Service, the journal of the Royal United Services Institute of NSW.

Arguing that there was no connection with the terror group and religion, Captain Shindy ­accused the media of “fear-mongering” in its portrayal of Muslims and said it made them feel alienated and vilified and provided “ammunition” to terrorist recruiters.

In the essay, Captain Shindy mirrored the disputed claims of Grand Mufti Ibrahim Abu Mohamed after the Paris terror attack in November, in which he said causative factors such as foreign policy, the media and lack of opportunity were fuelling Islamic extremism.

Dr Abu Mohamed’s comments were widely criticised as offering potential justification for the killings, forcing the Grand Mufti to revise his public position.

On November 18, five days after the Paris attacks, Captain Shindy used the @navyislamic account to declare Dr Abu Mohamed was a “righteous & courageous man who categorically denounces” Islamic State and terrorism, tweeting the hashtag #IStandWithTheMufti.

On the day after the leadership spill in which Malcolm Turnbull toppled Mr Abbott, Captain Shindy posted a 2011 YouTube video of Mr Turnbull on the ABC’s Q&A discussing Muslim schools and the need to promote and encourage moderate Islamic traditions.

“The idea that you demonise the faith of billions of people with 1500 years or thereabouts of history and tradition and scholarship is absurd,” Mr Turnbull said in the clip.

Captain Shindy tweeted: “Looking forward to a #PM that unites #auspol & #OZ”

There was also a retweet of counter-terrorism expert Anne Aly, who on the night of the leadership change tweeted: “Wait. Did our new PM just give a speech and not mention boats, death cult, security, death cult, terrorism, national security and death cult?”

Mr Abbott was criticised by parts of the Islamic community and MPs for his rhetoric and hardline response to terrorism that some said divided Muslim and non-Muslim Australians.

The Australian asked the Defence Department a series of questions yesterday, including why the @navyislamic Twitter account was shut down and whether Captain Shindy’s tweets were reflective of naval policy.

A Defence spokesman said: “Navy has consolidated its social media platforms to achieve a ‘single source’ so as to strengthen its messaging in synch with its support to traditional media.”

Captain Shindy, who is on leave, declined to comment.

Defence did not verify the tweets, which have been published on the blogs of conservative commentators Andrew Bolt and Bernard Gaynor, a Queensland Senate candidate for the anti-Islam party Australian Liberty ­Alliance.

Captain Shindy, whose role is to “help create a better understanding” within the navy of the Islamic faith and cultural sensitivities, and Chief of Navy Tim Barrett met the Grand Mufti in October 2014 at the Lakemba Mosque as part of its Islamic community awareness program.

Captain Shindy is a respected 26-year veteran of the navy and the head of its Guided Missile Frigate Program. She was appointed to her Islamic advisory role by then-chief of navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs in March 2013. She was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in last year’s Australia Day honours and in November was named Telstra NSW Businesswoman of the Year.

It is highly unusual for a serving military officer to offer public comment on such a politically contentious issue as Islamic terrorism, much less to adopt positions that appear to be at odds with government policy.

The removal of the Twitter account about December 20 came days after the Defence Force said it would appeal against a Federal Court ruling in favour of Mr Gaynor over his being discharged for making controversial comments about gay men and lesbians. It also came days after a complaint by the Australian Liberty Alliance was made to the navy about Captain Shindy’s Twitter account. The complaint warned the navy that ADF members were obliged not to make political statements in their official capacity.

Mr Gaynor said yesterday the ADF was “caught in a bind” over appealing his case but allowing Captain Shindy to make political comments in an official capacity.

In her essay, Captain Shindy called for a “frank, fearless debate” on the “root causes and triggers” of Islamic grievances, which she said included foreign policy ­double-standards and a belief among young Australian Muslims that they had been sidelined and marginalised. She questioned the effectiveness of bombing campaigns against extremists.

“We need to move on quickly from a single approach of talking tough and broadly bombing regions where we believe extremists operate,” she wrote. “Working on preventive strategies gives us the best likelihood of long-term success. Security, jobs, income to support families and stability to grow and educate populations are the key ingredients to preventing the explosive, desperate reaction to despair that is extremism.”

She blames the media for placing young Muslims and their families “under great strain” through negative coverage of Muslims. She also said Islam had nothing to do with terrorism.

“Constant negative media reporting on apparent Muslim behaviour provides ammunition for terrorist recruiters enabling them to convince impressionable Muslims that there is an agenda against them and their religion — again, supporting a call for armed jihad,” she said. “Indeed, the word ‘Islam’ needs to be removed from reporting on ISIS/ISIL or Daesh. The barbaric nature and ideology of these groups has nothing to do with Islam and we should work to limit their appeal to vulnerable Muslims,” she writes.

Mr Abbott last month claimed Australians were in denial about the “problems within Islam” and called for a “reformation” of the religion. ASIO chief Duncan Lewis was among those who distanced himself from the remarks.

SOURCE

Black cricketer disrespects female interviewer on Australian TV



An experienced and dedicated female sports journalist, Mel McLaughlin, was trying to interview black cricketer Chris Gayle about sports matters but got only personal comments about herself from him.  That has offended a lot of people as inappropriate and disrespectful to a woman but he has so far refused to apologize. It will hurt his career, however.  Various sorts of retribution against him have been proposed or promised.

Black males are often very bold in approaching women so his behaviour should perhaps be seen in that context.  From his point of view he probably sees nothing to apologize for.  In Leftist terms, it's his "culture".

In anthropological terms it could be seen as part of a generally low level of self-restraint among people of sub-Saharan African origin, as seen in their very high rate of criminal offending wherever they are in the world. 

Perhaps it should be mentioned that the lady has been publicly embarrassed on TV before -- by another black sportsman. 

Also relevant is that Gayle has behaved similarly on past occasions but has learnt nothing from it.  Another female journalist labels him as a "creep", which he no doubt is by general Australian standards

Gayle sent social media into meltdown when he openly flirted with McLaughlin in his on-field interview after he was dismissed for a brilliant 41 (15 balls).

“I wanted to have an interview with you as well, that’s why I’m here,” the Jamaican said live on national television.

“I get to see your eyes for the first time, it’s nice. Hopefully we can win and go for a drink after.

“Don’t blush baby.”

A clearly uncomfortable McLaughlin finished the interview with class, but Channel 10 Head of Sport David Barham, at home watching the match on television, said McLaughlin was angered by the experience.

SOURCE






A mature response to offensive speech


Veteran journalist Samantha Maiden

A journalist labelled a "mad f---ing witch" by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton hopes he doesn't find himself on the backbench for accidentally sending an offensive text message to her.

On Sunday night, Mr Dutton confirmed he had apologised to the journalist for the text, which was intended for his embattled colleague Jamie Briggs.

Mr Briggs stepped down from his position as cities minister after acting inappropriately towards a female colleague while on an overseas trip.

Samantha Maiden, the national political editor for News Corp's Sunday papers, published a column on Sunday morning highly critical of Mr Briggs' conduct.

Mr Dutton responded by sending a text intended for Mr Briggs in which he called Maiden a "mad f---ing witch". Instead, it was sent to Maiden's text message inbox.

On Monday, Maiden said there were "more substantial issues" to consider in the aftermath of Mr Briggs' resignation.  "Peter Dutton has stuffed up, he's owned up and he's 'fessed up," Maiden told ABC radio on Monday morning.

"I would be lying if I was trying to manufacture outrage ... I'm not offended by it.

When asked if Mr Dutton should resign for the "witch" text, Maiden told Nine's Today program she "would hope not".  "I think that Mr Dutton is a good minister; he's a hard worker, he's made a strong contribution to the government," she said.

SOURCE






Green power freaks hit by big price rise

Consumers want answers after energy providers have announced a price increase of up to 41 per cent for their green energy contribution to coincide with the new year.

In the days leading up to Christmas, Origin Energy customers were notified that "a rise in the market price of renewable energy" meant GreenPower electricity charges would increase from 3.61¢ per kilowatt hour (excluding GST) to 5.10¢ per kilowatt hour from January 1, 2016.

The increase was so steep, northern NSW resident Russell Mills was sure there had been a mistake.  "I did the maths very quickly and it came up as a 41 per cent increase. I thought that's substantial, am I missing something?" he said.

"There was nothing in the letter explaining the rationale for it, so I rang them and I spoke to three different people who could tell me no more, just that it was due to changes in renewable energy prices."

In Mr Mills' case, the 41 per cent increase would equate to an extra $77 each year.

GreenPower is government-accredited renewable electricity from a source such as wind or solar-powered built since 1997.

Providers purchase large-scale renewable energy certificates on their customers' behalf to offset the power they use in any given year, therefore increasing the amount of renewable energy in the national energy grid.

Consumers who choose GreenPower electricity as an add-on to their bill can select a percentage of their electricity usage to be matched into the grid with electricity from accredited renewable GreenPower sources.  More than 32,500 organisations around Australia purchase accredited GreenPower.

Mr Mills lives with his wife and two children in a three-bedroom home in Clunes, where they spend between $450 and $550 per quarter on electricity.

For the past year, he has contributed to renewable energy through the 100 per cent GreenPower product. However, after being hit with the 41 per cent increase, he has made a "hip-pocket decision" to reduce his 100 per cent contribution to 50 per cent.

"There's a huge disincentive here for average consumers to actually choose renewable energy. I'm not laying blame totally on Origin, I'm still with them, I just feel it's a bit depressing really," he said.

"We need more renewable energy and there's not really any incentive for us to choose it."

Significant price jumps in GreenPower charges can be linked to the large-scale generation certificates used for the product, which have experienced a steady increase of about $40 to upwards of $75 in the past six months.

All GreenPower providers have changed their prices to reflect the underlying cost increase.

Large-scale generation certificates are traded through the wholesale market and prices fluctuate considerably, determined largely by supply and demand.

SOURCE






Expensive government schooling for poor parents

Requiring schoolkids to use computers all the time is absurd.  Computer literacy should be taught using school computers but most subjects can be taught without them.  How did we learn Maths, English, History etc for hundreds of years before computers?  There still is such a thing as a book!

"How do you prefer your taxes to be spent? Apple or Microsoft?"

That's the question one Canberra father believes his son's new school is asking, after its inclusion of Apple iPads and notebook computers on a list of back-to-school equipment is threatening to set parents back thousands of dollars.

Mark Wilson's son – whose name Fairfax Media has chosen to withhold – is enrolled to begin year seven at Melba Copland Secondary School  this year.

Mr Wilson said he was shocked when he received a list of essential requirements for the 2016 school year in the post. It came at a cost of $2794.67.

He thought it seemed unfair as it is a public school in a catchment area which gives priority to some of Canberra's most disadvantaged suburbs, but when he voiced his complaints, he was told it was "the way of the future".

"Whose future? I limit my kids to one hour of television a day because of the health factor, now you're telling me they've got to be in front of a computer screen for six-and-a-half hours a day because you deem it the best way to go?" Mr Wilson said.

His concerns stem from his family's financial situation.

The former local business owner was forced to go on a government pension several years ago due to illness.

His older daughter, who was already a student at the school, has chosen to transfer to a different school to alleviate some of the financial burden on her parents.

Her book pack, plus that of his youngest daughter who attends primary school, will cost $500 combined.

His son desperately wants to attend Melba Copland Secondary School though, as it's close to his home and his friends will be there.

While Mr Wilson has been encouraged by the school and the education directorate to apply for financial assistance, he said it is unfair for taxpayers to shell out "another $3000" so his son can attend the public school.

"I feel bad enough being on the pension as it is. It doesn't sit well with me and to ask for more handouts is even more ridiculous."

Mr Wilson is also worried carrying around the expensive technology will make students the target of thieves.

"I grew up poor. If I knew kids were walking around with $3000 worth of computer equipment on their back [when I was a kid] you'd be going home with a black eye, bloody nose and I'd have your backpack," he said.

He estimates 70 parents have submitted a formal complaint about what he deems excessive requirements, although an Education and Training Directorate spokesperson disputed this.

The spokesperson said the list is just a guideline and the school has a number of devices available for students to use.

"There is no compulsion to purchase all or any products and information has been provided to families to ensure full knowledge of this arrangement.

"Families are encouraged to approach their school to discuss the needs of the child and the family. Schools also have arrangements in place to ensure students have equity of access."

The spokesperson said information and communications technologies are an important part of teaching and learning for students of all backgrounds and is mandated in the Australian curriculum.

The ACT government spent $9.2 million on information technologies in schools last financial year, with a further $38 million committed over the next four years.

"Our schools emphasise the use of ICT and the development of ICT skills to ensure that their students can develop the necessary skills to analyse information, solve problems and communicate in a highly digital society."

SOURCE






The Irish connection continues

I have substantial Irish ancestry, with all sentimentality that usually entails, so I am delighted to read that the Irish are still coming to Australia.  I would heartily support measures to make it easier for them to settle here

The number of Irish citizens on temporary visas in Australia has fallen by almost half in the past two years due to tighter immigration laws and shrinking job opportunities.

But an increasing number are deciding to stay on illegally after their visas expire because they cannot afford to move home. "We are talking about the creation of a whole new undocumented section of Irish society in Australia now, and that is something we should be concerned about,” according to Dr Mary Gilmartin, who lectures about Irish migration at the department of geography at Maynooth University.

She said a general tightening of immigration rules, and new caps on the number of skilled migration permits issued, mean it was “increasingly difficult to translate temporary visas into permanent residency” in Australia.

A total of 401 Irish citizens were “returned or removed” from Australia for violating the conditions of their visa in the 12 months to June 2015, a 37 per cent rise in the past two years.  Figures from the Australian Department of Immigration, released to The Irish Times, show that between July 2014 and June 2015, 92 Irish citizens were “removed” after being arrested and held at immigration detention centres.

SOURCE

A victory for free speech: The Australian army versus outspoken Major Bernard Gaynor


The man they couldn't fire: A good soldier persecuted for his Christian beliefs and criticism of Islam.  The Army has however appealed his win in the Federal Court to the High Court. The High Court is however where a right of free speech for Australians was first found so the bet should be on Gaynor to win again

The Australian Defence Force has just suffered an embarrassing defeat in which the armed forces appear primarily as a federal government department rather than a combat force. Most of the fighting is done behind desks.

The mission, duty and special legal status which sets our military apart from almost all other elements of society, is that it exists to detect, deter, suppress and, when necessary, kill people deemed a threat to the nation. The ultimate power of government is always rooted in part on weaponry and the authority and willingness to use it.

With the exception of our superbly-trained Special Air Service Regiment and Commando regiments, hunting and killing is rarely on the mind of Australian Army personnel.

Based on the very extensive advertising and recruiting campaigns that the military services roll out every year, the main point of joining the armed forces is to gain skilled qualifications at no cost and see the world.

Don't mention the war.

For much of this year, in the Federal Court of Australia, the extensive resources of the ADF have been pitted against the threadbare resources of a single, sacked Army Reserve officer who the ADF is determined to ostracise, humiliate and terminate.

The ADF has been highly successful in ostracising him, not surprising given the military's long and inglorious record of tolerating hazing, bullying and bastardisation.

But as for terminating this officer, he has proved hard to kill.

Last Friday, a judgment handed down by Justice Robert Buchanan, Bernard Gaynor v Chief of the Defence Force (2015), found that the ADF had acted unlawfully in terminating the commission of Army Reserve Major Bernard (Bernie) Gaynor jnr.

He ordered that this termination be set aside.

Justice Buchanan wrote: "The applicant has strong views which he attributes to the teachings and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. As they relate to the events which led to the termination of his commission, those views were expressed as an antipathy to overt tolerance or support of homosexuality or transgender behaviour as well as statements critical of adherents of Islam.

"The applicant served in Iraq in 2006-7, 2008-9 and 2009 and also briefly in Afghanistan in 2006. He was awarded the United States of America Meritorious Service Medal in October 2009. His general competence is not in issue."

The 90,000-word judgment includes critical and unflattering observations about Gaynor's conduct, which included "a deliberate and calculated course of open defiance".

However, where it mattered the judge found in his favour: "The fact that [Gaynor's] conduct involved direct disobedience of orders does not sufficiently change matters … Freedom of political communication was burdened… [when] his commission as an officer was terminated… [His] conduct involved the expression of political opinion, effectively as a private citizen."

Justice Buchanan found that being sacked for holding personal political views, even in defiance of orders, was too fundamental a right to be quashed in the name of military discipline.

On Tuesday, Gaynor responded by writing in his blog: "Politicised militaries and democracies do not mix well."

The judgment will unnerve the military command. It is easy to see why. In a posting on Facebook in March, 2013, Gaynor wrote:

"The war in Afghanistan has been an utter failure but it is the government's domestic policies which have completely betrayed the efforts of soldiers serving on operations. In the time our Army has been in Afghanistan the number of Muslims in Australia has increased from around 280,000 to 476,000. Anyone who thinks Australia is safer as a result is deluded …

While our soldiers have been fighting, taking casualties and dying in Afghanistan to protect Australia's interests and values from violent Islamists our own government has allowed them to take root inside our borders."

He has since pointed out that twice as many Australian Muslims went to join Islamic State than are enlisted in the ADF. When I checked with Defence media they said there were 100 self-identified Muslims out of 81,000 ADF and Reserve personal. So Gaynor is right.

He has already begun his next battle. He will contest next year's federal election as the Senate candidate in Queensland for the Australian Liberty Alliance. He intends to remain in the Army Reserve.

SOURCE







The onion racket

Australian onion grower's cartel keeps out "foreign" onions to keep prices up

The peak industry body for Australian onion farmers is investigating reports some of its growers are supplying imported onions to supermarkets, claiming they grew them locally.

Onions Australia said it had received information about farmers buying imported onions, re-packaging them and selling them to Coles and Woolworths.

In 2012 the two major supermarkets made commitments to only stock Australian onions, which meant growers had to ensure year-round supply.

Historically the industry has struggled to meet demand, but Onions Australia chair Kees Versteeg said growers were now on top of it and any fraudulent activity was an opportunistic way of making extra money.

Mr Versteeg said it was almost impossible to prove growers, or other players in the onion supply chain, were cheating consumers.

"I think it's about making the industry and Australia aware that the potential is there these things can happen," he said.

"The fact is, you can get away with it because no one is policing it. I even find it difficult to prove."

The reports of alleged farmer fraud follow revelations some retailers also have been selling imported onions with false 'Australian grown' signage.

Passing imported onions off as local 'very easy'

Onion industry representatives have repeated Mr Verteeg's concerns to ABC Rural, including another grower who said he knew of two peers mixing imported onions with their own produce.

Mr Versteeg, who runs an onion farm and packing company, said the practice would be "very easy".  "There's no one dropping into our packing facility and investigating those things," he said.

"And that's the problem — onions that are not being traced back to some certain extent as to where they come from, they could be coming from anywhere ... they could be from China."

So who is responsible for ensuring consumers are getting what they pay for, when a sign says 'Australian grown'?

Mr Versteeg said it was "a tough question" but placed responsibility on retailers.

Coles was the first supermarket to announce it would only stock Australian onions on its shelves.  Fresh produce manager Brad Gorman said the commitment was of "significant value" to the onion industry.

"I would hate to put a dollar figure on it but we sell more than 30,000 tonnes of brown, white, red and pink onions across the country all year," he said.

SOURCE






Soft life in a Queensland women's prison

The sense of community established on popular TV show Orange is the New Black, in reality, doesn’t seem too far from the truth.

You could be forgiven for considering some time in prison as a desirable option/break from normality after watching the close bonds formed and new skills learned.

I am usually a law-abiding citizen. But when I was sent to prison I didn’t want to leave.

Let me tell you, it’s not all doom and gloom behind bars. In fact it’s the complete opposite.  That’s what I found out when I was sent to the Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre recently — on assignment.

Other than the odd parking and speeding tickets, I haven’t done anything serious in my time. But since the visit I’ve had a different outlook on my law-abiding ways.

For a start, these women doing time for crimes from stealing, arson, murder to armed robbery are living in air-conditioned units and cells. I don’t even have air-con at my house.

It’s understandabe why the average tax payer sees red on hearing stories like this.

If you’re an eye-for-an-eye type you’d probably want people who have committed murder or burnt down a business with intent to cause suffering, to in-turn suffer in prison, alone and with nothing.  But they don’t.

It was eye-opening to witness the top treatment these incarcerated women at Wacol’s high security prison were receiving.

They can work and earn some cash within the prison grounds. It’s not a lot, but still, it’s something.

Some are employed as landscapers and hairdressers, others care for RSPCA foster cats. They are always occupied with something to do or an activity to take part in.

These criminals can also study behind bars. They can gain myriad of skills and experience to, on their release, gain employment in many industries from hairdressing to personal training. And some of the courses available are government funded.

So, commit a crime and learn how to become a barista, work in horticulture or get a gig in hospitality.

Doesn’t sound too bad does it? Own a pet while you’re at it too.  Seems like a free ride with plenty of privileges to me.

And if you think that sounds grand, what about bringing your kids to prison with you?

Not everyone can do this I must say. It’s up to inmates to apply to have their kids (aged up to five years) live with them behind bars.

Walking through the residential units for mothers, everything seemed too good to be true. From cots to baby clothes to milk bottles and play equipment, everything is provided for these crims. Never mind having a baby shower or stockpiling your hard-earned, I thought to myself.

These women have access to midwives, councillors and even children’s playgroups and day care (off-site).

This isn’t a judgement at the individual women, just an observation at the overall scenario. They all have their individual stories.

The overcrowded prison is no doubt filled with talented prisoners, many who express their feelings through art or embroidery classes.

Some use their talents for good by making gowns for Angel Babies — an organisation that supplies gowns made from donated wedding dresses for babies who don’t survive after birth — others knit coats or make toys for rescue animals.

The courses and activities provided are part of a rehabilitation program with hope to improve or change past behaviour. But it seems a bit over the top.

These prisoners are living the life. They are getting luxuries not many other women in our community have. I know of women who are living week to week trying to afford rent, raise a family and send their kids to school.  No doubt they would like to study, go to yoga classes and paint all day.

I’m sure there are deprivations these women suffer, but it isn’t exactly “hard time”.

SOURCE






P&O announces new purpose-built cruise ship for Australia to arrive in 2019

Cruising is a big deal these days, largely because of cheap Third World staff

P&O CRUISES Australia will make history by becoming the first cruise line to build a new ship specifically for the booming Australian market.

The planned 135,500-tonne ship will be the biggest cruise ship ever to be based fulltime in Australia, carrying more than 4200 guests.

To be launched in 2019, the new ship will have double the capacity of the biggest cruise vessel currently homeporting year round in this market. It will be based out of Sydney.

While a range of cruise lines have ships based in Australia either fulltime or for the busy summer season, all are either refurbished or have been based in other regions before being assigned to Australian waters.

At 323m in length and with 2100 guest rooms, P&O says the new ship will be a ‘game changer’ for Australian cruising. Built specifically for modern Australian cruising tastes, it will offer itineraries from three to 10 days duration.

The addition of the new P&O Cruises’ ship forms part of a global announcement made overnight by P&O Cruises’ parent company, Carnival Corporation, to stock markets.

The company has signed a memo of agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to build four new cruise ships for its global fleet.

As the world’s largest travel and leisure company, Carnival Corporation has an existing fleet of 99 cruise ships and now 17 new ships scheduled for delivery between 2016 and 2020.
P&O’s new purpose-built ship will cater to the booming Australian cruising market.

Carnival Australia Executive Chairman Ann Sherry and P&O Cruises Australia President Sture Myrmell hailed the first ‘newbuild’ cruise ship for the Australian market as the best possible good news for one of the world’s top performing cruise markets.

“The much anticipated first newbuild cruise ship is a huge vote of confidence in the Australian cruise market with much of the 20 per cent year-on-year passenger growth over the past decade driven by P&O Cruises’ dynamic industry leadership,” Ms Sherry said.

Mr Myrmell said the new ship added to P&O Cruises’ pattern of growth, with the recent addition of Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden to its existing three-ship fleet to be followed in 2017 with the addition of Pacific Explorer.

“P&O Cruises is the modern face of Australian cruising and, with such a proud heritage of leadership, it is a natural step to announce that the line will take delivery of its first newbuild ship,” Mr Myrmell said.

Mr Myrmell said details and features of the new ship will be revealed later but it will build on the continued evolution of the P&O Cruises’ brand and will reflect the tastes of modern Australia.

SOURCE

Muslim leaders including the Grand Mufti of Australia back fatwa against Islamic State

They're panicking about a backlash.  Other Islamic states -- particularly Saudi Arabia -- are also brutal. Why no condemnation of them?

Saudi Arabia, a Muslim country operating under Sharia law, whips rape VICTIMS and only gives them pardons if there's a major international outcry.  Saudi Arabia also amputates the hands of thieves.  Pakistan, another Muslim country, executes atheists under its notorious blasphemy laws.  The Iranian "Happy Video" dancers were sentenced to 91 lashes and prison time for recording their video.  In Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran and Afghanistan homosexuality is an executable offense.


Australia's leading imams have backed a fatwa against the Islamic State terrorist group, warning that any support for the group contradicts Islamic teachings.

In a New Year message to the nation's Muslim community, the Grand Mufti of Australia together with prominent imams from NSW and Victoria have given their religious opinions and urged congregations, particularly the youth, to listen to their religious leaders.

The Grand Mufti, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed, who is the leading representative of Australia's Sunni Islamic scholars,  said "most Islamic Legal Circles and Fatwa Boards have condemned ISIS, declaring that Islam is innocent of all these barbaric actions despite ISIS using the term Islamic in its name. The term 'Islamic State' has been usurped by ISIS," he said, using one of several acronyms for IS.

 "We stand with all organisations that have condemned ISIS and declared innocence from its inhumane actions.

"Locally we would like to bring to the attention of our youth, and those who lead them, that ISIS is a trick designed to prey on youth, either by their being killed or locked up in prison. We doubt the origins of ISIS because since it was established it has not done one thing for the benefit of Islam and Muslims. Rather its actions and barbaric acts have been against the way of God," he said.

"Therefore we warn our youth regarding the deceitful propaganda that ISIS uses through social media such as Facebook and Twitter. We remind our youth in Australia that social media and the medium of the internet cannot be a trusted means regarding religious knowledge."

Dr Mohamed's comments come as Muslim leaders around the world, including 70,000 clerics in India, have issued a fatwa against terrorist groups including ISIS and after the Australian National Imams Consultative Forum released a document, Australian Muslim perspective on some key contemporary concerns, addressing religious issues raised by IS's activities and recruitment.

The document examines dozens of issues from citizenship in Australia and Islam, to jihad, and makes statements backed by more than 20 Australian imams against slavery, suicide, and foreign fighting. It bluntly states that the so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq, as proclaimed by IS is not legitimate and therefore Australian Muslims have no ­obligation to follow its dictates.

Sheikh Mohamadu Saleem, of the Board of Imams in Victoria, also had a New Year message for the community, saying that violent extremism is neither religious nor Islamic.

"We condemn and deplore ISIS's violent propaganda that is perpetrated against innocent civilians in the name of Islam as the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'Harm is neither inflicted nor tolerated in Islam.'"

He said that "ISIS is trying to justify 'violence against innocent civilians' by interpreting texts of the Koran and hadiths, statements of Muhammad 'cherry-picked and out of context' to suit their violent actions. Majority of the leading scholars and Islamic organisations have vehemently denounced ISIS for its illegitimate and misleading propaganda." 

Sheikh Yahya Safi, the imam at Australia's biggest mosque in Lakemba, said: "I stand with the Islamic scholars from around the world who have condemned the actions of ISIS that contradict the teachings of Islam and I have stressed this on many occasions, especially in my Friday sermons."

Sheik Taj el-Din al-Hilali, the former grand mufti of Australia, has also warned that IS is like a trap that had tricked people and countries.

"Joining them is a type of madness that does not concord with the teachings of any religion. I warn the Muslim youths from all over the world against joining ISIS or supporting them in any way," Sheikh Hilali said.

"Joining such a group or supporting it contradicts the Islamic teachings 100 per cent, because this group is clear in breach of the Islamic teachings."

SOURCE







Liberal party election strategist Lynton Crosby has been awarded a knighthood in the United Kingdom

The British Left have a hide to criticize this.  They have promoted some pretty dubious characters.  I have in mind the amazingly "controversial" Keith Vaz.  He has not yet made it into the House of Lords but Tony Blair appointed him to the Privy Council -- so he is now a "Right Honourable"

Nicknamed the Wizard of Oz, Mr Crosby has been knighted for "political service", after running the election campaign for British Prime Minister David Cameron.

He was among 1,926 people honoured in the New Year list.

Hailing from South Australia, Mr Crosby was the federal director of the Liberals until 2002, playing a key role in John Howard's four election victories.

He also had success with campaign of London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Known for his aggressive approach to political strategy, Liberal Democrat business secretary Vince Cable once referred to Mr Crosby as "an Australia rottweiler".

Controversy over knighthoods as political rewards

British Labour's shadow home secretary Andy Burnham called Mr Crosby's knighthood "outrageous".

Mr Burnham said it was "the clearest evidence yet that the Tories think they can get away with whatever they like".

Another Labour MP, Graham Jones, said it was a sign of cronyism.  "The honours system is supposed to recognise dedicated public service, not simply be a vehicle to reward Tory cronies and donors," Mr Jones said. "David Cameron should take care not to undermine the integrity of the system."

SOURCE






Cardinal Pell: a scapegoat at the altar of progressivism

Australians concerned about freedom of religion in this country would be well advised to look beyond the present and likely future debate over same-sex marriage.

Already, what was until recently the traditional view, that marriage is a union between a man and a woman, is being presented as offensive at best and discriminatory at worst by some who advocate what they term marriage equality.

It is not only many believers who hold the traditional view about marriage. However, it is possible that the Catholic Church and some other Christian denominations, plus adherents of Hinduism and Islam, will be targeted for their attitudes on this issue by government tribunals and the like in the future. The first instance is already manifesting itself in Tasmania with respect to the Catholic Church.

For an example of how current government-funded institutions regard religion, attention should be given to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The royal commission has done good work in revealing the extent of mainly historical cases of child sexual abuse in churches and secular and government institutions up until relatively recent times.

Evidence before the royal commission indicates that sexual abuse was at a high level in the Catholic Church until about two decades ago, particularly in Victoria in the archdiocese of Melbourne and the diocese of Ballarat in the 1970s, 80s and early 90s.

The Catholic Church has never been a democracy. Each archdiocese or diocese is ruled by an archbishop or bishop respectively who reports directly to the Pope in Rome.

Evidence given to the royal commission and the Victorian parliamentary inquiry demonstrates that Frank Little (archbishop of Melbourne from 1974 to 1996) and Ronald Mulkearns (bishop of Ballarat from 1971 to 1997) knew of instances of pedophilia in their areas of responsibility but covered them up.

George Pell was the first archbishop or bishop to act against child sexual abuse when he set up the Melbourne Response in 1996, just three months after being appointed archbishop of Melbourne. This was the first time Pell had been in charge of an archdiocese or diocese.

Even so, Pell has very much been the target of the royal commission. It could be that such an expensive and longstanding organisation wants a high-profile target. And Pell is one of the best known Australians. Moreover, the cardinal has an international reputation and is the third most senior figure in the Vatican.

Pell already has appeared before the royal commission twice, once in person and once by video link from Rome. He also appeared in person at the Victorian parliamentary inquiry.

It has been known for some time that Pell has a heart condition. Yet on December 11 royal commission chairman Peter McClellan dismissed the cardinal’s request to give evidence via video link from Rome. This despite the fact Pell had a doctor’s certificate stating he was unfit to undertake long-distance air travel and that other witnesses, resident in Australia, had given evidence by video link.

Clearly the royal commission wants Pell in the witness box, even though such a personal appearance is most unlikely to change his evidence.

In the hearings last month, many of the high-profile claims about what Pell allegedly was told concerning child sex abuse between two and four decades ago collapsed under cross-examination from the cardinal’s lawyers.

It may be that the royal commission has a secondary agenda — namely, by focusing on the conservative Pell, it hopes to influence the Catholic Church to move to a less theologically conservative mindset.

Two case studies illustrate the point.

On August 24 last year, the royal commission interviewed Geoffrey Robinson. The retired bishop is a progressive and a critic of Pell. Despite anticipation in the media, he said little about Pell except that he and many of his colleagues disliked the cardinal. But Robinson declared that, in the late 1980s, he regarded Mulkearns as “one of the more forward-looking bishops”.

Towards the end of his testimony, Robinson criticised “obligatory celibacy” for priests and what he termed the “creeping infallibility” of the Pope. Much to the apparent satisfaction of counsel assisting, Gail Furness SC.

Last month, John Walshe, the parish priest of Mentone in Melbourne, was called to the witness stand for several hours across two days. This followed his decision to make a statement supporting Pell’s recall of a phone conversation with child sex abuse victim David Ridsdale.

Counsel assisting, Angus Stewart SC, accused Walshe of having “fabricated” evidence because of his friendship with Pell. It was never suggested that any witnesses critical of Pell might be guilty of fabricating evidence because of their enmity towards the cardinal.

Before this exchange, Stewart put it to Walshe that he had “similar viewpoints on theological questions” to that of Pell, including “a conservative theology of priesthood and sexual morality”. McClellan later intervened to imply that there should be a “greater role” for “women in the church”. Later still, McClellan did not intervene when counsel for one of the victims raised issues such as married priests and even the Latin mass. None of this is directly related to clerical child sexual abuse.

The church in Victoria is divided into the archdiocese of Melbourne plus the dioceses of Ballarat, Sale and Sandhurst (based at Bendigo). The members of the hierarchy who most frequently turned a blind eye to the crimes of their priests were Little and Mulkearns in Melbourne and Ballarat respectively. Neither was a theological conservative. On the available evidence there was much less child sexual abuse in Sale and Sandhurst, where there was a conservative tradition.

It has been reported subsequently on the ABC and in Fairfax Media that, when a young priest, Walshe was found by church authorities to have had an improper sexual relationship with an 18-year-old seminarian. This was a serious indiscretion but not a crime. However, neither news organisation has covered the recent revelation in The Australian that one of Pell’s most high-profile accusers is a convicted pedophile.

The lack of balance in the media’s reporting of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church reflects the fact many journalists detest Pell’s conservatism. There are disturbing signs that a similar disposition is evident in the royal commission, which runs the risk of breaching the division between church and state.

SOURCE






Lake Eyre begins filling with water after Queensland outback gets monsoon rains

Recent rainfall in S.W. Queensland and South Australia's far north has started to fill Lake Eyre, turning dry and dusty plains green with vegetation.

The Bureau of Meteorology has flood watch alerts in place for the north-east pastoral district, with a number of roads closed, including parts of the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks.

Kalamurina has recorded 182.8 millimetres of rain, Mt Dare 63 millimetres and Oodnadatta 23.8 millimetres over the past few days.

The Birdsville Track from the South Australian border to Mungeranie, Mungeranie to Kalamurina, the Birdsville Inside Track, Marree to Muloorina, Strzelecki Track from Innamincka to Merty Merty, Mount Hopeless to Lyndhurst, Innamincka to Nappa Merrie and Cordillo Downs Road to Arrabury turn off to SA/Qld border tracks are closed due to rain.

Sections of the Oodnadatta Track, between Hamilton and Oodnadatta, Mt Dare and Hamilton, Oodnadatta and Coober Pedy, and William Creek and Marree are also closed to all vehicles.

William Creek pilot Trevor Wright said the rain had started to bring Lake Eyre to life. "Lake Eyre is looking fantastic at the present time," he said. "It's got a very good covering of water on it from that rain we had, that depression that came down from the Northern Territory. "There are quite a few smaller creeks flowing into it on the east side and also from the Anna Creek side as well."

Mr Wright said it had been several years since he had seen so much greenery in the region.

"The whole area, it's not brown and red anymore, it's just green with saltbush and vegetation growing. Quite a lot of the clay pans and swamps are starting to fill up with water," he said.

"It's very unusual to see this amount of green at this time of year — it's usually burning."

The rain has been well received by pastoralists and has tourism operators hopeful for a busy season. "It's starting to put some colour back into it for people who want to see something that's pretty unique in the middle of summer," Mr Wright said. "It's a great chance, providing they take the right precautions, to come up and have a look around the area.

"Out in the Simpson Desert I would say over the next week or so the greening up of that will be incredible."

However, Mr Wright said the rain highlighted the need for improved telecommunications across the region, with search and rescue missions often hindered by failing satellite systems.

"I think some of the resources from the Federal and State Government should be looking at rural and remote areas to upgrade the telecommunication services, especially out this way," he said.

"If we do get follow-up rain, I think it will be a reasonable tourist season in 2016, and one of the high priorities there is communications for people coming in from interstate and overseas."

SOURCE






Qld.: More reductions in solar panel handouts planned

HUNDREDS of thousands of homeowners with solar panels would lose the generous feed-in tariff if they install energy-storing batteries, under a proposal by Energex.

In a submission to the Queensland Productivity Commission electricity pricing inquiry, the state-owned power distributor calls for the law to be changed to strip customers’ eligibility for the 44¢/kWh tariff if they fit Battery Energy Storage Systems.

The Palaszczuk Government says battery storage was not envisaged when the solar bonus scheme was introduced. But it was not ruling the proposal in or out at this stage and would consider it along with other recommendations after the commission released its report in mid-February.

Queensland has almost 400,000 homes with PV panels. Stripping eligibility to the 44¢ rate would affect about 265,000 households.

Energex argues the increased ability to keep large amounts of power for release back into the network would give those solar householders on the top rate an unfair advantage which was never intended by the bonus scheme.

Ergon does not call for eligibility to be removed in its submission, but argues that generous government rebates and feed-in tariffs have shifted the mindset of many customers from an environmental motivation to seeking a financial return.

But solar owners are furious. Brisbane resident John Sheehan, who has been the local co-ordinator for Solar Citizens, said the proposal unfairly penalised individuals and undermined the State Government’s own target of 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

He said such a move would discourage people from installing batteries until the bonus scheme ended 12 years from now.

“Energex’s action in proposing to block 170,000 homes from installing batteries conflicts with their rhetoric about price signals and reducing peak loads. It’s hypocritical and a bit childish really.’’

Mr Sheehan speculated that the distributor was concerned that batteries would reduce evening peak demand — and reduce the amount power companies could charge under planned demand-based tariffs.

The 44c/kWh feed-in tariff, brought in by Labor in 2008 as an incentive to encourage homeowners to fit photo voltaic systems, has helped make Queensland the solar capital of Australia.

The rate was reduced to 8c/KWh for new customers in 2012 by the incoming LNP government, which shut it down in 2014. Home-owners in southeast Queensland now have to negotiate a rate with their individual energy retailer, while regional customers get 6.348c/kWh.

But those on the 44c level continue to receive it.

SOURCE

Australia, we are The Lucky Country. So stop complaining

Jane Fynes-Clinton

I am pretty sure the fine Clinton is a basically conservative lady.  She is grateful for Australia.  Leftists just whine about it.  And gratitude is a major marker of conservatism and Christianity.  Committed Christians give thanks before each meal. Like Australians generally, few Australian conservatives are committed Christians but they do generally treat Christianity with respect.  Some of us even go to church on occasions.

Jane has written other articles that reveal her as patriotic and conservative, two things that are often related. I reproduce immediately below this one an  article by her that I heartily agree with.  It is a balanced look  at feminism -- a very rare thing indeed.

And from my observation and reading, I think she is pretty right on her international comparisons.  Garbage collection and potholed roads seem to be a major problem in Britain but not here.  Potholes are rare and only last a couple of days here.  They often last for months in Britain.  And ALL our garbage is collected every week with no need for us to sort it in any  way.  We have recycling bins but nobody checks what is in them. That would be a dream in most of Britain.

And our banks are the world's best.  At the height of the financial crisis, instead of going bust, they continued to make profits pretty much as usual.  Beat that!  I used to think our banks were pretty terrible -- until I encountered British and American ones.

And, remarkably, it is true that our politicians are pretty good.  There have been quite a few times over the years when I have written to my local member over some bureaucratic boneheadedness I had encountered.  And the problem was rapidly fixed on all occasions.


We have much to be grateful for here in the Land of Oz.

Instead of looking to criticise our nation and those in it, we must look to praise and find pride in it. The frustration is we could be so much more if we accepted that our economic situation is pretty good in a world sense, our crime rate is better than most, our politicians are largely accountable and work for us, and we are mostly safe.

We are a stunning nation and, at our core, a wonderful people. But misery seems to like company and an attitudinal shift here is overdue.

I have had the privilege of travelling to many nations in the past six weeks and am struck at how blessed Australia is — and how little we appreciate it.

On a day-to-day level, we have fresh fruit and vegetables by the barrowful. In England, Canada and France at this time of year, choices are limited and produce is expensive.

We have fresh air and drinkable water straight from the tap. In Bangkok, both are the stuff of faraway lands.

We have access to medical help regardless of income. Access to a quality education in Australia is not determined by social standing, as it is in many Asian nations.

Our footpaths and roads aren’t allowed to be in disrepair for long (holes and unevenness feature in main streets from London to Bangkok to New York) and our rubbish is reliably collected — again, a rarity in even civilised societies.

These are simple, transparent truths, so a little perspective and a little glimpse outside our bubble into the world around us might help us adopt an attitude of gratitude.

As well as these societal structures that we have demanded and our governments and authorities have implemented, we are also The Lucky Country — and that need not be imbued with the irony the creator of the phrase intended.

The Lucky Country is the title of Donald Horne’s 1964 book. It got its name from words in its last chapter, which read: “Australia is a lucky country, run by second-rate people who share its luck”.

Horne grieved for an Australia at the time that did not seem to think for itself, that clung to traditions that were not its own, that had a chip on its shoulder the size of Tasmania. [I remember Donald.  It was Donald who had the chip on his shoulder]

Sadly, not a huge amount has changed in more than 50 years. But is it possible that 2016 could be our year? That we might start being the nation the rest of the world thinks we are?

We are lucky, certainly. We have space, natural beauty and resources and endless sunshine.

These are gifts we do not necessarily deserve, but should consciously treasure.

Our encroaching negativity — for starters, the practice of whining online about meals, people, systems and anything else that niggles, and our aggression on the roads over tiny infractions — is a characteristic we must shed to advance our civility and 2016 is the year to do it.

Australians want to collectively regain mental wellness and finally accept the positives our nation is groaning with. Our land abounds with them.

2016 is the year for gratitude. Happy — the kind that is deeply real and lasting — new year.

SOURCE






It's time to grow up and end gender politics, Jane Fynes-Clinton writes

An article from 2012

GENERALISATIONS about either sex, particularly when used in the political debate, are demeaning to all and cloud the real issues.

WE WOULD expect our children to behave better. If the kiddies picked on one another in such a way, right-minded parents would scold them, explaining that we are progressive and civilised and this is simply not an acceptable way to behave.

Reasonable people don't call one another names just for being boys or girls - surely?

But when the heat is on, at times when we should be most adult, too many resort to name-calling and using undertones that are built around gender even when it is not appropriate to do so.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman did it on Tuesday at the Budget Estimates hearing. Irritated at pestering questions by Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk, he suggested she was "being cute".

A look at Prime Minister Julia Gillard's Facebook page reveals the much-publicised hammering she got in a question-and-answer session earlier in the week was not isolated.

References early yesterday morning included one poster wanting the PM to make them dinner; and another for her to get back on her broomstick. And many other such predictable, gender-based barbs.

Drunken footballers on "mad Monday" called out lewd sexual things. And whether or not the comments were directed at female journalists, and an inquiry found they were not, they were still sexist and demeaning.

Women are no better. They can be as savagely sexist and poisonous as men. They generalise about men being emotionally unavailable, domestically lazy and obsessed with sex.

But gender generalisations are holding us all back and often clouding the real issues that are in urgent need of exploration.

While some men will say the Canterbury Bulldogs' rugby league team carry-on was "just what footy blokes do", many abhor the lack of respect it showed.

And many women are shocked that men are looked at with suspicion when they are alone around small children and reject generalisations about them being knuckle-draggers or meatheads.

We should never make general judgments about the opposite gender by the behaviour of its worst examples.

And that is the point - while evidence abounds of the most basic of gender stereotypes being wheeled out and put on display increasingly regularly lately, not all men are the same and neither are all women.

There is talk that Newman and federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott are "not liked by women", as if women are an indivisible mass with one opinion, one mind and one vote.

It is as if women seek the most female-friendly candidate and vote for them, without thought on policy or principle.

The situation is no more advanced in the US, with the same debate going on, but with different players. The man who wants Barack Obama's job, Mitt Romney, is cast as not being popular with women, but is blessed with a wife who will speak up for him and has proved popular with the public (sound familiar?).

Isn't it all a bit primitive? Doesn't that broad grouping demean women in particular and society in general?

The key to understanding society is not, and has never been, as simple as herding women or men together and stereotyping them. The spectrum of views and interests in each gender is increasingly broad and varied.

But that seems forgotten in debates where generalisations are convenient.

We do not help the issue by cutting the cloth to fit the model. We accept sexist jokes from, say, a group of girlfriends, but not from our boss.

Man and women reach for and use the sexist button when it suits us - not unlike Labor, which has relentlessly targeted Abbott over having a so-called problem with women, but then on Tuesday baulked at giving the disgraced and disgraceful texter Peter Slipper the boot.

If the Alan Jones drama this week taught us anything, it's that bad behaviour is not sexist just because it involves people of a different gender.

Insensitivity and nasty comments, such as those Jones made about Gillard and her dad, are just rude. In his case, gender does not come into it, but in that case was an obvious weapon to reach for.

If sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, framing all arguments in terms of gender is the basest form of understanding.

So, excluding Alan Jones and most of the Federal Parliament, let's get serious about developing a vestige of civility, put down the gender card and get on with growing up.

This is no sandpit and we are no longer little boys and girls.

SOURCE






Bob Hawke Says Nuclear Waste Dump 'A Win-Win' For Australia

Being arguably the most popular Leftist Prime Minister Australia has had, Hawke still has influence on the Left, so this is significant.  The Labor Party Premier of South Australia is of the same mind

Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke is still pushing for Australia to become the world's nuclear waste dump, calling the plan "a win-win" that could "transform our own fiscal situation."

Hawke was an advocate for nuclear waste to be stored securely in Australia's remote regions from the time of his Prime Ministership which ended in 1991; now, a quarter of a century later, the Labor Party elder statesman said he still wanted to see the idea come to fruition.

Speaking at the embargoed launch of cabinet papers from 1990 and 1991 -- the turbulent period which saw him elected to an unlikely and record fourth term as PM, then quickly dumped from the top job as Paul Keating's second leadership spill saw him seize power in December '91 -- Hawke spoke widely on both historical and contemporary issues.

"In my last final period as prime minister, I had a world economic group of geologists and experts commissioned to find out where are the world’s safest remote sites for storage of waste, and all the sites were in Australia," he said.

"We would negotiate with the countries to take the waste and we’d make the world a safer place by having all this unsafe stuff around the world stored safely, and at the same time we’d transform our own fiscal situation. This is what my Chinese friends call a win-win situation."

SOURCE





Australia's long-awaited free trade deal with China finally comes into force

More than a decade in the making, the deal is expected to deliver immediate benefits to exporters across the country.

From now, more than 85 per cent of Australia's goods exported to China – worth about $86 million last year – will enter duty free. That will rise to 96 per cent when the FTA is fully implemented.

The deal is expected to save exporters hundreds of millions of dollars in extra tariff payments next year alone.

The dairy industry expects to add 600-700 extra jobs in the same timeframe, as tariffs of up to 20 per cent are progressively eliminated across a plethora of products, from infant formula to cheese.

For Mr Thomas, a sharefarmer in Binginwarri in South Gippsland, the free trade deal has given him confidence to stay in the industry – and he's now contemplating buying his own property.

"I think the FTA's going to really bolster the industry. It's going to give people the confidence to invest, whether that's in new properties or expanding their current businesses," he told Fairfax Media.

"In a nutshell I think it's a fantastic thing and it's been a long time coming. And it's not just the dairy industry that's going to benefit, but the agriculture sector generally."

China is Australia's largest trading partner, buying almost a third of all Australian exports.

Under the FTA, tariffs of up to 25 per cent on beef and 20 per cent on wine will also be eliminated over the coming years. Duties on resources, medicines and services will also start coming down.

Consumers will benefit from more affordable Chinese goods such as electronics, clothing and other household items.

The Abbott government signed the deal – commenced by the Howard government way back in 2005 – in June.

A political bunfight over labour market testing ensued, but the opposition eventually helped the government pass the enabling legislation through the parliament in early November.

On Sunday Trade Minister Andrew Robb called it an historic day.

"This will prove a major fillip for our exporters in market of 1.4 billion people which includes a rapidly rising middle class," he said.

Exporters will see a "double whammy" of tariff cuts, with one round today and another on January 1, he said.

SOURCE

Immigrant High School students do best in West Australia

Some ironies here, I think.  Spotty Anglo girl best at farming.  Chinese girl top academically



TWO public schoolgirls — including one from a state agricultural college — have taken out WA’s top academic honours for Year 12 graduates, the Beazley Medals.

Perth Modern School graduate Hui Min Tay was awarded the WA Certificate of Education Beazley Medal for achieving the highest award score in the state.

Megan McSeveney from the Harvey WA College of Agriculture was awarded the Beazley Medal for Vocational Education Training achievement.

Education Minister Peter Collier presented the girls with their medals at a ceremony in Kings Park on Thursday morning.

Miss Tay won multiple School Curriculum and Standards Authority awards for her work this year, including a General Exhibition, which are awarded to the top 40 WACE students in the state, a Course Exhibition for Ancient History, Chemistry and Physics, a Certificate of Distinction for Ancient History, Chemistry, Mathematics: Specialist and Physics, and a Certificate of Commendation.

Miss McSeveney completed Certificates II and III in Agriculture, a Certificate II in Production Horticulture and Certificate II in Wool Handling. She was also recognised for putting her skills into action in the workplace.

Miss McSeveney, who grew up on a farm in South Africa before coming to WA, said she hoped to go on to study animal science, with a long-term goal of running her own dairy.

“Hui Min and Megan have not just done well this year; they have shown a commitment to their education over many years,” Mr Collier said.

Hui Min told 6PR she was surprised to have got such high marks as she found the WACE exams hard and thought she might have “stuffed up" one of them.

Born in Singapore, she started studying at Perth Modern School midway through Year 10 when she was 14.

She said she thought her Beazley Medal win was a combination of her hard work and the support she has been given by other students and staff at Perth Modern School, which she described as a “very inspiring environment."

She now plans to study science at university for two years, and then possibly go on to study medicine.

Perth Modern School, an academically selective school, had the most General Exhibition winners this year with nine students placing within the top 40. The school also had 79 other award winners.

St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls had six General Exhibition winners and Presbyterian Ladies College and Christ Church Grammar School both had three.

Rossmoyne Senior High School students also scooped the awards with 41 winners and St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls had 40.

SOURCE






Bob Hawke call: cut ALP ties with CFMEU

Bob Hawke says Labor and the ACTU must embrace reforms to improve union governance and transparency.

Bob Hawke has called on the Labor Party and the ACTU to consider cutting ties with the scandal-plagued Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union, while Paul Keating has warned that trade union influence inside the party must be reduced.

The two former Labor prime ministers, who forged a historic partnership with unions to transform the economy a generation ago, have told The Australian they are appalled by the evidence of systemic union corruption, and urged union leaders to refocus on the national economic interest.

Mr Hawke, who as prime minister deregistered the rogue ­Builders Labourers Federation in 1986, said Labor and the ACTU must embrace reforms to improve union governance and transparency.

“The unions need to clean up their act and get their house in order,” Mr Hawke said. “It just is appalling. I mean, I wouldn’t tolerate it. You know what I did with the Builders Labourers Federation — I would throw them out.”

Asked if the CFMEU should still be affiliated to the ACTU and Labor, Mr Hawke, who was ACTU president throughout the 1970s, said: “Well, I would be very happy for them not to be at this stage.”

The comments from the two Labor elders came before the Heydon royal commission released its damning findings on Wednesday, recommending civil or criminal action against 37 ­people and describing “widespread” corruption throughout the union movement.

The CFMEU, a union with a criminal record and that has been fined for multiple breaches of the law, had 12 present and former ­officials referred to authorities for possible corruption, intimidation, breaching official duties and knowingly giving false evidence.

The Labor luminaries’ comments stand in stark contrast to the stance adopted yesterday by Labor’s workplace relations spokesman, Brendan O’Connor, who rubbished commissioner Dyson Heydon’s report, saying it read like it was “written by a B-grade subeditor of a sleazy ­tabloid”.

Asked about Labor’s continued affiliation with the CFMEU, Mr O’Connor, whose brother ­Michael O’Connor is the CFMEU national secretary, defended the construction union while simultaneously stressing Labor had “zero tolerance for corruption”.

“Anyone who’s broken the law should be dealt with appropriately, but to suggest because there may be individuals in an organisation, somehow that organisation is systemically corrupt, it does not hold water,” he told ABC radio.

Mr Hawke said the ACTU and Labor had not previously done enough to acknowledge or res­pond to the problems in the union movement, but he was pleased that Labor leader Bill Shorten had recently put forward proposals to strengthen union governance, increase penalties for illegality and overhaul political donation laws.

“Bill is coming out now and saying more should be done,” Mr Hawke said.

Mr Shorten, who has been on leave, did not formally respond to the commission’s report until 24 hours after its release, first on Twitter and later in a statement.

“If Mr Turnbull and his Liberals want to fight an election on industrial relations, bring it on. We won on WorkChoices & we’ll win again,’’ he tweeted.

In further comments to The Australian, Mr Shorten indicated Labor would consider measures to deal with corruption as long as they were not targeted solely at unions. “We want to stamp out any criminality in unions, corporations or anywhere else,” he said. “We will look at serious and sensible suggestions to improve governance.”

He said as a minister he sent administrators into the HSU, which uncovered many of the problems within that union.

“And as Labor leader, I have announced a series of measures designed to further improve governance of unions.”

Mr Keating, who won the prime ministership from Mr Hawke in 1991, told The Australian the unions did not have the same commitment to the national economic interest as they did under the Accord partnership with the Labor government in the 1980s and 90s.

“The propensity of the ACTU leadership to agree a set of national economic outcomes consistent with their members’ best interests was more obvious than today, but then the labour market today is reasonably flexible, otherwise wages wouldn’t be growing at 2.2 per cent,” he said.

As treasurer, Mr Keating placed a priority on the Accord that moderated wage claims in return for tax cuts and social benefits while supporting tariff reductions, industry deregulation, labour market reform and asset sales that made the economy more productive, efficient and competitive.

He said union influence inside Labor was too overbearing and there should be a rethink of the party-union nexus. “The preponderance of trade union weight in the Labor Party’s councils is now too large, given organised labour’s influence in the current and contemporary labour market,” Mr Keating said.

“The party should be broader, freer, and whatever influence organised labour has should be such as to genuinely represent its weight in the broader economy, but not to distort the (party’s) processes.”

Mr Hawke agreed unions “should not have an undue influence” inside Labor and that falling union membership must lead to reduced union delegations to state party conferences, currently set at 50 per cent.

ACTU secretary Dave Oliver disputed the suggestion corruption was widespread in the union movement and criticised the “political nature” of the commission and the “extreme language” in its final report.

SOURCE






Social media has lit up with a stream of brutal criticism about the ABC's New Year's Eve firework hosting

Viewers have slammed the ABC’s ‘lame’ and cringeworthy New Year’s Eve entertainment, which was a mix of blatant self-promotion, ‘embarrassing’ jokes and online technical difficulties.

For years, Channel Nine have had the rights to show the New Year’s Eve fireworks, but national broadcaster ABC has been given the task of hosting the coverage for the second year running – and have been widely panned for their efforts.

It had been hosted by Justine Clarke from 8.30pm for the family portion of the programming, and was followed by co-hosts Eddie Perfect, of Play School, and Ella Hooper, of Killing Heidi.

Social media was filled with messages slamming the ABC for a range of reasons, with one person claiming ‘I almost wish (Channel Nine personality) Richard Wilkins was back.’

‘Seriously @ABCTV #nyeabc is the worst. You seriously suck. What did we do to deserve this sh*te? Oh I know. We stayed home #SydNYE,’ tweeted another person.

Ironically, the program pretended it was being run by puppets from ABC's children's programs and even showed the toys trying to deal with technical difficulties.

Celebrities – and some hard-to-place faces – appeared in an awkward montage wishing Australians a Happy New Year and plugging new programs on the ABC next year.

‘Have a good year and, and watch our show!’ one ABC personality yelled out.

‘ABC’s NYE coverage is a who’s who of celebrities… No, literally a who’s who, no idea who any of them are,’ tweeted Corey Sinclair.

ABC personalities Brooke Satchwell and Matt Day both appeared in the montage before a pub quiz-style program hosted by Lawrence Mooney in between the 'family fireworks' at 9pm and midnight

In the lead up to the 9pm ‘family fireworks’, presenters Justine Clarke and Eddie Perfect led a search for the Playschool character Humpty Dumpty. The egg toy was eventually found on the top of the Opera House.

‘What a patronising, cringeworthy presentation for the 9pm fireworks. Just a bit embarrassed for Australia right now,’ tweeted Casey.

‘And yet again the telecast of Sydney fireworks is totally lame and so badly scripted,’ #cringe #abc #embarrassing,’ tweeted Anna Patterson.

‘The skit with the ABC children’s toys is unbelievably boring. Hurry up and show the family fireworks,’ tweeted Jeremy.

‘Every year it’s the same excruciating, embarrassing fail,’ wrote a Facebook user.

‘Sorry the Big Bash cricket is way better entertainment,’ wrote another, who swore to switch channels ‘until five minutes to 12.’

Others were disappointed that a technical problem meant they not only couldn’t get the ABC on their televisions, but they also couldn’t live stream the fireworks as promised.

‘This is what we got to see as the fireworks happened – pathetic, ABC sucks,’ Alyson Keeys tweeted, alongside a photo of computer screen. The screen said: ‘Sorry! For legal reasons, we can’t live stream all programs yet’ with the ABC logo.

‘Looks like ABC doesn’t have digital broadcast rights for #NYESYD – need to use Telstra stream,’ wrote Bradley Jarvis.

'The Sound of Music gang has my 18month old ENTRANCED,' tweeted Jess.

'Pub quiz again the highlight of coverage. Kids segment hit and miss, Falls performances an odd choice,' one person wrote on Twitter.

Pre-recorded footage from Falls Festival earlier that day was aired in the coverage, including of Courtney Barnett, Paul Kelly, RÜFÜS, Peking Duk, Hilltop Hoods, Bloc Party, The Wombats and Foals.

Between the 9pm family fireworks and midnight, media personality Lawrence Mooney hosted a pub quiz, questioning ABC personalities on events of the year.

Some said the program dragged on for too long, while many on social media applauded the pub-quiz, including guests Tom Ballard and Emma Alberici.

SOURCE






Recovering student loans from overseas residents

From today, people who have benefited from Australian student loans and now live overseas will pay for them the same way as they would if they lived in Australia.

Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham said it was estimated that up to $30 million was lost annually due to graduates moving overseas and from today those graduates would be required to notify the Australian Taxation Office to arrange repayments.

Minister Birmingham said recouping debts under the Higher Education Loan Programme or Trade Support Loan scheme would ensure Australia’s world-class, income-contingent student loans scheme was fairer and more sustainable into the future.

“The Turnbull Government is committed to ensuring the future sustainability of Australia’s student loans scheme and to ensuring it is fair for all Australians.

“Until now, people who took out a loan under the Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) or a Trade Support Loan (TSL) and moved overseas were under no obligation to repay their debt as long as they remained offshore residents,” Minister Birmingham said.

“From 2016-17, anyone who has a Higher Education Loan Programme or Trade Support Loan debt who earns above the minimum repayment threshold (currently $54,126) will be required to make repayments regardless of where they live.

“As well as making the scheme fairer and more equitable, the Government’s changes will improve the sustainability of the scheme with taxpayers to benefit by $150 million over the next decade.”

Minister Birmingham said it is estimated that around $20‑30 million each year was lost due to graduates moving overseas and up to $800 million due to non-repayment of debts from students living overseas had been lost since the start of the student loan scheme in 1989.

All Australians with current and new HELP and TSL debt who move overseas for six months or more are required to notify the ATO via the myGov website to facilitate repayments. For more information about HELP, go to www.studyassist.gov.au


Press release from Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham, Federal  Minister for Education and Training

Authorities swoop on 60 tonnes of Victorian baby formula bound for China

Rising demand meets inelasticity of supply. It should be a good export opportunity but you cannot suddenly get cows to give more milk.  In a free market most of the formula would go to China -- with Australian mothers having to use their inbuilt baby food or make up their own formula from fresh bovine milk.  My mother did both

AUTHORITIES have seized 60 tonnes of baby formula and milk product bound for China.

A Herald Sun investigation uncovered details of the baby formula seizure, as supermarkets continued to ration purchases for Victorian parents.

People have been buying infant formula by the car-boot load from a factory in Clayton to send overseas. They are loading their cars with boxes of popular brands Aptamil and a2 Platinum from the Clayton warehouse.

A warehouse employee confirmed they were selling it on to contacts in Asia. "We have a company and we sell the product," she said. "They (the baby formula) are going overseas."

A spokesman for Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce confirmed the Department of Agriculture stopped a major shipment from Melbourne in November.

The Department of Agriculture did not reveal why the shipment of formula and milk powder was seized, because of the continuing investigation.

"The department is investigating a number of recent allegations about noncompliant consignments being exported, but is not able to comment further at this time," a departmental spokesman said.

"The role of this department is to ensure . goods exported comply with the (law), meet foreign government requirements, (and) are safe and accurately described."

Rowville resident Yvonne Skroubelos, who has been feeding nine-month-old son Dion the popular Aptamil formula, said customers should not buy it to export overseas.

"For my next child I want to make sure there is not going to be a shortage, and I think it is a major concern for any mother," she said. "The baby formula is for mothers to buy in Australia. "It's not fair that they are able to ship it off to China."

Demand in China for Australian infant formula has skyrocketed since 2008, when melamine contamination in milk in China saw six babies die and 300,000 fall ill.

A tin of Bellamy's Organic, which sells for $25 in Australia, can cost $84 in Shanghai.

SOURCE





Turnbull flags sweeping reform following union royal commission as unions urge caution

The Turnbull government has flagged sweeping new laws to tackle trade union corruption after a Royal Commission found the labour movement was riddled with "widespread" and "deep-seated" misconduct.

The final report by Commissioner Dyson Heydon referred key union figures including the disgraced former Health Services Union Kathy Jackson and Victorian Labor MP Cesar Melhem to prosecutors for possible charges. But it made no adverse finding against Labor leader Bill Shorten, who was head of the Australian Workers Union when it committed a series of breaches detailed in the report.

Labor and the unions swiftly dismissed the report as a political witch-hunt, saying that the cases highlighted by Mr Heydon were isolated and did not represent systemic problems among union officials.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Employment Minister Michaelia Cash strongly indicated that many of the report's 79 recommendations would be adopted by the government in the form of new laws, amounting to a significant tightening of union regulation.

"If its recommendations are substantially adopted, if the lessons of this report are learned, the trade union movement will emerge much stronger," Mr Turnbull said.

Describing the report as a "watershed moment" for unions, Mr Turnbull vowed to make union reform an election issue if the Senate blocks new laws.

Senator Cash said the report showed that "the existing laws … are not adequately protecting the hard-working union members and they have not been effective in dealing with and stamping out the blatant misconduct and alleged criminal behaviour".

Opposition workplace spokesman Brendan O'Connor said criminal behaviour by unions should be dealt with by police. The Commission by contrast was a "politically motivated witch-hunt", he said, pointing to Mr Heydon's acceptance of an invitation to speak at a Liberal Party function – a revelation that led to unsuccessful calls for his resignation.

Labor has proposed its own union governance reforms but the Coalition says these are too weak.

In a blistering assessment of the state of unions, Mr Heydon – a former High Court judge - concluded the Commission had likely uncovered only the most egregious examples of misconduct.

"These aberrations cannot be regarded as isolated. They are not the work of a few rogue unions, or a few rogue officials. The misconduct exhibits great variety. It is widespread. It is deep-seated.  "It would be utterly naïve to think that what has been uncovered is anything other than the small tip of an enormous iceberg."

He said it was clear there was room in the union movement for "louts, thugs, bullies, thieves, perjurers".

Mr Turnbull backed this view, saying that while most union officials worked "honestly and capably" for their members, the misconduct found in the report was "not a case of a few rotten apples spoiling the whole barrel".

Mr Heydon's report refers 45 individuals for possible criminal charges or civil action, including the AWU, which it accuses of a raft of breaches including receiving tens of thousands of dollars in secret payments from companies while not pursuing the best deals for members in workplace negotiations.

A number of companies have also been referred to police and prosecutors, including engineering firm John Holland Pty Ltd, food grower Chiquita Mushrooms and Winslow Constructors Pty Ltd.

As well as calling for a new union watchdog, Mr Heydon recommended tougher penalties for misconduct by officials, stricter rules about financial disclosure by unions and new civil penalties for unions that don't keep proper records.

As a starting point, the government will introduce a toughened bill to create a union watchdog in the style of the corporate regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, as recommended by Mr Heydon. A previous, weaker version of that law has already twice been rejected by the Senate.

It will also bring back a bill to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission to oversee workplace relations in the building industry. The Senate has already rejected that bill once.

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Kate Carnell said the commission uncovered "serious issues endemic in the trade union movement that warrant a serious response from politicians from both sides and on the crossbenches".

ACTU secretary Dave Oliver said rejected claims of "widespread unlawful corrupt conduct within the union movement".

He said unions were willing to discuss reform with the government but called on Mr Turnbull to "allow some time and space for these discussions to occur, and not try and rush through any kind of legislation in the first part of next year".

He said if there was an "enormous iceberg" of misconduct then a 21-month Royal Commission that grilled 505 witnesses should have been able to find it.

SOURCE






Trade union royal commission: Rogue CFMEU officials placed on hit list

ROGUE CFMEU officials have been put on a hit list because of systematic violence, threats and corrupt behaviour.

Royal commissioner Dyson Heydon outlined a bold plan in his final report to attack the heads of militant unions.

In an unprecedented move, Mr Heydon stopped short of banning entire unions, instead recommending that officials found to have engaged in unlawful behaviour be stripped of their roles.

“Cancelling the registration of the whole union may have a disproportionate effect on union members who have not been involved in illegal ­activity,” the report found.

“To deal with the particular cultural problems within the CFMEU, Commonwealth and state Parliaments could enact legislation prohibiting a class of CFMEU officials determined by the Parliament from holding any office in any registered organisation or branch for a specified period of time.”

Mr Heydon made his recommendations based on a litany of allegations of bad behaviour from the CFMEU heard by the commission.

The final report details “widespread” misconduct within the CFMEU and other unions including the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU), the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the Health Services Union (HSU).

Mr Heydon said the union probe had uncovered evidence of unlawful conduct within the CFMEU including physical and verbal violence, threats, secondary boycotts and contempt of court.

He recommended Parliament consider expelling officials that are not “fit and proper persons” from holding office in any registered organisation or branch.

The report comes just weeks after Victorian CFMEU officials John Setka and Shaun Reardon were charged with blackmail by the royal commission taskforce. Yesterday’s report referred several officials from other state branches for investigation.

CFMEU national secretary Dave Noonan said the proposal to ban some union bosses set a dangerous precedent.  “There is nothing surprising in the report, which is in lock-step with the Liberal Party on ­industrial relations,” he said.  “The union has no time for corruption. When we have had corruption in our ranks we have dealt with it and we will continue to deal with it.”

In NSW, construction industry figure George Alex and CFMEU official Darren Greenfield were also referred to police for investigation.

Commissioner Heydon found there was a “substantial body of documentary evidence” including text messages which exposed dodgy payments, bribes and perjury.

A charity associated with the CFMEU in the ACT was also referred to authorities and may lose its status over allegations it diverted funds for non-charitable use.

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie lashed out at the Government and called for the union to be abolished.  “Two-thirds of the inquiry’s energy was focused on allegations of misconduct, corruption or criminal behaviour by members of the CFMEU,” she said. “I can’t understand why Liberal Party members ... continue to oppose my call for the CFMEU to be deregistered?”

SOURCE






Australian Muslims sent $500,000 to Indonesia to fund terrorism

A terror financing investigation has uncovered about $500,000 in Australian cash sent to Indonesia to arm and train extremists and support their families.

A joint investigation between Australia and Indonesia found the cash was raised and transferred by an Australian man identified only by the letter L.

The money was collected from donors in Australia — some of whom may not have been aware their money was to be used to fund terrorism.

The details were confirmed by Agus Santoso, the deputy chairman of Indonesia's financial tracking watchdog, the Financial Transactions and Analysis Centre (PPATK).

"The one in Australia is a local Australian, not an Indonesian who is living in Australia and sending money to Indonesia," he said.

"The money was used for: one, to recruit people; secondly to fund training; thirdly to buy weapons, and the fourth is to give livelihood for the terrorists' family because the money goes to support the families of the terrorists who died."

Around 200 Indonesians are believed to have gone to Syria to fight for the Islamic State militant group, with at least 60 of them killed.

PPATK chairman Muhammad Yusuf said some of the Australians who donated may not have realised their cash was going to fund extremism.

"It could be when it happened, from the perspective of the donor; it was meant for charity not for terrorism," he said.

Indonesia says the Australian cash may have been used to support local terror networks, such as the group of alleged extremists arrested a week ago.

So far, 11 people have been arrested across Java and accused of plotting attacks on the nation's minority Shiite community, Christians and possibly even westerners.

They were arrested by special forces from Indonesia's anti-terror body Densus 88.

Mr Santoso said information from Australia's counter-terrorism financing watchdog AusTrac was crucial to uncovering these Indonesian networks.

"We really appreciate the cooperation with AusTrac and the AFP. It revealed the terrorism network between Australia and Indonesia, the network has been revealed, and we have handed over the case to Densus 88 to follow up," he said.

Indonesia is still on a state of heightened terror alert, with particularly tight security for the nation's New Year celebrations.

SOURCE






Almost 50 charged over street fights in Aboriginal community

Almost 50 people are facing criminal charges after several street fights broke out in a far north Queensland community.

Extra police were sent to Aurukun on western Cape York amid rising tensions between families and clan groups in the town of 1200.

People threw pieces of wood and steel during several street fights on Monday, damaging businesses, homes and a patrol car, police say.

A shop was burgled and two cars stolen. However, no one was injured.

Nine people faced Cairns Magistrates Court via videolink on Wednesday and a further 40 are due to face court in the coming days, ABC radio reports.

Police say tensions have since eased in the community.

SOURCE