Greenie versus Greenie

Sadly, the realistic ones were defeated by the sentimentalists.  With few dingoes and no Aborigines to hunt them, kangaroo numbers have grown into pest proportions, which  endangers other, smaller animals.  But that is too cerebral for the sentimentalists

Bush Heritage Australia has forfeited the inheritance of a 350-acre property near Bega and lost numerous donors as they face backlash from a planned kangaroo cull at Scottsdale​ Reserve, south of Canberra.

Regular supporters of the non-profit organisation have pulled donations following reports of a cull, with one referring to the organisation as "hopeless frauds".

Bush Heritage aims to "conserve biodiversity" at properties either purchased or donated across Australia.

However, the Australian Society for Kangaroos unveiled a practice of culling which has left supporters feeling lied to.

"I've cancelled my donation forever," one email read, in correspondence with ASK.

"If so-called saviours of the bush can't do it without this slaughter they shouldn't be doing it. Hopeless frauds."

Another person emailed ASK to say they would no longer be leaving their "precious" property to Bush Heritage in their Will.

"Following what seems to be a constant stream of horror stories [including] secretive native animal culling, we have now changed our Wills by omitting any reference to Bush Heritage," the email reads.

Bill Taylor, of Bywong, said he was a contributor to the non-profit for a number of years, before "pulling the plug" when the organisation didn't respond to questions about kangaroo culling he raised in reference to their annual report.

In response to the protests, Bush Heritage Australia has cancelled the kangaroo cull, which was approved by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.

Science and research manager at Bush Heritage Australia, Jim Radford, said kangaroo culls had been undertaken at the Scottsdale Reserve in the past, however the planned cull was called off due to, in part, concerns for public safety.

He said one the main concerns was "unauthorised access onto the site". "We didn't have any direct evidence of that and we weren't approached directly but we considered there was a risk," he said.

He said Bush Heritage had a range of ways to manage the kangaroo population, but as a last resort they turned to culling the macropods. "Under certain circumstances we do need to reduce the pressure applied by an excessive number of kangaroos," he said.

The Scottsdale Reserve is home to a variety of flora and fauna classed as vulnerable or critically endangered, including the Rosenberg's monitor and Yellow-box grassy woodland.

Mr Radford said the kangaroo population in the grasslands at Scottsdale Reserve was at more than twice the recommended level for maintaining ecologically sustainable populations.

"I think there is a great misunderstanding out there," Dr Radford said. "In some landscapes there are hugely elevated and unsustainable numbers of roos.

"We aim to maintain a healthy, resilient kangaroo population but there comes a point where their a risk to their own welfare from starvation stress. But to be honest our primary concern is the other species that are potentially impacted."

He said there would not be a kangaroo cull undertaken in the "foreseeable future" at Scottsdale Reserve

SOURCE





More African violence in Melbourne

A group of four teenage boys have been arrested after an early morning police chase in Melbourne that ended with one of the suspects being taken to hospital.

Police allege the boys, aged between 14 and 17, carried out a home invasion at Williams Landings, in Melbourne south-east, about 4.30am on Sunday when they stole a car.

Terrified residents at the home told 9News they were confronted by three teenagers of African appearance armed with shovels who 'calmly' demanded the keys to a silver Nissan sedan.

They say the teenagers were at the home for about 40 minutes before taking off with three phones and an iPad.

Police then spotted the stolen car at Sanctuary Lakes Boulevard at nearby Point Cook about 12.20am on Monday.

They followed the sedan to Carlton where it stopped in Palmerston Street about 1.20am.

The chase ended in a minor crash as police tried to catch the suspects. The Nissan had minor damage.

A 14-year-old Carlton North boy, a 14-year-old South Morang boy and a 17-year-old Keilor Downs boy were taken into custody and are being questioned by police.

A 15-year-old Richmond boy was taken to a hospital with minor injuries received during the arrest.

In the past few months, similar home invasions involving stolen cars have been happening across Melbourne.

SOURCE






Police officer points his gun at a man suspected of drink driving - before kicking him in the back and handcuffing him 
    
Footage has emerged showing the moment a police officer drew his gun on a man he had pulled over on suspicion of drink driving.

Tendered to the ACT Magistrate's Court on Friday, the video was filmed on a NSW Police officer's dashboard camera on January 22, 2015 outside Canberra.

The footage shows the officer running to the door of the man's car with his gun pointed at the driver, before flinging the door open as the man emerges with his hands up.

The highway patrol officer had been carrying out roadside breath tests on Canberra Avenue in Queanbeyan last January when the motorist slowed down when he saw the set up, Fairfax reported.

The policeman then followed the driver before pulling him over on Stephen's Road nearby. He got out of his car and flung the motorist's door open, gun drawn.

With his firearm pointed at the man's head, the police officer then appears to tell the driver to get down onto the ground and put his hands behind his back, and the man complies.

The officer then holstered his gun and kicked him in the back while he handcuffed the man, who according to the senior constable later returned a positive blood-alcohol reading.

The actions of the highway patrol officer were heavily criticised by a magistrate on Friday who said she was 'appalled' by the policeman's response.

Special Magistrate Margaret Hunter said it had been 'clearly unnecessary' for the officer to draw his gun and point it at the man's face.

However the senior constable involved told the court he was concerned about his own safety, to which the magistrate responded that he could have waited for backup.

The man's drink driving offence was successfully overturned on Friday after it was revealed the device used to carry out the test was not an approved breathalyser.

'NSW Police are aware of the courts decision and are reviewing the outcome,' a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

SOURCE






Australian jobseekers and businesses may benefit from Brexit

BRITAIN’S decision to leave the European Union may open up a “kangaroo route” for more Australians to live and work overseas.

It may also benefit Australian bosses, with the number of British jobseekers searching for work Down Under doubling in the hours following the Brexit decision.

International jobseeker site Indeed said job searches from UK residents interested in Australian jobs increased by 190 per cent in the hours after the vote.

It also sparked a 220 per cent increase in those looking for jobs in Ireland, possibly reflecting concerns from UK residents about losing the benefits of being part of the EU.

Indeed chief economist Tara Sinclair said cities like Sydney and Melbourne had always been magnets for British job seekers, who were attracted to the location, lifestyle and lower cost of living when compared to London.

But the biggest advantage for Australian employers right now was the strength of the Australian dollar against the British pound.

“With the British pound slumping to a 31-year low following the Brexit vote, it gives Australian employers a lot more clout when it comes to recruiting the best and brightest from the UK,” Ms Sinclair said.

Brexit could also make it easier for Australians to work in the UK.

Ms Sinclair said UK jobs that would normally be filled by EU citizens, may instead go to skilled job seekers from other parts of the world, particularly Commonwealth countries like Australia.

“If the automatic right of EU citizens to live and work in the UK ends, British employers will need to look further afield to attract the best talent and overcome chronic skill shortages at home,” Ms Sinclair said.

“Commonwealth countries like Australia, with its deep historical ties, are most likely to benefit if and when the UK starts to dismantle its EU participation.”

This could see a welcome reversal of the current trend, which has seen a 40 per cent drop in the number of Aussies working in the UK since 2008, after visa requirements and jobs were changed to favour eurozone residents.

Fewer than 15,000 Australians managed to get work visas from the UK Home Office.

Australia’s high commissioner to the UK, Alexander Downer, has already suggested Brexit could be an opportunity for Australia to renegotiate its visa arrangements with the UK.

“There are all sorts of restrictions on Australians right now and whether there’ll be opportunities to change that when the new arrangements come into place, we simply don’t know. But we should try in any case, and that’s what we’ll do,” Mr Downer told ABC radio.

Ms Sinclair believes Brexit will create a “whole new ball game” in years to come, with Britain looking to build new trade and political ties.

Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who led the Leave campaign, has already suggested Britain could adopt a “free mobility labour zone” between Commonwealth countries.

Last year he also proposed an Australia-UK agreement to allow greater movement of skilled people between both countries.

“The two-way flow of skilled talent between Australia and the UK has always been strong, but relaxing visa restrictions for Australians would open up an important new ‘kangaroo route’ that benefits both countries,” Ms Sinclair said.

SOURCE

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).    For a daily critique of Leftist activities,  see DISSECTING LEFTISM.  To keep up with attacks on free speech see Tongue Tied. Also, don't forget your daily roundup  of pro-environment but anti-Greenie  news and commentary at GREENIE WATCH .  Email me  here