A smart-arse Lesbian doctor has cost taxpayers a heap

Self declared lesbian, Dr. Kerryn Phelps, clearly had a grudge against conservatives so took a narrow window of opportunity to join with the Left to pass "Medevac" legislation which gave refugees in detention offshore a highroad to be moved to Australia.  They just had to say that they were ill.

In collusion with crooked Leftist doctors, the whole thing ended up a total fraud.  All or almost all of those moved claimed to be ill but none actually were.  And most were highly undesirable immigrants


FORTY-five asylum seekers who doctors declared were in need of urgent medical care are in a four-star, city hotel costing Australian taxpayers more than $410,000 a week. Most of the asylum seekers, sent from Nauru and PNG under Labor's Medevac laws for medical treatment, never went to hospital.

Some have refused care, even though a makeshift GP clinic has been set up especially for them in the hotel. The bill for those at Melbourne's Mantra Bell City can be exclusively revealed by The Courier-Mail, but the cost would be dwarfed for all of the 184 Medevaced asylum seekers who are in Australia.

The weekly cost breakdown includes $40,000 for accommodation, including three prepared meals a day, $280,000 for 24/7 security onsite, and $90,000 for transporting them to an immigration centre for an hour's exercise.

They can also use the hotel's gym. The GP clinic provides their vaccinations, pathology tests, mental health support and general wellbeing.

The end cost for taxpayers is uncertain because under the laws there was no explicit ability to return them to Nauru, where they can apply for a 20-year visa or resettle in PNG. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said while Medevac was repealed by the Federal Government, the cost of the policy was still being picked up by taxpayers.

The Medevac legislation was panned by security agencies, who warned those with security concerns would enter the country. "Most of these people never went to hospital," Mr Dutton said. "Many refused to have any scans and now it's costing us millionS of dollars a month.

'This is all .thanks to the Labor con that was Medevac. "it's money that we should be spending on pensioners and police, and instead Labor has locked us in to wasting millions of dollars."

The 184 asylum:seekers are scattered throughout the country and total cost of supporting them could not be ascertained yesterday.

From the Brisbane "Courier Mail of 21 Dec. 2019






Bushfire crisis: fire chief’s city slicker claims not relevant, says Campbell Newman

Former premier Campbell Newman has blasted a prominent former fire chief for blaming intense bushfires on climate change, saying Lee Johnson never raised the issue when he headed emergency services in Queensland.

“He had a solid two years where he could have come to me and ­expressed, one on one, these views that he’s now espousing. I have no recollection of him doing so,” Mr Newman said.

Mr Johnson, commissioner of Queensland Fire and Emergency Services when Mr Newman led the state, was one of the six former fire chiefs who accused Scott Morrison this week of abandoning bushfires raging across the country and offering “no moral leadership” on climate change.

As part of the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action group funded by Tim Flannery’s Climate Council and spearheaded by former NSW fire chief Greg Mullins, Mr Johnson said firefighters were seeing the effects of climate change “first-hand”.

He called for a national strategy to tackle extreme weather linked to climate change, saying the Brisbane River flooding he ­witnessed as fire chief in 2011 ­amounted to an “inland tsunami”.

“I can feel the tsunami of public opinion rolling on to Canberra,” Mr Johnson said.

Mr Newman, Queensland LNP premier from 2012-15, challenged Mr Johnson’s expertise on bushfires and climate change, saying he found it curious all his group “seem to be urban guys”.

“Mr Johnson’s career was particularly about urban firefighting,” Mr Newman said. “There is a world of difference between urban and rural firefighting. Urban firefighters are about spraying lots of water and chemical foams and stopping fires, whereas rural firefighters know they have to use fire as a tool, in terms of hazard-reduction burns and backburning.”

Mr Newman said he never recalled Mr Johnson saying, as fire commissioner, that the state was not doing enough hazard-­reduction burning or other land management. As premier, Mr Newman said, he was also very concerned about tensions between urban, unionised firefighters under Mr Johnson’s leadership and rural fire services.

“Behind the scenes, city-based firefighters were trying to exert control operationally, in a quite profound way, over the rural and volunteer fire services. They pushed back,” he said. “So here we have this schism between urban and rural firefighters, and Lee Johnson suddenly jumps into this area on bushfires … I would prefer to hear the views of experienced volunteer rural firefighters.”

He accused Mr Johnson of “hysterical nonsense” in calling Brisbane floods an inland tsunami when records showed much worse events. “When Lee Johnson starts talking about weather, he needs to do his homework,” he said.

Mr Newman said he felt compelled to “cry foul” because bushfires had resulted from poor land management, not climate change.

“I am sick and tired of people like Mr Johnson telling people from their positions of trust and respect in the community that things are unprecedented when they are not,” he said.

Emergency Leaders, which has grown to 29 former fire chiefs since its formation in April, says it will convene a national summit early next year to devise a bushfire strategy with strong emphasis on ­climate change. The former fire chiefs, almost all with distinguished careers involving urban brigades, want an immediate end to burning fossil fuels.

Mr Johnson left his Queensland fire chief’s position in December 2014 following a report on the “hostile” work environment for women in the service.

Report author Margaret Allison found evidence of sexual harassment and bullying, and “systematic problems” in dealing with them.

SOURCE  





Queensland private schools defend fee hike

40% of Australian teens go to private schools so this is of some concern

SOME of Brisbane's elite private schools have increased their school fees by up to double the inflation rate, as boarding schools freeze prices to stave off dwindling enrolments because of drought. One of the biggest increases was a 5.5 per cent hike in fees at inner-city All Hallows' Catholic School; where tuition costs will rise from $10,850 in 2019 to $11,450 in 2020; more  than double the inflation rate of 1.9 per cent

Parents will pay a staggering $27,542 to send their children to top-performing Brisbane Grammar School, a 3 per cent increase on tuition fees in 2019, while sister school Brisbane Girls Grammar's fees will increase by 3.5 per cent to $25,782 in 2020.

Brisbane Grammar School headmaster Anthony Micallef said the fees were all-inclusive and provided access to high-quality teachers, innovative teaching practices and wellbeing programs.

"The board strives to contain fee levels through careful long-term financial management and supports student diversity through a needs-based bursary program that assists over 50 boys", he said. "Brisbane Grammar School is non-selective and delivers the best academic outcomes in the state while educating boys to become thoughtful and confident men of character who contribute to their communities."

The Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association's (PMSA) Brisbane Boys' College will raise its fees 3.5 per cent to $24,116 and sister school Somerville House will up its fees 3 per cent to $23,890.

Independent Schools Queensland executive director David Robertson said that independent school boards had been mindful of the current economic conditions, as well as the toll the drought was taking on many Queensland families, directly and indirectly. "Independent-school boards carefully consider the capacity of their parents to absorb even small increases in tuition fees when household budgets are under pressure from low wages growth and rising living costs," Mr Robertson said.

"Schools take a range of different approaches to support families with their education budget planning. "These include offering scholarships and bursaries, providing sibling discounts and discounts for fees paid in full at the start of the year, as well as developing all-inclusive fee packages and providing payment plans."

PMSA chief executive Sharon Callister said that the PMSA schools had increased fees in the range of 3 - 3.5 percent, which covered  increased school operating-costs and was slightly lower than the education-component of the CPI'. Our schools offer families various discounts, including discountS for upfront payments and discounts for siblings at the same or other PMSA schools, scholarships and flexible payment options," she said.

Prestigious boarding schools Stuartholme and St Margaret's have frozen their boarding fees at 2019 costs, and Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) is offering fee support to help students from regional and rural areas.

St Margaret's School principal Ros Curtis said that the increase was as minimal as possible at 3 per cent, "in recognition of the currently very difficult conditions being experienced' by our rural boarding families".

"Out of some 185 boarders this year, over 60 per cent are from rural Australia, many have been affected by drought to some degree and some by the floods earlier in the year in north-west Queensland," she said. "In addition to freezing boarding fees next year, some severely affected families were the recipients of boarding bursaries in 2019".

"Six current day families have banded together in a donor circle committing to an ongoing contribution to ensure boarding students have the means and opportunity to finish their education ... and two past students have established bursaries, which are helping to keep current students enrolled at St Margaret's in the face of financial hardship due to drought"

Matthew Flinders Anglican College principal Stuart Meade said the college was mindful of the economic situation that impacts on parents' capacity to pay independent school fees, and therefore
kept the increase to a minimum. "The fee increase for 2020 is 2.7 per cent, which maintains the trend of lower than education CPI increases," he said.

Mr Meade said the college fees included tuition, camps and library resources. "The college has a transparent levy structure that reflects the true costs of these items and charges," he said. "It is important to note that other schools may include items covered in the Flinders Tuition Fees in their levies. We encourage families to consider the total school fee when comparing schools

From the Brisbane "Courier Mail of 18 December, 2019

Amusing comment above that Brisbane Grammar School is non-selective. A fee of $27,542 is pretty heavily selective





Extraordinary push to stop bosses calling end-of-year celebrations 'Christmas parties' and instead hold 'holiday season drinks' so non-Christians aren't offended

Australian workplaces are being urged to hold culturally friendly end-of-year celebrations such as 'holiday season drinks' instead of 'Christmas parties' so non-Christians aren't offended. 

Diversity Council Australia wants businesses to be inclusive of all traditions and celebrate holidays including Jewish Hanukkah, Buddhist Bodhi Day, Islamic Ramadan and the Hindu Diwali.

The proposal would let staff work on Christian religious holidays such as Christmas to be able to keep time off for other more relevant celebrations of their own faith.

Lisa Annese from Diversity Council Australia told The Herald Sun one in ten of their 500 member businesses have implemented their approach.

'If you're having a Christmas celebration, try to make sure it's inclusive of other faiths as well because the office is for everybody,' Ms Annese said.

She recommends having a combined Christmas and New Year celebration so that 'everyone is on board with the ­company's vision for the new year.'

The council's recommendations included developing and maintaining a calendar of multicultural events and celebrating those that have the most relevance to your staff.

Different needs for people of different faiths should be accounted for, including dietary requirements, designating time for prayer and meditation and respecting cultural boundaries, the council says. 

The 2016 ABS census revealed that 52 per cent of Australians are Christian, leaving many Australians left out of the celebrations.

On Thursday the Diversity Council said they were not suggesting bosses should not mention Christmas. 'Lots of organisations celebrate the end of year holiday break with a Christmas party,' the Diversity Council said in a statement on Thursday.

'We are simply saying that it's worth remembering that many Australians do not celebrate Christmas religiously, either as followers of non-Christian religions, or as individuals with no religious affiliation.

'There is a lot organisations can do to make them feel included at this time of year.'

The council's push comes after City of Perth's Cultural Development Plan promised to water down Christmas celebrations in 2019 to deliver a holiday season that is 'representative and inclusive of city's multicultural community.'

Residents took to social media to express their outrage over the idea, with many claiming the council is going too far.

'This is just madness in my opinion. I'd love a Christmas as Christmassy as it can get,' one man wrote. 'PC gone mad,' wrote another.

'Absolutely what a great idea the world needs less joy throughout the year we have too much good news, community spirit love and happiness,' another wrote.  

Chief Commissioner Andrew Hammond said the council's current holiday-season celebrations did not acknowledge or create a sense of belonging for non-Christians.

'We're not about to change Christmas celebrations. We're just taking a common sense approach that about 50 per cent of people are Christians and about 50 per cent are not,' he told 9News.

The endeavour for political correctness has reached into some of Australia's top universities, who have been accused of slashing students grades for using banned 'gendered language.'

Terms such as 'man', 'she', 'wife', 'mother' and any other terminology that angers the PC brigade have been blacklisted.

Students claimed they have lost marks for referring to 'mankind' or 'workmanship' in assignments, as they are not deemed 'inclusive language.'

'Students are advised to avoid gender-biased language in the same way they are advised to avoid racist language, cliches, contractions, colloquialisms, and slang in their essays,' Professor Julie Duck from the University of Queensland told The Courier Mail.

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham openly disagrees with the policies, claiming that they were enforcing 'nanny state stuff' on students. 'Our universities should be better than this rubbish,' he said.

SOURCE  





Central Queensland saves the day

First chickpeas of season leave Australian shores bound for Bangladesh

Despite the significant effect of drought on Australia's pulse production, Queensland's first chickpeas of the season have been loaded onto a ship in north Queensland, ready for export.

The chickpeas were harvested in the [Queensland] Central Highlands district, the only region on the east coast to get a crop due to ongoing insufficient rainfall.

Pulse Australia's northern region industry development manager Paul McIntosh said while some growers in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales planted crops, they withered before reaching maturity.

"[Chickpeas in NSW] were planted on a prayer and a whiff of moisture but they didn't come to anything much at all in that area, so thank goodness for central Queensland growers," Mr McIntosh said.

"It's great that we've got a boatload of our good quality chickpeas from central Queensland to go to the Bangladeshis.

"Australia as an export country exported nearly 2 million tonnes of desi chickpeas in the 2016 shipping season [but] in 2019 we're not going to get anywhere near that with the crops we've got so far."

Harvested pulses are transported by train and trucks off the farms and to the port of Mackay, where they undergo final checks before being loaded onto a ship.

Import permits to Bangladesh require the chickpeas to be checked for quality, as well as phytosanitary and biosecurity standards, before they leave the country.

Jeff Moodie, port operations manager for Central Queensland Ports, said the inspections were completed by authorised officers who looked for insects and biosecurity risks.

"The grain is always tested before it gets into the silos and is fumigated, so we shouldn't get any surprises," he said.

"But if we do, we have the ability to stop the grain before it gets in the vessel [if needed]."

Mr Moodie oversees the loading of the ship, which drops roughly 700 tonnes of chickpea per hour into the vessel.

"There have been some good crops around," he said. "We've got about 60,000 tonnes of chickpea booked to go out with this vessel and another two vessels in January and February, but it is a bit quiet this year."

Impact of international tariffs ongoing

When news broke of India imposing a 30 per cent chickpea and lentil tariff in late 2017, it had an immediate impact on pulse growers that is continuing to influence Australia's exports.

"In a normal year we probably would have started a couple of months earlier, when the Indian markets open, but they're pretty much closed down at the moment due to tariffs," Mr Moodie said.

Mr McIntosh said the impact of the Indian tariffs had led to Australia needing to look for alternate markets.

"The Bangladeshis have been good customers of ours over the years, and they've assumed a much more important [role] — as well as Pakistan — than the Indian markets are now," he 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