UPDATE AUGUST 2005 PART ONE

HAS GOD BECOME AUSTRALIA’S LATEST POLITICAL PAWN?

 

FAMILY FIRST

 

The Family First political party was brought to your attention in Update November, 2004.

 

Their grass roots rose via the Assemblies of God Church and is known as the Hillsong Church one of the most conspicuous of the contemporary Pentecostal and evangelical churches whose collective growth is fast outstripping that of the more traditional denominations as reported in the Sun-Herald, November 7, 2004 by Sarah Price and Matthew Benns.

 

More than 18,000 people flock to the Baulkham Hills and city Hillsong Churches to hear the word each weekend.  This church has Political Muscle and Business Acumen.

 

The story of Hillsong, self-described as “the church that never sleeps”, began 21 years ago when Brian and Bobbie Houston founded the Hills Christian Life Centre.

 

As Newly weds in 1978 they migrated from New Zealand and joined the ministry team of the Sydney Christian Life Centre, an Assemblies of God Church in the city founded by Houston’s parents, which is now Hillsong’s city worship centre.  The church is known not just for it’s style of Christian worship, but for it’s links to the burgeoning political influence of the “Religious Right” through politicians associated with it.

 

The Liberal Party’s Louise Markus, a Hillsong Church member, won the seat of Greenway, which has been held by Labor since it was proclaimed in 1984, with a 7.02% swing.  Liberal MP for Mitchell, Alan Cadman, who retained his north-western suburbs seat with a 1.09% swing and two Family First Senate candidates, Joan Woods and Ivan Herald, who failed to win Senate seats, were featured in Hillsong’s latest glossy circular, with members being asked to pray for them.

 

Prime Minister John Howard opened Hillsong’s Baulkham Hills Convention Centre in October 2002 and Treasurer Peter Costello spoke to 21,600 registered delegates at the Super Dome conference this year.  (2004)

 

Dr Max Wallace, author of The Purple Economy, which investigates the business of churches says “(Australian) citizens are underwriting the churches.”  “But,” he adds, “what we are getting is a lack of accountability, a lack of transparency and no obligation to do any charitable work.”

 

The full church accounts are not publicly available.  Hillsong, along with all churches in Australia does not pay tax and does not have to file its’ accounts with the Australian Taxation Office.

 

Houston says any regular member of the Hillsong congregation can make an appointment and be shown the accounts.  Not only does Houston encourage success in his congregation, he embraces it for himself and wife Bobbie.  He wears a Brietling watch and rides a Harley Davidson Fatboy.

 

The couple owns a house in Glenhaven and a 1.2 hectare block in Wilberforce.  As well, Bobbie owns a unit in Bondi, which the Sun-Herald has established she bought for $650,000 in January 2002.  Houston says he returns his pastor’s wages, set by the church board, to Hillsong and earns his money mainly from books and speaking commitments.

 

Houston has told the Sun-Herald previously that he earns money as a silent partner in property development and on speaking tours.  The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) lists Houston as the director of a range of companies including a café and a deregistered travel company.  But Houston says he is a director of the Hillsong Foundation and other associated entities that are all not for profit.

 

On Monday night July 4, 2005 NSW Labor Premier Bob Carr made his Hillsong debut before a 20,000 plus crowd but was usurped by Federal Treasurer Peter Costello who delivered his second address in as many years, at the Sydney Super Dome.  Other Federal members who attended included, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews and Peter Dutton.  This political interest by leaders of both major parties in State and Federal into this booming new religious craze is not dis-similar to how religion and politics emanated in the early days of the Middle East.

 

Is history being repeated?  Has God become Australia’s latest political Pawn?

 

Piglet Killer gets through Quarantine, it was reported in the Daily Telegraph, on Thursday July 7, 2005 that a potentially devastating pig disease could have reached Australia for the first time authorities said yesterday.

 

The Department of Agriculture is investigating two suspected cases of the post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in NSW and South Australia.

 

Australia is one of the few countries to have been spared the disease, but a Federal Court ruling last month found Quarantine authorities had ignored warnings that Pork imports let it in.  PMWS kills millions of piglets globally each year.  The court banned any import permits under the existing risk analysis scheme, and blocked one company’s permit to import.

 

Pig farmers welcomed the court ruling and have moved to stop 83 importers from continuing to bring pork to Australia.

 

In a report in the Daily Telegraph, on Friday July 8, 2005 by Alison Ruhn.

 

PIG DISEASE IMPORT WARNINGS ‘IGNORED’

 

Pig farmers have threatened to sue the Federal Government if it is confirmed a debilitating and untreatable disease has broken out in the country’s pig herds.

 

After repeatedly warning Quarantine authorities not to allow pork imports from countries with infected herds.  It is feared the piglet killing disease has entered Australia.  Authorities are investigating two possible cases of post weaning multi systemic wasting syndrome on farms in NSW and South Australia.  Australia is one of only a handful of countries free of the disease known as the foot and mouth disease of the pork industry.

 

PMWS which is prevalent in North America, Asia, Europe and New Zealand, kills millions of piglets every year.  If the disease is confirmed, it would severely affect the country’s $2.5 billion pork industry.  Australia Pork Limited keen to keep Australia’s pig herds free of the disease has been fighting the country’s Quarantine watchdog Bio Security Australia for months to stop importing pork from countries whose pig herds are riddled with PMWS.

 

Last month the Federal Court criticised an import risk analysis need to underpin the approval of pig meat from 11 countries that have the disease, saying it contained insufficient science.  The Government is in the process of appealing the ruling.

 

The Daily Telegraph learned yesterday authorities have known about the possible outbreak for two weeks, but did not inform the public until Wednesday.

 

An Agricultural Department Spokesman said post mortems carried out on two pigs on June 24 raised alarm bells, but the diagnosis will not be known until early next week.  “(However) lab results are suggestive of PMWS,” he said.  The spokesman ruled out a link between the two piggeries.

 

The NSW Farmers Association said the disease could destroy the industry.  “I would think the Government would have blood on its hands” pork committee chairman Dugald Walker said.  “It’d be an awful situation for us.”

 

The most likely way for PMWS to enter the country is through imported pig meat.  There has been a lot of criticism from within the pork industry about sourcing from countries whose herds are contaminated with PMWS.

 

NSW Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan said if authorities did everything possible to avoid importing a disease then if it did get in, at least they know, they did everything possible to prevent it.  “But if you haven’t done everything that’s humanly possible then you’ll die wondering whether you caused (the disease),” Senator Heffernan said.

 

PMWS only affects pigs and is not a public health concern.  Pork and pork products are safe to consume.  Considering we’ve never had PMWS in Australia could the Quarantine authorities and their watch dog Bio Security Australia explain to the public, how they can guarantee that imported pork products from diseased countries pose no health dangers?

 

MAD COW COVER UP IN US

 

Some American Cattle producers might be disposing of cattle that could have mad cow disease without notifying authorities, ranchers in Texas and Oklahoma said US abattoirs last year received 81,000 head of cattle too sick to stand.

 

The Australian Financial Review Friday, June 17, 2005.  By Tracy Sutherland, Jennifer Hewett and John Breusch.

 

US TESTY ABOUT PORK IMPORT BAN

 

 

A key figure in trade policy in the United States Congress has warned that an Australian court decision on quarantine rules for pork is threatening millions of dollars of imports and is inconsistent with the spirit of the free-trade agreement with Washington.

 

The Federal Court last month found that a federal government decision to allow in pork meat imports meant an outbreak of a devastating disease in the Australian pig industry would become a “virtual certainty” and ordered imports to be stopped.

 

The Federal Government announced yesterday that it would appeal against the decision, and that it would only revoke the import licence of Fayman International, the company named in industry body Australian Pork Ltd’s original legal action.  Another 83 two-year licences to import pork will be allowed to operate until they expire.

 

US press reports have quoted US Senate finance committee chairman Chuck Grassley as saying the Australian government’s recent decision to open up its pork market was an important factor in getting the US Senate to pass the Australian FTA last year.  Calling on the Australian government to challenge the ruling, Senator Grassley warned that the US could take the quarantine dispute to the World Trade Organisation.  Senator Grassley is from the pork-producing state of Iowa.

 

CANKER THREAT SPARKS INVESTIGATION INTO BANNED FRUIT

 

Wednesday 18 May, 2005

 

An investigation is under way into how Queensland-grown mandarins wound up on a supermarket shelf in the South Australian Riverland, despite a 10 month ban.

Queensland citrus fruit has not been allowed into the region since an outbreak of citrus canker in Emerald last July.

While citrus fruit grown from Emerald can be sold interstate, it is not permitted in the Riverland region.  Citrus Board of South Australia executive officer Andrew Green says a canker infection in southern states could be disastrous.

“It came from an area quite removed from Emerald but the bottom line is that we don’t want to take any risks at all,” he said.

“The thing with canker is that the bacteria can survive in wounds and there’s always a possibility that if someone eats a piece of fruit with infected peel, they could throw it under a citrus tree and then you could not establish it’s origin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

QLD UNHAPPY WITH CITRUS CANKER REVIEW

 

Thursday 26th May, 2005

 

The Federal Government has announced a review into the response to the citrus canker outbreak at Emerald in central Queensland.

Agriculture Minister Warren Truss says an independent panel, chaired by former Northern Territory public servant Roger Smith, will investigate the emergency response to canker outbreak and the Senate prepares for its own inquiry.

The Government’s announcement is already under attack.

Queensland primary Industries Minister Henry Palaszczuk says the review does not go far enough and only a royal commission will discover how canker got into Emerald.

“I believe only a full royal commission with powers to subpoena witnesses will ever get to the bottom of how citrus canker got into Australia,” he said.

“I’ve been calling on the Commonwealth to do this for months – well before Christmas last year.”

 

SENATE INQUIRY PROBES CITRUS CANKER OUTBREAK

 

Wednesday 16th June, 2005

 

More might be learned about how citrus canker arrived in Australia, when six witnesses go before a Senate inquiry this afternoon.

 

“The star witness today for the citrus industry is expected to be Wayne Gillies, a former employee of Evergreen farms – the site of the first Queensland citrus canker discovery.”

“In 2001 Mr Gillies claimed Evergreen were importing illegal budwood, although illegal activity by any of the citrus farms in the Emerald area has never been proved.”

“Two other previous Evergreen employees will be questioned as well as three representatives from the broader citrus industry.”

“This is the first hearing by the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee before the inquiry moves to Emerald in the next two months.”

“By September all 750,000 trees in the Emerald area will have been destroyed by the disease.”

 

TAX PAYER FUNDED ABC RADIO AND TELEVISON SNUBS RURAL AND REGIONAL AUSTRALIA

 

Forums held twice at Taree and Dubbo have been totally starved of coverage by ABC radio and TV.  The stars of the Forums are Co-Authors of “How to Kill a country” Professors Weiss and Mathews and Dr Thurbon who discuss the devastating US – Australia Free Trade Deal.  It appears the ABC is protecting the Howard Government.  Shame, Shame, Shame!

 

WHITE FLOUR AND ALLOXAN

 

I was just utterly shocked to have recently discovered another FDA first degree murder!  When I studied chemistry forty plus years ago, they were using a fairly benign bleaching agent to bleach white flour.  Now it comes out they have started using alloxan!  Alloxan is a poison, the most famous spinner up of super oxide free radicals known to science!  It is used to chemically produce diabetes in normal rats, because alloxan spins up enormous amounts of free radicals in pancreatic beta cells, utterly destroying them!  Aspartame also so damages the mitochondria, that people are then damaged by the free radicals spun up by the damaged mitochondria!

 

(Premature graying for example) The VERY LAST thing we need added to our diet is alloxan, (A well known grievous poison!) which the FDA now has being force fed to us in white flour! (This includes even pasta!) Boy! Is the FDA ever making it hard to get any wholesome food in this country!

 

Alloxan thus directly interacts with Aspartame to produce multi organ damage, including diabetes and syndrome X!  It also makes the poisonings from many other junk food far worse, and causes advanced aging (just like Aspartame!) and many other degenerative diseases!

 

I hope this information helps to prove to the New Mexico Legislature, and to the courts that the FDA is now indeed just farcical, since Rumsfed in 1981 broke everything decent in our government to put the heinous Aspartame into us!

 

Sure glad I eat mostly whole wheat bread!  I will now avoid all white flour products from this point forward.  Somebody, obviously just wants to kill us.

 

Please pass this on to the Minnesota Attorney General for me.

 

James D. Bowen MD

 

HAVE AUSTRAILAN FARMERS BEEN BETRAYED BY THE HOWARD GOVERNMENT RE: QUARANTINE?

 

When you consider the US press reports quoting US Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley as saying the Australian Government’s recent decision to open up its pork market was as important factor in getting the United States Senate to pass the Australian Free Trade Agreement last year.  Calling on the Australian Government to challenge the ruling, Senator Grassley warned that the US could take the Quarantine dispute to the World Trade Organisation. Senator Grassley is from the pork producing state of Iowa.

 

The question we pose to Prime Minister Howard and the Minister for Trade Mark Vaile.  If you didn’t agree to allow pork to be imported into Australia from countries where pigs have the post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome, (PMWS) in exchange for a Free Trade Agreement with the US.  How come your Government is allowing pork from diseased countries to enter Australia while awaiting an appeal result against Justice Wilcox who ruled in the Federal Court in favour of Australia Pork Limited?

 

FACT NOT FICTION

 

If our elected politicians Federal, State and Local Government (Councils and Shires) and their Bureaucrats brains were made of ink, not only would they not fill up an ink-well, they wouldn’t make a full stop.

 

FORUMS GO FROM SUCCESS TO BIGGER SUCCESS

 

We must sincerely thank and congratulate those who supported our February 18 and April 29, 2005 Forums at the Taree RSL and Golf Club.  We must thank the stars of 2RE Taree Peter Denton and Barry Hill for their excellent and very professional manner in which they conducted interviews with workaholic convenor Robyn Murphey, Bill Rojo, Chris Kircher, Arch Mathieson and “Voice of the People’s” spokesperson, Phil Tzavellas.

 

We must also thank the Manning River Times for their coverage.  Unfortunately we can’t say the same tor the local TV station and the ABC radio who seem to be contented in covering up the truth and keeping their viewers and listeners in the dark.

 

The Dubbo Forums were held on May 20 and July 8, 2005.  We congratulate 2 DU’s Leo De Crew and the Dubbo Liberal for informing their public re: the concerns about the Free Trade Agreement, Customs, Quarantine and the Transaction Tax.

 

Grant Goldman the Voice of Sydney’s Olympics and the Para-Olympics in Sydney 2000 and Breakfast Radio host on 2SM 1269 am and its super network of stations was absolutely brilliant as the MC of the Forums.

 

Once again thumbs down to the local TV stations, 2PK Radio Parkes and their local newspaper, the Champion Post.  The aforementioned media have betrayed their viewers, listeners and readers in that they have failed to tell them the truth about the Free Trade Agreement and the cover ups in Customs and Quarantine.  This is nothing short of Treason.

 

LET’S TAKE A BREAK FOR A LAUGH

 

A wealthy old lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa, taking her faithful aged poodle named Cuddles, along for the company.

 

One day the poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long, cuddles discovers that she’s lost.  Wandering about she notices a leopard heading rapidly in her direction with the intentio of having lunch.

 

The old poodle thinks, “oh, oh! I’m in deep trouble now!”  Noticing some bones on the ground close by, she immediately settles down to chew on the bones with her back to the approaching cat.  Just as the leopard is about to leap, the old poodle exclaims loudly, “Boy, that was one delicious leopard!  I wonder if there are any more around here?

 

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike a look of terror comes over him and he slink’s away into the trees.  “whew!” says the leopard “That was close! That old poodle nearly had me!”

 

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard.  So off he goes, but the old poodle sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up.  The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.

 

The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of any says, “here, monkey, hop on my back and see what’s going to happen to that conniving canine!”  Now the old poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, “what am I going to do Now?”  But instead of running, the dog sits down with her back to her attackers, pretending she hasn’t seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old poodle says: “Where’s that damn monkey?  I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!”

 

The Moral of this Story:

 

Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill!

 

BS and Brilliance only come with age and experience!  Tell five of your friends this story as soon as possible, so that you will have five more people laughing in the world.

 

All that is required for evil to prevail, is for good men to do nothing (Edmund Burke 1729 – 1797), British writer and Politician.

 

INDUSTRIAL RELATION LAW CHANGES BY HOWARD GOVERNMENT WILL CAUSE DEVASTATION TO LOW INCOME EARNERS

 

Prime Minister Howard prior to the 2004 Federal election failed by omission to explain the true hardship that will be incurred with changes to the Industrial Relations which will destroy working conditions and pensioner living standards.  The Prime Minister and his Government are lying to the Australian Public when they claim they have been given a mandate by the Australian voter.

 

Not only does the Australian Government want to abolish basic working conditions, they also intend removing the power of the Industrial Relations Commission to set the minimum wage.  This is not only regressive for paid workers, it is also detrimental to pensioners.  The pension in Australia is calculated against Male Total Average Weekly Earnings (MTAWE) at 25 per cent.  If the MTAWE is reduced so will the pensions.  This will mean pensioners will have even more difficulty paying skyrocketing bills for essentials such as food, housing, transport and health services.  And how will people save enough in superannuation to afford a comfortable retirement?.

 

The proposed industrial relations changes are unjust regressive and will assure lower living standards and poverty to the majority of battling Australians.  We beg all concerned “fair Dinkum Aussies,” to network our concerns by warning your family, relations, friends and their friends about our aforementioned fears.

 

ALL I WANT IS A ROOM SOMEWHERE….

 

Over the last few years, we have seen the rapid expansion of private seniors rental accommodation.  It is imperative that this accommodation should be adequate to the needs of those who have downsized and left their previous home.

 

There are two proposed aged care development applications before Bathurst Regional Council at this moment, one of which is of great concern to Bathurst CPSA and nearby residents of the proposed development by Community Life, a listed company.  Public meetings and protests have been held by nearby residents and a petition has been circulated against this first development of 57 units on roughly a double house block.  The second development is proposed to be built almost opposite by a separate group of investors.

 

The proposed building “would be a lightweight construction of timber and external cladding on a concrete slab base.  External finishes would include: select colour bond cladding, marine ply cladding, rendered painted block work, fixed timber louvres, selected metal roofing and powder coated aluminium windows and door frames.”

 

This is hardly adequate for such a cold climate, especially when the building code for the area is brick veneer.  In addition, noise minimisation has obviously not been considered in such a densely populated development.

 

Although they claim that their Development Application to Council complies with the minimum standards set by government.  Bathurst Branch believes that these minimum standards are not enough to satisfy the requirements of older people.  The accommodation they intend to provide is similar to motel units that may be suitable for over-night accommodation, but not for a lengthy stay.  There should be enough room for people to be able to bring a little of their own furniture and valued possessions, so that there is a continuity in their life and they don’t just walk into a completely alien space.

 

It is our opinion that if this is an example of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Seniors Living) AS 1428 and AS 4299, this should be reviewed and upgraded to a better living standard for older people.

 

Another point to make is that the first thing to be affected if there are cost constraints, is the downgrading of food standards as has been experienced in another retirement rental village in Bathurst.  There have been complaints of sandwiches being served on cold winters nights for the evening meal and monotonous meals of minced meat served daily.

 

We advise other branches to be on the look-out for similar developments in their own areas, and to inform State Office about them.

 

Source:            John Slobbe

                        Vice President

                        Bathurst Branch

                                    Of

                        Pensioners and Superannuants

                                    Of

                        NSW (SPAS)

                        July/August 2005 Edition