UPDATE JANUARY 2006
HENDY SUPPORTS HOWARDS IR REFORMS
One of the most enthusiastic backers of the Howard Government’s industrial changes is the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Its Chief Executive, Peter Hendy, pops up regularly on Television clapping and praising the Howard Governments anti-worker legislation and he writes supportive articles in the National Media about them,
Government Ministers quote him continuously, as “an Independent third party,” to support the questionable new laws. This couldnt be the same Peter Hendy who was Chief of staff to former Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith, who sicced the dogs of war onto waterfront workers?
The same Hendy who accompanied Reith to the defence portfolio, and who refused to give evidence before a Senate Committee into the Kiddies overboard affair?
Whom Reith singled out for special thanks in his speech when he quit Parliament in 1998? Yes it is the one and same Peter Hendy.
CAMPAIGN COST, ENOUGH TO TRAIN 600 DOG TEAMS.
The Sunday Telegraph Political Editor Glen Milne published the following article on November 13, 2005.
The $55 million spent by the Federal Government to advertise its industrial relations reforms was enough to train 600 sniffer dog teams to detect bombs and explosives in the fight against terrorism.
The saturation advertising campaign has attracted widespread criticism as an inappropriate use of taxpayers’ money. Senate estimates hearings last week were told how the money could otherwise have been spent.
With the impending threat of an influenza pandemic emerging out of the global spread of avian flu, the Howard Government has spent less than $500,000 on public health warnings about the disease. The $55 million spent on IR advertising also dwarfs the money spent on recruitment to the armed services, which totals only $15 million.
The option of increasing sniffer dog patrols on public transport was one of the issues raised at the anti-terror summit convened by Prime Minister John Howard following the London tube bombings.
The cost of training the team emerged form Questions on Notice lodged with the Government by Opposition frontbencher Robert McClelland. Opposition Leader Kim Beazley told the Sunday Telegraph that money spent on the IR campaign exposed an “absolute failure of priorities” by the Government.
“While public information on bird flu receives token funding the dishonest, misleading industrial relations advertising campaign blows millions that could be spent on bird flu anti-viral or counter terrorism measures the two real threats facing Australia ,” he said.
Answering the question lodged by Mr McClelland, the Opposition Defence spokesman, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock, said the cost of training a handler and a dog was $90,000. It would then cost $90,000 a year to maintain the team. On that basis, the Opposition said, 611 dog teams could have been trained for the price of the industrial relations ads.
Mr McClelland said that while passing new anti-terror laws was necessary, laws were no substitute for practical on the ground measures. “The Government’s IR advertising has received saturation coverage but it hasn’t made a single worker traveling to their job any more secure,” he said.
“Rail and mass public transport security has been shamefully ignored by all levels of Government. The Federal Government should have taken much stronger leadership after the lessons of Madrid and London.
“The Government urgently needs to properly re-evaluate their resourcing of the Federal Police not just in terms of increased powers and equipment, but actually in terms of more cops in the job,” he said.
HOWARD CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK
When asked if introducing anti-terrorism laws into Parliament on Melbourne Cup day was “un-Australian,” Prime Minister John Howard sniffed that the word was used too indiscriminately.” I think people who want to criticize the Government should find a rather more appropriate, rather more genuine expression than that, a miffed Prime Minister thundered. How Curious!
Howard has used the term more than anyone else. More than a quarter of the “un-Australian” references quoted in Metropolitan Australian newspapers over the past 2 decades were uttered by Mr Howard, used to denounce anyone who opposed him. For example 1998 was a big year for un-Australian activity, with the Prime Minister using the label against striking wharfies, people who opposed the GST and Labor for proposing tax credits. Even he would have been “completely un-Australian” to hold the election on AFL grand final day in September, he said. Then there were the un-Australian anti-globalisation protesters in 2000, anti-war marchers in 2003, and opponents of the war against Iraq. And apart form the hypocrisy of Howard’s retort last week, what was that about patriotism being the last refuge of a scoundrel?
THE HOWARD GOVERNMENT CATERS TO THE BRAIN – DEAD AUSTRALIANS’ IN A
SHORTENED IR SENATE INQUIRY
Concerned the Senate Committee investigation of its workplace relations overhaul could move beyond its control, the Howard Government wants the inquiry reduced to a five day debate between expert panels arguing opposite views.
Judith Troeth, the chairwoman of the Senate’s employment, workplace relations and education legislation committee proposed the unprecedented model of the “yes” and “no” cases each nominating a panel of 4 experts to debate the Work Choices packages beginning from the week of November 14, 2005.
There would be no taking of evidence from authors of the thousands of written submissions to the inquiry. The committee would follow up with a written report on limited aspects of the legislation. The Government has ruled out investigation of secret ballots, termination of bargaining agreements, pattern bargaining, remedies for unprotected industrial activity strike pay, right of entry award simplification, freedom of association and civil penalties on union officials.
While accused of trying to restrict debate and complaint, Senate Troeth was more open than her Cabinet Colleagues when it comes to linking Work Choices to the case for lowering safety net wages. In a report on workplace agreements by the Senate employment, workplace relations and education references committee, she wrote:
“Government party Senators take the view here that safety net awards are probably too high – a matter to be addressed in the forthcoming legislation and that this causes serious distortion in the wage structure, leading to discouragement of employment.”
Ministers have avoided straight forwardness because they do not want to arm critics who claim Work Choices is a mechanism for lowering real wages. Although the Fair Pay Commission will begin setting minimum wages no lower than going rates, the movements of future real wages are far less clear.
Due to the failure of the majority of Australian voter’s apathy re: the value of their vote in that they have given the Howard Coalition a dictatorial Government in that they have an absolute majority in both houses of Parliament.
We have decided that when the Howard-Vaile-Liberal-National Coalition abuse their powers by legislating laws that are not beneficial to the majority of Australians we will name every member in both Houses who support that particular Bill.
The Howard Government in fact is not dissimilar to the way Hitler ruled Nazi Germany and in truth the Federal Government is not alone for the Queensland, NSW and Victorian Labor Governments rule their States in an identical manner.
LETTERS
‘THE TRUE REASON BEHIND THE PROPOSED IR CHANGES IS NOW BECOMING
EVIDENT.’
As reported on your website, Australian Industry Group CEO Heather Ridout wants to sue workers who take part in the planned mass protest against workplace relations reforms.
This shows what we will be in for if the proposed changes are passed in the Senate under the new workplace contracts, the rights of individuals to bargain collectively will not only be severely eroded, but the right to protest will be nullified by employers taking their employees and unions to court.
Prime Minister John Howard has told us he believes most employers will be fair and just under his proposed changes, yet here an employers’ leader talks of crushing unions and employees through the legal system.
The true reason behind the proposed changes is now becoming evident it is a payback to the big end of town for the financial support the Liberals have received over the years.
D Harrison, Greystanes
THE HOWARD GOVERNMENT ADOPTS COMMUNIST POLICY
The Howard Government has warned its workforce of 120,000 not to attend the mass rallies on Tuesday November 15, 2005 against the Government industrial relations legislation, circulating memos that public servants will be breaking the law even if they take a day of their annual leave to protest.
Most major Government agencies received emails yesterday warning them off the rallies. These actions are those of a Communist Government ruling by threats.
M Cohen, Bondi
RURAL WORKERS FACE A CATCH 22 SITUATION
How will regional rural workers be able to obtain a medical certificate if required to show why they have taken a sick day off work? Try getting in to see a doctor if you are sick. You’re lucky to get an appointment within weeks and if you are new to an area you will be lucky to find a doctor who is willing to take on new patients. If you suddenly find yourself ill and short of cash at the same time, try finding a doctor in regional or rural Australia who will bulk bill or accept a payment arrangement.
Many people in regional and rural Australia live long distances away from their nearest hospital and if they don’t have anyone to take them there or are too ill to make the journey themselves, then what does Mr Howard suggest?
People working in regional and rural Australia may well find themselves legitimately ill and out of pocket, possibly out of a job simply because employers can avail themselves of these new laws to save on employee expenses. The worker has no comeback.
Peter Bastian, Yamba
NEW IR LAWS ARE A DISASTER
In miles of commentary on the industrial relations reforms, there is no mention of the fact that on average, Australian Workers are a sizeable loyal local and spend happy bunch of buyers in all sectors of economy.
Manufacturers, farmers and recreation and lifestyle suppliers, of they get a temporary market overseas, will not get a better market than what they have here. The new IR laws are a disaster for every Australian.
If the Government really wanted to support manufacturing, it should sponsor much more design and research into local needs.
Mike Bayliss, Kingswood
IR REFORM AND THE POPULARITY OF GOD
God entered the workplace relations debate on Thursday, November 17, 2005. On a day when the Federal Government flagged “technical” changes to its controversial legislation, union boss Bill Shorten took issue with Senate Inquiry Committee member WA Liberal David Johnston. Senator Johnston told the five day inquiry that unions were less relevant because their membership had declined.
“Do you believe in God? Do you go to church?” Mr Shorten asked Senator Johnston. When he replied that he did, Mr Shorten retorted: “Apparently the attendances of traditional organized religions are down. Do you, therefore, think that God doesn’t exist?” A group of 151 academics criticised the Bill.
Source: Alison Rehn- Daily Telegraph, Friday, November 18, 2005.
LETTER FROM SUVA:
WHO IS HOWARD REALLY HELPING?
If there were any opposition to the Howard charge from our island leaders it was muted, or not strong enough to create ripples.
What is Australia up to? You can’t really help but get the feeling that the Pacific is about to become Australia’s 7th state after the way John Howard again bulldozed his way through the Port Moresby Pacific Islands Forum.
First he sank millions of dollars into hands-on Australian involvement in the region. Then he brushed aside the hopes of island leaders to send some of their young people to Australia as seasonal workers. If there ware any opposition to the Howard charge from our island leaders it was muted, or not strong enough to create ripples.
Because what we saw on our TV screens at home were images of “Big Man” Howard and New Zealand’s Iron Lady Helen Clark, jostling for supremacy and appearing as if they were the only leaders at the Forum.
Howard, in particular, was highly visible, caught of course by the TV cameras for all to see, splashing more money upon his Pacific “subjects” perhaps to keep them quiet. Definitely to have even more Australian consultants, management contractors and the like employed across the Pacific and more Australian influence on the way things are in the islands.
And perhaps too, to have more direct say in regional matters a criticism highlighted by consultant Tony Hughes in his report titled, Strengthening Regional Management: A Review of the Architecture for Regional Co-operation in the Pacific.
British born and now a respected island watcher from his home in Gizo, Hughes said there was a readily stirred suspicion in the islands that Australia, as one of the biggest funders uses this position to call the shots or exert influence on regional affairs. Certainly Australia does this at far more levels than such other major regional development funders as the Europeans and Japanese.
Talking about influence, now Howard is proposing an Australian Technical Vocational and Trades College for the Pacific, another of his big announcements at the Port Moresby Forum.
The college will be set up in one of the Pacific countries with other campuses located around the region, a similar setup to that of the University of the South Pacific. According to a press release posted on his website, www.pm.gov.au the new college will deliver “Australian standard qualifications” and of course “with maximum involvement of the Australian educational sector and relevant Australian business interests in order to ensure that Pacific Islanders received targeted training to meet real needs in the employment market.”
That means, of course, more Australians working in the islands to deliver these “Australian standard qualifications.”
Is Australia really genuine in training these islanders for the islands, or is it preparing them for the Australian market?
If a recent World Bank report titled International Migration Remittanced and Brain Drain is anything to go by, then the islands might as well say goodbye to their newly skilled workforce.
The World Bank has accused Australia of being the worst culprit in terms of the brain drain from neighboring Pacific Islands nations. It said that more than 75 per cent of all graduates from Tonga and Samoa and 62.2 per cent of graduates from Fiji had emigrated, mostly to Australia and New Zealand.
What drives islanders to migrate is the lack of opportunity in their own countries. So what happens after workers get Australian qualifications from the Australian Technical, Vocational and Trades College? No prizes for answering that one.
They’ll head to Australia, allowed in under a migration policy that gives preference to some of the same skills Howard has said this college will promote.
You have to wonder just how much the Pacific Islands are really gaining from all this Australian “aid.” You also have to wonder what some Pacific Islanders leaders are doing when they go to the Forum.
DID THE HOWARD GOVERNMENT TURN A BLIND EYE TO THE AUSTRALIAN WHEAT
BOARD’S (AWB) DEALINGS WITH A SADDAM HUSSEIN COMPANY?
The United Nations raised allegations with Australia’s mission in New York in January 2000 that the monopoly wheat exporter, AWB, was paying money into a Jordanian bank account lining the pockets of Saddam Husseins regime.
Despite this, an 11 months later the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade gave AWB the green light to enter into commercial arrangements with a Jordanian company, Alia – now known to have been a front for the Iraqi dictator’s regime without consulting the mission in New York or the United Nations. This came out in the wash at a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday, November 3, 2005 when department officials were grilled over its involvement in the oil for food scandal which has engulfed AWB, formerly the Australian Wheat Board.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, has agreed to a United Nation request to hold an Independent inquiry into AWB’s dealings with Alia, which resulted in the Australian company paying $294 million to the Iraqi regime. AWB has “denied knowing the real identity of Alia.”
If Mr Howard and his Government were fair dinkum, they would replace an Independent inquiry into the AWB with a Royal Commission with the widest terms of reference so that we can extricate the truth of the matter.
Department officials revealed at the hearing that cables went to Canberra where they were copied to the office of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Downer in January 2000, after an officer from the United Nation’s Office of the Iraq Program approached Australia’s United Nation mission in New York with allegations made by Canada.
Earlier, Canada’s mission in New York had informed the United Nations that he Iraqi Government had demanded the Canadian Wheat Board deposit $US 700,000 (Aust $943,000) into a Jordanian bank account to cover transport costs in Iraq and made allegations that similar arrangements had been made between Iraq and the Australian Wheat Board.
The United Nation told the Canadians that the payments would not be made into the account and contracted Australia’s mission, which reported back soon after that AWB “categorically denied” the allegations.
Ten months later AWB wrote to Foreign Affairs, in correspondence tabled at the hearing, saying “as you are aware, AWB is experiencing problems managing its Iraq business efficiently,” and asking if the department was “comfortable” with its proposal to enter into an arrangement with a Jordanian based trucking company.
“We believe the proposed solution will eloquently solve our problem,” the letter stated. The department wrote back in November 2000, saying that it had examined the Jordanian trucking company proposal and “could see no reason from an International legal perspective why you should not proceed.” That is, this would not contravene the current sanctions on Iraq,” it stated.
However, the unnamed department officer who wrote the letter did not, departmental officers admitted, consult its mission in New York or the United Nation, which in June that year had prepared a memo, not passed on to Australia, stating that dealings with Alia would breach United Nations sanctions.
Labor Senator John Faulkner told the hearing “one check with the UN – OIP (office of the Iraq Program) would have found that this was a massive problem, just a simple check.”
Labor’s Foreign Affairs Spokesman Kevin Rudd said the
revelations raised questions about why DFAT gave AWB an “unqualified green
light,” to go ahead with its Jordanian dealings when the United Nations had
raised earlier concerns over its dealing in
We find it incredible that the Blackout Press continue to cover up multiple errors by the Howard-Liberal-National Coalition and the State Labor Governments. They continue to report on single issue offences. One could be forgiven for being cynical that the media journalists in the main are toeing the company line.
We suggest over the holiday period that visitors to our site carefully study all our material and we are certain you will realise that our Political Parties are represented by unqualified users and abusers of our so called system of Democratic Governments.
THE HOWARD – VAILE GOVERNMENT WINS THE RIGHT FOR PORK TO BE IMPORTED
INTO
The pork industry has lost a year long court battle to stop the importation of potentially diseased meat, saving the Federal Government from having to overhaul its quarantine system.
Despite the failure of their expensive fight, producers have
vowed to do everything possible to maintain
Legal options for the National Industry Body, Australian Pork Limited ran out when the High Court dismissed its application for special leave to appeal against a Federal Court ruling. The ruling allowed pig meat imports form countries with the incurable porcine disease poet weaning multi systemic wasting syndrome.
High Court Chief Justice Murray Gleeson, and Justices Dyson Heydon and Susan Crennan, unanimously dismissed the application for leave to appeal. We’re of the view that this case does not raise an issue suitable for special leave of appeal to the High Court,” Justice Gleeson said.
ALP lawyer Tom Brennan said the High Court’s decision was based on legal technicalities and did not reflect the merits of quarantine protocols or the strength of the evidence. “The court has not considered any of the evidence relating to the quarantine risk posed by imported pig meat,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Federal Courts full bench upheld a court decision which blocked imports of pig meat from countries with PMWS,
Federal Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran conceded in September that losing the case would have wrecked Australia’s quarantine system. He was unavailable for further comment. APL won the first round of the action when Federal Court judge Murray Wilcox found major problems in an import risk analysis that had cleared the way for pork imports.
But the full bench later found that the court had no power to over rule the initial analysis. APL alleged the quarantine service had ignored evidence that if imported pork was allowed, it would bring PMWS with it. Australia is the only country free of the disease, which APL said had killed at least 8 million pigs in Europe in the past five years. APL Chief Executive Andrew Spencer said the industry’s focus would be on keeping PMWS out of Australia. “Australia cannot have a science based quarantine system in relation to pig meat imports unless there is some actual science,” he said.
“The causative agents of PMWS remain unknown. We do not know how it is transmitted and we do not know how to control it.” Federal Agriculture Department Secretary Joanna Hewitt, who is also Australia’s Director of Quarantine, said the end of APL’s legal battle provided certainty for existing trade and future permits for pig meat imports.
We believe if there is a PMWS outbreak in Australia that those responsible for allowing pork to be imported into our country from diseased countries should be individually liable for compensation to the victims. Mr Howard, Trade Minister Mark Vaile and Minister for Agriculture Peter McGuaran and their Bureaucrats along with the justices of the courts who supported the Government in allowing imported pig meat from diseased countries to impinge our borders.
Mark Vaile and his top Bureaucrat Stephen Deedy refute any suggestion that Australia’s high standards of Quarantine was compromised re: the US-Australian Free Trade Agreement. However, the US press report quotes US Senate Finance Chairman, Chuck Grassley as saying, ” the Australian Government’s decision to open the pork market had been a key factor in getting the Australian Free Trade Agreement through the Senate last year.”
STOCKFEED GROUP ISSUES QUARANTINE WARNING
John Keniry, chairman of Australia’s leading stock feed manufacturer, warned this week of the dire consequences if Australia allow its strict quarantine regime to be compromised by our push for freer world farm trade.
Mr Keniry told the annual meeting of Ridley Corporation Ltd. In Sydney that Australia’s current quarantine practices together with our island status, had helped protect our livestock from devastating diseases such as foot and mouth and bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE or mad cow disease).
“The push for freer trade is putting pressure on our long standing quarantine practices,” he said. “We are fortunate that our strict precautionary principle based quarantine laws relating to the import of cattle derived products did a better job of keeping diseases like foot and mouth and BSE out of Australia than did more relaxed import regulations and post import administration of those regulations in many other countries.”
Mr Keniry can speak with authority about the cost and pain
of a BSE outbreak as Rigley’s 69% owner North American subsidiary, Ridley
Incorporation, and the Canadian farmers seeking compensation for losses
incurred after the discovery of a cow in
Ridley has been accused of supplying contaminated feed but the company has denied the charge and will seek to have the action struck out later this month prior to trial.
Source: Extract from Queensland Country Life, November 3, 2005.
TAX OFFICE GO AFTER LITTLE BLOKE, WHATS NEW?
Tradesmen, teachers, healthcare staff, food workers and art instructors are all set for a going over by the Australian Taxation Office this year. Average income workers have been singled out for a crackdown on work related expenses in the latest tax returns.
Ordinary professions like these have had a breather in recent years as the ATO conducted high publicity probes on big earners. Also on the hit list this year are people with poor credit records, property owners and even tax agents themselves. The ATO recently released details of the crackdown without fanfare in a 105 page handbook on its website. The document says the ATO expects to conduct “risk reviews” on 15,000 people’s work related expenses leading to 4,000 formal audits.
The ATO and the Federal Treasurer Peter Costello reactions to the tax grab is as a vampire would be if let loose in the blood bank. Why Treasurer Costello and the Howard Government refuse to abolish all taxes, levies and excises federally, State and Local Government and replace it with a 1 ½ % Transaction Tax. Even the worker on the minimum wage will be approximately $96 a week better of whereas those on higher incomes will be financially better off – small business, Farmers etc.
Link >>>> Update August 2005. This link will show you a financial chart with Costello’s 2005 Budget and a Transaction Tax chart.
ILLEGAL GRAPES GETS UNDER WAQIS GUARD
Peak industry body, Table Grapes Western Australia, says
that containers of illegal US table grape imports should never have been
allowed to reach
But Daryl Rampone, chairman of Table grapes Western Australia, says growers are angered by news the fruit made it all the way to the Canning Vale Market and he says the Association will be taking further action on the matter. Graeme Lukeis, the policy officer for WAQIS who spoke yesterday admits it did reach Canning Vale Markets and came into contract with other fruit and vegetable, along the way. But he says, quarantine protocol was followed and the risk should be minimal.
Excuse us Mr Lukeis if this is an example of quarantine protocol being followed Western Australian farmers should be shaking in their boots for quarantine risks should be zero not minimal. It seems that our incompetent Quarantine Inspection Service is not only a Western Australian problem but a Nation Wide conundrum.
Coles Supermarkets is being investigated for a potential breach of State Quarantine regulations by importing oranges from Queensland to sell in its Riverland stores. The breach is in contravention of a Quarantine ban outlawing the importation of citrus, following the citrus canker outbreak at Emerald in Queensland in July 2004.
South Australian Fruit and Plant Protection Act legislation provides a maximum penalty for offending companies of $29,000. The Department of Primary Industries and Resources South Australia confirmed on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 that it was investigating a potential Quarantine breach.
It is understood that another supermarket company was also selling Queensland oranges in the Riverland precincts several months ago, but agreed to stop. Citrus Reform Association spokesman Ron Gray said the news was extremely disappointing. “It indicates the need for a watchdog, a mandatory code of conduct and rules for the supermarket industry,” he said.
South Australian Farmers Federation horticulture chairman John Mundy said the concentration of market power was one of the major problems facing the industry.
Mr Mundy said supermarkets were buying more offshore, decreasing the number of items in each category, using more own brands and stocking fewer food brands (and more non food items), Minister for Agriculture Food and Fisheries Rory McEwen has defended the State Food Plan against criticism from industry leaders.
Mr McEwen maintained the industry could still achieve the Government’s ambitious target of reaching the $15 billion Food Plan target by 2010 “if everything goes right.” He said the main reason the industry had failed to achieve the desired level of growth was a 42 per cent drop in the value of the State’s grain crop last year and three poor crops in a row.
“The Scorecard has to be put in context of what we’re doing.” Mr. McEwen said the Government could not control weather and exchange rates. A Coles Supermarket’s spokesman declined to comment.
Mr McEwen a South Australian State Labor Minister is living proof that he is another unqualified politician who has very little or no knowledge about where Australian farmer’s future lies. The concessions conceded by the Howard-Vaile Coalition Government to the Bush Government re: the United States – Australia Free Trade Agreement will allow the United States to flood our country with imports which in turn is a conflict to our producers at a rate of at least a two to one ratio to what we can export to the United States. We’ve had forty plus consecutive Trade Deficits” and under the Free Trade Agreement there will be no light at the end of the tunnel. The simplified version of concessions conceded by the Howard-Vaile Government which was released by Robert Zoelich Bush’s Trade Minister to the American People in an election year.
Link >>>> Update August 2004
HOWARD GOVERNMENT SUPPORTERS OF THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS REFORMS WILL
BE NAMED
Coalition Senator such as Barnaby Joyce, Guy Barnett, Judith Troeth, Concetta Fierravanti Wells and Fiona Nash to name a few who continue to support the Howard Government’s unconstitutional Industrial Reforms, take note, if evidence becomes apparent that Australian workers have become disadvantaged due to the changes we will not hesitate to name every traitor including the aforementioned Senators.
As sure as night follows day if there’s one thing that the bigger majority of Australians can’t forgive, it’s an Australian who betrays their Country and their People.
HAS THE NSW STATE LABOR GOVERNMENT LEFT THEMSELVES OPEN TO ANOTHER
CONFLICT?
In the early part of 2006 we will outline the truth re: the
Cross City Tunnel in
As a NSW taxpayer we are entitled to know what is in the fine print, contract wise, with the Security Company. It has been brought to out attention that the cost of the contract with this particular Security Company is more than twice the cost of what they could have forked out for those railway workers who were made redundant.
Our investigators many who are former Federal Police and Law Enforcement Customs Officer are researching and compiling information that will prove that Federal and State Ministers and their Bureaucrats are not only wasting taxpayer’s money but in many cases, covering up their mistakes.
COSTELLO’S PROMISED TAX CUTS FOR 2006 IS ONLY FOR THE HIGHER TAXPAYER
AND THE BRAIN DEAD AUSTRALIAN
Treasurer Costello’s boast that the Howard Government’s budget surplus for 2006 will be more than $14 billion, is further evidence that the Federal Government continues to abrogate their responsibilities by “dumping” National infrastructure on the State and Territorial Governments re: Water, Health, Education and Roads and Transport. The truth of the matter is no Government should have a budget surplus while the Country is suffering due to lack of infrastructure.
On Wednesday, November 23, 2005 Treasurer Costello hinted that he could give up to 5 per cent tax cuts on those paying 47 per cent at the urging of multi-millionaire Liberal Party back bencher Malcolm Turnbull.
The middle and low income earners continue to support the
Howard Government knowing full well they are the servants of the big end of
town. Foreign Multi-Nationals have paid very little or not tax to
What amazes us is that the opposition parties are totally silent re: a Transaction Tax. One would hope that their party slush funds are not benefiting for their total silence re: the Transaction Tax.
Link >>>> Update August 2005.
TREASURER COSTELLO ANOINTS FORMER COMMONWEALTH BANK CEO AS THE NEW
FUTURE-FUND CHAIRMAN
David Murray will become Australia’s most powerful investor as the chairman of the new future fund, which is expected to have up to $140 billion under management with in the next 15 years.
David Murray is the same man as CEO of the Commonwealth Bank earned tens of millions in bonuses by making thousands of his workers redundant as well as closing hundreds of their bank branches turning many Australian Towns into ghost towns.
Since 1997 we have been demanding a “Royal Commission” into fraudulent banking practices such as using shadow ledgers and failing to issue bank statements voluntary or on demand. The major banks including the Commonwealth were guilty of fraudulently foreclosing on the property assets of farmers and small business. This led to suicides and broken marriages by many bank victims. We wanted the widest terms of reference for this “Royal Commission.”
NO wonder there are so many cynics out there who believe that the major banks can not only buy Government but also buy the Opposition by giving financial donations to the major political parties via their slush fund kitty. Both the Liberal-Nationals Coalition and the Labor Party both Federal and State have turned their backs on the victims of our major banks. David Murray’s payout from the Commonwealth Banks was a $17.5 million handshake and $10.4 million in shares. Now we know why the Howard Government denied the bank victims Royal Commission. We wonder how much it will cost the Australian Taxpayer to keep David Murray in employment?
TUNNEL AIR MONITORS FAULTY!
Equipment monitoring dangerous pollutants in the M5 East tunnel has been off line or faulty for most of the past 18 months. Instruments measuring nitrogen dioxide (No2) and particle matter (PM10) have been replaced on at least three occasions after a big number of “suspect” readings going back to April, 2004. The latest monthly report (October 2005) by tunnel operator Bilfinger Berger Baulderstone Hornibrook had no recorded data on No2 and PM10 levels since the equipment was relocated from inside the emission stack to outside.
In September operators said the relocation was necessary to improve the time it took to rectify faults. While the danger of carbon dioxide (CO2) is widely understood, the lesser known combination of NO2 in the M5 East unlike the Cross City Tunnel and the Lane Cove Tunnel and particles are only measured by the amount they reduce visibility.
Concerned motorists this the third week of November, 2005 reported a “plume of dark haze inside the tunnel, Australia’s longest underground road tunnel. Operators admitted instack equipment was regularly faulty.
“Yes there were two devices that were broken on occasions,” BBBH spokesman Paul Levins said. Mr. Levins said there was no useful correlation between pollutants coming out of the stack and the air quality inside the tunnel. That was challenged on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 by M5 East Air quality community liaison committee member Mark Curran. “What annoys us is that when they don’t keep the gear properly maintained there’s no way to get a full handle on how the tunnel is operating and whether portal emissions are occurring,” he said.
He said operators and the RTA had ignored advice from NSW Health and other agencies to warn motorists to wind up windows when driving through the tunnel. A 2003 Health report stated: “We believe that a precautionary approach is for commuters to close the vehicle cabin while inroad tunnels so that any potential acute impact of elevated pollutant exposure can be minimized. “Pending a better understanding of NO2 levels in tunnel we would advise that motorists in open vehicles and motor cyclists avoid using the tunnels when transits are likely to be prolonged, particularly if they suffer from asthma.” Mr. Curran said.
“The real problem with the in tunnel health study was that they only looked at the effect of one trip through the tunnel, the impacts of all the pollutants are cumulative.”
QUARANTINE REPORT CARD
Should we have a break out of disease in our flora and fauna due to the incompetence of AQIS, the Australian Quarantine Inspection Services and Australian Customs the victims who suffer losses should be entitled to join in a class action seeking compensation from the individuals responsible i.e. the relevant Ministers and Bureaucrats who ignored our public warnings about possible epidemic outbreak of Nationwide diseases that could destroy our National Export Trade.
THE GOVERNMENTS OF BLAIR, BUSH AND HOWARD SUPPORT THEIR MULTI-NATIONAL COMPANIES
AT THE EXPENSE OF THEIR FULL-TIME WORKERS
A move by the British,
This is the reason the Howard Government has spent more than
$55 million of taxpayers money to introduce their Industrial Reforms. The
Government needs the changes so as to accommodate the United States
Multi-Nationals re: the signing of GATS (the General Agreement on Trade in Services)
with President Bush last November 2005 in
One, must remember, Foreign Multi-National Companies have paid “very little or no tax” to the Australian Government since 1953 under the Menzies Governments, “Dual Reciprocation Tax Act 1953.”
All Australians should fear for our future and the future of our children and grand children if the Howard Dictatorship persists on changes to our Industrial Relations Laws which under the Free Trade Agreement with the United States would allow their Multi-National Companies to have a much bigger investment in Australia knowing full well they don’t have to pay taxes to us, but to their Country of origin.
There is no doubt should this occur the first casualties will be our Returned Services people, Aged and Disabled pensioners who will have their benefits abolished due to the Howard Government being proverbially bankrupt. Howard’s changes to the Industrial Relations Laws will be irreversible.
It was brought to our attention on Thursday November 24, 2005 new Commonwealth Bank Chief Executive Ralph Norris who employs about 32,500 staff described the Work Choices reforms as moderate and modest. “When I look at the reforms, there is nothing that jumps out and says this is about turning Australia into a sweatshop,” he said. We find it very curious that Mr Norris used the description “sweatshop.” When you consider that the major banks CEO’s bonuses are earned by reducing their staff with redundancies over the last decade.
I’m proud of our thousands of members of the “Voice of the People Lobby Group” who are Commonwealth Bank customers that have contacted us to say they will vote with their feet by closing their Commonwealth Bank accounts and transfer to a Credit Union account. This is what we call “fair dinkum Aussies.”
THE HOWARD GOVERNMETN SELECTS THREE FOREIGN BANKS TO HANDLE THE FINAL
SELL-OFF OF TELSTRA
The Federal Government has selected three foreign banks to handle the planning for the sale of the remaining $25 billion stakes of the Australian Taxpayers Share in Telstra.
Once again the role of joint global co-coordinators went to two banks that worked on the first two stages of the Telstra privatization, ABN Amro Rothschild and Goldman Sachs JB were with the third position going to UBS, which conducted the scoping study outlining, the option for the final sell off Telstra 3.
The Howard Government will share total fees between the Foreign Banks with an additional $90 million expected to be paid between investment bankers and stockbrokers if the Government continues to float the Telstra sale.
Once again the proof is in the pudding as far as the Howard Government’s allegiance to the Foreign Multi-Nationals goes. The actions of the Howard Government since they were re-elected in October 2004 would be inclined to make one believe they were elected to a dictatorial status by foreigners rather than the Australian voters.
NSW LIBERAL OPPOSITION LEADER PETER DEBNAM REMAINS SILENT RE: INVALID
DRUG LAWS
NSW State Opposition Leader Peter Debnam is a perfect example of what party politics is all about as two of our colleagues approached the State Opposition’s shadow Attorney General Chris Hartcher and former Leader Kerry Chikarovski re: the invalid and illegal licensing of the Kings Cross trial injection room. Mr Debnam was present with our colleagues meeting with Mr Hartcher. They all agreed that the legislation by the Carr Government to license the injection room was invalid under Section 109 of the, Australian constitution and illegal under Federal Law (the Australian Customs Act), and yet when the Bill comes up for debate, not one of the aforementioned argued the illegalities of the Bill.
It’s obvious, Mr. Debnam still remains silent on the issue knowing full well his Federal counter part Prime Minister Howard and his Coalition has turned a blind eye to the NSW Labor Government’s committing indictable Federal Offences.
Link >>>> Invalid Drug Laws.
PARTY POLITICS SELF INDULGENCE IS ON THE NOSE
The NSW By-Election in the electorate of Pittwater on Saturday November 26, 2005 is further evidence that voters are questioning the value of political party representation when Independent candidate Alex McTaggart received a 25% swing against the Liberal party’s third safest NSW seat to be elected as the new member for Pittwater.
When you consider the NSW Labor Governments track record where there have been rail disasters that resulted in deaths, hospital problems that also have resulted in deaths, taxes that are destroying NSW’s economy, tunnel and road chaos the rail timetable disaster it is incredible that the Liberal Party under these circumstances failed to hold on to their third safest seat.
We believe that there is very little difference between the Labor Government’s policy and that of the Liberal-National Opposition of Debnam and Stoner. The Opposition Coalition also has the same internal problems, factions such as right and left wing, centre, left of centre and right of centre.
No political organisation can continue to have majority support where undermining factions create instability.
We held a phone poll of 1,500 voters in the Pittwater electorate and were amazed that the Liberal party spin doctors post elections have incorrectly read the reasons for their candidate’s massive loss.
Our poll found that 82% of those quizzed who generally voted Liberal, switched their allegiance to the Independent candidate because they are concerned that Prime Minister Howard and his Coalition Government have become Dictatorial in the manner in which they have spent $55 million to try and sell their Industrial Relations Reforms, and they are definitely concerned about the full sale of Telstra.
THE FORGOTTEN FORCE
We went to Dutch
We went there to suffer, bleed and to die,
We thought that our country would recognize us.
But NO was our countries reply.
We did not ask for compensation or another medal to wear.
We merely asked to be recognized that we were there.
The Prime Minister’s words “We shall remember them lest we forget” we
cannot applaud.
As requests to the Veteran’s Affairs Minister and the
We ask for recognition on the war memorial wall.
This is our begging call.
Families of those who served. In our sorrow and remorse.
Oh please remember the gallant MERAUKEV FORCE.
“Lest We Forget”
source: by
FIGHTING FOR RECOGNITION
Taree man leads the push to reinstate records of overseas wartime
service
A Taree ex-serviceman is leading the fight to gain recognition for Australian forces who were sent to Dutch New Guinea in World War II, but whose services have apparently ‘dropped off’ all official records.
Arch Mathieson was one of the Merauke Force (code ‘KKK’), created in 1943 and comprising around 6000 Navy, Army and Air Force personnel, under the command of NX49 Brigadier J Stevenson. The force was sent to Dutch New Guinea with orders to delay the enemy (the Japanese) for as long as possible, so Darwin’s fortifications could be reinforced.
The returned servicemen have in the 60 years since been granted war service entitlements, but were devastated to discover recently their presence in Dutch New Guinea has not been recorded on official service maps, or anywhere in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Mr Mathieson believes he knows why, and it smacks of an official Australian Government cover-up. After the war, Dutch New Guinea became part of Indonesia, and the president of the day decreed that all evidence of foreign occupation he destroyed.
“I am of the opinion that for some political reason the Australian Government of the day denied the existence of the force,” Mr Mathieson told the Minister for Veteran Affairs, De-Anne Kelly in a letter earlier this year.
As evidence that he and his fellow Australians really did serve there, he enclosed three pages of lists of the units that served with the Merauke Force.
“We want some recognition of the fact that we were there,” he said from his Taree home. “It’s not so much for those of us who served, but for our families and for the families of those who have died already.”
Mr Mathieson said he could understand how upsetting it would be for the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of returned people to one day visit the War Memorial in Canberra, hoping to learn and appreciate more of what their forebears went through while at war, only to find there was no trace of them ever serving their country.
His fight has been going on quietly since the middle of last year when RSL members received their regular edition of ‘Reveille’. In it was an official coloured map depicting ‘Australia at War in the South West Pacific 1942 – 1945’, complied by the Battle for Australia Commemoration Committee.
It contained statistics of the Australian Forces in the
Pacific War. While there were plenty of references of the map to action in
“We were just gun fodder… the orders were to delay the enemy as long as possible. “Now nobody knows anything about us, and that’s why I’m crazy as all hell. They’re saying we weren’t even there!”
Talking to ‘one of the lads’ he served with, Arch’s curiosity was aroused. When he began investigating further, he found there were also no references to the Merauke Force in the national war museum.
And that made him very angry. He had already spent years researching and recording the history of the Merauke Force, producing a number of publications including ‘Australia Remembers 1945-1995 – KKK Merauke Force Dutch New Guinea’, ‘More Thoughts on the Regiment’ and ‘4th Australian Infantry Division AIF Colour Patches’, copies of which were all sent to the Canberra War Memorial.
Only after they had been officially assessed and accepted, Arch released them to the Families of the forces.
“All my life I’ve kept companies of everything I have written, so I have been able to send Minister Kelly lots of documentation,” he said. “I wrote to her on May 11 this year asking for recognition for the forces; so far all I have received is acknowledgment that my letter has been received. Nothing since. “I believe our first troops there – the 62nd Infantry Battalion in 1942 – were in Dutch New Guinea illegally. The Defence Act was a written bill not signed until 1943, and which allowed our military to go beyond the Equator.
I think the whole thing is a cover-up,” he said. “We were just gun fodder the orders were to delay the enemy as long as possible. “Now nobody knows anything about us, and that’s why I’m crazy as all hell. They’re saying we weren’t even there!”
Arch is now 86, and although he has lost his eyesight, there’s absolutely nothing missing from his incredible memory and his photographic mind. He can rattle off statistics like regiments and their times and places of deployment just as fast as any computer can.
“It wasn’t just the enemy that worried us, it was the whole area we had to fight. There were crocodile, and cassowaries, and land snakes, and crabs, the mud, it rained every day, the mud was like grey chewing gum that stuck to everything.”
“In our regiment, every officer is now dead, bar me. As far as I know I could be the only one left in the whole regiment.” “It could be I’m the only one left standing.” “Before there’s none, I want to rectify this anomaly, not for me, but for my grandkids and my great-grandkids, and the great-grandkids of the other 6000.”
A revolutionary plan that would totally eradicate greater Taree’s ailing bridge and road problems in currently under serious consideration by council. This column has learned the city elders are looking favorably on the concept that would see Taree linked to smaller, less significant villages including Wingham, Harrington, Tinonee and Dead Dog Gully by a series of tunnels.
“The State Government’s success in Sydney has inspired us,” a council spokesperson whispered. It’s understood Stage o\One of the plan would involve the construction of three tunnels that provide direct access to some of the city’s most prominent landmarks.
These would include:
The Struggle Street Link. This would start at the busy Struggle Street intersection and include exits at the Exchange and Manning Hotels, the Jack Neal Oval and Taree Recreation Centre. This will be toll free.
Construction time is estimated at 3-4 years, depending on whether we can get the workers out of the aforementioned Exchange and Manning Hotels. The pending implementation of the new IR laws will make this easier. We’ll just sack ‘em.
Taree-Wingham-Taree Access. As the name suggests, this tunnel will connect the capital of the valley with the capital of the Upper Manning. It will replace the post hole pocked and over-used Taree –Wingahm Road. This will be massive exercise and users will have to pay a toll. This is already causing some concern at council level for reasons that will be explained later.
Manning Mall Mayoral Way; A controversial plan that would provide direct access from Manning Mall to Greater Taree City Chambers and vice versa. It’s understood right of entry will be restricted to former or current mayors driving current or exmayoral cars. Entry will be by password only and it’s further understood the password with either ‘Eddie here’. The password will be reviewed every four years unless there’s a palace coup beforehand.
Council PR Department has been empowered to sell the idea to ratepayers as there is expected to be stern opposition form residents in far flung, disadvantaged and out of the way placed, like coundletown.
“Getting support from the Taree-Wengham-Taree access toll will give us the most headaches,” a PR consultant revealed. “After all who is going to pay good money to leave Taree and arrive at Wingham.”
“Lest We Forget” Source: by Helen Manusu Manning River Times, Wednesday November 234, 2005.
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE LOBBY GROUP MEMBERS AND NETWORKERS TO HAVE AN EIGHT
WEEK BREAK FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SIX YEARS
This is the last of our reports for 2005. On behalf of our Lobby Group may we use this opportunity to wish all our visitors to our website, to you and yours, may you all have a Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy 2006.
May we ask our regular visitors to our website who are in the main, dinky-di concerned Australians that during the holiday period they arm themselves with pen and paper and study our website in its entirety.
We want you to decide if the future of
When you consider how the major political parties control our Council and Shires, our State and Territorial and Federal Governments the Australian voter has to consider whether supporting an Independent Candidate is the only alternative.
We have been fortunate to study the performances of elected Independents Federally, Tony Windsor in the seat of New England, Peter Andren member for Calare and Bob Katter member for the Queensland seat of Kennedy as well as the great representation by the Independent members for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay and Tamworth’s Peter Draper, in NSW.
The continued rise in support for the aforementioned Independents leaves us with no doubt that their constituents are more than happy with the way they are being represented, and leaves us with no doubt that they don’t trust the Liberal-National Coalition or the Labor Party both Federally or State.
Take time to study our entire website and you will understand where our opinions are coming from.