A matter for His Excellency Dr. Hassan Hanafy Mahmoud El-Laithy to ponder upon, as it reflects the view of many Australians concerning Egypt, its government, judiciary and people

Statement by the National Press Club of Australia

NATIONAL PRESS CLUB CALLS FOR UNCONSCIONABLE

VERDICT IN PETER GRESTE TRIAL TO BE OVERTURNED

The National Press Club of Australia deplores the treatment of Australian journalist Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian bureau chief Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed s and appeals to the Egyptian authorities to ensure, even at this late stage, a sensible and truly just outcome.

By any reasonable assessment the saga involving Peter Greste and his Al-Jazeera colleagues represents a gross miscarriage of justice that the Egyptian Government must overturn.

Throughout the trial, the actions of Egyptian authorities have been unconscionable.

In the extraordinarily extended “trial” not a shred of evidence was produced in support of the charges against the journalists.

There was nothing in the proceedings to suggest that the authorities had the slightest appreciation of the role of journalists and journalism in society, nothing to suggest an appreciation of the damage being done to Egypt’s standing in the international community.

In the wake of this verdict, the claim by Egypt’s President al-Sisi, that the court was independent, respected and beyond criticism, lacks all credibility.

That the former head of the military chose to make such a statement at a military graduation ceremony is an ominous portent.

President al-Sisi must use his power to overturn the penalties imposed on these journalists who were doing no more than their professional duties – and, from the evidence, doing it well.

A failure to act will seriously diminish Egypt’s reputation and influence in regional and world affairs.

ABN 59 208 238 583

STREET ADDRESS 16 National Circuit Barton ACT 2600

POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 6184 Kingston ACT 2604

TELEPHONE (02) 61212199 FACSIMILE (02) 61212188

EMAIL npc@npc.org.au WEBSITE www.npc.org.au

http://www.npc.org.au/latest-news-members-notice-board/statement-by-the-national-press-club-of-australia.html

One of Abbott's flying monkeys goes on the attack

The YouTube video of Senator Scott Ludlum’s invitation to the Prime Minister to visit West Australia had by 13 March 2014 been viewed 743,410 and received 17,674  likes and the numbers are still growing 

One can only suspect that Murdoch journalist Miranda Devine was still befuddled by prime ministerial BBQ fumes when she wrote this in The Daily Telegraph on 12 March 2014:

Few listeners for the Left’s shouting

SCOTT Ludlum’s “viral” hate speech against Tony Abbott signified the moment the Left finally lost its marbles: 10.08pm, Monday March 3, 2014. We can see them frozen in time, like the Edvard Munch painting The Scream, as the final awful realization hits home of Tony Abbott’s comprehensive victory and his determination to make his prime ministership count.

They knew before Newspoll confirmed it this week that all their dishonest, sneaky, bigoted, dog-whistling attempts to demonise Abbott and his government

are falling on increasingly deaf ears.

Picture: John Tiedemann Source: DailyTelegraph

That Monday night, to a near empty chamber, Ludlum, the telegenic Greens senator from WA, who faces political annihilation at the re-run of the WA Senate poll next month, peppered his diatribe with the obligatory “rednecks” and “murderous horror unfolding on Manus Island”.

He accused Abbott of “waving your homophobia in people’s faces”, “ever-more insidious attacks on the trade union movement and all working people” , “heartless racist exploitation of people’s fears” and leading a “benighted attempt at a government”.

He wound up with the plaintive cry of a loser: “Give us our country back”.

Sorry Senator, it was never your country. We had an election last year and the Abbott government was elected with a whopping majority. The twitterati might have gone weak at the knees for Ludlum but he might as well have been howling at the moon…..

Ms. Devine even invented a Ludlum quote “Give us our country back”  which isn't in the Senate speech she attacks. What Senator Ludlum said was We want our country back. Sloppy journalism at its best.

Journalists becoming a dwindling band

 

Australian Newspaper History Group December 2013 Newsletter:

The number of journalists and other writers in Australia fell by 16 per cent in the year to August as traditional media organisations slashed staff numbers, according to the latest jobs report by consultancy Economic and Market Development Advisors (Australian, 4 November 2013). Staff numbers in public relations also fell “as this sub-sector experienced a fairly dismal year”, the report said. The media and marketing sector employed 291,000 people in the year, including about 23,500 journalists and writers, 19,300 public relations people, 131,000 sales and marketing managers and another 51,000 sales and marketing professionals. “This sector is one that is most responsive to the state of the economy and as the economy and business confidence improves, jobs growth is anticipated to return,” the report said. The number of journalists and writers was still historically high, having risen 19 per cent over the past 15 years, said EMDA director Michael Emerson.

Over the same period, the number of PR operatives had grown 79 per cent. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance estimated that in the past 18 months 1500 journalist jobs had been cut by major media outlets and over the past six years the number of newsroom staff had halved. It estimated there were now fewer than 9000 working journalists in Australia. The union estimated that “well over” 500 jobs were cut at News Corp Australia in calendar 2012, although the company refused to comment on that figure, as well as about 400 at Fairfax Media and 100 at Ten Network.

One young regional journalist is man enough to eat humble pie

Unlike many of his big city counterparts, The Daily Examiner  journalist Lachlan Thompson is prepared to admit that he misread the political runes when it came to concerns about coal seam:

It is time for me to eat some humble pie.

After attacking Member for Page Janelle Saffin for speaking out about CSG for the sole purpose of gaining votes, it appears the Federal Government is united on this issue.

It is now set to take action and I owe Ms Saffin an apology.

The company holding petroleum exploration licences in the Valley, Metgasco, has decided to suspend its activities on the North Coast.

Metgasco said it is because of changes in state, not federal regulations.

Frankly, when I saw the NSW Government's regulatory changes, I thought they had as much sturdiness as a soaked toilet roll.

The reason was they did not seem to prevent companies from putting CSG wells in rural residential areas like Glenugie.

The federal legislation, on the other hand, could mean no wells go ahead unless the science on this issue is completely clear. I hope the Gillard government can move this legislation through before the election.

Lachlan’s willingness to re-evaluate his previous opinions is refreshing and well done.

Looking back at a taste of things to come - Australian Federal Election Campaign 2013

 

A comic take on basic Australian journalistic interview techniques when faced with The Liberal Rampant. Ignore the outrageous answers and plough on with the prepared questions regardless.

Replace "Rudd" with "Gillard" and "Costello" with "Pyne" and this interview could pass almost unnoticed into this year's federal election campaign.
 

 

Kingston vs The Australian propaganda sheet

 

News Limited's The Australian newspaper gets caught distorting known facts – again.

 

The Australian 8 January 2013:

 

 

Margot Kingston 8 January 2013:

 

Just to keep the record straight in the face of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's claim that these new allegations reflect on Australian Prime Minister Gillard's judgement (but apparently not on his own judgement or that of former Prime Minister Howard), herewith timeline information taken from the Parliament of Australia biography of the Hon. Peter Neil Slipper:

Elected to the House of Representatives for Fisher, Queensland, 1984 for the National Party of Australia. Defeated 1987.

Re-elected for the Liberal Party of Australia 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2010.

Liberal-Nationals Coalition Government Whip from 11.7.97 to 18.10.98.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance and Administration (Coalition Ministers John Fahey & Nick Minchin) from 21.10.98 to 26.10.04.

Acting Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister John Howard from 14.3.02 to 7.10.03.

Member, Liberal Party 1989-2008; Member, Liberal National Party of Queensland 2008-11.

Alternate Representative, Liberal Party State Executive (Qld) 1990-92.

Vice-Chairman, Liberal Party Sunshine Coast Zone 1990-92.

Membership Development Officer, Liberal Party Sunshine Coast Zone 1990-92.

Branch Vice-Chairman, Liberal Party 1991-92.

Delegate, Liberal Party and Liberal National Party State Conventions (Qld) 1990-2011.

Became an Independent MP from 24.11.2011.

On 7 January 2013 the Australian Federal Police served the legal representative of Mr Peter Slipper MP with a summons in relation to three offences of Dishonestly Causing a Risk of a Loss to the Commonwealth pursuant to section 135.1(5) Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

The same day The Sydney Morning Herald reported:

 

It is understood they relate to three Comcar trips in 2010, in which Mr Slipper - who was then a Coalition MP - travelled beyond the allowed Canberra region. The trips are understood amount to about $900.

Maiden caught out by Abbott spin

This is Samantha Maiden writing in the Herald Sun, 6 January 2013:

 

It's a political fault line Julia Gillard tapped into in her speech to parliament accusing him of misogyny - a hatred of women - and attacking Abbott for describing abortion as an "easy way out" (he didn't actually say that, as it turns out).

 

One has to wonder at that assertion by Ms. Maiden, as it suggests that she lazily relied on a media release from the Opposition Leader’s office without checking the facts.

 

Because here is a snapshot of Tony Abbott’s personal opinion, expressed in an article titled Rate Of Abortion Highlights Our Moral Failings, which he wrote and then published on his own website on 17 March 2004:

 

More belt tightening on the way for APN newspapers?

 

In recent years the number of press releases (often published almost verbatim with source unattributed) masquerading as news articles has been steadily growing in Australian mainstream media generally and in Northern Rivers media in particular.

 

With little or no critical evaluation of the contents of these releases finding its way into print and journalistic opinion frequently being substituted for investigation; sometimes by the time one reaches page five of any newspaper it almost feels as if the proprietor should be paying readers and not the other way round.

 

APN News & Media, which has an established presence in regional New South Wales, saw its shares hit a new low that immediately wiped an estimated $33 million off its market value after declaring its publishing revenue down 10 per cent in the second half of this year on 13 December.

 

With another $25 million in cost cutting scheduled for 2013, it is hard to see how regional newspapers like The Daily Examiner and The Northern Star will be able to resist the temptation to pad their daily issues even further with the viewpoint of political and industry interests churned out in cost-free publishable form by people paid to further party or corporate agendas.

 

It’s becoming harder and harder to believe that print media has a legitimate future as it begins a slow devolution in the direction of 17th Century propaganda sheets.

Dennis Shanahan finally loses any grip on reality

Mal Brough (top) and Dennis Shanahan (bottom)

 

Dennis Shanahan writing in The Australian on 12 December 2012:

 

FORMER Howard government minister and putative MP for Fisher, Mal Brough, is the latest political casualty in the ongoing scandals surrounding Peter Slipper….

But the real political victim is now Brough, who stands accused of working with Ashby and co-worker Karen Doane in an underhanded political scheme based on disloyalty, political preferment, duplicity, and lies - all aimed at bringing down Slipper and promoting Brough….

In the face of what is set out below, one wonders in what alternative reality this political editor now dwells if he can seriously apply the term “victim” to this man.

Justice Rares findings concerning Mal Brough in his Ashby v Commonwealth of Australia and Peter Slipper judgment of 12 December 2012:

 

135 Mr Ashby asserted to Mr Harmer that his justification for his disloyalty as an employee in providing copies of Mr Slipper’s 2009 and 2010 diaries was that he wished to place the material in the public domain. That was, his assertion went, because he “believed that the conduct was morally and legally wrong and he felt aggrieved that he had been placed in the situation of becoming, as he understood it, exposed to (and potentially implicated in) what he regarded as the wrongful conduct of a public official”: [116] above. The words I have emphasised were ambiguous. If they referred to Mr Slipper’s conduct on the days covered by the 2009 and 2010 diary entries he surreptitiously sent to Mr Brough and Mr Lewis, there is no evidence to support Mr Ashby’s description or that he had any knowledge of particular conduct of Mr Slipper that was morally or legally wrong prior to him or Ms Doane sending the diary extracts to Mr Brough and Mr Lewis.

136 …..Rather, Mr Ashby’s and Ms Doane’s conduct at that point indicated that he and she were anxious to supply information to Mr Brough and Mr Lewis so that they could use it to assemble an attack on Mr Slipper, if they could find sufficient material to do so, using the diary entries and other evidence…..

138 I am also satisfied that Mr Ashby and Ms Doane by about 29 March 2012 were in a combination with Mr Brough to cause Mr Slipper as much political and public damage as they could inflict on him….

141 Mr Brough was unlikely to have been offering to assist Ms Doane and Mr Ashby in seeing Mr Russell QC for advice or looking for new careers out of pure altruism. Realistically, his preparedness to act for them was created and fed by their willingness to act against Mr Slipper’s interests and assisting Mr Brough’s and the LNP’s interests in destabilising Mr Slipper’s position as Speaker and damaging him in the eyes of his electorate…..

142…. Certainly, the nature of the allegations that Mr Brough, Ms Doane and Mr Ashby had provided Mr Lewis in about late March and early April 2012 would have suggested to a political journalist that there would now be more than one news story about Mr Slipper to pursue….

146 Mr Ashby and Mr Lewis had planned that articles about Mr Slipper’s use of travel entitlements would be published shortly before these proceedings were filed. They both knew that Mr Lewis would be able to publish further articles on the subject matter as soon as it was filed in Court in the originating application. Ms Doane and Mr Brough had also discussed the timing and sequence of publication of stories by Mr Lewis. So much is clear from Mr Ashby’s texts to Mr Nagle of 10 April 2012, Glen of 11 April 2012 and Ms Doane’s email to Mr Brough of 10 April 2012: see [82], [90], [86]. The planning reveals that Mr Ashby calculated how he would attack, and use the press to attack, Mr Slipper.

147 Mr Ashby had planned with Mr Lewis, and probably separately with Ms Doane and Mr Brough, the sequence of publications so as to raise the more serious allegations in the originating process, after the stories of 16 April 2012 appeared. The timing of those 16 April stories was linked to when the originating application would be filed. Once Mr Ashby began seeing Harmers and went into “lock down”, Mr Brough and Mr Lewis became anxious to know when the proceedings would be ready to be filed. Hence their strenuous attempts to contact Mr Ashby once he began to act on Mr McClellan’s advice to filter media contact through him. Mr Ashby had emphasised in his text to Mr Lewis on 10 April 2012 that “We need to act fast mate”. And Mr Brough told Ms Doane on learning that, eventually, Mr McClellan would meet Mr Lewis “Everything will be fine”: [94].

196 Having read all of the text messages on Mr Ashby’s mobile phone, as Mr Ashby’s senior counsel invited me to do, as well as the other evidence, I have reached the firm conclusion that Mr Ashby’s predominant purpose for bringing these proceedings was to pursue a political attack against Mr Slipper and not to vindicate any legal claim he may have for which the right to bring proceedings exists. Mr Ashby began planning that attack at least by the beginning of February 2012. As Mr Ashby and Ms Doane agreed in their texts of 30 March 2012 what they were doing “will tip the govt to Mal’s [Brough] and the LNP’s advantage”: [66]. It may be a coincidence that Mr Ashby suggested to Mr Slipper the idea of becoming Speaker just as Mr Brough began to move towards challenging Mr Slipper for LNP pre-selection for his seat and Mr Ashby ended up in an alliance in late March 2012 with Mr Brough to bring down Mr Slipper after he became Speaker….

http://youtu.be/AEWfsUO7YZY

* Photographs found at Google Images

UPDATE:

Justice Rares found that Mal Brough had known in early April 2012 that an application was to be filed by James Hunter Ashby. Court records show that it was filed on Friday 20 April 2012.

This is what Oppostion Leader Tony Abbott told the media on 13-14 December 2012:

'I think that Mal Brough was perfectly and properly endorsed by the Liberal National Party. He's been quite transparent and upfront about his involvement and, as I said, the matter is now subject to appeal,'

Let's run an online poll for our readers.....

 

Poll: What's your favourite part of Thursday's DEX?

 

Occasionally The Daily Examiner runs a poll on its website and if a reader has signed in his or her vote will be recorded against their name/pseudonym.

 

Here is the voting history of one such reader:

Voted in a poll 3:10pm Oct 31st
Do you use your mobile phone when driving?

Voted in a poll 5:03pm Oct 30th

Choose your top 10 rules that should be applied to Jaca Thursday and we’ll print them in Thursday’s DEX.

Voted in a poll 12:30pm Jul 27th

What's your favourite day of the week?

 

Voted in a poll 5:25pm Jul 25th

What's your favourite part of Thursday's DEX?

 

Voted in a poll 11:32am Jun 26th

What should we put on the cover of our On Track magazine?

Voted in a poll 9:09am May 25th

How do you spell it:

 

Ooops! Did I say reader? I meant the voting history of the editor of the newspaper conducting these polls.

The editor is not alone. A senior journalist at The Daily Examiner has voted in a number of the same polls, another has a penchant for the political when it comes to the polls he adds his mite to, yet one more has voted only twice and one other three times. However, the journalist who wins hands down has voted 33 times.

Just how many polls in this newspaper are being padded out by staff?

Quotes of the Week

“Tony Windsor said after the last election, when the negotiations were going on as to who would form government, that Tony Abbott begged for the job and made the point he would do anything to get that job.
Dare I say it, he used that phrase again that Tony Abbott said to him: "The only thing I wouldn't do is sell my arse."
We have heard Tony Windsor make that reference before.
He said Tony Abbott was prepared to do anything and if he was asked to do a carbon price or an emissions trading scheme he would have done it.
It is unclear why Tony Windsor had felt moved to repeat those allegations once again on the floor of the House today.
Perhaps it was because we saw a lengthy address from the Opposition Leader earlier today outside Parliament and again inside Parliament, saying that he is the person that can be believed on the carbon tax.” {ABC News 24 political reporter Julie Doyle 15th August 2012}

Stephen Koukoulas‏@TheKouk

If you can't buy his arse, how much would Mr Abbott's heart sell for? #auspol

“It is a very long time since journalists were, “Striking for fairness.” Today they often leave others feeling that they are “fawning for favour.”
{Uthers Say 10th August 2012}

Staying at home on the June long weekend seen as political dysfunction

Now I know that Bob Ellis likes to draw a long bow, but this is plain ridiculous.

Much of the Labor vote will be away on the long weekend and no mobile phones will be rung. Those still home will be the old, the ill, the childless, the friendless, and the mad — and they, as always, will favour the Liberals, the Nationals, Family First, the DLP and the LNP.

From the perspective of stay at home who is old, ill, childless, very sane and who would never in a month of Sundays vote Liberals, Nationals, Family First, DLP or LNP – sit on it and rotate Bob!

Matt

Northern Rivers

 * GuestSpeak is a feature of North Coast Voices allowing Northern Rivers residents to make satirical or serious comment on issues that concern them. Posts of 250-300 words or less can be submitted to ncvguestspeak AT gmail.com.au for consideration.

A smoking gun in the Thomson vs Media saga?

In 2009 then Victorian ALP state secretary Stephen Newnham was one of the first people to start accusing Craig Thomson of alleged brothel creeping during his time at the Health Services Union.

After being forced to resign this senior Labor position in that same year, Newnham and former adviser to senior federal Coalition frontbenchers  Rick Brown later turn up as principals of a registered lobby group which had been contracted to provide political analysis (on the upcoming elections in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia in 2010) to a newspaper in the News Ltd Group.

By 2012 both Newnham and Brown were writing articles critical of the Gillard Government for the Herald-Sun.

Does this set of interlocking relationships with Murdoch's minions go some way to explaining why large slabs of the meeja uncritically swallow whole Abbott & Co’s vitriol concerning this MP?
Might it also explain why the veracity of this 2011 2UE954 News Talk image of Thomson's alleged credit card details (showing a misspelled surname on the face of this card imprint) is not being questioned? A set of 1st-8th April 2005 documents which appear to have been eventually handed over to VIC or NSW Police by HSU officials as evidence of Thomson's alleged 'guilt', if the accompanying interview with Kathy Jackson is to be believed.

Hat tip to Peter Wicks for pointing out the discrepancy



In the transcript of a 1st August 2011 2UE Michael Smith interview with Thomson this section stands out:

Michael Smith: "The card was also used to pay for escort agency services.
I have a copy of one of the escort agency credit card vouchers. It’s the old style one, where you put the card on the plastic slider machine, put the carbon paper voucher on top of it and swipe the slider over the voucher.
The carbon paper makes a clear embossed impression of the card. You can plainly see that the credit card that was present on that night had this on the front of it – Craig Thomson, Health Services Union."

At best this is sloppy reporting. At worst the information in red bolding is a bald lie. Thompson is not Thomson, no matter how you spin it, and any reputable credit card agency would reject the slip in question - rightly worried about the possiblity of identity theft.

When political bias goes such a long way

This is the published profile of one anti-science print, radio and television journalist writing for The Australian:

Commentator, author and former political adviser, Chris Kenny, takes an unashamedly rationalist approach - with an emphasis on the good and the free - to all that matters in national affairs. Follow Chris on Twitter @chriskkenny

His column which has been online since November 2011 is relentlessly anti-Labor – so it should come as no surprise that the unnamed political party he ‘advised’ was the Liberal Party of Australia.

Sometime in 2002 he joined then Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer’s staff, where he remained until the Howard Government’s election defeat in 2007. He then went on to serve as Chief of Staff to then Leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Turnbull. Before moving into the federal sphere he had been Director of Strategic Communications for South Australian Premier John Olsen and Chief of Staff to Olsen’s successor Rob Kerin and, he once stood for Liberal Party pre-selection in the state seat of Unly  - so one could assume he may still be a member of the Liberal Party.

A history which should have seen The Australian insist that his published profile name him as a former Liberal Party political advisor for its readers’ edification.

Oh what a difference a day or two (doesn't) make in the media

The Daily Examiner Letter to the Editor on 11 May 2012 alerted regular readers to a problem in the veracity of its reporting:

Too much info is barely enough

IT WOULD appear that too much information is never enough for some in regards to the Education Tax Refund (or the new Schoolkids Bonus).

It has been reported (DE 8/5/12) that some families will be worse off under the new scheme, however, this is difficult to reconcile with the information provided regarding both the old and new scheme. Under the old scheme, parents were able to claim 50% of eligible expenses, irrespective of how much they spent during the year. For a primary school student, this meant that in 2011/12 under the ETR a parent could claim a maximum of $409 in rebate, which would mean they had incurred $818 or more in eligible expenses. If Ms. Franklin-Hentscher intended to claim 50% of her $2100 in expenses, for a single primary school-aged child, she would still only have received $409, which is the maximum allowable refund. She also suggests that tuition fees are claimable, which according to the ATO website is also incorrect.

Under the new scheme, Ms. Franklin-Hentscher will be eligible for $410 in rebates, and will not have to produce a single tax receipt to do so. Unless there is more information regarding this individual situation that has not been reported, to suggest that this change is "a kick in the teeth" is quite bewildering.

Michael Clark

Grafton

Editor's note: We acknowledge an error in reporting of this story and issued a correction in our online version. Mr Clark is correct and the error was based on an assumption during an interview that was not checked properly, needless to say the reporter in question was a little embarrassed.

The Daily Examiner 8 May 2012 article in question:

Not all parents better off with Schoolkids Bonus

SOME families will be worse off under the Government's proposed Schoolkids Bonus which promises an annual payment of $410 (for primary students) and $820 (for high school kids).

Those who spend more than $820 on their primary school child's education or more than $1640 on their high school child would be better off under the existing Education Tax Refund which gives parents 50% of costs back through the tax system.

Maclean mother Nicole Franklin-Hentscher, who worked out yesterday she claimed half of the $2100 she spent on claimable education items this year, described the policy change as a kick in the teeth and "the last nail in Julia Gillard's coffin".

Nicole's daughter Indiana attends St James Primary School, Yamba, and while her school fees were not claimable, tuition fees, uniforms, books, internet and other resources were.

"Julia Gillard has lied to us and given us a mining tax that wasn't meant to be there and a carbon tax that wasn't meant to be there, why not kick us a little more," she said.

She said parents who could prove they were spending the money on education were being penalised and this new handout method removed that incentive.

Others, including South Grafton mum Amy Morgan, welcomed the news.

"This seems to be great considering how much cost goes into uniforms each year and by doing it twice a year helps parents with summer and winter uniforms," she said.

Ms Gillard said the ETR had not been working as families were forgetting to keep receipts or could not find the cash to buy necessary equipment in the first place.

About 1.3m families will benefit from the bonus which will be introduced in parliament next week.

Sources in Canberra said the Schoolkids Bonus would be paid for out of the 2011/12 budget alongside the ETR.

The online ‘corrected version as of 5.06 pm 11 May 2012 differed only in the headline,
Bonus doesn't benefit everybody (which continued the published untruth), and rider at its end:

Terry Deefholts has taken responsibility for an error in reporting above. The Education Tax Refund can be claimed for 50% of specific education costs and is capped to a maximum of $794 for primary kids and $1588 for high school kids. The article above suggests that larger amounts be claimed therefore parents would be worse off under the new Schoolkids Bonus - this is incorrect. The Examiner apologises oversight.

Further information: http://www.educationtaxrefund.gov.au

Unfortunately both the letter, www.educationtaxrefound.gov.au and the 2012-13 Budget Papers clearly demonstrate that the online ‘correction’ itself is misleading in that there is still an implication that large amounts had been claimable in the past - without pointing out that the cited $794 (primary) and $1,588 (high school) caps only ever resulted in tax refunds of $397 and $794 respectively in 2010-11.

Because the federal government website states; The Education Tax Refund provides up to 50% back on a range of children's education expenses.

For the 2010–11 tax year refunds may be as much as $397 for every child at primary school, and up to $794 for every child at secondary school. The amount of the refund increases each year by the Consumer Price Index. In the 2011-12 tax year your refund could be as much as $409 for primary kids and $818 for secondary students.

While Budget Paper No. 2 states; From January 2013, every family with a child at school will be guaranteed $410 per annum for each primary school student and $820 per annum for each secondary school student. All eligible families will receive the full rate of payment and will no longer need to keep receipts as proof of expense, or wait until tax time. Eligibility for the payment will remain open to families with children enrolled and attending school who are in receipt of Family Tax Benefit Part A (FTB A) or other qualifying income support payments or allowances under a prescribed educational scheme that precludes the family from receiving FTB A. [my red bolding throughout]

What is clear is that the entire premise of both these articles in The Daily Examiner is incorrect and should never have been written and then published under those headlines. Both types of rebate rise and are to be paid at the maximum rate for each child attending school.

What makes the situation worse is that an opinion piece in the newspaper's 11 May issue appeared to assert that although the journalist could be trusted to spend the Schoolkids Bonus wisely, others might spend some of it on "booze, pokies, plasma TVs, remote control cars - anything but education" and that this bonus was "not healthy". Effectively dumping on at least a million families across the country. One could almost believe that APN's Grafton masthead belonged to the Murdoch media stable.

In all fairness, the erroneous premise of the original story should have been questioned from the start by the newspaper's editor and the blame lies squarely in that quarter when it comes to allowing publication.

As for Ms. Nicole Franklin-Hentscher who so unreasonably feels cheated by the Gillard Government - there are no words to describe the level of silliness being displayed.

Unfortunately bungled reporting has a life of its own and the Internet now owns this misinformation in all its glory.

Peter Slipper Cabcharge Dockets. Is somebody having a lend of APN journalists?

Psst! Did you hear that a friend of a friend of a friend of my brother who lives somewhere in Queensland unlawfully used a Peter Slipper CabCharge docket?

That appears to be how ridiculous the media rumour mill is becoming.

The latest to come to my attention is this little gem up on multiple APN newspaper websites, including The Daily Examiner:

A former Sunshine Coast cabbie has revealed how he picked up a girl in Mooloolaba who paid for her fare using a blank Cabcharge docket from Mr Slipper's office. The transaction happened late on Saturday night on October 23, 2010.

The cabbie went on to say he thought it was "strange" at the time.

Strange is not the word for this story, because presumably a copy of the alleged Cabcharge docket would have had to eventually find its way to the Department of Finance and Deregulation and, this does not appear to have happened according to available records covering 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2011.

Not only did this not happen, but the Department has no record of any travel on 23 October 2010. Either by taxi using a Slipper Cabcharge docket which would have to be swiped with his card to be valid (see example below) or indeed by hire car or Commonwealth car.

So the question is: Why on earth didn’t any APN newspaper check with the official website - which posted Land transport travel records for Hon. Peter Slipper, Member for Fisher, for period 1 January 2010 – 30 June 2011 on 10 April 2012  - fourteen days before The Daily Examiner et al began spreading such nonsense?

Copy of a Slipper Cabcharge docket posted at Scribd

It's only taken the Australian Securities and Investment Commission three years to dig a hole big enough to bury its head in

It’s only taken the Australian Securities and Investment Commission three years to dig a hole deep enough to bury its head in. The Age must be wondering why it bothered outlaying time and resources on investigative journalism.

The Age 31 October 2009:

BIPARTISANSHIP is rare in Canberra these days, but the Government and Opposition are as one on the scandal-racked Reserve Bank subsidiary Securency: they don't want to know about it. Since May, The Age has exposed a string of allegations about the way the company goes about the business of selling its banknote polymer to other nations, some of which are notoriously corrupt.

The Age 5 March 2012:

FEDERAL police have referred to the corporate watchdog evidence of possible illegality by senior Reserve Bank officials and business figures in connection with the nation's worst bribery scandal.

The referral to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission marks a significant shift in the investigation of the Reserve firms Securency and Note Printing Australia, which allegedly paid millions of dollars in kickbacks to win foreign banknote contracts.

For the first time in three years - and after last year charging 10 former senior banknote executives with paying bribes - authorities are examining the conduct of several Reserve-appointed directors of NPA and Securency between 1998 and 2009.

It is understood federal police have gathered significant documentary evidence and witness statements that point to improper corporate behaviour and have sought legal advice about the material before referring it to ASIC. Those whose conduct is under scrutiny over possible illegality include:

A former deputy governor of the Reserve and former chairman of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, Graeme Thompson, who chaired NPA and Securency and who allegedly approved highly irregular company behaviour that fuelled bribery.

An assistant governor at the Reserve, Frank Campbell, who as NPA director was privy to information about company corruption and bribery in 2007 which he and his board did not refer to the police.

The managing director of NPA, Chris Ogilvy, who also sat on Securency's board and who was party to highly irregular corporate behaviour, including the payment of secret commissions via inflated contracts.

A former Reserve assistant governor, Les Austin, who was a director of Securency and NPA.

If ASIC pursues civil or criminal charges against any of the directors, they could face jail sentences or heavy fines.

Company directors have a legal obligation to act honestly and diligently, and if their recklessness is found to have contributed to bribery or other improper conduct, they can be charged.

ABC News 12 March 2012:

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission says it will not launch an investigation into bribery allegations against two companies linked to the Reserve Bank.

Seven former employees of polymer banknote companies Securency International and Note Printing Australia (NPA), and the companies themselves, have been charged in relation to bribes allegedly paid to foreign officials to win note-printing contracts overseas.

Securency is 50 per cent owned by the RBA, while NPA is wholly owned by the RBA.

ASIC says it looked for evidence of possible breaches of the Corporations Act in material supplied by the Australian Federal Police.

"In line with its normal practice, ASIC has reviewed this material from the AFP for possible directors’ duty breaches of the Corporations Act and has decided not to proceed to a formal investigation," the regulator said in a statement.

Millions of dollars were alleged to have been paid in bribes to officials in Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam between 1999 and 2005 to secure contracts to produce bank notes for those nations.

Only your loving family reads your blog? Finkelstein thinks you're too dangerous to be left to your own devices

Despite the fact that your blog may have a little as 41 ‘visits’ per day (including bot scans) the Australian Government’s Independent Inquiry into the Media and Media Regulation advises that there is a need to regulate your website:

3.80 Internet users generally are much more likely to visit the websites of news organisations than news blogs for online news. More than 60 per cent of internet users in each age group reported visiting websites of news organisations, with the proportion rising to more than three-quarters for those aged 18–34. More than half of those aged 25–34 and 35–49 visited the news websites at least weekly. In contrast, significantly fewer people in each age group reported visiting news blogs. In each case, visits to news blogs were seldom more frequent than weekly. Only around one in 10 of those in the 18–24 and 25–34 age groups reported daily visits to news blogs.

11.67 The second change arises from the fact that there are many newsletter publishers and bloggers, although no longer part of the ‘lonely pamphleteer’ tradition, who offer up-to-date reflections on current affairs. Quite a number have a very small audience. There are practical reasons for excluding from the definition of ‘news media’ publishers who do not have a sufficiently large audience. If a publisher distributes more than 3000 copies of print per issue or a news internet site has a minimum of 15 000 hits per annum it should be subject to the jurisdiction of the News Media Council, but not otherwise. These numbers are arbitrary, but a line must be drawn somewhere.

Welcome to the bizarre world being created by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy.