Memo to Federal Minister Joe Ludwig: Australian Meat Industry Council and I agree

When I left my local butcher shop yesterday I came home with more than the modest amount of meat I can afford to purchase - I came home with a pamphlet from the Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) calling for the immediate suspension of all live cattle exports to Indonesia and that this suspension should not be lifted until there are assurances that animal welfare standards are applies to all live exported Australian cattle.

If all Argriculture Minister Ludwig and the Indonesian Government can offer is a vague hope that live export cattle will be stunned before slaughter, then I concur with the Council's call to ban live export to Indonesia.

Indeed I would go further and say that all live animal export should be permanently banned across the board. This ban to be implemented over a three year period to allow for some export industry adjustment.

The AMIC website states:

The Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) is committed to the highest level of animal welfare and the humane treatment of livestock. Our mission is to ensure acceptable animal welfare standards are implemented and effectively verified. AMIC affirms that livestock processing in Australia is conducted in accordance with national laws and international requirements, and enforced accordingly by State, Territory and Commonwealth inspectors to ensure that high standards of animal welfare are maintained at all times. In 2005, AMIC proactively developed and implemented the AMIC ‘Industry Animal Welfare Standards for Livestock Processing Establishments’ which integrate the national Codes of Practice, relevant State and Commonwealth legislation and other commercial requirements. These Standards are verified by Commonwealth and State inspectors and commercial auditors on behalf of customers. The Standards were developed by a national committee, comprising representatives from Government, science, animal welfare organisations, as well as technical experts and representatives from industry. As part of the Standards meat processors are required to ensure personnel are trained and competent when handling livestock. In the last three years over 300 personnel have undertaken the “Animal Welfare Officer Skill Set” course. Approximately 150 new livestock handlers undertake the ‘Livestock Handling’ course each year.

In summary
The Australian Processing Industry
• is committed to the highest level of animal welfare
• operates under strict state and federal animal welfare regulations which are verified by Commonwealth and State inspectors and commercial auditors on behalf of customers.
• has developed and implemented worlds best practice animal welfare standards
• invests in ensuring its employees are trained and competent in animal welfare

Update:

The Sydney Morning Herald 25 June 2011
Excerpt from Meat industry knew of Indonesian cruelty last year
[Please note this article contains video images which may distress the reader]

Meat and Livestock Australia and LiveCorp have repeatedly claimed that both bodies were unaware of the extent of animal welfare problems in Indonesia before the airing of a Four Corners program on May 30.
How much they knew is now the subject of a Senate inquiry.
Yet a report, commissioned by MLA and LiveCorp and handed to the bodies early last year, extensively documents every aspect of the abuse revealed last month.
The report makes repeated references to the shortcomings of the Australian-made restraining boxes, warns about the non-compliance with World Organisation for Animal Health standards, and says only four abattoirs in Indonesia had stun guns.
Most damning are accounts of slaughtering fully conscious animals, which suffered protracted, agonising deaths.
''At an abattoir in Sumatra the neck was struck with a knife using a hard impact to sever the skin above the larynx and then up to 18 cuts were made to severe the neck and both arteries,'' the report says.
''Bleeding was impaired in 10 per cent of cattle … possibly resulting in extended consciousness … In some instances where stunning was not used, the delay between restraint and slaughter was significant.''
On the performance of the restraining box, ''finding better methods of restraint with higher animal welfare outcomes is essential'', the report concludes. The ''mark 2'' box, designed to solve the problems, makes the plight of the animals even worse, the report says, to the point of being ''not acceptable''.
Thrashing, prostrate animals bashed their heads on the box's concrete plinth an average of 3.5 times before death. The report says: ''Where the severity of the fall was severe and head slapping occurred, significant animal welfare issues were identified that should be addressed.''
The halal practice of dousing the thrashing animal with water requires ''revision'', as ''disturbed behaviour … was particularly apparent when buckets of water were thrown over the animal before slaughter''.

When social media goes wrong: Does Glaxo Smith Kline know where their anti-smoking campaign is turning up on Facebook?

We’re encouraging Aussies to Pledge to Quit smoking for World No Tobacco Day on the 31 May. Take our pledge and share it with your friends, maybe we’ll even set an Australian record for Pledge to Quit! states Glaxo Smith Kline’s Nicabate Pledge to Quit team on Facebook.

Unfortunately one of the Facebook accounts which advertises the pledge campaign is Grafton Goss (online since 12 May 2011) which carries what has been described by The Daily Examiner as “vile” gossip.

Snapshot taken 25 May 2011

In fact unsubstantiated allegations made concerning the sexual activity of named young people are so unpleasant and language employed so crudely graphic that I have omitted a direct link.

This webpage will soon come undone as Grafton Goss’ creator is not as anonymous as first appearance suggests.

In the meantime Facebook users can make Zuckerberg live up to his social media site’s undertakings regarding privacy and appropriate content by going to the Help page and following the prompts to report Grafton Goss and its posts.

Waltzing around the Web looking at.....

...this and that.

Wikileaks gets dissected by US Army counter intelligence

In March 2010 Wikileaks amusingly blew the whistle on a 2008 assessment of its own organisational structure and aims by US counter intelligence .

Haystack creates 'hidden' Internet access for Iran citizens

Haystack is a new program designed to provide unfiltered internet access to the people of Iran. The software package is compatible with Windows, Mac and Unix systems, and specifically targets the Iranian government's web filtering mechanisms.

First Care Physicians puts the bite on patients for almost unlimted distribution of personal medical information








Perth woman wins award for whistleblowing

Denise Brailey exposed a fraudulent investment scheme which saw thousands of people - including many seniors - lose tens of millions of dollars. Her work has prompted other official investigations in the finance and real estate sectors including an ongoing WA Police Major Fraud Squad probe into a mortgage broker. The Rona Oakley award was presented to her at a lunch at Fraser's Restaurant in Kings Park today.

US Dept. of Defense looks at its big boy's toys in a document published in March 2010

This is GAO's eighth annual assessment of selected Department of Defense (DOD) weapon programs. The report examines how well DOD is planning and executing its weapon acquisition programs, an area that has been on GAO's high-risk list since 1990.

Statement of Gregory C. Wilshusen Director, Information Security Issues to US House of Reps sub-committee released in March 2010

An underlying cause for information security weaknesses identified at federal agencies is that they have not yet fully or effectively implemented key elements of an agencywide information security program, as required by FISMA. As a result, they may be at increased risk of unauthorized disclosure, modification, and destruction of information or disruption of mission critical operations. Such risks are illustrated, in part, by the increasing number of security incidents experienced by federal agencies.

Securency International (Australia) speaks out about folding money rip-off

Following the departure from the company of former Managing Director Myles Curtis and former Director of Commercial Services John Ellery, Securency International Pty Ltd has initiated a global search for a new chief executive.

The reasons why:

Assistance with enquiries into matters dealing with agents in overseas territories 29 March 2010

Counterfeit medicines rife
An estimated 10% of the global medicine supply chain is counterfeit, according to the World Health Organization. More than 25% of the medicines consumed in developing countries are thought to be counterfeit, and in some countries, the figure is as high as 50%.

Google Earth is not an accurate measuring tool, but try telling that to one roof insulation installer

Random Google Earth snapshot

Think there's too much fuss being made about some of the problems gathered around the federal home roof insulation scheme?
Might be time to think again because more of those suspect firms who joined the subsidized feeding frenzy are being uncovered each day.

This was reported last week in a local newspaper:

“As an example of the nature of the compliance issues being dealt with by the department, one company in northern NSW, which has claimed $9.6 million under the program, is being investigated in relation to over 100 complaints concerning electrification of foil insulation, dangerous electrical practices, damage to ceilings and roof coverings as well as phantom installations,” Mr Combet said.
“I am advised that all payments to this company have been suspended and action is being taken to rectify safety matters and to reclaim government funds.”
Now it seems there is also mention of a NSW North Coast operator who advertised roof insulation installation under the scheme and then stated to at least one potential customer that there was no need to come out and measure the roof as dimensions could be gathered from a Google Earth satellite snapshot. I kid you not.
This rather haphazard firm tried to convince the dubious homeowner that it didn't matter what internal ceiling types she had; that the far from accurately scaled outside snapshot would tell them all.
The home owner declined to proceed as she knew that pink batts would not be suitable for the cathedral ceilings in parts of the house and she had little confidence that she would receive an accurate quote for the rest of the roof area.
This same company was one of those which had the hide to front the Prime Minister in Canberra complaining about the scheme's suspension.

Local wags are running odds on the company mentioned by Combet and the company known locally to be offering Google Earth measuring being one and the same.

Rats in the rooves

There's a lot of not so quiet muttering on the North Coast as retirees discuss the possibility that the subsidised roof insulation installed in their homes over the last year is unsafe.
All the media exposure about shoddy work and greedy spivs has masked another emerging problem - that of other types of roofing work contracted for by local affordable housing providers.
Seems at least one provider is canvassing its tenants to find out if one particular company has left a trail of leaking or unsafe roofs in its wake after sub-contracting work to non-tilers.
Whatever happened to company ethics or pride in a bloke's workmanship?

Lack of public facilities such as transport in rural and regional Oz

Last year the local community of ***** (name removed) buried young ****** (name removed).


***** hanged himself out of despair. Centrelink hounded him.

In order to pacify Centrelink ***** drove everywhere to find work, often in an unregistered vehicle as he had not the means to pay for registration.

Individuals like ***** end up driving, often without a licence, and more often in unregistered vehicles. The seeds of criminality begin this way, from despair.

Truth is, this is not an isolated incident.

Over to you Mr Rudd et al.

Source: Read this

NSW minister for beds has resigned over a scandal between the sheets

John Della Bosca has resigned as health minister and leader of the legislative council after it was revealed the 53 year old had a six-month affair with a 26-year-old-woman.
News Limited publications have had a field day with their kiss-and-tell revelations. Leading the pack has been Sydney's Daily Terrible (aka The Daily Telegraph).

The 26-year-old woman provided a statement to The Daily Telegraph claiming Mr Della Bosca:

* STOPPED a security guard from checking her identity, and did not get her to sign the visitor's register, when he took her into his parliament office where they had s*x;

* MISSED a morning flight to the NSW regional city of Armidale for a hospital opening and meetings with health officials and spent the afternoon with her;

* BRAGGED about his affair to an Upper House colleague, who offered to employ the woman, because he believed people thought he was a "square"; and

* TOLD the woman he had the backing of caucus to replace Mr Rees, whom she said Della Bosca labelled a "freckle-faced Latham".

The woman said last night that Mr Della Bosca had repeatedly told her he loved her.

"I don't know how he managed to do his job when he spent so much time with me," she said. "There were times when John would cancel work to see me."

Their relationship only ended last month - she said at her behest - after Mr Della Bosca did not follow through on what the woman claims were repeated promises to leave his wife, the federal MP Belinda Neal.