Alan Moir |
This blog is open to any who wish to comment on Australian society, the state of the environment or political shenanigans at Federal, State and Local Government level.
“The Australian Government has agreed to (in full, in-principle, or in-part) or noted all 55 recommendations in the Report.” [Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, media release, 8 April 2021]
“are either agreed wholly in part or in principle, or noted where they are directed to governments or organisations other than the Australian government” [Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, quoted in Sky News online, 8 April 2021]
So after ignoring the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces Final Report for over 12 months, what do Morrison’s weasel words in the quotes above indicate?
Scott Morrison & Co say they are proceeding to:
* order a survey every four years to provide data on sexual harassment;
* provide educational resources for young people of working age on workplace rights and sexual harassment;
* educate and train staff at the Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission, Safe Work Australia, WHS regulators and workers’ compensation bodies concerning sexual harassment;
* lead a new collaboration by government, unions, employers and employer associations called Respect@Work aka the Workplace Sexual Harassment Council; and
* the Workplace Sexual Harassment Council is charged with:
a. providing high-level advice on development of guidelines and resources to ensure that all services providing information, advice and support in relation to sexual harassment can provide accurate information, make appropriate cross-referrals, and collect consistent data
b. after three years, considering the need for a centralised, accessible service to provide information and advice in relation to workplace sexual harassment;
* develop a Respect@Work website to provide the general public, employers and workers with free information; and
* Advise all state governments that they should ensure that relevant bodies responsible for developing training, programs and resources for judges, magistrates and tribunal members make available education on sexual harassment.
Somehow in this 7-item list I don't see any immediate, hands-on, practical actions by the Morrison Government that will see the rates of sexual harassment, sexual assault, physical assault and/or murder by a partner or former partner, of women and girls in any state or territory decrease in the next few years.
I sincerely hope I am wrong.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and those of his ilk are toying with the idea of creating a law which bans all anonymity on social media.
One which will force women who have accounts with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and many other sites to publicly disclose their legal names when creating such accounts and not use a pseudonym when posting or tweeting.
Under scenarios being considered by the Liberal-Nationals Government, all Australians may have to submit 100 points of identification - such as a driver’s licence or passport - before creating a social media account.
Additionally, social media users would be liable for defamation or even subject to criminal prosecution for their activity online.
For some reason he and others in his government are professing to believe this will make the Internet safe for women and girls.
Create a hugh Australian database spread across multiple sites which contains the verifiable ID of tens of thousands of Australian females – including home and/or work addresses. What could possibly go wrong?
Another giant pot for gold every vengeful, misogynistic male who decides he wants to abuse, threaten and stalk in real life not just in cyberspace.
At least one social media giant clearly demonstrates by way of repeated privacy breaches, just how easy it is to open databases.
This is the latest.......
The Guardian, 5 April 2021:
Australians are being urged to secure their social media accounts after the details of more than 500 million global Facebook users were found online in a massive data breach.
The details published freely online included names, phone numbers, email addresses, account IDs and bios.
In a statement, Facebook said the leaked information was old, and came from a problem it had resolved in 2019, but experts told Guardian Australia the data could still cause problems for users caught up in the breach.
So what might hackers do with your info? How can you check if your data was leaked? And what can you do to protect yourself?
How your information could be used
Dr Andrew Quodling, a researcher in governance of social media platforms at the Queensland University of Technology, said that the data could be used to gain access to people’s Facebook accounts but also emails and accounts with other social media sites.
Once a hacker has your email, they can try to login into your accounts by pairing your email with simple passwords.
“People will take a sort of an easy run at simple hacks – try the top 100 most common passwords, and try to get in with brute force,” he said. “So anyone using the password 123 on that list would be in trouble.”
How to find out if your data was leaked
The quickest and easiest way to find out if your data has been leaked as part of a wider breach is to check on websites run by security researchers.
One of the most popular and effective of these sites is HaveIBeenPwned.com, a database maintained by security analyst Troy Hunt.
It only needs your email, which it cross-references with more than 10bn accounts that have been breached in the past to find if your details were leaked online.
It also has an option, for users to check if their password has been compromised.
Unfortunately, it does not yet track phone numbers, which were the most common user field in the recent Facebook leak.
What to do if your data was breached
In any data breach, it’s important to ensure identity documents, such as driver’s licence and passport details, haven’t been compromised. If they have, replace them immediately.
If your email address was exposed, change your password for that account, and set up two-factor authentication where possible…...
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, media release, 8 April 2021:
Earlier this evening the Australian Government received advice from the vaccine expert taskforce, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).
The detail of that advice is attached.
The Government accepts the advice from Australia’s medical experts and will move swiftly to ensure Australia’s vaccination program and advice to patients is adjusted accordingly.
The Australian Government places safety above all else, as it has done throughout the pandemic, and will continue to follow the medical advice in protecting Australians.
The ATAGI advice is clear that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe disease caused by COVID-19.
The medical advice to the Government is that the risk of blood clotting side effects from the Astra Zeneca vaccine is four to six in one million people, in the first four to 20 days post the vaccine. This is a rare but serious side effect.
On that basis, the recommendation is that it is preferred that the Pfizer vaccine be provided to adults under the age of 50. The AstraZeneca vaccine should only be given as a first dose to adults under the age of 50 where the benefit clearly outweighs the risk for that individual.
AstraZeneca is recommended for those over the age of 50.
The vaccination program will continue, particularly for the most vulnerable Australians in Phase 1B including those over the age of 70 who are not impacted by this revised advice.
The longer term timeframe for the program is being reviewed following this medical advice.
The Department of Health will provide preliminary, updated advice to general practitioners and health professionals.
The ATAGI advice follows further international evidence including from the vaccinations in Europe and the United Kingdom. ATAGI had already provided updated guidance on 2 April.
The ATAGI advice has today been considered by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), which is the Medical Expert Panel led by the Chief Medical Officer, and also comprising all State and Territory Chief Health Officers.
The advice will be provided to National Cabinet tomorrow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Definitions
Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) is a rare and new syndrome which hasbeen reported after being given the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. It may be caused by this vaccine. The condition involves blood clots (occurring in body sites like the brain or abdomen) together with low platelet levels.
Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot, which prevents blood flowing normally through the body.
Thrombocytopenia is a condition in which you have a low blood platelet count. Platelets (thrombocytes) are blood cells that help blood clot. Platelets stop bleeding by clumping and forming plugs in blood vessel injuries.”
“ The AstraZeneca vaccine appears likely to be causally-linked with a risk of this newly recognised thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome.
There is currently uncertainty in, and different reported rates of risk, for this adverse event.
Studies have suggested it may occur in approximately 4 – 6 people in every one million people in the 4-20 days after the first dose of vaccine. However, higher rates have been reported in Germany and some Scandinavian countries.
Some evidence suggests the risk of this condition occurring may be somewhat higher in people of a younger age, however a small number of cases have been reported in people of different ages (including older adults).
While there have been more reports of TTS in women in some settings, this may be because more vaccine doses have been given to women. In one country the reported rate of TTS (number of cases adjusted for the number of men and women vaccinated) was similar in men and women.
TTS can cause serious long term disability or death (with death occurring in approximately 25% of reported cases).
So far no specific biological risk factors or pre-existing medical conditions have been found to modify (i.e. increase or decrease) the risk of TTS occurring after AstraZeneca vaccine.
We do not yet know to what extent earlier recognition of this syndrome and improved treatments will improve patient outcomes. More cases can be expected to occur, albeit rarely.
Comirnaty (the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine) does not appear to carry a risk of TTS. [my yellow highlighting]
Office of the NSW Labor MLA for Lismore, Janelle Saffin, media release, 7 April 2021:
Saffin goes into bat for Lismore’s hard-working taxi drivers
TOP RANK: Lismore MP Janelle Saffin with taxi owner/drivers, from left, Justin Stevenson, Gurdeep Singh, Richard Hunter and Vikram Singh following their recent meeting. |
STATE Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin is going into bat for local hard-working taxi owner/drivers, once again calling on the NSW Government not to abandon them by allowing their taxi licences to be devalued until they are worthless.
Ms Saffin has written to NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance and NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, asking them to throw taxi owner/drivers a financial lifeline so they are not left high and dry when they retire from the industry.
“In Lismore, there are 19 owners of taxis in our local co-operative, all respected small business owners who work incredibly hard serving our community,” Ms Saffin said.
“They are facing financial stress as a result of the decreasing value of taxi licences in New South Wales. They are concerned about their future and feel like they are being abandoned by the NSW Government.
“They’re worried about the sharp drop in the value of their taxi plates, that the Government’s support schemes are not nearly enough and that current Government regulations are failing to deal with how ride sharing has impacted taxi drivers.”
The NSW Legislative Council Inquiry into the Operation of Point to Point Transport Act 2016 found that taxi licences have incurred a net loss of at least 80 per cent in value since 2015.
This inquiry recommended that the NSW Government establish a buyback scheme for the taxi licenses.
Ms Saffin said a buyback scheme could be paid for by the NSW Government’s $1-per-trip Passenger Service Levy, introduced in February 2018 to raise up to $250 million over five years towards an industry assistance package.
“I am strongly encouraging Ministers Constance and Toole to adopt the inquiry’s recommendation to give our taxi drivers financial security into the future,” Ms Saffin said.
“Our local taxi drivers have also expressed to me how they have gone into debt to initially purchase their taxi licences and now that they are so devalued, they are left with the debt over their heads.
“These are not wealthy people and we must act to avoid our taxi drivers being left high and dry.”
Since 2009, Lismore’s taxi drivers have completed over three million trips.
According to Ms Saffin, they provide outstanding community service to the elderly, people with a disability and many locals who don’t own a car and need transport.
The MP has offered to work with Ministers Constance and Tool to give taxi drivers a fair go.
Clarence Valley Independent, 31 March 2021:
Clarence Valley Council’s only declared politically-aligned councillor, Greg Clancy, tabled a motion at yesterday’s March 30 CVC meeting, to restate CVC’s anti-mining stance.
At the November 24, 2020, CVC meeting, councillors voted six to one (Cr Baker was opposed and councillors Williamson and Kingsley were absent) to “oppose mining in the Clarence River catchment”.
Councillor Clancy’s motion – tabled after the Independent’s editorial deadline – is a response to Deputy Premier John Barilaro’s letter to CVC, which rejected CVC’s plea to impose a moratorium on mining in the Clarence Valley’s river catchment.
Following the November decision, CVC wrote to Mr Barilaro, NSW Minister for Energy and Environment Matt Kean, state Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis and federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan – Mr Barilaro responded on behalf of himself and Mr Kean; Mr Gulaptis and Mr Hogan had not responded, according to CVC’s meeting papers.
Councillor Clancy’s motion sought to “thank” Mr Barilaro “for his response on behalf of the Minister for Energy and Environment Matt Kean”, and to “advise that CVC was not seeking an explanation of the process of developing mining in the Clarence Valley, but was advising the state government of its strong opposition to mining in the Valley”.
The rest of his motion stated: “Advise [Mr] Barilaro that the council, representing the community’s strong opposition, is seeking support for the Clarence Valley to be identified as a no-go zone for mining due to its almost unique natural and cultural values, many of which depend on the Clarence River, and which support essential and valuable industries contributing to the local economy;
“Write to the Premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, advising her of Council’s resolution and seeking her support for a moratorium on mining in the Clarence Valley;
“[and], write to the adjoining councils that have responsibility for areas draining into the Clarence River catchment requesting that they support council’s stand and ask them to pass resolutions to oppose mining in areas affecting the Clarence River catchment.”…...
Clarence Valley Independent, 6 April 2021:
In last week’s story, ‘Greens councillor revisits CVC’s anti-mining stance’, the Independent outlined a motion put to the March 30 Clarence Valley Council (CVC) meeting, however, the motion was deferred to the April meeting.
Councillor Greg Clancy withdrew his motion when it became apparent that time was running out as Councillors discussed technical issues regarding how the motion should be put.
It would appear that Andrew Laming is vying with Scott Morrison for the title of Political Liar of the Year........
The Guardian. 6 April 2021:
The besieged Liberal National MP Andrew Laming operates more than 30 Facebook pages and profiles under the guise of community groups, including at least three masquerading as news pages, and another posing as an educational institute.
The Bowman MP, who is on leave from parliament to undertake empathy counselling following complaints about his behaviour towards women, uses the sites to promote political material and attack his Labor opponents through pages classified with Facebook as “community” and “news” groups. None of the pages include political authorisation disclosures.
Laming has announced he will quit politics at the next election, but the Morrison government has insisted he is a fit and proper person to sit on the government benches, where the Coalition holds a one-seat majority.
As further revelations about his “extraordinary” behaviour emerge, Guardian Australia has confirmed that the Facebook page operating as the Redland Bay Bulletin – which uses a similar name to the local news site the Redland City Bulletin – was set up by Laming in October 2015 claiming to be a “community group”.
The page claims to “update the issues and keep a close eye on politicians and their promises” in the Redlands;
area, but posts frequent links to Liberal National party advertising and attacks on the Labor party, including state member Kim Richards.
“This page was created to provide an opportunity for you to communicate your likes and dislikes, advertise an event or your business. So share this page to fellow residents. Let’s see if we are noticed so that positive changes can be made,” the “about” page reads.
After one community resident complained about the page’s apparent LNP “propaganda”, one of the page’s administrators responded: “Yes this page was created by Andrew, but is now administered by several locals from the Redland Bay and Mount Cotton area.”
Another Facebook page used by Laming claims to be the fictitious Redlands Institute, a “forum for balanced discussion of major issues” which has been registered with Facebook as an “education” group.
The Redlands Institute promotes stories casting doubt on climate science, calling it “apocalyptic environmentalism” and spreads anti-Labor and anti-Greens propaganda while linking to Laming’s official material.
Laming revealed his identity in comments on the page posted under the institute’s name, including by posting links to Facebook live events on his now deleted official page and asking page followers to ask him questions.
Laming has also revealed himself in comments on the Victoria Point News page and the Thornlands 4164 page, both of which have been set up as “community” pages.
Guardian Australia understands that Laming has set up a community page for each suburb in his electorate without disclosing his political links to the sites, and operates about 35 from his Facebook account, which have garnered thousands of followers. His official Facebook page was shut down in the wake of allegations that he stalked two Brisbane women online.
Another page called “Redland Hospital: Let’s fight for fair funding”, was set up by Laming ahead of the last federal election to campaign against Labor, and while this is revealed in the page’s “About” information, it does not include any party branding or authorisation.
According to the Australian Electoral Commission, political authorisation is required for “information that is a matter communicated, or intended to be communicated, for the dominant purpose of influencing the way electors vote in a federal election”.
“This includes, but is not limited to, a communication that expressly promotes or opposes a candidate, political party, member or senator.”
The disclosure laws, which were updated following the 2016 election, also explicitly include social media posts, requiring authorisation details either in the message or through the page’s biography details….
Read the full article here.
Hi! My name is Boy. I'm a male bi-coloured tabby cat. Ever since I discovered that Malcolm Turnbull's dogs were allowed to blog, I have been pestering Clarencegirl to allow me a small space on North Coast Voices.
A false flag musing: I have noticed one particular voice on Facebook which is Pollyanna-positive on the subject of the Port of Yamba becoming a designated cruise ship destination. What this gentleman doesn’t disclose is that, as a principal of Middle Star Pty Ltd, he could be thought to have a potential pecuniary interest due to the fact that this corporation (which has had an office in Grafton since 2012) provides consultancy services and tourism business development services.
A religion & local government musing: On 11 October 2017 Clarence Valley Council has the Church of Jesus Christ Development Fund Inc in Sutherland Local Court No. 6 for a small claims hearing. It would appear that there may be a little issue in rendering unto Caesar. On 19 September 2017 an ordained minister of a religion (which was named by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in relation to 40 instances of historical child sexual abuse on the NSW North Coast) read the Opening Prayer at Council’s ordinary monthly meeting. Earlier in the year an ordained minister (from a church network alleged to have supported an overseas orphanage closed because of child abuse claims in 2013) read the Opening Prayer and an ordained minister (belonging to yet another church network accused of ignoring child sexual abuse in the US and racism in South Africa) read the Opening Prayer at yet another ordinary monthly meeting. Nice one councillors - you are covering yourselves with glory!
An investigative musing: Newcastle Herald, 12 August 2017: The state’s corruption watchdog has been asked to investigate the finances of the Awabakal Aboriginal Local Land Council, less than 12 months after the troubled organisation was placed into administration by the state government. The Newcastle Herald understands accounting firm PKF Lawler made the decision to refer the land council to the Independent Commission Against Corruption after discovering a number of irregularities during an audit of its financial statements. The results of the audit were recently presented to a meeting of Awabakal members. Administrator Terry Lawler did not respond when contacted by the Herald and a PKF Lawler spokesperson said it was unable to comment on the matter. Given the intricate web of company relationships that existed with at least one former board member it is not outside the realms of possibility that, if ICAC accepts this referral, then United Land Councils Limited (registered New Zealand) and United First Peoples Syndications Pty Ltd(registered Australia) might be interviewed. North Coast Voices readers will remember that on 15 August 2015 representatives of these two companied gave evidence before NSW Legislative Council General Purpose Standing Committee No. 6 INQUIRY INTO CROWN LAND. This evidence included advocating for a Yamba mega port.
A Nationals musing: Word around the traps is that NSW Nats MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis has been talking up the notion of cruise ships visiting the Clarence River estuary. Fair dinkum! That man can be guaranteed to run with any bad idea put to him. I'm sure one or more cruise ships moored in the main navigation channel on a regular basis for one, two or three days is something other regular river users will really welcome. *pause for appreciation of irony* The draft of the smallest of the smaller cruise vessels is 3 metres and it would only stay safely afloat in that channel. Even the Yamba-Iluka ferry has been known to get momentarily stuck in silt/sand from time to time in Yamba Bay and even a very small cruise ship wouldn't be able to safely enter and exit Iluka Bay. You can bet your bottom dollar operators of cruise lines would soon be calling for dredging at the approach to the river mouth - and you know how well that goes down with the local residents.
A local councils musing: Which Northern Rivers council is on a low-key NSW Office of Local Government watch list courtesy of feet dragging by a past general manager?
A serial pest musing: I'm sure the Clarence Valley was thrilled to find that a well-known fantasist is active once again in the wee small hours of the morning treading a well-worn path of accusations involving police, local business owners and others.
An investigative musing: Which NSW North Coast council is batting to have the longest running code of conduct complaint investigation on record?
A fun fact musing: An estimated 24,000 whales migrated along the NSW coastline in 2016 according to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the migration period is getting longer.
A which bank? musing: Despite a net profit last year of $9,227 million the Commonwealth Bank still insists on paying below Centrelink deeming rates interest on money held in Pensioner Security Accounts. One local wag says he’s waiting for the first bill from the bank charging him for the privilege of keeping his pension dollars at that bank.
A Daily Examiner musing: Just when you thought this newspaper could sink no lower under News Corp management, it continues to give column space to Andrew Bolt.
A thought to ponder musing: In case of bushfire or flood - do you have an emergency evacuation plan for the family pet?
An adoption musing: Every week on the NSW North Coast a number of cats and dogs find themselves without a home. If you want to do your bit and give one bundle of joy a new family, contact Happy Paws on 0419 404 766 or your local council pound.