Sunday 16 March 2014
Saturday 15 March 2014
SA Liberal Opposition Leader tells electors to "vote Labor" when they go to the polls in the state election
Labels:
elections 2014,
South Australia
'like a cane toad in a rose garden'
Sydney Morning Herald columnist Mike Carlton has provided some wonderful imagery in a piece he wrote about Chris Kenny, a scribe who pens pieces for The Australian.
In today's Herald Carlton wrote (in part):
The Tories and their army of media toadies wage their war on the ABC with increasing fury, sniping here, a charge from the big battalions there.
Whimpering in the trenches is one Chris Kenny, once a factotum to Lord Downer at the peak of his global glory, now a minor columnist for The Australian and a hugely unwatched talking head for Sky News. As he tells anyone who'll listen, he is much insulted by a Chaser comedy sketch on ABC TV last September which showed him Photo-shopped, pants down, apparently in carnal congress with a canine.
.......
It was hilarious watching Soapy bluster his way around this daft contradiction on Q&A last Monday. Seated next to the fragrant Lisa Wilkinson, squat and unblinking, he looked like a cane toad in a rose garden. No doubt he would defend to the death my right to say this.
Metgasco Limited, then NSW Minister for Resource and Energy Chris Hartcher & Co, NSW Police and those missing letters
The plot thickens concerning the anti-coal seam gas protests at Glenugie on the NSW North Coast.
The Greens (NSW) Media Release
"Missing" letters from Metgasco finally released
12th March 2014 5:33 pm
Four "missing" letters from Metgasco Ltd to Government Ministers have finally been released indicating what Greens MP David Shoebridge has long been speculating, that a high level of political interference took place during police protest operations at Glenugie last year.
Metgasco CEO Peter Henderson wrote to the then Minister for Resource and Energy, now ICAC embroiled, Chris Hartcher as well as the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure Brad Hazzard, Minister for Police and Emergency Services Michael Gallacher and the Attorney General Greg Smith requesting "greater legal reinforcement" for their operations.
Henderson also expressed concern about the "excessively lenient legal system" and its "unwillingness" to harshly penalise activists with "anti-development agendas." Henderson's suggestion to the Government in how to deal with protesters was to impose mandatory sentences.
The content in these letters now raises questions as to why the Government failed to hand over these documents following numerous GIPA requests lodged by David Shoebridge.
Both former Minister Hartcher and Police Minister Gallacher advised in a GIPA (FOI) Notice of Decision that no information or documents existed relating to these protests, and upon further GIPA requests only one of the letters was released.
Greens NSW MP and Police Spokesperson David Shoebridge said:
"What we have now are documents being released that the Government bizarrely denied having any record of in the first place.
"These letters not only indicate a clear directive issued by the Metgasco's CEO, but that the Government actually obeyed.
"The charges against these protesters were thrown out in court and we see now were only laid following direct political interference.
"It is simply unacceptable for resource industries to be effectively directing the operational activities of police in NSW." Mr Shoebridge said.
Subsequent to the commencement of this correspondance the NSW Public Order and Riot Squad was sent north to attend Metgasco's Glenugie drilling site and, in total an estimated 159 local, regional and other area police officers worked approximately 3,234 hours during the protest operations.
Quote of the Week
“This tells women who were raped … that they should have thought ahead and planned for it,”… “Make no mistake, this is anything but a citizens' initiative. It’s a special interest group’s perverted dream come true.” [Michigan Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer quoted in Huff Post Politics on the subject of new state insurance legislation which forces women to take out separate medical insurance for abortion]
Labels:
politics
Friday 14 March 2014
Finger pointed at local cricket officials who should lift their game
Local newspapers usually bend over backwards to give local organisations, including sport, publicity and the Clarence valley's Daily Examiner is no exception. Consequently, it's disappointing to see publicity officers provide newspapers with grossly inadequate information.
Over recent weeks the Examiner has endeavoured to keep its readers informed about cricket matches played on the lower Clarence. However, the paper has not been assisted by clubs (it seems one club in particular is a regular offender) - scoreboard details provided to to the paper have been scant in detail.
Examples of offending scoreboards published appear below.
Credit: The Daily Examiner
No credit for offending cricket club officials
Labels:
cricket,
publicity officers,
The Daily Examiner
Comparing the Rudd-Gillard Governments' Fair Work Act 2009 with the Abbott Government's Fair Work Amendment Bill 2014
This is not a comprehensive comparison of the Fair Work Act 2009 and changes to this act found in the Fair Work Amendment Bill 2014.
Rather it is a brief comparison of certain differences (including the fact that overtime rates, penalty rates, allowances and leave loading are now potentially part of any flexibility arrangement between employer and employee), which hopefully may encourage concerned citizens and employees to look closely at the Abbott Government’s amendments which are currently before the Australian Parliament.
* Untaken annual leave at time of employment termination
Rudd & Gillard Governments
Abbott Government
* Individual flexibility arrangements
Rudd & Gillard Governments
144 Flexibility terms
144 Flexibility terms
Abbott Government
Rudd & Gillard Governments
Abbott Government
* Mandatory terms of enterprise agreements
Rudd & Gillard Governments
Rudd & Gillard Governments
Rudd & Gillard Governments
Abbott Government
* Unfair dismissal
Rudd & Gillard Governments
Abbott Government
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