Burger Off! The Westlawn Group Shame File

Every big developer operating in Australia, particularly foreign multinationals, has an enabler.
Sometimes in is the federal or state government of the day, some times local government or a landowner, sometimes a paid lobbyist and, sometimes it is all five.

The McDonald's Australia Ltd move to establish a 24 hour drive-through and eat-in fast food outlet in the small coastal town of Yamba at the mouth of the Clarence River is probably being eased into being by three out of five of these categories.

Professional Public Relations Pty Ltd (PPR) continues to support the fast food giant's image and lobby government on its behalf.

Almost every Clarence Valley shire councillor who has bothered to make a statement in relation to the development application has opened the door wide enough for later weasel-worded retreats and a vote for this highly inappropriate proposal and, Clarence Property Corporation Ltd (part of the Westlawn Group) as owner/manager of the land to be developed is quite happily supporting McDonald's.

Now in this day and age it is hard to shield individuals having control of land behind a corporation blind. Indeed its the fashion these days for them to trumpet their identities.

So here are the men responsible for allowing McDonald's a foot in the door in a town in which many of the residents are opposed to this glorified hamburger joint's entry:

Peter Fahey Executive Managing Director

James Dougherty Non-Executive Chairman JimD@westlawn.com.au

Geoffrey Shepherd Non-Executive Director

Michael Dougherty Non-Executive Director MikeD@westlawn.com.au
Peter Burge Portfolio Services Director
Paul Rippon Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary

It is doubtful that McDonald's Australia would be proceeding this year if it were not for these individuals (who can justifiably be described as predominantly out-of-towners) placing the company's bottom line above the best interests of a coastal community.

Watching Kevin Rudd disembowel himself with a spoon......

Watching successful Kevin 07, who almost couldn't put a foot wrong during the Australian 2007 federal election campaign, decide to water down or abandon everything that led to his team winning government is like watching someone try to disembowel themselves with a blunt object.
Painful, ineffectual and very disconcerting for an audience who has to vote again this year.
Last week's abdominal scoop was refugees or asylum seekers from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and in the process the Rudd Labor Government invited unfortunate comparisons with the ardent 'furriner' hating Howard Government
Peter Martin posted this government document laying out the entire rationale for so major a door slam.
That this is purely a move to stem the flow of boat people (as opposed to all those Pommie and Kiwi illegal immigrants who originally came on tourist visas) rather than simply a re-assessment of the situation in Sri Lanka or Afghanistan is seen in threats to de-register remittance dealers if they allowed cash transfers to people smugglers and the creation of yet another intelligence agency:

"A tough new regulatory regime will provide powers to de-register remittance dealers that facilitate access to funds for people smuggling ventures and other unlawful activities, including money laundering.

These new powers will be administered by the CEO of the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC).

Remittance dealers accept cash, cheques and other forms of payment in one location and arrange the payment of an equivalent amount of cash or value to someone in another location, usually overseas.

Remittance dealers range from global money transfer businesses and their franchisees and agents (e.g. Western Union, Australia Post), to smaller ethnic community-based

entities.

AUSTRAC estimates that there are around 6,500 remittance dealers operating

in Australia.

Australian law enforcement authorities are aware that international cash transfer services provided by remittance dealers can be used to pay the organisers of smuggling ventures........

"The Government will provide $14.5 million over four years to establish a new Criminal Intelligence Fusion Centre to provide new capabilities to detect and prevent organised crime, including people smuggling and related activities"

The beginnings of life show how much we have in common with the rest of the natural world

From This Blog Rules: These amazing embryonic animal photographs of dolphins, sharks, dogs, penguins, cats and elephants are from a new National Geographic Documentary called “Extraordinary Animals in the Womb”. The show’s producer, Peter Chinn, used a combination of three-dimensional ultrasound scans, computer graphics and tiny cameras to capture the process from conception to birth. They are the most detailed embryonic animal pictures ever seen.

Hat tip to Rod3000 (Managing Editor of newmatilda.com plus two kids, cats and chooks) for tweeting about this.

Tell this VP that McDonald's is not wanted in Yamba

This is Kristene Mullen, a McDonald's Australia vice president and director of communications.
She's under the impression that Macca's is the best thing to happen to Oz since sliced bread.
Yamba residents and visitors on holiday can tell her differently at kristene.mullen@au.mcd.com or they can write to Peter Bush, McDonald's Australia CEO at Head Office 21-29 Central Ave THORNLEIGH NSW 2120.

NO TO McDONALDS IN YAMBA!

McDonald's employees out lobbying against Yamba community?

Does McDonald's at Grafton have its employees out lobbying against community opposition to the multinational's push for a 24 hour drive-through and eat-in fast food outlet in Yamba?

One has to wonder when the creator of the YES to McDonalds in YAMBA Facebook page (less than one thousand fans last time I looked) claims to hail from Maclean and not Yamba. While a brief Google search throws up a profile which appears to match this 'Brendan' and shows that a Maclean sports club to which he belongs is seeking business/corporate sponsorship and that he is touting for new business on his advertising website with its mimic URL which ironically seeks to feed off Yamba's established brand. More than a few of his Facebook page 'fans' obviously live in Grafton which just happens to be home to an existing McDonalds outlet.

At least one McDonald's employee is to be found on both the Yes site and the Facebook page NO to McDonalds in YAMBA (over 3,300 fans last time I looked) - talking up the 'benefits' of this multinational and verbally spitting at others.

Elsewhere on Facebook she describes herself as an "Area Assistant" with McDonald's in Grafton now on maternity leave.

This is how the Clarence Valley 'face' of McDonald's is presenting itself:

Bringing a McDonalds to Yamba is going to create great job opportunities for everyone but especially the younger generation. The younger generation that everyone complains about not working. Their options are either to travel or work in the local shops at Yamba. The small businesses will employ family or friends before... taking anyone in. A lot of them expecting to only pay people cash in hand. When business gets a bit tough, bring in the family to take over and cya later job. Some people seem to be carrying on about youth in Yamba not caring about working....Well i bet all the positions will get filled and a majority of the people will work hard.

Also, if people do end up overweight its their own bloody fault!!!!
What....People cant have self control over what they eat now, they have to blame that on someone else too???
I dont see anyone having a crack at all the unhealthy things sold in your Supermarkets or your oh so healthy fish and chip shops.......
McDonalds does have a healthy range as well..
I dont think that that is a fair arguement thats being put up...

Hmmm well doesnt this Nick Stone person think he is SO great. The reality is, he has to pick at peoples spelling mistakes, or if IPhones have spell check because he cant come up with any good reasons for a McDonalds not to be in Yamba!!
Ask him something, he wont be able to answer it.....He will only change the subject ...totally to try and put you down because he has nothing real to say....
Its great....Oh and then watch out for his friend Sharon Beel who will come to his side as she has nothing decent to say either...
Then when theyve had enough and realise they are losing, they will say its all a joke..But its not!
Haha......They are the JOKE!!!!

Haha.... You have got be kidding!! You are the middle age woman who is the joke!!!!!!Your theories make no sense, i think you may have a screw loose!!!
Thats the thing though, i dont run a small business...I havent said that i wanted too so why should i have to justify that to you?McDonalds will be making plenty of employment. Mst probably more that what a small business can make. A clever business person who owns/buys/ or builds a small business in a growing are should realise that bigger franchisees are likely to happen. I would think about that and what effect it would have on my business before i put myself in that position.

Late on 7 April 2010 this Grafton McDonald's employee also stated an intention to make a formal submission to Clarence Valley Council:
I wasnt quite sure what to write either. I just typed what i thought was good and sent a draft of it to yes2mcdonalds@gmail.com They will help :)

I strongly suspect that she may not think to declare the fact that she lives and works in the Grafton area or make her employment background clear in that letter/email to Clarence Valley Council.

Perhaps it's time that McDonald's Australia CEO Peter Bush had a word with his NSW North Coast licensees about their store managers and employees' extra curricular activities.

But perhaps not - after all this is the same McDonald's Australia which described its favoured licensee for the proposed Yamba outlet as coming from "the region" in an effort to convey a false impression that he is actually a permanent resident in the Clarence Valley.

Graphic from Google Images

Making Stevo's day......

Because I feel like making Australian Communications Minister Stephen Conroy happy as a pig in shi...shirt tails, here's a little profanity on one of those Internet sites which good ol' Stevo says he won't be placing behind the Great Firewall of Australia - preferring instead to flirt with blocking sites which may have a political message or are otherwise legal content at the newsagents.
Yer, that's right. Leave the bad language and some rather questionable videos for the kids to titter at, but kill a political message that might be a tad uncomfortable.
Glad the Rudd Government has its priorities straight - after all YouTube comes in handy during an election campaign doesn't it?

On YouTube "The Seven Words" video:
"George Carlin doing what he does best!
WARNING! BAD! BAD! LANGUAGE!
Remove children from the room...unless your a cool parent!
1,521,258 views"

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%.