Quote of the Week

“Gillard could walk on water and it would be reported that she failed to swim.” {The Australian Independent Media Network 8^th June 2013}

Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and the rest of the Federal Coalition didn't do their homework on one asylum seeker

Sayed Abel Latif and his family sought asylum in Australia in May 2012.

The Australian stated on 3 June 2013:

It is understood Latif was one of 107 defendants in the "returnees from Albania" trial, held by an Egyptian military court in 1999.

So named because several of the defendants had been repatriated, or "rendered", from Albania, where they had allegedly been engaged in extremist activities, the case levelled an array of charges, including assassination of top political figures, involvement in the 1997 Luxor massacre and the bombing of banks and embassies….

[he was]  one of dozens convicted in absentia….

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said Latif denied all the charges against him and some of the evidence used to convict him had been obtained through torture.

Between 4-6 June 2013 Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and other members of the Coalition asked questions without notice in the House of Representatives using words to the effect that ‘A convicted Jihadist terrorist was kept for almost 12 months behind a pool fence’ while being held in an Australian detention centre’.

Seven days later ……..

Snapshot taken 8.20am 14 June 2013

http://www.interpol.int/Wanted-Persons/(wanted_id)/2001-43523

13 June 2013 - Media release

Egypt drops premeditated murder charge from Abdel Latif Red Notice

Statement by INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters, Lyon, France

On 13 June 2013, INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Cairo asked that the Red Notice previously issued at its request for Sayed Abdel Latif on 1 October 2001 be changed to remove any charges relating to premeditated murder, destruction of property, and possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives without a permit.

The remaining offences listed on the current valid Red Notice for Mr Abdel Latif are for membership of an illegally-formed extremist organization and forging travel documents for the organization’s members.

Egypt’s original 2001 Red Notice request stated that Mr Abdel Latif had been convicted and sentenced, in absentia, for premeditated murder, destruction of property, possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives without a permit, membership of a terrorist group and forgery of documents.

Based on the above, a Red Notice for Mr Abdel Latif was issued by INTERPOL's General Secretariat on 1 October 2001 for a variety of offences, including premeditated murder.

As required by INTERPOL’s rules on maintaining information in its databases, on 29 January 2007 and again on 24 October 2011, INTERPOL’s NCB Cairo requested that the Red Notice for Mr Abdel Latif remain valid and active for the same charges as originally requested.

Therefore, any law enforcement authority consulting INTERPOL'S databases between 1 October 2001 and 13 June 2013 would have read and believed that Mr Abdel  Latif was wanted for arrest by Egyptian authorities for a variety of terrorist-related offences, including premeditated murder.

Questions have recently been raised in relation to Mr Abdel Latif’s convictions as stated by Egyptian authorities in their original Red Notice application.

In following up on the matter with NCB Cairo, the NCB asked INTERPOL'S General Secretariat to remove the charge of premeditated murder and the other charges as outlined above.

INTERPOL immediately implemented NCB Cairo’s request and is advising all member countries accordingly.

All further enquiries on this case and on the underlying charges against Mr Abdel Latif should be directed to INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Cairo and to the Egyptian authorities.

Red Notices are one of the ways in which INTERPOL informs its 190 member countries that an arrest warrant has been issued for an individual by the competent authorities of a member country or by an international tribunal. It is not an international arrest warrant.

INTERPOL cannot insist that any member country arrest the subject of a Red Notice.

It seems all it took was for enquiries by The Guardian  and others, to be made of the Egyptian authorities and/or lawyers, for the truth began to emerge concerning this asylum seeker’s status.

Pity Tony Abbott and his cohorts didn’t make such enquiries.

UPDATE:

Interpol has now added this information to the Sayed Abel Latif  Red Notice - 
Charges: Membership in a terrorist group and providing forged travel documents

This description differs markedly from that contained in the Interpol media release which clearly stated: membership of an illegally-formed extremist organization and forging travel documents for the organization’s members.

A suspicious mind would have to consider the possibility that the higher echelons of the Australian Federal Police have applied some pressure to Interpol in order to rescue their somewhat tattered reputations in this matter.

Is the Liberal Party finally leaving the Metgasco building?

Metgasco Limited website 10 June 2013:

Richard Shields - External Relations Manager

Richard has extensive knowledge and experience in politics, having worked for almost 20 years in senior government, party related and private sector roles. He understands the challenges and complexities of the legislative and regulatory processes of government, in addition to having a strong insight into managing media and community relations.

Prior to joining Metgasco, Richard served as Deputy Director of the Liberal Party of Australia (NSW Division) for over 3 years and also served as the Interim State Director. Other positions held by Richard include a Policy Adviser to former Senator the Hon Helen Coonan as Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Richard has also worked as a Senior Cnsultant [sic] for two of Australia's largest issues management firms. Drawing on his strong media and stakeholder manageent [sic] skills, Richard advises the Managing Director and Board on issues management, communications and engagement strategies and investor relations……

Insurance Business 10 June 2013:

The Insurance Council of Australia has appointed Richard Shields as general manager of government and stakeholder relations, effective 17 June, 2013.

He will be responsible for managing key stakeholder relationships and engaging with all levels of government.

Shields has two decades of experience in public affairs-related roles. He was most recently the external relations manager of ASX-listed company Metgasco.

Prior to that he was an adviser to the Minister for Sport and Tourism Hon Andrew Thomson MP and for Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Senator the Hon Helen Coonan; public affairs director for the Australian Hotels Association (WA); deputy state director and director of party affairs for the Liberal Party (NSW).

ICA CEO Rob Whelan said Shields brought an insider’s knowledge of the challenges and complexities of politics to the ICA. He said Shields would also complement the organisation’s knowledge of the legislative and regulatory processes of government……

Laughing at Tony Abbott's exaggerations

Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s  media release of 23 March 2012:

In exactly 100 days, the world’s biggest carbon tax will commence.

Abbott again on 8 July 2012:

And at the moment this is the world's biggest carbon tax at the worst possible time.

This was KieraGorden’s response in 2013:

Taxing Energy Use: A Graphical Analysis, 28 January 2013: Executive Summary excerpt:

Based on statutory rates in effect on 1 April 2012, overall effective tax rates on energy (Figure 1) range from EUR 0.18 per GJ in Mexico (not taking into account the variable rate component of its fuel excise tax, which has been negative in recent years) to EUR 6.58 per GJ in Luxembourg, with a simple average for all OECD countries of EUR 3.28 per GJ and a weighted average of EUR 1.77 per GJ. Meanwhile, effective tax rates on carbon range from EUR 2.80 per tonne ofCO2 in Mexico to EUR 107.28 per tonne of CO2 in Switzerland, with a simple average for all OECD countries of EUR 52.04 per tonne of CO2 and a weighted average of EUR 27.12 per tonne of CO2.

The highest overall effective tax rates tend to be in European countries, where energy-tax policy is significantly shaped by the 2003 European Union Energy Taxation Directive, which sets minimum tax rates for a variety of energy commodities. Many of the countries with the highest effective tax rates on carbon are countries with explicit carbon taxes (e.g. Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland). Explicit carbon taxes generally exist alongside other taxes on energy products, which are sometimes based on the energy content of different fuels. These countries tend to tax a broad range of energy products and to have more consistency in rates across different fuels and uses, particularly with respect to heating and process use.

Many Central European and Asian OECD member countries (e.g. the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Turkey) tend to have lower effective tax rates on carbon than the countries mentioned above. The lowest effective tax rates on carbon are found in Australia, New Zealand and the Americas (Chile, Canada, Mexico and the United States). These last countries typically only tax fuels used in transport and generally do so at lower rates than the OECD average (an exception being at the provincial level in Canada. [my bolding]

International Energy Agency Energy Prices And Taxes Quarterly Statistics Fourth Quarter 2012:

Real Energy Prices for Households (total energy) in OECD countries, Third Quarter 2012

United Kingdom 136.4

New Zealand 127.1

Germany 126.7

United States 124.6

Japan 115.1

Australia 110.9

Canada 110.6

Real Energy Prices for Households and Industry (total energy) in OECD countries, Third Quarter 2012

United Kingdom 129.1

Germany 128.5

Japan 119.6

New Zealand 118.9

United States 117.4

Australia 117.1

Canada 104.4

Note: The "Real" price index is computed from prices in national currencies and divided by the country specific

 producer price index for the industrial sector and by the consumer price index for the household sector.

** Carbon Pricing came into effect in Australia in the Third Quarter 2012

Nationals candidate Kevin Hogan plays fast and loose with the truth

This was the Nationals candidate in the seat of Page, Kevin Hogan on 4 June 2013:

Ms Saffin is spreading baseless fear and misinformation. She says the Coalition has vowed to wind back this legislation. This is nothing more than a bid to deceive people. Not one of our parliamentarians has said anything of the sort, and there are no plans to touch the water trigger…..

This was Coalition Senator Simon Birmingham speaking in the Australian Senate Hansard (14 May 2013) on the subject of the water trigger being added to the C’wealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act:

Senator BIRMINGHAM (South Australia) (12:43): I rise to speak on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment Bill 2013, which the government has just rushed into the Senate chamber….

There are also grave concerns about the fact that this legislation targets specific industries. This is a whole new world of activity for the EPBC Act, which traditionally has said that there are broad matters of national environmental significance that should be considered, regardless of what industry is proposing to undertake a development. If this legislation passes, we are putting in place a new area of assessment, but only as it relates to the coal industry or the coal seam gas industry, only as it relates to those sectors….

We have many concerns about this legislation. As I said, though, we understand the concerns of the community as well. We hear those concerns and we are not, by opposing this legislation, going to allow the government to politicise this issue. We will work to fix these issues should we succeed later this year. We want to work to ensure that we get community confidence for this important industry, because it is an important industry. It is generating billions of export dollars and thousands of new jobs and is very important to the economic wellbeing of all states of Australia—to securing, in particular, our future gas supplies.

Mr. Hogan is getting off to a bad start. The election writs still haven't been issued yet he is rolling out those campaign fibs with the best of them.

WIN TV breached by ACMA for immunisation story

ACMA media release 41/2013 – 7 June

WIN Television NSW Pty Ltd (WIN TV) breached two provisions of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice in a news report on WIN News Illawarra about measles vaccination that misled its audience.

The report was broadcast on 16 August 2012 and concerned an outbreak of measles in south-western Sydney.

Included in the story was the following unqualified statement made by a non-expert: ‘All vaccinations, in the medical literature, have been linked with the possibility of causing autism...’

The Australian Communications and Media Authority found that by broadcasting that statement and by conveying a higher level of controversy and uncertainty about immunisation than was justified by the facts, WIN TV had failed to broadcast factual material accurately.

 ‘The story would have misled an ordinary viewer about the level of risk of vaccinating children,’ said ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman.

The ACMA also found that WIN TV did not make reasonable efforts to correct the significant error of fact.

‘While the ACMA has no power to direct the making of an on-air corrective statement, given the circumstances of this case and the important public health issues involved, the ACMA recommended to WIN TV that it make an on-air statement concerning the ACMA’s findings,’ added Mr Chapman.

The licensee has, however, declined to take this opportunity to clarify on air this important public health issue, one which no doubt remains of ongoing concern to its audience and the wider Australian public.  The licensee offered to provide a link on its website to the ACMA’s finding.

A link to investigation report 2883 can be found here.

For more information please contact: Emma Rossi, Media Manager, (02) 9334 7719 and 0434 652 063 or media@acma.gov.au.

And Abbott promises an 'adult' federal government if elected on 14 September 2013? *Warning Offensive Menu*

ABC AM 17 May 2013: Mr Abbott's promising a more adult government with no nasty surprises and no more excuses. 

The Business Spectator reported on the morning of Wednesday 12 June 2013 that: The coalition's most senior female frontbencher has accused Prime Minister Julia Gillard of waging a "false gender war" 

Later that morning it was reported that Liberal National Party candidate for the federal seat of Fisher and former Howard Government minister Mal Brough attended a fundraising dinner in his electorate on 28 March 2013 [@chef09876 ] and, Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey also reportedly attended as a guest speaker.

On the 'alternative' dinner menu was:

Moroccan Quail

Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail – Small Breasts, Huge Thighs & Big Red Box

Moroccan Carrot Salad & Sumac Yoghurt [my red bolding]

Mr. Abbott called that insulting, obscene and sexist description of Australia's Prime Minister the joke that was out of line. 

His candidate Mal Brough says that no harm was meant.

Is it any wonder that many women doubt that the Liberal-National Party Coalition candidates asking for their vote have their best interests at heart?

9 News 14 May 2013: Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has told coalition colleagues they must be "the adults in the room" as members return to parliament, four months out from the federal election.  

Update:

The Telegraph UK reports that the fundraiser was a 20-person dinner. This would appear to make Joe Hockey and Mal Brough's assertions that they never saw the menu improbable at best.

As for the Sky News later report that the menu was never placed on tables or anywhere in the restaurant, well this tweet by an accredited journalist tends to suggest that it was seen by fundraiser guests: