Abbott Government Minister for Defence continues Liberal Party tradition of diving snout-first into the ministerial expense budget trough

News.com.au 5 December 2014:

Taxpayers have been hit with a double whammy following a November food and wine tour by besieged Defence Minister David Johnston and his chief-of-staff Sean Costello.

In addition to the $6384 five-star bill chalked up on the government credit card entertaining defence industry chiefs and foreign dignitaries, the public purse will cop a Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) bill of more than $2100 for the extravaganza…..

The latest revelations come after Mr Costello, a former navy officer and executive with submarine builder ASC, had two senior staff frogmarched out of the office without explanation on the day the ‘dinegate’ scandal was exposed. Defence has launched a taxpayer funded leak investigation into the story by the feared Defence Security Agency….. Their fine dining tour took in Matilda Bay Restaurant in the minister’s home city of Perth where the government credit card covered the $2332 bill for 14 people or $167.57 a head. At Sean’s Kitchen in Adelaide the account was $662 for three people or $220.67 a head and at Balthazar Restaurant in Perth it was $722 for three or $240.67 a head.

Docket from Sean's Kitchen in Adelaide paid for by Defence Minister, David Johnston. Source: Supplied

Docket from Balthazar Restaurant in Perth paid for by Defence Minister, 

David Johnston. Source: Supplied

A second visit to Matilda Bay generated a bill of $2062 for seven or $294.57 per head and a dinner at Courgette in Canberra came in at $599 for four or $149.75 each.

“If any of the guests were Federal Government employees their meals will also incur FBT,” Mr Perryman said.

Government guidelines do not specify limits for the “reasonable amounts” that ministers can spend on hospitality.

However Mr Abbott’s statement of ministerial standards says: “Ministers and their staff are provided with resources and facilities at public expense for the effective conduct of public business. Such resources are not to be subject to wasteful or extravagant use, and due economy is to be observed at all times.”

Ministers and staff paid more than $200,291-a-year (Mr Costello is paid about $250,000) can claim travel allowance of $379-a-day in Adelaide and $469-a-day in Perth provided they don’t live there.

The meal component of that is $143.25-a-day in Adelaide and Perth or $32.55 for breakfast, $46.10 for lunch and $64.60 for dinner well below amounts spent on the government credit card.

Military personnel on official business can claim up to $47 for dinner, $28 for lunch and $24 for breakfast provided there is no flight meal involved.

Concerns have also been raised about the amount of alcohol served with the meals.

At the Matilda Bay Restaurant Mr Costello and six guests drank six $15 pints of Japanese ale, two bottles of $85 Chardonnay, two bottles of $190 Henscke Shiraz and a $210 bottle of Cullen Diana Cabernet. There are no official guidelines covering alcohol consumption.

Mr Costello has admitted that he had accepted a flight upgrade from first to business class in contravention of official guidelines.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s office moved to distance itself from the chaos yesterday when his powerful chief-of-staff Peta Credlin denied that she had any role in Mr Costello’s appointment.

They worked together in the office of Howard Government Defence Minister Robert Hill.

“All Ministerial advisers, including Sean Costello, are put forward by the Minister responsible and approved by the Prime Minister on recommendation from the Government Staff Committee,” a spokeswoman for the prime minister said.

“Peta Credlin did not approach Sean Costello to join the Minister’s office.”

Ms Credlin sat on the Government Staff Committee or ‘star chamber’ chaired by Minister Kevin Andrews following the election, but the government yesterday refused to reveal its current membership…..

Captains Catholic strike again! OR Are Abbott & Pyne yearning for papal knighthoods after they retire?

In a move bound to incense many of the 22 per cent of all Australians (4,796,791 people) who declared they had no religion in the 2011 national census and one confirming a disturbing pattern of behaviour, Messrs Abbott and Pyne have decided that taxpayers will now help fund the religious training of clergy in this country.

The Age 5 December 2014:

Taxpayers would subsidise the training of priests and other religious workers at private colleges for the first time under the Abbott government's proposed higher education reforms.  

As well as deregulating university fees and cutting university funding by 20 per cent, the government's proposed higher education package extends federal funding to students at private universities, TAFES and associate degree programs.

Religious teaching, training and vocational institutes would be eligible for a share of $820 million in new Commonwealth funding over three years.

Labor and the Greens attacked the policy, saying it breaches the separation of Church and State. Earlier this year the government controversially announced it would provide $244 million for a new school chaplaincy scheme but would remove the option for schools to hire secular welfare workers……

Eleven theological colleges are currently accredited by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) to provide courses designed to prepare students to enter religious ministries.

Institutes such as the Sydney College of Divinity, Brisbane's Christian Heritage College and the Perth Bible College, which currently charge students full fees, would be eligible for an estimated $4214 funding a year each student under the reforms.

The John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne, which offers course units including "Theology and Practice of Natural Family Planning" and "Marriage in the Catholic Tradition", would also be eligible for federal support….

The government's reforms were voted down by the Senate this week but will return to Parliament, with some amendments, next year. 

In which the Speaker in the House of Representatives looks to Prime Minister Abbott before deciding her course of action

At between 9-11 secs this YouTube video shows The Speaker looking directly at Prime Minister Tony Abbott, he signals her with a slight shake of the head and immediately Bronwyn Bishop states she personally finds the Leader of the Opposition's question offensive……

http://youtu.be/R4f6bN0fQvM

How many Walkley Awards did the Our ABC win this year? That many!

Despite a sustained political and economic assault by the Abbott Government and a anti-public broadcasting campaign by Rupert Murdoch's media, the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) had thirty finalists in the 2014 Walkley Awards.

Twelve ABC journalists won on the night in the thirty-four award categories – some coming first in more than one category.

ABC News 5 December 2014:

The ABC's Deb Masters and Mario Christodoulou and Fairfax Media's Adele Ferguson have jointly won Australian journalism's highest award, the Gold Walkley, for a Four Corners investigation of the Commonwealth Bank….

A joint ABC News and Guardian investigation which angered Prime Minister Tony Abbott and upset relations with Indonesia was named the Scoop of the Year.

Reporters Michael Brissenden, Ewan MacAskill and Lenore Taylor were presented the award for their story revealing that Australia's spy networks were targeting Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's personal mobile phone…..

Australian Story's Belinda Hawkins took out the category for Social Equity Journalism with her story on the search by donor-conceived children for their biological fathers.

Middle East correspondent Hayden Cooper was honoured for his coverage of the Peter Greste trial, winning the Walkley for Radio News and Current Affairs reporting.

Matt Brown, Hayden Cooper, Aaron Hollett, Stuart Watt, Michael Carey and the ABC news teams won Best Coverage of a Major News Event or Issue, with their reporting on the Gaza conflict.

Matt Brown and Mark Solomons won the Walkley for TV/AV Reporting for three exclusives about Australian jihadists in Syria.

Radio National's Sarah Dingle won the Radio/Audio Documentary award for her investigation into the Salvation Army's sex abuse cover-up.

ABC News and Foreign Correspondent cameraman Wayne McAllister was honoured for his work in Thailand, the South China Sea and Ukraine.

Four Corners, ABC TV and The Australian shared the Investigative Journalism award for their reports into the treatment of children caught up in conflict in the West Bank.

7.30's Nick McKenzie, Richard Baker and Sam Clark won the TV/AV Daily Current Affairs award for their investigation of corruption, kickbacks, rackets and organised crime within the building industry and the CFMEU.

A joint ABC TV/Mint Pictures and Identity Films won the Documentary award for investigations into child abuse at a Orthodox Jewish boys' school in Melbourne.

Well done, Our ABC!

In which The Speaker Bronwyn Bishop indicates that she considers being asked to leave the Chamber under standing order 94(a) on the last sitting day of the parliamentary week to be a form of early mark excusing an MP from further attendance

Excerpts from House of Representatives Hansard for Thursday 27 November 2014, in which The Speaker Bronwyn Bishop (left) first indicates that she considers being asked to leave the Chamber under standing order 94(a) on the last sitting day of the parliamentary week to be a form of "early mark" excusing an MP from further attendance and, then barely an hour later complains that those so ejected were possibly conspiring to get that early mark she had freely offered:

The SPEAKER: [approximately 14:02] Order! When questions are asked, I am not going to have this perpetual wall of noise and interjection going on while an answer is being given. If it is to continue, many people will leave the chamber. Those who want early marks can have them.

The SPEAKER (15:13): I would simply say to the Manager of Opposition Business that the behaviour today was an absolute disgrace. Looking at the list, I can see that quite a few of them are indeed Victorian members, who perhaps wish to go back and campaign. Others may wish to have early planes, but there was a deliberate campaign of noise and disruption, and I am fortunate in having standing order 94(a) with which to deal with it, otherwise it means naming people and taking up the time of the House. Simply to stand there and try to say that you all behaved like little angels and that you were picked on is pathetic.

It is worth noting that when Ms. Bishop assigned an ulterior motive to the Victorian MPs she chose to ignore two facts:

1. Victorian MPs were not the most prominent group of members she ejected - that honour went to New South Wales.

2. At the time she was speaking, only one of the 18 MPs had completed the one hour exclusion period under 94(a). Therefore she had no proof and no basis for implying the five Victorian MPs were absent because they; perhaps wish to go back and campaign.

According to the Hansard record the 18 Labor MPs (7 from NSW, 5 from Victoria, 2 from Queensland, 2 from WA and 1 each from SA & Tasmania) ejected during Question Time on that day, left in this order commencing at approximately 14:04 pm and finishing at approximately 15:01pm:

The member for Chifley (NSW) * record did not reflect whether or not MP returned to the Chamber

The member for Greenway (NSW) * record did not reflect whether or not MP returned to the Chamber

The members for Batman and Corio (Vic) * record did not reflect whether or not these MPs returned to the Chamber

The member for Franklin (Tas) * record did not reflect whether or not MP returned to the Chamber

The member for Wakefield (SA) * record did not reflect whether or not MP returned to the Chamber   

The member for Hotham (Vic) * later returned to the Chamber until it adjourned
The member for Hunter (NSW) * record did not reflect whether or not MP returned to the Chamber
The member for Griffith (Qld) * later returned to the Chamber until it adjourned
The member for Grayndler (NSW) * record did not reflect whether or not MP returned to the Chamber

The member for Melbourne Ports (Vic) * record did not reflect whether or not MP returned to the Chamber

The member for Shortland (NSW) * record did not reflect whether or not MP returned to the Chamber

The member for Wills (Vic) * record did not reflect whether or not MP returned to the Chamber

The member for Fremantle (WA) * later returned to the Chamber until it adjourned
The member for Kingsford Smith (NSW) * record did not reflect whether or not MP returned to the Chamber

The member for Charlton (NSW) * record did not reflect whether or not MP returned to the Chamber

The member for Moreton (Qld) * record did not reflect whether or not MP returned to the Chamber

The member for Perth (WA) * later returned to the Chamber until it adjourned

* Photograph form The Canberra Times

Moggy Musings [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]

A running joke musing: Not content with proposing a coal terminal in the Port of Yamba and later changing it to a transport hub which would ship agriculture, produce, forestry, petrochemical products, refined fuel, minerals and assorted machinery - now Desmond Euen is turning his eyes to Casino and Murwillumbah.

The Northern Rivers Guardians' Facebook page carries this notice of the Northern Rivers Railway Action Group Save our Tracks Forum; Yamba Port and Rail proposal’s managing director Des Euen will be one of the speakers at the Rail Meeting at Lismore Workers Club on Saturday the 22nd of November in relation to his intention to reopen the Casino to Murwillumbah rail service. The meeting goes from 2pm to 5pm. Hope to see some of you there.

There appears to be no end to Des Euan's self-promotion drive.

A matter of journalistic spine musing: My faithful slave has been quietly giggling ever since she found out the excuse APN's The Daily Examiner was giving for not picking up the phone and asking Clarence Valley Council about its taping of conversations occurring in council chambers - apparently it just didn't have the manpower available at the moment.

Her giggles turned to a hoot of laughter on Wednesday 17 November 2014 when the much smaller free community newspaper the Clarence Valley Review, with fewer journalists and a smaller budget, managed to publish a Page 3 article on the subject, Little brother is listening.

A when a half-truth is a pork pie musing: An 18 November 2014 Clarence Valley Council mayoral minute states: There is a shift in NSW towards allowing elected mayors to serve in office for periods of longer that one year, as is the current practice. The NSW Government Fit for the Future report states that “We will introduce longer terms for Mayors and clearer roles for council leaders. These changes will help to bring more stability and accountability to councils”.

What the minute didn’t state was that this only applied to a mayoral election by councillors according to the Baird Government.

Something that will occur at mayoral elections in the Clarence Valley which will be held every two years after 10 September 2016 if Mayor Richie Williamson fails in his bid to establish popular mayoral elections and a mandatory 4-year mayoral term in the Clarence Valley.

Hopefully, councillors will insist that this fact is included in the For and Against cases the council is obliged to advertise before the 21 February 2015 referendum, in which valley voters will be asked if they want to have a mayor elected by popular vote, with ratepayers funding that second type of election as well as the election of nine councillors.

In 2012 Coffs Harbour City councillor and mayoral elections totalled a combined $289,290 cost against that council's bottom line according to the NSW Office of Local Government.

A council by-election musing: There is one rumour doing the rounds that retired Grafton District Services Club manager and friend of Clarence Valley Council Mayor Richie Williamson Arthur Lysaght is considering standing at the 2015 Clarence Valley local government by-election and another that disgraced former NSW Nats MP for Clarence Steve Cansdell is thinking of standing as well.

A shirt-fronted Tony Abbott musing:

As I hopped into the laundry tub for a nice cool dip in today’s heat, the G20 ganged up on the Oz Prime Minister and ignored his insistence that the summit did not mention the war climate change. G20 leaders included this item in the official 21 point communique, “19. We support strong and effective action to address climate change. Consistent with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its agreed outcomes, our actions will support sustainable development, economic growth, and certainty for business and investment. We will work together to adopt successfully a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the UNFCCC that is applicable to all parties at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris in 2015. We encourage parties that are ready to communicate their intended nationally determined contributions well in advance of COP21 (by the first quarter of 2015 for those parties ready to do so). We reaffirm our support for mobilising finance for adaptation and mitigation, such as the Green Climate Fund.”

Best of all was reading the 35 page G20 Climate Finance Study Group –Report to the Finance Ministers – 2014 aka The Green Fund document – a fund Mista Rabbott has been resisting at various international forums since he first came to office. No doubt about it, he was right royally shirt-fronted by the world’s most powerful between 15-17 November 2014.

A microchipping musing: Clarence Valley Council is holding a reduced-rate microchipping day for cats and dogs at Grafton Animal Pound on Saturday 15 November 2014 from 11am to 2 pm. No appointment necessary. Cost $27 with payment by EFTPOS or cheque only. Remember to bring your cat in a carry cage or your dog on a lead. The pound is located at 16 Induna Street, South Grafton. Phone contact is 6642 5689 (direct) or via council's switchboard 6643 0200.

Council is trying to organise a second reduced rate microchipping day sometime next year specifically for public and social housing tenants. If you love your moggy or doggy please get it a microchip so that it has a chance of coming home if it accidentally becomes separated from its human family.

A local government election musing: Clarence Valley Council is understood to be holding a by-election in February 2015 to fill the vacancy caused by the tragic death of Cr. Jeremy Challacombe.

An itchy feet musing: Which North Coast local government general manager has never stayed more than four years in any job since about 1992? Eight jobs in 22 years. Wow! He’s got almost 20 years to retirement and at this rate should be able to cram in at least 7 more councils before collecting his superannuation.

A Love, Tony musing: These letters to aged pensioners that Prime Minister Abbott churns out appear to be making a bit of a stir - in November 2014 Centrelink's call centre automated response lists "Prime Minister's Letter" as one of the options. Tony Dum-Dum sent out individually addressed letters in which he informed pensioners that their pensions will not be reduced. Obviously lotsa members of the grey brigade don't believe him if Centrelink has to channel calls in this way. On a feline scale of trust Mr. Wabbott scores NIL.

A sad musing at 11.21am 28 October 2014: A local Clarence Valley couple died in a car crash in Tyson St at around 2.30pm on Monday, 27 October 2014. The husband is believed to be a Clarence Valley shire councillor.

A who dunnit musing: If Clarence Valley Council's general manager answered all the numerous questions he took on notice from Cr. Baker on 14.10.14 he was careful not to say during the subsequent monthly meeting and, Cr. Baker is apparently being equally silent. Some local wags have been jokingly taking bets as to whether the general manager was asked who was really behind the two complaints which triggered the unsuccessful Code of Conduct proceedings against Cr. Toms.

A rod for their own backs musing: Clarence Valley Council is about to place its 2014 Draft Keeping Of Animals Policy (bees, birds, livestock, poultry, dogs, cats, ferrets etc) on public exhibition. While few would dispute council’s right to make policy on this issue; the fact that people living on land zoned residential will have to seek permission and meet certain building/enclosure standards if they wish to keep three or more dogs or cats will pose a problem, if council does not clearly define the seeking permission process in its policy, how/by whom this will be managed and, how frivolous/malicious complaints will be dealt with. Laughingly, it seems to believe that the only risk it takes is if residents ordered to get rid of their pet moggies ‘n’ doggies challenge the order in court. What they are actually setting up is a classic scenario for a rapid escalation in neighbourhood disputes - for this policy as written has the potential to be used as a tool for spiteful payback.

A what about me musing: More than a little worried about when I'll get my Sunday dinner - my two-legs just realised that there are only nine weeks left until Christmas and she has retired whimpering to the bedroom. What's the problem? Santa pays for everything doesn't he?

An into the light musing: A very cool kitten just told me I had named the wrong redevelopment - so I've adjusted accordingly.

The projected project costs at concept stage for works/operations/maintenance depot and office rationalisation have been one of those closely guarded secrets beloved of Clarence Valley Council’s general manager. At a Corporate, Governance & Works Committee Meeting on 14 October 2014 a motion by Cr. Toms (Seconded by Cr. Simmons) to publish these costs was unanimously agreed to and a little light has entered in time for community discussion of this issue. *Cheshire cat smile on the dial*

Boy

NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption seeks urgent hearing in Australian High Court to confirm and protect its investigative powers

On 30 October 2014 the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) announced a public inquiry into allegations concerning alleged corrupt conduct by a senior public official.

This inquiry known as Operation Hale was due to commence on 10 November 2014 and run over a two-day period.

However, by 10 November 2014 the NSW Supreme Court had handed down its judgment in Cunneen and Ors v Independent Commission Against Corruption [2014] NSWSC 1571.

The Court found against the plaintiffs; Margaret Cunneen, Stephen Wyllie and Sophia Tilley – concluding that:

 118.       It follows from the above that the plaintiffs have not made out the issues raised in their summons and that their summons should be dismissed. I have not heard argument as to costs and accordingly, I will give the parties an opportunity to make submissions on that issue and I reserve my decision as to costs.

 119.       The orders which I make are as follows:

(1) The plaintiffs' summons is dismissed.

(2) Costs are reserved.

As an appeal was foreshadowed ICAC agreed to delay the commencement of Operation Hale hearings.

On 18 November 2014 in Cunneen v Independent Commission Against Corruption [2014] NSWCA 421 the NSW Court of Appeal found for the plaintiffs - concluding:

123 The applicants are entitled to the relief sought in the summons, to the extent of a declaration that the Commission had no authority to investigate the matter identified in the summons by reference to the general scope and purpose of the proposed public inquiry and the nature of the allegation or complaint being investigated.

209 I agree with Basten JA that there was no power for ICAC to conduct an investigation into the allegation as described in the summons issued pursuant to s 35 of the ICAC Act because the alleged conduct did not fall within the definition of "corrupt conduct" in s 8(2) of the Act. I agree that the orders proposed by Basten JA should be made.

Neither judgement addressed the matter of whether the alleged incident occurred. ABC News reports that; Ms Cunneen has denied allegations she told her son Stephen Wyllie's girlfriend, Sophia Tilley, to pretend to have chest pains to avoid a blood-alcohol test after a car crash.

On 5 December 2014 ICAC issued the following statements:

ICAC Operation Hale public inquiry

Friday 5 December 2014

Today's majority decision of the NSW Court of Appeal with respect to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)'s Operation Hale public inquiry fundamentally affects the scope of the Commission's powers to conduct investigations into corrupt conduct.

It is critical to the exercise of the Commission's powers generally that the construction of section 8 of the ICAC Act is settled.

Accordingly, the ICAC will seek leave to appeal to the High Court of Australia.

The Commission will be making no further comment at this stage.

Media contact: ICAC Manager Communications & Media, Nicole Thomas, 02 8281 5799 / 0417 467 801

Statement regarding Operations Credo and Spicer

Friday 5 December 2014

The majority decision in Cunneen v ICAC [2014] NSWCA 421 fundamentally alters the basis of the Commission's powers with respect to significant parts of Operations Credo and Spicer.

 The Commission is seeking special leave in the High Court of Australia as a matter of urgency.

 Until the proceedings are resolved, the Commission will not complete the reports in Operations Credo and Spicer.

 The Commission will be making no further comment at this stage.

Media contact: ICAC Manager Communications & Media, Nicole Thomas, 02 8281 5799 / 0417 467 801