Karl 'The Terminator' Bitar finds another target

Not content with scuttling the future electoral chances of Federal and NSW Labor, Karl Bitar goes on to chance his hand with Crown Casino. Let the good bad ugly times roll!

ASX / MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
24 May 2011
CROWN APPOINTS MR KARL BITAR TO HEAD UP GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
MELBOURNE:

Crown Limited (ASX: CWN) today announced that Mr Karl Bitar has been appointed to head up Government Affairs at Crown Limited, subject to usual probity approvals.

Mr Bitar will be responsible for managing Crown’s relationship with the Federal Government across a broad range of issues including tourism, infrastructure development and responsible gaming.
The Chief Executive Officer of Crown Limited, Mr Rowen Craigie said, “All of us at Crown are looking forward to working with Mr Bitar.”

www.crownlimited.com

Help Jack fight the Polluter Giants

Fund Solutions Not Pollution

The big polluters don't need to pocket windfall profits from a carbon price - some of their profits are almost as large as the entire revenue itself! But still they lobby against our clean future.

The Government needs to invest at least $2 billion each year of the pollution price revenue on renewable energy and innovation to build a clean energy future. We know this can be done. The Australia Institute's reseach paper, commissioned thanks to GetUp members' donations and released today, shows just how easily that money can be found by cutting subsidies to the worst polluters.

This ad needs to start playing this week if we're going to strengthen the renewable industry's arm in these negotiations. With $100,000 we can buy out all the remaining Canberra TV spots for the fortnight. That's a good start - another $60,000 and we can buy out the last minute spots in several target rural electorates. Chip in so we can give the media buyers the go ahead.

Make a donation to this advertisement here.

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands

Since he became Leader of the Opposition Tones the Terrible has been so unrelentingly negative about Australia’s present and future if he doesn’t get to lead the nation, that I’ve almost come to believe we’re all in a bad way
Then along comes the OECD’s Better Life Index which puts Oz into global perspective.
Seems Tony Abbott has a very jaundiced view. Because on the housing, income, jobs, community, education, environment, governance, health, life satisfaction, safety, and work-life balance fronts we are doing very nicely thankyou when compared to the other 33 OECD countries.
In fact - overall Oz leads the bluddy world.

Click on graph to enlarge

When social media goes wrong: Does Glaxo Smith Kline know where their anti-smoking campaign is turning up on Facebook?

We’re encouraging Aussies to Pledge to Quit smoking for World No Tobacco Day on the 31 May. Take our pledge and share it with your friends, maybe we’ll even set an Australian record for Pledge to Quit! states Glaxo Smith Kline’s Nicabate Pledge to Quit team on Facebook.

Unfortunately one of the Facebook accounts which advertises the pledge campaign is Grafton Goss (online since 12 May 2011) which carries what has been described by The Daily Examiner as “vile” gossip.

Snapshot taken 25 May 2011

In fact unsubstantiated allegations made concerning the sexual activity of named young people are so unpleasant and language employed so crudely graphic that I have omitted a direct link.

This webpage will soon come undone as Grafton Goss’ creator is not as anonymous as first appearance suggests.

In the meantime Facebook users can make Zuckerberg live up to his social media site’s undertakings regarding privacy and appropriate content by going to the Help page and following the prompts to report Grafton Goss and its posts.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd to speak at The Red Dove international aid forum in Lismore on Saturday 28 May

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd to attend aid forum in Lismore

Page MP Janelle Saffin has announced that Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has accepted her invitation to visit the Page electorate for a forum on overseas aid.

“In this region there are a number of local organisations as well as many dedicated individuals who work to reduce world poverty by their involvement in overseas aid projects.

“I’m delighted to be able to invite them to this forum with the Foreign Minister to hear firsthand about Australia’s international aid program, where the big challenges are, and what is being achieved.

“It is a horrifying statistic that around the world 23,000 children die of preventable starvation or related sickness every day and globally about one billion people are living in extreme poverty.

“More than ten years ago Australia and 188 other countries joined the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and agreed to increase aid with the core focus of reducing world poverty.” Ms Saffin said.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd says he looks forward to visiting Lismore and discussing Australia’s aid program.

“Lismore is a great place and Janelle is a great local member. I have visited Lismore many times over the years at Janelle’s invitation and this next visit is long overdue”

“I look forward to discussing with the community the Australian Government’s aid program and our responsibility is to ensure that this program gets real results”

“With one billion people living in abject poverty, we must not forget that we are talking about people who are part of our common humanity, people for whom each day is a struggle to survive.”

“Australians have a great reputation as being givers, and being volunteers and we should be proud that we are responding to the challenge of world poverty by being a real contributor to global development.” Mr Rudd said.

Mr Rudd will speak at an international aid forum The Red Dove in Lismore on Saturday 28 May. Details are available from Janelle Saffin’s office: 66219909.

Janelle Saffin MP, Media Release, 23 May 2011