Defending their Jenny

Letter to the editor in The Northern Star, 15 February 2014:

Poor treatment

For nearly 5.5 years Lismore local government area has had the enormous benefit of Jenny Dowell as our mayor. I have had the privilege of working with Jenny as both Deputy Mayor and Councillor and I would estimate that Jenny spends at least 60 hours a week on her Mayoral duties. Jenny is scrupulous in not taking advantage of her role for political ends and supports decisions of Council even when she personally disagrees with them.

This does not mean that I or everybody agrees with Jenny on every issue.

However I strongly believe she is deserving of our respect.

Frankly I have been appalled by the way our Mayor has been treated over the issue of fluoridation of our water supply. In recent months our Mayor has received death threats, been abused repeatedly in social media, had people shout and scream at her in all manner of public places, had her integrity called into question and had people turn their backs on her. All because she supports, as do five other Councillors the artificial fluoridation of our water supply. Can I suggest that for all of us who oppose fluoride that taking out our anger and frustration on our mayor is not only totally disrespectful of someone deserving of our greatest respect, but also completely counter- productive to the campaign to keep fluoride out of our water supply.

Cr Simon Clough

Lismore City Council

Murdoch's minions have been drinking the Kool-Aid again

*

 Basically the Australian Bureau of Statistics defines the labour force as every person 15 years of age and older who is capable of work.

Those usually excluded are persons in this age group who are voluntarily keeping house (unpaid), have permanently retired, are members of contemplative religious orders or are in gaols, hospitals, boarding schools etc.

In January 2014 the size of the labour force was calculated at 12.18 million, with total employed persons being 11.45 million and total unemployed persons being 728,600 (seasonally adjusted). [6202.0 - Labour Force, Australia, Jan 2014]

This brought the unemployment rate for January in at 6 per cent.

Sounds simple doesn’t it?

Yet The Australian ran this opening sentence in an article titled Remove hurdles to employment on 14 February 2014; Australia's unemployment rate is now just shy of 51 per cent. That is not a misprint. Then went on to state; In a country of 23.38 million people only 7.95 million have a full-time job, with another 3.51 million in part-time jobs

The newspaper appears to have reached this conclusion by calculating its 11.46 million employed persons as a percentage of its total Australian population (mewling infants, primary school children, retirees, the frail aged in nursing homes etc., all merrily included) and then subtracting this from 100 to reach 51 per cent unemployment across the nation.

I’m still wondering what on earth the editor was drinking thinking when he decided to let such drivel go forward for publication.

One thing is certain – his journalist must have been quaffing Kool-Aid** by the bucket full.

* Kool-Aid image from Google Images

** Drinking the Kool-Aid

Even as former Australian Defence Minister Peter Reith attempts to rewrite history, he can't hide from the truth

With former Howard Coalition Government Defence Minister Peter Reith complaining this month about his treatment by the media during the “Children Overboard Affair” and, baldly stating that he believed the children overboard story to be true at the time, although it was later found to be untrue by a Senate Select Committee, perhaps it’s time to look back on the truth of the matter.

Extract from the Executive Summary of the Main Report of the Senate Select Committee’s 2000 Inquiry Into A Certain Maritime Incident:

On 11 October 2001, Minister Reith and his staff were separately informed that the

photographs were not of the alleged children overboard events of 7 October, but were

of the foundering of SIEV 4 on 8 October.

On or about 17 October 2001, Admiral Barrie informed Minister Reith that there were

serious doubts about the veracity of the report that children had been thrown

overboard from SIEV 4.

On 7 November 2001, the then Acting Chief of Defence Force, Air Marshal Angus

Houston, informed Minister Reith that children had not been thrown overboard from

SIEV 4.

On four other occasions the lack of or dubious nature of evidence for the ‘children

overboard’ report were drawn to the attention of the Minister or his staff by officers

from Defence.

On no occasion did the Defence organisation produce any evidence to PM & C, and

through it to the office of the Prime Minister, which corroborated the original report

that children had been thrown overboard. However, on no occasion did the Defence

organisation provide definitive advice to the Department of the Prime Minister and

Cabinet or the People Smuggling Taskforce that children were not thrown overboard

from SIEV 4 or that the photographs were not of that alleged incident.

On 7 November 2001, Minister Reith informed the Prime Minister that, at the least,

there were doubts about whether the photographs represented the alleged children

overboard incident or whether they represented events connected with SIEV 4’s

sinking.

Despite direct media questioning on the issue, no correction, retraction or

communication about the existence of doubts in connection with either the alleged

incident itself or the photographs as evidence for it was made by any member of the

Federal Government before the election on 10 November 2001.

Minister Reith made a number of misleading statements, implying that the published

photographs and a video supported the original report that children had been thrown

overboard well after he had received definitive advice to the contrary.

The Committee finds that Mr Reith deceived the Australian people during the 2001

Federal Election campaign concerning the state of the evidence for the claim that

children had been thrown overboard from SIEV 4. [my red bolding]

The Lies Abbott Tells - Part Twelve

THE LIE TOLD TO PARLIAMENT

 Mr SHORTEN (Maribyrnong—Leader of the Opposition) (14:01): My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his election promise to visit East Arnhem Land in his first week as Prime Minister....

Mr ABBOTT: What I actually said was that the first remote community that I would visit and stay in as Prime Minister would be a community in East Arnhem Land, and that is exactly what I am going to do....[Prime Minister Tony Abbott on the floor of the House of Representatives, Hansard 12 February 2014]

THE TRUTH

“Why shouldn’t I, if you will permit me, spend my first week as prime minister, should that happen, on this, on your country.” [YouTube, youtu.be/F1OKujvU2wQ, then Opposition Leader Tony Abbott at 21:27 minutes]

Notice Inviting Claims Against Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund - Mark Flynn

      NOTICE INVITING CLAIMS AGAINST LEGAL PRACTITIONERS FIDELITY FUND

The Council of The Law Society of New South Wales invites any person who has suffered pecuniary loss because of default by the incorporated law practice Mark Flynn & Associates Pty Ltd arising from the conduct of an associate of that law practice, Mark Joseph Flynn, or failure to account by Mark Joseph Flynn (see below), to make a claim against the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund. The law practice Mark Flynn & Associates Pty Ltd was conducted at: Suite 7, 26-54 River Street, Ballina, New South Wales. Mark Joseph Flynn practiced at the same address.

Under the Legal Profession Act 2004 a default occurs where

* the law practice (or an associate of the law practice) received trust money or trust property

* that receipt was in the course of the law practice’s (or an associate’s) legal practice

* the law practice has failed to pay or deliver the trust money or trust property, or there has been a fraudulent dealing with it

* that failure or fraudulent dealing arises from, or is constituted by, an act or omission of an associate of the law practice which involves dishonesty.

An associate includes a solicitor, employee or agent. Defaults relating to financial services or investments are restricted (see section 435 of the Legal Profession Act 2004).

Under the Legal Profession Act 1987 a failure to account occurs where

* a solicitor or an associate of the solicitor received money or property in the course of the solicitor’s practice

* the solicitor has failed to account for the money or property

* the failure to account arises from a dishonest act or omission of the solicitor or the solicitor’s associate.

An associate includes an employee or agent.

A claim must be made on the approved form. To obtain a claim form and information brochure, please write to the Manager of the Fidelity Fund Department of The Law Society of New South Wales at 170 Phillip Street Sydney NSW 2000. Information is also available on the Law Society’s website www.lawsociety.com.au.

Completed claim forms must be received at the Law Society by Friday 9 May 2014. A claim cannot be made after Friday 9 May 2014, unless the Law Society Council or the Supreme Court allows further time.

Former O'Farrell Government Resources Minister and present Member for Terrigal, Chris Hartcher, to face ICAC corruption inquiry

Media Release

ICAC public inquiries into alleged corruption concerning MPs, Australian Water Holdings and political donations

Tuesday 18 February 2014

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will hold a public inquiry commencing on 17 March 2014 as part of an investigation it is conducting concerning allegations of corrupt conduct involving public officials and persons with an interest in Australian Water Holdings Pty Ltd (Operation Credo).

The ICAC will also hold a public inquiry starting on 28 April 2014 into allegations that members of parliament corruptly solicited, received and concealed payments from various sources in return for favouring the interests of those responsible for the payments (Operation Spicer).

Operation Credo is examining whether between 2004 and 2012, persons with an interest in Australia Water Holdings Pty Ltd (AWH), its predecessors and its subsidiaries, obtained a financial benefit through adversely affecting official functions of Sydney Water Corporation (SWC) by inflating charges made to SWC and deliberately preventing SWC from ascertaining whether the charges were justifiable.

It is also alleged that in 2010, public officials and others were involved in falsifying a cabinet minute relating to a public private partnership proposal made by AWH, with the intention of misleading the NSW Government Budget Cabinet Committee and obtaining a benefit for AWH.

Further allegations include that in 2010, the then Hon Edward Obeid MLC, the Hon Joseph Tripodi and the Hon Anthony Kelly MLC misused their positions as members of parliament to attempt to influence public officials to exercise their official functions with respect to the AWH public private partnership proposal.

It is also alleged that on or about 20 November 2012, AWH chief executive officer Nicholas Di Girolamo and Edward Obeid Junior created a false deed of confirmation with a view to misleading the ICAC and any future investigation into whether the then Hon Edward Obeid MLC misused his position as a member of parliament to attempt to influence public officials to exercise their official functions with respect to the AWH public private partnership proposal.

The Commission will also examine the circumstances in which false corruption allegations were made against senior executives of SWC. Further, the Commission will examine the circumstances that led to the signing of the current contract between SWC and the successor to AWH.

Operation Spicer will examine whether, between April 2009 and April 2012, certain members of parliament including Christopher Hartcher, Darren Webber and Christopher Spence, along with others including Timothy Koelma and Raymond Carter, corruptly solicited, received, and concealed payments from various sources in return for certain members of parliament favouring the interests of those responsible for the payments.

The Commission is also examining whether, between December 2010 and November 2011, certain members of parliament, including those mentioned above, and others, including Raymond Carter, solicited, received and failed to disclose political donations from companies, including prohibited donors, contrary to the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981.

Further allegations include whether Eightbyfive, a business operated by Mr Koelma, and AWH, through its chief executive officer, Mr Di Girolamo, entered into an agreement whereby AWH made regular payments to Eightbyfive, purportedly for the provision of media, public relations and other services and advice, in return for which Mr Hartcher favoured the interests of AWH.

As it relates to Operation Spicer, the Commission is also examining the circumstances in which false allegations of corruption were made against senior executives of SWC (see also Operation Credo).

The ICAC will hold a directions hearing in both Operations Credo and Spicer on Wednesday 5 March 2014, commencing at 3 pm.

The directions hearing and the public inquiries will be held in the Commission's hearing room on Level 7, 133 Castlereagh Street, Sydney. The Operation Credo public inquiry is expected to run for two- to three weeks, and the Operation Spicer public inquiry is expected to take at least four weeks.

Commissioner the Hon Megan Latham will preside at the directions hearing and the public inquiries. Counsel Assisting the Commission will be Mr Geoffrey Watson SC and Mr Greg O'Mahoney.

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

 Note: The yellow highlighting is mine

Did Metgasco CEO write to then NSW Resources and Energy Minister Chris Hartcher and what did he say?

The Northern Star 10 February 2014:

LETTERS from Metgasco CEO Peter Henderson to various NSW ministers have gone missing, and Greens MLC David Shoebridge wants to know why.

Comments by Magistrate David Heilpern that the case against several anti-CSG protestors were vexatious and possibly politically motivated prompted Mr Shoebridge to lodge a GIPA (Government Information Public Access) request for correspondence from several ministers to see if he could find any evidence of political interference.

His request yielded a letter from Parliamentary Secretary for Police and Emergency Services, Geoff Provest, where he thanks Metgasco for their letters.

Mr Henderson told The Northern Star on December 9 last year that he had written to four government ministers in relation to the protests.

He denied there was anything improper in this and that he was requesting the "government's support through the enforcement of existing laws so that our approved operations could proceed safely."

But subsequent requests from Mr Shoebridge have turned up blank, with the departments saying they cannot find any letters.

Mr Shoebridge said that has increased his suspicion that key documents are being hidden.

"Metgasco have admitted to sending letters to four ministers, yet the Government has bizarrely denied having any record of this, despite the government's own correspondence with Metgasco referencing the company's letters," he said....

Liberal MP Chris Hartcher was the NSW Minister for Resources and Energy from 2 April 2011 to 9 December 2013. He is currently being examined as part of a NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry in relation to allegations that he and others corruptly solicited, received, and concealed payments from various sources in return for certain members of parliament favouring the interests of those responsible for the payments.

UPDATE

Hartcher has been suspended from the Liberal Party of Australia after being named in two major corruption inquiries.