There's the "we" again from one of that co-joined pair in the House of Representatives

The Federal Liberal Minister for Education and Leader of the House Christopher Pyne has now taken to answering on behalf of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop, and apparently including her in his use of the term “we”.

House of Representatives Hansard 26 May 2014:

The SPEAKER: What is the point of order?

Mr Albanese: the Leader of the House is about to breach privilege against a member. I do not know how he has that letter. The letter is not the same letter. That is correspondence between a member of parliament and a minister. That is quite clearly subject to privilege.

Mr Pyne: Rubbish!

Mr Albanese: That is quite clearly subject to privilege, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order. The member will resume his seat. The Leader of the House has the call.

Mr Albanese: Madam Speaker, on what basis?

Mr Pyne: Madam Speaker, I think we know the point of order that is being made by the member for Grayndler.

The SPEAKER: The member for Grayndler will resume his seat.

Mr Albanese: On what basis?

Mr Pyne: Because we understand the point you are making.

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House has the call.

[my red bolding]

* Photographs found at Google Images

How Nationals MP for Page Kevin Hogan is selling his 2014-15 federal budget

While many Abbott Government backbenches appear to be unhappy with the dismantling of social justice, equity and access outlined in their government’s first federal budget – Nationals MP for Page Kevin Hogan is behind these budget measures all the way.

Kevin Hogan’s support for the federal budget in his own words, as itemised by Google’s  search engine since 14 May 2014:

* Budget invests in the future of Page - Kevin Hogan

* Federal budget delivers for Page students - Kevin Hogan

* Coalition's first budget delivers for Agriculture - Kevin Hogan

* Government success stopping illegal boats to save $2.5 billion

* Budget delivers on commitments for people with disability and carers

* Page students, schools and community to benefit from record funding for schools

* New Work for the Dole arrangements for young job seekers

* Strengthening higher education for students in Page | Kevin Hogan

Local media are not necessarily responding as Mr. Hogan may have hoped.

The Coffs Coast Advocate 14 May 2014:

THE people on the North Coast aren't fools so why do our Federal politicians continue to treat us like we are.

There's nothing wrong with toeing the National Party line but surely it isn't too much to expect some independent thought from Cowper MP Luke Hartsuyker and his Page counterpart Kevin Hogan.

Within 12 hours of Treasurer Joe Hockey finishing his Budget speech, the offices of both Mr Hartsuyker and Mr Hogan issued media releases with their reaction to the Budget.

Incredibly both men said EXACTLY the same thing.

That's not just the media releases saying the same thing, but both men were quoted as saying exactly the same words….

EXAMPLE No.1
HARTSUYKER QUOTE
"This budget will ensure the continuation of the current $4 billion schedule of Pacific Highway works. It also includes more money for local roads through additional investments in the Roads 2 Recovery and Black Spots programs."
HOGAN QUOTE
"This budget will ensure the continuation of the current $4 billion work schedule of the Pacific Highway. It also includes more money for local roads through additional investments in the Roads 2 Recovery and Black Spots programs."

EXAMPLE No.2
HARTSUYKER QUOTE
"The Government has made the difficult but necessary decisions to put the Budget on a more sustainable footing so that we can all share in prosperity in the future. We are all playing a part - because it's in sharing the load that we lighten the load."
HOGAN QUOTE
"The Government has made the difficult but necessary decisions to put the Budget on a more sustainable footing so that we can all share in prosperity in the future. We are all playing a part - because it's in sharing the load that we lighten the load."

EXAMPLE No.3
HARTSUYKER QUOTE
"Labor ran up five record deficits and left $123 billion in future deficits.  If we took no action, debt would have hit $667 billion.  Every month, the government is paying $1 billion in interest costs on Labor's debt. Governments, like households, must live within their means."
HOGAN QUOTE
"Labor ran up five record deficits and left $123 billion in future deficits.  If we took no action, debt would have hit $667 billion.  Every month, the government is paying $1 billion in interest costs on Labor's debt. Governments, like households, must live within their means."

Surely both men didn't say exactly the same thing. Surely these university educated men have some insightful thoughts of their own….

Echo NetDaily 21 May 2014:

Federal Page MP Kevin Hogan (Nationals) is refusing to answer questions from The Echo on how his government’s budget will affect his constituents.

The electorate of Page covers Lismore, Ballina, Iluka, Casino and Grafton.

Mr Hogan’s media representative Peter Weekes said, ‘Kevin is happy to answer any questions from media covering the Page electorate, but as your readers are not in Page, it would be best if you direct these questions to Mr Hockey’s office, or Matthew Fraser who stood as the Nationals’ candidate in Richmond’.

We pointed out that Echonetdaily covers four shires, including his electorate.

Echo NetDaily 24 May 2014:

‘Our message on this budget has been atrocious. The clarity of the message very messy,’ he [Hogan] told Echonetdaily.

 

The Abbott Family spreads out

When current Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was Opposition Leader he, his wife and two of his three daughters lived in the family home at Forestville on Sydney's north shore, with the eldest daughter living and working overseas.

Less than a year after his party won government the eldest daughter Louise still lives and works overseas, however Tony spends most of his time in Canberra sans wife and family (in bachelor digs at the Australian Federal Police College) and the remainder of his time at Kirribilli House, although officially at her husband's side rumour has it that Margie primarily resides at the family home, Frances lives in Melbourne and Bridget lives at the prime minister's official Sydney residence, Kirribilli House.

There has been no explanation as to why daughter Bridget is living in almost solo splendour on the taxpayer's dollar, while the explanation given as to why the Prime Minister expensively rejected a taxpayer-funded temporarily leased family home in Canberra was always decidedly thin.

Snapshot from Tony Abbott's latest updates to the Register of Members' Interests 

NSW Police & coal seam gas miner Metgasco Limited's response to the Glenugie protest revisited - judgment transcript

Excerpt from Magistrate Heilpern’s October 2013 judgment in Police v Rankin; Police v Roberts [2013] NSWLC 25 which decided prosecutions were permanently stayed:

Collateral Purpose

82 The defence contend at paragraphs 15 to 21 of their submissions that the prosecution has been instituted for a collateral purpose. They submit that a question arises as to whether the prosecutions are being pursued for a political aim, given the high profile issue of CSG in the community. The defence further submit that the prosecution may be as a result of embarrassment by "Sydney" over the visiting specialist unit police and their failure to comply with LEPRA.

83 It is correct that the courts will not usually look behind the reason for a prosecutorial discretion. However, this is an exception to that situation. The applicants have 'fair and square' laid out their concerns relating to these matters in their submissions. Two solicitors have prepared lengthy affidavits replete with attachments to support this application. The response from the prosecution is to simply point out that there is no evidence beyond mere conjecture. To an extent that is true - there is no smoking gun that proves political interference or specialist squad intervention. However, nor have the police chosen to dispel these suggestions with any evidence, or any alternative scenario that does not involve collateral purpose. The informant has not filed any evidence to explain why the new charges have been laid, and had they, any cross-examination may have shed light on this issue. There is nothing in submissions which dispel the applicants' contentions. In particular, there is nothing from the informant to explain why his superiors determined to withdraw the charges, and he then instructed another prosecutor to run a different matter.

84 In my view, the burden on the applicant relating to a collateral purpose may be shown by inference. In this case I find myself asking "what could possibly be the reason for continuing on with such an 'innocuous' charge in these circumstances?" Whilst suspicion is not enough, what else is the court to conclude when the prosecution offers no other alternative to the issues raised by the applicants? Why else would the police risk a costs order against them in the original matters which were withdrawn (which could run into the many tens of thousands of dollars), drive a prosecutor up from Sydney to run the matters, arrange police witnesses to travel from Sydney all for an 'innocuous' minor traffic matter.

85 The defence is correct that the CSG issue is political, to say the least. The arrests in this case are just one set of many, and the defendants who have come before me are generally over 50 years, well educated with a fair smattering of farmers and professionals. It is in that context that the realistic suspicion of political interference arises.

86 My mind has wavered on this issue. There is suspicion, and there is a lack of any other rational purpose. However, I have formed the conclusion that I am not satisfied to the requisite degree that the prosecution in the fresh matters has been launched for a collateral purpose. Accordingly, I do not take into account the matters raised by the applicants on this issue.

Full transcript can be found here.

Federal Labor MP for Richmond congratulates Northern Rivers for its resistance to Metgasco Limited's plans to create gasfields in the region

Australian Parliament House of Representatives Hansard 26 May 2014:

STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Richmond Electorate: Coal Seam Gas

Mrs ELLIOT (Richmond) (16:03): I rise to speak about a great community victory on the North Coast of New South Wales on 15 May when the gas company Metgasco had its drilling licence suspended at Bentley near Lismore. I take this opportunity to thank all of those in the community who work so hard to force the New South Wales state government to suspend this licence. We know it is only a suspension and we have to remain vigilant to ensure that all forms of unconventional gas mining do not occur in our area. We can only achieve this with the Northern Rivers being declared gas field free. We will keep this campaign going. We had such a variety of people involved in this community protest: farmers, families, grandparents, kids, locals, people from all around our region, people from right around the state, people from interstate and people from outside Australia. Everyone helped us. This is a victory for all those community workers who worked so hard; for those people who camped at Bentley; for the thousands who showed up at Bentley; for those who supported the Bentley blockade; for the people who wrote letters and signed petitions; for the people who marched in those rallies; for the people who declared their streets and communities gas field free; for all the people at Lock the Gate, including Ian Gaillard, Michael McNamara, Phil Laird; and for our local media, who highlighted the community's concerns, particularly the Byron Echo, the ABC at Lismore and the Northern Star. This victory is a community one. It is not one that the National Party have been trying to claim. They have been pushing CSG for years. People were upset when it, pathetically, tried to claim this victory as its own. The fact is, it ignored the concerns that had been brought to them by thousands of people over the years. Make no mistake: it was a community victory that brought about this outcome, because our community stood together. Many individuals—and I congratulate all of those individuals—and community groups worked so hard. This is your victory. You should own it. Congratulations for the great work that you did in protecting our beautiful north coast.

The McNeill's publish a court-ordered apology to NSW Police

An apology which was long overdue.......

Even if this apology was hidden away on Page 41 of a 48-page issue of The Daily Examiner on 31 May 2014.

Page One of The Daily Examiner on 15 May 2014:

THE family at the centre of the infamous so-called Yamba riot will be forced to publicly apologise to the NSW Police Force after a claim for damages backfired and exposed a sinister plot to damage the reputation of local officers.

Craigh McNeill, his wife Maxine and their two children Dylan and Codie will foot their own legal costs and take out two newspaper advertisements to say sorry to officers who were pelted with bricks the night a squad car was torched at a teenage party.

The McNeills had claimed police were trespassing the night hell broke loose at the Yamba Industrial Estate and that several of those arrested were victims of police brutality and reputational damage.

But just days into what was expected to be a lengthy trial, an embarrassing stint in the witness box left Mr McNeill and his family with little choice but to withdraw.

Coffs/Clarence Superintendent Mark Holahan said yesterday police had, from the beginning, agreed that they would "fight the case to the end" and despite years of setbacks, justice had finally prevailed.

"Let the games begin".

With those words, Craigh McNeill launched an attack on police which would have ramifications for years to come.

The arrest of the Yamba father, his son Dylan and several of his children's teenage friends on Valentine's Day, 2010 made headlines and shocked the local community but it would be another four years before the real court battle began.

Following a decision in the local court, all those arrested were acquitted and Mr McNeill and his family hatched a plan to sue the NSW Police Force for damages.

But when their day in court finally came, things didn't go to plan.

Mr McNeill had claimed that he had tried to extinguish the fire with a bucket of water but a video played in court showed that the contents of the bucket appeared to have caused the fire to flare, not go out.

He said he had tried to calm the revellers down and stop them from being destructive but the court heard that out of the 107 people who gave statements to police after the party, not one could recall Mr McNeill asking them to stop what they were doing.

In the statement of claim, Dylan alleged police had told him he was "going to be raped" at Grafton Jail.

In the early stages of his evidence, Mr McNeill denied having any conversation with his former co-accused about his plan to sue the police.

A recording played in court revealed Codie's boyfriend Robert "Robdug" Harvey can be heard saying to another "Craigh says, 'Just pretend you got raped ... you'll get an extra 100 grand on there'."

Asked why he would have given that advice, Mr McNeill replied he had only said it "as a joke".

The case was suddenly adjourned on Monday for legal argument and on Tuesday morning the McNeills confirmed they would not be pursuing the case……

Background

How a party became a riot and ended in a rout

Yamba police facing claims over 2010 riot

Yamba riot accused set free

Court backs police