Abbott joins Howard as second serving prime minister referred to the International Criminal Court by an Australian citizen

International media notices that Anthony John ‘Tony’ Abbott has joined John Winston Howard as serving Australian prime ministers referred to The Hague by one or more citizens.

The Telegraph UK 22 October 2014:

An Australian MP has asked the International Criminal Court to investigate prime minister Tony Abbott for crimes against humanity over his detention of asylum seekers on remote Pacific islands.

Andrew Wilkie, an independent MP, said Mr Abbott’s policy was illegal, severe and had caused “great suffering”.

He has written to the court to request that prosecutors investigate whether Mr Abbott and the members of the federal cabinet have breached the Rome Statute, which deals with crimes against the humanity, or international conventions which deal with the rights of children and refugees.

“It is not illegal to come to Australia and claim asylum, and we have a fundamental obligation to hear those claims and to give those people refuge if those claims are accurate,” Mr Wilkie said.

Mr Abbott was elected last year after pledging to “stop the boats” and to stem the flow of asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat. Many come from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and arrive in Australia via transit camps in Indonesia.

Mr Abbott’s tough stance has involved intercepting the rickety boats and deporting those aboard to detention centres on the remote Pacific nation of Nauru and an island off the coast of Papua New Guinea.

Human rights groups and the United Nations have denounced the policy and say conditions in the detention centres are inhumane.

Is Opposition Leader John Robertson favouring a political donor by excising the Clarence Valley from Labor's 'CSG Free' Northern Rivers policy?

Letter to the Editor in the Clarence Valley Review, October 2014:

Opposition betrayal

Ed,
On 30 September 2014 NSW Opposition Leader John Robertson announced that if Labor wins government in 2015 it would establish a permanent total ban on coal seam gas exploration and mining within the Northern Rivers region.
He based this decision on the fact that this region has a clean, green reputation, vital water catchments, World Heritage areas, thriving tourism, dairy, beef and sugar cane industries, businesses which participate in the export market and communities opposed to unconventional gas fields. [John Robertson et al media release, 30.09.14]
However, when making this announcement he was careful to excise the southern-most part of the Northern Rivers from inclusion in this ban – the Clarence Valley 10,500 km² local government area.
Like other residents of this valley I know it also has a clean green reputation, the largest coastal river in the state, a vital water catchment supplying both the Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour, a World Heritage area, a small working harbour, an estuary seafood catch valued at est. $47M annually and, a thriving tourism industry estimated to bring in excess of $65 million to the Valley each year from 922,000 visitors annually [Clarence Valley Economic Profile, 2012].
Forestry, beef, sugar cane and commercial fishing industries make up 87% of the Clarence Valley local economy, which along with 4,000 registered businesses (some of which participate in the export market) form the backbone of a local economy worth $2.4B GRP per annum [Clarence Valley Council Economic Monitor, June 2014].
In addition to which, the Valley has a growing population and communities opposed to unconventional gas fields.
I am not alone in wanting to know why the Opposition betrayed both the 2014 NSW Labor Conference resolution and the Clarence Valley.
Is it because it hasn’t held the Clarence electorate since March 2003? Or is it because the principal shareholder in an activated Metgasco tenement in the valley is ERM Power which donated to its political coffers in the past and, if the planned ban is in place this CSG tenement would be the only one that mining company had left in New South Wales?
Judith Melville, Yamba

UPDATE

On 29 October 2014 NSW Labor announced that it had included the Clarence Valley in its policy permanently banning coal seam gas/tight gas/unconventional gas exploration, mining and production in the Northern Rivers region.

Death of Clarence Valley couple Sue and Jeremy Challacombe

October 28, 2014

Media statement on the death of Sue and Jeremy Challacombe

On behalf of the Clarence Valley Council and residents of the Clarence Valley, I offer my most sincere condolences to the Challacombe family on the loss of Councillor Jeremy Challacombe and his wife Sue.

Jeremy and Sue were enormous assets to our community and worked tirelessly to make it a better place for all residents.

Flags at council facilities will be at half mast for the remainder of the week as a mark of respect.

Our prayers and thoughts are with relatives and friends as they try to come to grips with this sudden and tragic loss.

Richie Williamson,

Mayor,

Clarence Valley Council.

For media inquiries contact: David Bancroft Communications Coordinator 6643 0230

Proposals for reform of the Native Title Act: Australian Law Reform Commission calls for submissions

Media Release

23 October 2014

     Proposals for reform of the Native Title Act: ALRC calls for submissions

The Australian Law Reform Commission has today released a Discussion Paper, Review of the Native Title Act 1993 (DP 82). The paper contains a range of proposals and questions around connection requirements for the recognition and scope of native title rights and interests; authorisation; and joinder provisions. The ALRC is seeking feedback on these proposals.

Professor Lee Godden, Commissioner-in-charge of the Inquiry, said, “The ALRC has relied on more than 100 consultations with Indigenous organisations and individuals, industry, academics, state governments and many other people who are actively involved in the Native Title claims process and we are extremely grateful to everyone who has provided input into our thinking to date. Under the Terms of Reference for the Inquiry, we were to be guided by the Preamble and the Objects of the Native Title Act. In addition, the Inquiry has developed five guiding principles to underlie reforms: acknowledging the importance of the recognition of native title; acknowledging the many interests in the native title system; encouraging timely and just resolution of determinations; consistency with international law; and supporting sustainable futures. Our proposals seek to improve the operation of the Native Title Act within this principled framework.”

ALRC President, Professor Rosalind Croucher, said, “The Native Title Act is a key element in recognising the relationship of Indigenous people to land and waters. Reforms must also consider the impacts upon all participants in the native title system, as native title operates across many sectors in Australian society. In this context, the ALRC has had regard to the complexity of law, procedure and practice and the significant policy and economic context for native title. The challenge is to consider change in the native title system that advances the recognition and protection of native title, while ensuring that reforms support a robust and productive relationship between all participants.”

The ALRC will now undertake a further round of national consultations and will provide its Final Report to the Attorney-General by the end of March 2015. 

The ALRC invites individuals and organisations to make submissions in response to the Discussion Paper by 18 December 2014. Submissions can be made in writing by post or by email or using the ALRC’s online submission form: www.alrc.gov.au/content/native-title-dp82-online-submission

The Discussion Paper is available from the ALRC website in a range of formats, including as an ebook. All ALRC publications are available free of charge at www.alrc.gov.au/publications.

Subscribe to the Native Title Inquiry enews on the ALRC website. 

Media contact Marie-Claire Muir on (02) 8238 6305 or 0466 635 405 or via email at <marie-claire.muir@alrc.gov.au>

Further information on the work of the ALRC can be found at www.alrc.gov.au

Christian terrorist outed online

Honi Soit mocking the Abbott Government’s scare campaign and expansion of Australia’s national security laws:

Local terrorist Rob Wilson is counting his lucky stars this week, after the Federal government once again pledged to focus a majority of its counter terrorism efforts on innocent Muslims and people fleeing Iraq, to the relief of Christian terrorists country over. The father of three and part time extremist says he is actually quite glad a majority of his work goes overlooked as a Christian extremist, as he prefers to let his work speak for itself, and he’s not in it for fame or glory.

Rob says he has been a hobbyist terrorist for some years now, tinkering away in his back shed with various detonators, when not scouring his Bible for new sins, and is always on the look out for more industrial grade manure to ad to his rapidly growing collection. While Rob says his interest is only a weekend job at the current time, he hopes that someday it might become his death.

Despite the government’s support, it’s not all smooth sailing for Rob, with the occasional run in with the authorities inevitable in his line of work. “For a while I was getting really worried that the police had cottoned on to my plans and might shut things down,” says Rob, “there was always this van with tinted windows parked out the front, but in the end it turned out they were just after my Sikh neighbors. Apparently they’d had a whole kitchen drawer full of knives of something, so they were all taken in for questioning under anti-terror laws and nobody’s heard from them since.”…….

Metgasco Limited's future plans for gas exploration on the NSW North Coast dependent on NSW Police acting as its agent?

The Northern Star 22 October 2014:

THE QUESTION of what constitutes effective consultation dominated the final day of Metgasco's Supreme Court hearing in Sydney yesterday.

According to Gasfields Free Northern Rivers spokesman Dean Draper, the government's counsel argued Metgasco should have been more transparent about its future plans if the Rosella gas well was successful.

Mr Draper said the government's legal team read from an email from Peter Henderson to Land and Water Commissioner Jock Laurie, which Mr Draper said informed Mr Laurie the company needed to mobilise its drill rig and "needed some help from the government to engage with the community".

The government's lawyers also quoted from a letter from Peter Henderson to the NSW Premier saying the company needed government and police assistance in order to proceed with its drilling and its gas plans for the region…..

Justice Richard Button asked for extra information to be given to him by close of business Friday. It is understood he is under no time constraints. A decision could take up to a year.

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