Thank you.
Friday, 13 February 2015
Thank you for supporting this website.
Here's TD Bank of Canada thanking its customers - I wish I could do the same for you.
Michael Smith, National Australia Bank
BSB 084855
AC 537650476
February 2015
A free kick - out from the paywall at Fairfax!
Friday, 13 February 2015
From the Fairfax Media subscription website .
Can I still read articles on the website if I do not subscribe?
No. You must subscribe to afr.com to access the website.
To see subscription options, visit subscribe.afr.com/afr/.
Have more questions? Submit a request
Hang on a sec.....YES YOU CAN...That is if the article knocks Tony Abbott around enough!!!
Out from the paywall! How Tony Abbott came within 11 votes of oblivion http://t.co/bfraZDtLOs
— Laura Tingle (@latingle) February 13, 2015
Gina Rinehart's legal action for a copy of the next episode of House of Hancock
Friday, 13 February 2015
A copy of this letter from Gina Rinehart's lawyers to lawyers for Channel Nine and the production company behind House of Hancock has just been tendered to the Supreme Court of NSW.
We refer to your letter of 2 February 2015 and our letters of 8 February and 11 February.
The first instalment of “House of Hancock” contained a number of entirely fictitious matters concerning our client. It includes, inter alia, a conversation with our client’s father which did not occur (and which your client has just made up) in which Mr Hancock tells our client that her then future husband did not love her and that no one could love her, implying something seriously wrong with our client. The show depicts a vulgar and garish wedding, which style of wedding did not occur, between Mrs Rinehart and her late husband Mr Frank Rinehart, demeaning both Mr and Mrs Rinehart. It further depicts a phone call when Mrs Rinehart was holidaying in USA, which did not occur, but implies she was so callous that she was not with her mother when she needed her only daughter most. This was despite both the dates of the wedding and the date of her devoted mothers passing being available and clearly indicating such scene was incorrect. The show depicts a scene between father and daughter that did not happen as we wrote to you shortly prior to the program, wherein Mr Hancock said some grossly defamatory things about his daughter.
Yesterday your client broadcast an item on “A Current Affair” about the second instalment of “House of Hancock”. In answer to a question “Did you make this stuff up?”, one of the producers, Mr Cordell, replies evasively “We’re making a drama, we’re not making a documentary.” The item then quotes with approval a critic, Mr Ford, who describes it as a “ripping yarn” and adds “you could not make this stuff up, it’s straight out of Dynasty”, which indicates in fact that it is made up.
Mr Cordell then says “This is a big explosive Dallas type drama and a lot of it we didn’t have to make up, a lot of it is on the public record” (Emphasis added).
These exchanges are a clear admission not only that the miniseries contains matters that are untrue, but that your client knew that they were untrue when it broadcast the program.
Mr Ford is further quoted as saying via other media after viewing the show that the second show contains “an even more explosive conclusion this Sunday”, and adds that it is “must-see television on Sunday night, except for Mrs Rinehart, she should definitely make plans to go out to dinner next Sunday night.”
Given your client’s admissions that the programs contain untruths, and Peter Ford’s boast after seeing the film on “A Current Affair” that the second program is “even more explosive”, and that our client should “make plans to go out to dinner”, we have reason to think that the second program may be defamatory of our client, contain injurious falsehoods about her, and involve your client in an accessorial breach the Australian Consumer Law.
We also refer to the following comments made by Mr Ford this morning on the 3AW Breakfast show:
“…if Mrs Rinehart was unhappy with what she saw last Sunday night, she definitely should go out for dinner next Sunday night, because it's like 20 times worse about her.”
“They make her look like an obsessed, vindictive shrew. I felt very sorry for her. I actually - I don't know the woman at all, I've never met her - but I can't believe that somebody could truly be that sour about life, but that's the picture they have painted of her”; and
“There’s a very final scene in The House of Hancock, if you stick around to watch it, I reckon your jaw will drop”.
As noted, Mr Ford is put forward by your client itself as a reliable commentator in the “A Current Affair” segment.
Please let us have a copy of Sunday’s second episode to inspect by no later than 3.00 PM today, failing which our client may approach the Court for such other relief as may be advised. You can provide the program to us electronically and by delivery of a disk.
Our client reserves all her rights.
Craig Thomson in court today - applying to pay $50 per month towards his fine
Friday, 13 February 2015
Craig Thomson exits court, after his application to pay his $25,000 fine in $50 monthly instalments was denied #9News pic.twitter.com/lwLMoz3U6y
— Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) February 13, 2015
You have got to be joking.
$50 per month - that's more than 41 years to pay his $25,000 fine (without interest).
The bloke knows no shame.
Here's some of Channel 7 News's report.
Thomson appeared in the Victorian County Court on Friday seeking permission to pay his $25,000 fine in instalments of $50 a month.
He told Judge Lisa Hannan his income is only $3000 a month, which is less than his mortgage repayments.
"We've survived on assistance from family and friends," Mr Thomson said.
Judge Hannan told Thomson there was "just no prospect" of her granting an order for him to pay his fine in instalments of $50 a month.
She suggested he consider converting some of the penalty into community services hours in Victoria.
"This is what stands between you and doing days in jail," Judge Hannan said.
Thomson, 50, was convicted of 13 counts of theft following cash withdrawals he made from a bank account belonging to the Health Services Union between 2003 and 2007 when he was the union's national secretary.
He avoided a jail term but was fined $25,000.
Judge Hannan said it would simply be a "travesty" to order a $50 a month payment plan when Thomson had $25,000 to pay.
The Victorian County Court does not grant instalment orders for payment periods longer than two years, a prosecutor said.
Thomson said he wasn't seeking an instalment order for the full fine, just until circumstances improve.
He told the court his mortgage repayments were $3300 a month and that he had received a loan of $400,000 from his parents to help get by.
His monthly income includes his wife's salary from her job at the Cancer Council, he said.
Judge Hannan told Thomson to get some legal advice and adjourned the matter until next month.
The late Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle (American Sniper) murder trial
Friday, 13 February 2015
American Sniper is a great movie about a great man, a hero - the late Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle.
Here's the real man's funeral procession.
Chris Kyle had one mission - protect his comrades. He did that by eliminating Islamists who threatened his mates and civilised people everywhere.
The movie about his life pulls no punches about the type of people he was sworn to kill - and it's set to become the biggest box office hit for the past year in the US.
The murder of Chris Kyle and his mate is an unspeakable tragedy for him, his family and the world.
A local TV station, ABC channel 13 carries this report today.
CHRIS KYLE'S WIDOW GIVES EMOTIONAL TESTIMONY DURING FIRST DAY OF MURDER TRIAL
STEPHENVILLE, TX --
The widow of the Navy SEAL depicted in the Oscar-nominated film "American Sniper" clutched military dog tags and told jurors about her final moments with her husband, just hours before he and a friend were slain at a Texas gun range.
Taya Kyle was the first prosecution witness called Wednesday in the murder trial of the ex-Marine accused of fatally shooting Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield two years ago. The trial in the small town of Stephenville, located about 30 miles from the rural luxury resort where the men were killed, has attracted national attention with the recent release of the blockbuster movie based on the memoir of the sniper who served four tours in Iraq.
Defense attorneys are seeking an insanity defense for Eddie Ray Routh, 27, who faces life in prison without parole if convicted of capital murder. Kyle had taken the troubled Marine to the shooting range after Routh's mother asked Kyle if he could help him.
Taya Kyle paused and then her voice broke when a prosecutor asked her to give jurors the name of the man she'd married. But her testimony was conversational and compelling and she often looked straight at jurors as she talked about him, smiling when she said he had attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville before leaving to ride broncos in the rodeo and later joining the Navy.
"I'm not nervous, just emotional," she told the prosecutor.
She told jurors that as her husband left to go to the shooting range on Feb. 2, 2013, "we just said we loved each other and gave each other a hug and kiss, like we always did."
The day started like any typical Saturday for the Kyles. As parents of an 8-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl, their morning had been spent at cheering at youth sporting events and chatting with friends. Taya Kyle had plans that afternoon to take their daughter to Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Taya Kyle said she'd called him midafternoon - around the time he arrived at Rough Creek Lodge and Resort - and noticed he was unusually terse. Instead of his usual "hello babe," he gave a quick "hello." He said it would be fine to have dinner with friends. Then she asked if he was OK. He just said "yep."
"It was short, like: 'I wish I could say more,'" she said.
During opening statements, a defense attorney revealed a text message exchange between Chris Kyle and Littlefield as they drove to the lodge with Routh, whom Kyle had picked up at his house.
Kyle texted Littlefield: "This dude is straight-up nuts."
"He's (sitting) right behind me, watch my six," Littlefield texted back, using a military reference for watching one's back.
As dinnertime approached she became concerned. Littlefield's wife called her, also worried. Taya Kyle's alarm grew when she texted her husband: "Are you OK? I'm getting worried." There was no reply.
The bodies of Littlefield and and Kyle were found at the shooting range at about 5 p.m. Both were shot multiple times.
Erath County District Attorney Alan Nash described Routh as "a troubled young man" who on the morning of the killings numbed himself with marijuana and whiskey. He said a history of mental illness should not absolve Routh of being accountable for the deaths.
"The evidence will show that mental illnesses, even the ones that this defendant may or may not have, don't deprive people from being good citizens, to know right from wrong," Nash said.
Tim Moore, an attorney for Routh, said Kyle and Littlefield's text exchange shows how Routh was spiraling out of control. He told jurors that Routh was suffering from severe mental strain that day and thought he needed to kill the two or they would turn on him.
Routh was a small arms technician who served in Iraq and was deployed to earthquake-ravaged Haiti before leaving the Marines in 2010. Authorities say that after the shootings, Routh drove to his sister's house in Kyle's truck, admitted to the killings and told his sister "people were sucking his soul."
1,192 separate Australian Federal Government bodies consuming cash
Friday, 13 February 2015
The Department of Finance has published this official list - the Australian Government Organisations Register.
It's a frightening insight into a bureaucracy metastasising into a grotesque monster where the administration has overwhelmed the purpose.
It used to be the case that a department was a department. It had a Minister, Permanent Head and a staff structure. Now there's a separate entity for every conceivable function - here are the numbers by portfolio.
To give you a sense of the types of entities within just one portfolio - here is the Department of Agriculture's list of bodies, each with people flying around, going to conferences and consuming cash - all paid for by the taxpayer.
|
Department of Agriculture |
|
Australian Fisheries Management Authority |
|
Australian Grape and Wine Authority |
|
Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority |
|
Cotton Research and Development Corporation |
|
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation |
|
Grains Research and Development Corporation |
|
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation |
|
Agricultural Finance Forum (AFF) |
|
Agricultural Industry Advisory Council |
|
Agriculture Senior Officials Committee (AGSOC) |
|
Animal Health Committee (AHC) |
|
Aquaculture Committee |
|
Australian Fisheries Management Forum (AFMF) |
|
Australian Plague Locust Commission (APLC) |
|
Bait translocation working group |
|
Biosecurity Emergency Preparedness Working Group (BEPWG) |
|
Biosecurity Incident National Communication Network (NCN) |
|
Community Consultative Committee (CCC) |
|
Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) Selection Committee |
|
Dairy Export Industry Consultative Committee (DEICC) |
|
Eminent Scientists Group (ESG) |
|
Export Meat Industry Advisory Committee (EMIAC) |
|
Export Wild Game Meat Industry Consultative Committee (EWGMICC) |
|
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) Selection Committee |
|
Food and Grocery Sector Group (FGSG) |
|
Food Export Regulators Steering Committee (FERSC) |
|
Forest and Wood Products Council (FWPC) |
|
Forestry and Forest Products Committee (FFPC) |
|
Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Selection Committee |
|
Import Risk Analysis Appeals Panel (IRAAP) |
|
Industry (Red Meat) - Government Interdepartmental Committee |
|
Industry Liaison Committee (ILC) |
|
Interim Inspector General of Biosecurity (IIGB) |
|
Manufacturers' Licensing Scheme - Industry Liaison Committee (MLSILC) |
|
Marine Pest Sectoral Committee (MPSC) |
|
National Biosecurity Committee (NBC) |
|
National Biosecurity Committee Stakeholder Engagement Consultative Group |
|
National Committee for Land Use and Management Information |
|
National Committee on Soil and Terrain |
|
National Forest Inventory Steering Committee (NFISC) |
|
National Landcare Advisory Committee |
|
National Rural Advisory Council |
|
Northern Territory Fisheries Joint Authority (NTJA) |
|
Plant Health Committee (PHC) |
|
Queensland Fisheries Joint Authority (QFJA) |
|
Rabies Preparedness Working Group |
|
Registration Liaison Committee for the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) |
|
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Selection Committee |
|
SAFEMEAT |
|
Seafood Exporters Consultative Committee (SECC) |
|
Shark-Plan Representative Group (SRG) |
|
Statutory Fishing Rights Allocation Review Panel (SFRARP) |
|
Sub-committee on Animal Health Laboratory Standards (SCAHLS) |
|
Sub-committee on Aquatic Animal Health (SCAAH) |
|
Torres Strait Protected Zone Joint Authority (PZJA) |
|
Agriculture Ministers Forum (AGMIN) |
|
Agvet Chemicals Task Group (ACTG) |
|
Animal Welfare Task Group (AWT) |
|
Australian and New Zealand Standard Diagnostic Procedures (ANZSDP) WG |
|
Australian Grape and Wine Authority Selection Committee |
|
Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery Management Advisory Committee (Scallop MAC) |
|
Beef Industry Advisory Committee |
|
Drought Task Group |
|
Education and Skills Task Group |
|
Export Meat Industry Advisory Committee (EMIAC) Animal Welfare Sub-committee |
|
Export Meat Industry Advisory Committee (EMIAC) Finance Sub-committee |
|
Export Meat Industry Advisory Committee (EMIAC) Food Safety Sub-committee |
|
Fisheries Management Sub-Committee |
|
Fisheries Statistical Working Group |
|
Forestry Industry Advisory Council |
|
Freshwater invertebrate Pests Sub-committee |
|
Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector Management Advisory Committee (GABMAC) |
|
Halal Consultative Committee (HCC) |
|
HT-J Technical Working Group |
|
Industry Government Implementation Group (IGIG) |
|
Infrastructure and Related Matters Task Group |
|
Invasive Pests Committee (IPC) |
|
Laboratories for Emergency Animal Disease Diagnosis and Response (LEADDR) Working Group |
|
National Biosecurity Management Group (NBMG) |
|
National Emergency Animal Disease Management Group (NMG) |
|
National Emergency Plant Pest Management Group (NMG) |
|
National Fisheries Compliance Sub-Committee |
|
National Fisheries Licensing sub-committee |
|
New Test Evaluation working group |
|
Northern Prawn Fishery Management Advisory Committee (NORMAC) |
|
Primary Industries Technical Market Access & Trade Development Task Group |
|
Regulatory Reform Task Group |
|
Research and Innovation Committee |
|
Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) Governance Committee |
|
SCAHLS National Strategies Working Group |
|
SCAHLS Point-of-Care (POC) Tests Working Group |
|
SCAHLS Quality Assurance Working Group |
|
Small Pelagic Fishery, Southern Squid Jig Fishery, Commonwealth Trawl Sector and Gillnet, Hook and Trap Sectors Management Advisory Committee (SEMAC) |
|
Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Management Advisory Committee (SBTMAC) |
|
Sub-Antarctic Fisheries Management Advisory Committee (South MAC) |
|
Sub-committee on Domestic Quarantine and Market Access (SDQMA) |
|
Sub-committee on National Forest Health (SNFH) |
|
Sub-committee on National Plant Health Surveillance (SNPHS) |
|
Sub-committee on Plant Health Diagnostics (SPHD) |
|
Tropical Tuna Management Advisory Committee (Tropical Tuna MAC) |
|
Australian Egg Corporation Limited (AECL) |
|
Australian Meat Processor Corporation Limited (AMPC) |
|
Australian Pork Limited (APL) |
|
Australian Wool Innovation Limited (AWI) |
|
Dairy Australia Limited |
|
Forest and Wood Products Australia Limited (FWPA) |
|
Horticulture Australia Limited |
|
Meat and Livestock Australia Limited (MLA) |
|
Sugar Research Australia Limited |
|
Australian Livestock Export Corporation Ltd (LiveCorp) |
There are lots of entities that make sense like the AFP, ABC and this one within Defence:
|
Australian Army |
Defence |
B) Secondary |
Other-Body |
E) Statutory Office Holder, Offices and Committees |
|
|
The Australian Army's mission is to provide a potent, versatile and modern Army to promote the security of Australia and to protect its people and interests. Made up of the Regular Army and the Army Reserve, headed by the Chief of Army.
|
But check out some of these!
The Federal Government runs no schools, delivering education is a state responsibility - here are the separate bodies within the federal education portfolio.
|
Department of Education |
|
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) |
|
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Limited (AITSL) |
|
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies |
|
Australian National University |
|
Australian Research Council |
|
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency |
|
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Advisory Council |
|
Asia Education Foundation Advisory Board |
|
Australia India Education Council |
|
Australian Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs Senior Officials Committee (AEEYSOC) |
|
Australian Research Council Advisory Council |
|
COAG Education Council (EC) |
|
Higher Education Standards Panel |
|
International Assessments Joint National Advisory Committee |
|
Local Readiness Work Group |
|
National Partnerships Implementation Working Group (incl Evaluation and Literacy / Numeracy sub-groups) |
|
National Schools Interoperability Programme |
|
Office for Learning and Teaching Strategic Advisory Committee |
|
Tuition Protection Service Advisory Board |
|
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Advisory Group (ATSIEAG) |
|
Agriculture in Education Advisory Panel |
|
Australian-American Educational Foundation (Fulbright Commission) |
|
Copyright Advisory Group |
|
Data Strategy Group |
|
Deregulation Ministerial Advisory Council |
|
Early Childhood Data Sub Group |
|
Early Childhood Policy Group |
|
Ministerial Advisory Council for Child Care and Early Learning |
|
National Youth Week National Planning Group (NYWNPG) |
|
Online Assessment Committee |
|
Online Assessment Working Group |
|
PACER Advisory Committee |
|
Safe and Supportive School Communities Working Group |
|
Schools Policy Group |
|
Students with Disability Joint Working Group |
|
Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG) |
|
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Advisory Council |
|
VET in Schools Framework – Update |
|
Youth Affairs Working Group |
|
Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) |
|
Education Services Australia |
|
ANU (UK) Foundation |
|
ANU Enterprise Pty Limited |
|
ANU MTAA Super Venture Capital Partnership, LP |
|
ANU MTAA Super Venture Capital Pty Limited |
|
ANU Section 68 Pty Limited |
|
Australian Scientific Instruments Pty Limited |
|
BRU Holdings Pty Limited |
|
BRU Projects Pty Limited |
|
SA2 Holdings Pty Limited |
|
SA2 Projects Pty Limited |
|
The Social Research Centre Pty Limited |
And Environment will make your blood curdle:
|
Department of the Environment |
|
Bureau of Meteorology |
|
Clean Energy Regulator |
|
Climate Change Authority |
|
Director of National Parks |
|
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority |
|
Murray-Darling Basin Authority |
|
National Water Commission |
|
Sydney Harbour Federation Trust |
|
Alligator Rivers Region Advisory Committee |
|
Alligator Rivers Region Technical Committee |
|
Antarctic Science Advisory Committee |
|
Australian Antarctic Names and Medal Committee |
|
Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) Advisory Committee |
|
Australian Heritage Council |
|
Australian World Heritage Advisory Committee |
|
Australia-Netherlands Committee on Old Dutch Shipwrecks |
|
Basin Officials Committee |
|
Biological Diversity Advisory Committee |
|
Booderee National Park Board of Management |
|
Bureau of Meteorology Jurisdictional Reference Group on Water Information |
|
Climate Adaptation Outlook Independent Expert Group |
|
Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder |
|
Commonwealth Environmental Water Office |
|
Domestic Offsets Integrity Committee (DOIC) |
|
Environmental Research Advisory Panel |
|
Environmental Water Scientific Advisory Panel |
|
Expert Panel for Major Coal Seam Gas Projects |
|
Expert Panel on a Declared Commercial Fishing Activity |
|
Fuel Standards Consultative Committee |
|
Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee |
|
Great Barrier Reef Ministerial Forum |
|
Hazardous Waste Technical Group |
|
Historic Shipwrecks Delegates Committee |
|
Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development |
|
Indigenous Advisory Committee |
|
Kakadu National Park Board of Management |
|
Lake Eyre Basin Community Advisory Committee |
|
Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum |
|
Lake Eyre Basin Scientific Advisory Panel |
|
Land Sector Carbon and Biodiversity Board |
|
Murray-Darling Basin Community Committee |
|
Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council |
|
National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) |
|
National Wildlife Corridors Committee |
|
Natural Heritage Ministerial Board |
|
Natural Heritage Trust Advisory Committee |
|
Oil Stewardship Advisory Council (OSAC) |
|
Product Stewardship Advisory Group |
|
Reef Water Quality Independent Science Panel |
|
Reef Water Quality Protection Plan Partnership Committee (PC) |
|
Rock Art Foundation Committee |
|
Threatened Species Scientific Committee |
|
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Board of Management |
|
Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Regulator (WELS) |
|
World Parks Congress National Steering Committee |
|
Advisory Committee on Social, Economic and Environmental Sciences (ACSEES) |
|
Antarctic Research Assessment Committee (ARAC) |
|
Basin Plan Implementation Committee |
|
Emissions Reduction Fund Expert Reference Group |
|
Local Marine Advisory Committees - Bowen-Burdekin |
|
Local Marine Advisory Committees - Burnett |
|
Local Marine Advisory Committees - Cairns |
|
Local Marine Advisory Committees - Cape York |
|
Local Marine Advisory Committees - Capricorn Coast |
|
Local Marine Advisory Committees - Cassowary Coast |
|
Local Marine Advisory Committees - Douglas |
|
Local Marine Advisory Committees - Gladstone |
|
Local Marine Advisory Committees - Hinchinbrook |
|
Local Marine Advisory Committees - Mackay |
|
Local Marine Advisory Committees - Townsville |
|
Local Marine Advisory Committees - Whitsunday |
|
River Murray Water Committee |
|
Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Assessment Committee (SDLAAC) |
|
The Living Murray Committee |
|
The Northern Basin Advisory Committee |
|
Water Act Review Expert Panel |
Each Minister would do well to run the ruler of their own list of QUANGOs, get out the red pen and get serious about cutting costs.
Islamist salute from Sydney man who refused to stand in court for Judge
Friday, 13 February 2015
Yesterday a Muslim prisoner appeared in the Supreme Court of NSW seeking bail - he's in custody charged with making phone calls in breach of prohibition orders after these police terror raids.
One of his mates was in the public gallery - here's News Limited's story
Salute of the death cult after man fails to stand in court for a judge
SHOUTING “Allahu Akbar” after refusing to stand for a judge hearing the case of his associate on a terror control order, a hooded Muslim pointed his finger to the sky in a confronting gesture that has become widely identified with the Islamic State death cult.
Another man, in a grey hoodie, also shouted “God is great” and pointed his index finger in the religious salute outside the NSW Supreme Court yesterday.
Their 21-year-old associate, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is the first person to be prosecuted for breaching an anti-terrorism control order.
He was arrested days after he was issued with an interim order during a series of counterterrorism raids across Western Sydney on December 18.
Sitting in the public gallery the man refused to stand for Justice Peter Hall and only got up after he was approached by a court sheriff.
The Marsfield man is accused of making three phone calls on December 22 and 23 from a public phone in violation of the order prohibiting him from making calls “on a phone service not approved by the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team”, police allege.
He has been in custody since his arrest and yesterday made an unsuccessful bail application.
The man’s lawyer Peter Lange said the phone intercepts were “entirely innocuous” and were “simply banter”.
Banter. Maybe like this banter in the street.
Admiral (ret) James Aloysius "Ace" Lyons, Jr "Islam is Islam, you can't apply any modifiers to it".
Friday, 13 February 2015
James Aloysius "Ace" Lyons, Jr was the Commander of the US Pacific Fleet in the 1980s. Prior to that he was the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations from 1983 – 1985 and was the principal advisor on all Joint Chiefs of Staff matters.
Ace was the father of the Navy Red Cell, an anti-terrorism group composed of Navy Seals he established in response to the Marine Barracks bombing in Beirut. Admiral Lyons was also Commander of the U.S. Second Fleet and Commander of the NATO Striking Fleet which were the principal fleets for implementing Maritime Strategy.
Prime Minister Abbott describes the video made in preparation for Australian terror attack
Thursday, 12 February 2015
Here are the men charged.
This was Bill Shorten in his open letter to his Islamic friends written on 25 September 2014.
Bill Shorten and Michelle Rowland have written an open-letter to the Islamic community following concerning reports about Australia’s Islamic community being assaulted, vilified, and being wrongly stigmatised for the crimes of ISIL.
In such difficult times, Labor will continue to speak out against ill-informed and dangerous views and stand up for tolerance and multiculturalism. Read their letter here:
To whom it may concern,
We have been very distressed by recent reports about the Australian Islamic community being wrongly blamed for the crimes of ISIL, including assaults and other forms of vilification.
Labor stands shoulder to shoulder with Australia’s Islamic community and, now more than ever, we are committed to tolerance, social cohesion, mutual respect and multiculturalism.
Labor will continue to work with you to stop misinformation, bigotry and prejudice directed at the Australian Islamic community.
Regrettably, some in our community, including a very few elected representatives, have made comments which have the potential to damage community harmony and inflame tensions. Labor strongly opposes these ill-informed and dangerous views and we will continue to speak out against them.
We know that the twisted ideology of ISIL bears no relation to a faith of peace, love and tolerance which is followed by millions around the world – and we will continue to make this point.
ISIL has no right to use the name of Islam.
We will work with you to help stop ISIL spreading division, radicalising disaffected and vulnerable young people. We will not allow them to nurture intolerance and create a world where people fear the unknown and resent differences.
The Islamic story in Australia has a rich history and grows stronger each year. Australia’s Muslim community continues to do our nation a great service by fostering enduring cultural and religious harmony, and making a substantial contribution to our national prosperity.
This reflects modern Australian multiculturalism: a story of cultural enrichment, social cohesion and economic growth and it is a story that the Labor Party is committed to and will always defend.
We are keen to engage with you and your organisation, to listen to you about how we can further these goals together. Please contact Ms Rowland’s office on 02 6277 4833 or [email protected] if you would like to make such arrangements. We look forward to hearing from you.
Finally, on the upcoming occasion of Eid Ul Adha, we wish you, your family and your community a heartfelt Eid Mubarak.
Yours sincerely,
Bill Shorten
Leader of the Opposition
Michelle Rowland
Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multiculturalism
No competent lawyer would advise Ralph Blewitt to purchase property in his own name when the union he ran was being sued
Thursday, 12 February 2015
In 1992 Hammersely Iron brought legal action against the AWU and other parties. In this interview Harry Nowicki, former lawyer for Norm Gallagher's BLF describes the sorts of questions a lawyer acting for union officials might have given about a prospective property purchase.