Bondi Rescue tonight on Ten - this happened in January this year;.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/bill-shorten-to-put-nelson-mandela-on-labor-pedestal/story-fn59niix-1227312736406

Bill Shorten to put Nelson Mandela on Labor pedestal

The first chapter of a draft Labor platform lays down a vision of an internationally focused “smart, modern and fair’’ Australia that supports a republic and “real’’ action on climate change.

Since 2000, the first chapter of the national platform has been seen as a reflection of the values of Labor’s federal leader and will be introduced by Mr Shorten at the conference in Melbourne in July.

It acknowledges some of the greatest lines from 11 former Labor leaders and MPs, ranging from Paul Keating’s true believers quote in 1993 to Ben Chifley’s Light on the Hill speech in 1949 to Kevin Rudd’s national apology on February 13, 2008. But it reaches beyond Australian politics in anointing Labor ­heroes. “Our heroes are social democrats, the world over,’’ it says.

These include 19th-century British socialist activists Robert Owen and William Morris, economists Beatrice and Sidney Webb, British labour leader Keir Hardie, Australian suffragette Jessie Street, US president ­Franklin Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor, and Mandela, the late South African freedom fighter and president.

The draft chapter says Labor believes “in the contribution of markets and the role of government’’. “Where once we sought to row, now we seek to steer: using competition to shape markets and let them work,” it says.

Commission to begin 2015 hearings

The Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption will commence its second year of public hearings later this week.

A preliminary hearing will be held on Thursday, 23 April 2015, at which the Commissioner and Senior Counsel Assisting will give opening statements outlining the broad direction of the hearings for the year. 

An important task for the Commission during 2015 will be to consider policy issues and law reform, as well as investigations into ongoing matters.

Witnesses will give evidence from Monday 27th April when the 2015 public hearing schedule officially begins with a continuation of inquiries into the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), followed by hearings into the Transport Workers' Union (TWU). 

A Hearing schedule is updated regularly on the Commission's website.

During 2014, the Commission conducted more than 70 public and private hearings involving 240 witnesses at hearings in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane.

An Interim Report was delivered to the Governor General on 15 December 2014 and tabled in parliament the following week. The Commissioner will deliver a Final Report to the Governor General by 31 December 2015.

The 2015 preliminary hearing will be held in the Commission's hearing room on Level 19, 55 Market St Sydney, commencing at 10.00am. Proceedings will also be webcast. 

A transcript of the hearing will be made available on the Commission's website shortly after the hearing.

2015 Hearing Schedule

The Royal Commission will continue its program of public hearings in 2015. Witnesses and affected parties will be advised of any changes as soon as possible. Hearings are held in the Commission's hearing room on Level 19, 55 Market St Sydney at 10.00am, unless otherwise advised.

Legend

Schedule

Please note that this schedule may change at short notice.

April

May

June

2GB maintains its lead in Sydney - 2UE has fallen in a hole.

And in Brisbane each of the 4BC shifts being replaced by Sydney shows ticked up in their last survey

Random events log #1 for today - some sort of NSW Police procession down the main street of Wagga!

I'm on the road at present with Caroline and Hugh - right now we're sitting at the cafe outside the Dog on the Tuckerbox near Gundagai.

Last night we stayed at Canberra after a day out in the Capital - Questacon was fabulous for the children and the Australian War Memorial never loses its appeal or solemnity.

We were fortunate to be in Canberra on the day John Schuman (Redgum, I was only 19) launched his new song On Every Anzac Day.   The song could be about so many people who came from so many different backgrounds but were drawn together by mates, service, loyalty, a fighting spirit and a devotion to their country.   As it happens John was commissioned to write the song by the Chief of Army and in particular to focus on Aboriginal Australians on this centenary of the Anzac assault on the Dardanelles.

Many will use the song to bring the focus entirely onto one bit of our history, the story of aboriginal warriors.   There's more to us than that, it's a part of us but just a part.   I hope you all enjoy  On Every Anzac Day as much as we did.

PS - I didn't think Khe Sanh could be improved on.   John performs the song with Redgum - he's changed the first line to "I owe my life to the choppers at Long Tan".   Now it's perfect.

As far as I know there's no compelling hard news story today on the issue of Australia's Foreign Aid budget.  But ABC News hasn't let the absence of a news story keep it away from an issue that plays to the leftie crowd and might embarrass the Abbott Government.   No news story?   Let's create one.

How?   Ask for community feedback - then run stories based on the comments and drama the ABC stirred up itself.

#Yoursay: Tell us what you think of planned cuts to international aid in upcoming #Budget2015. http://t.co/UC5ZdC7Z9s pic.twitter.com/dzufxaYfFX

— ABC News (@abcnews) April 17, 2015

ABC News seems to me to be pretty selective in choosing the issues it will use to stir up some #yoursay audience response on Twiter.   I can't recall ABC News Tweeting "tells us what you think of Julia Gillard's office being raided by police with a search warrant" - but issues that play to the left and might put the Abbott Government at odds with the Twitterati are a dime a dozen with the #yoursay tag at the ABC.

Surely we caan do better than gossip on Twitter as a source of news stories  from our taxpayer funded news operation.