Thursday, March 31, 2005
Quote of the Moment:
"Human activity is putting such a strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet's ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted."
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a report backed by 1360 scientists from 95 countries, warns that the wetlands, forests, savannahs, estuaries and other habitats that recycle air, water and nutrients are being irretrievably damaged.
"Human activity is putting such a strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet's ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted."
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a report backed by 1360 scientists from 95 countries, warns that the wetlands, forests, savannahs, estuaries and other habitats that recycle air, water and nutrients are being irretrievably damaged.
The war in Iraq and its aftermath has almost doubled malnutrition rates among many Iraqi children, according to a United Nations specialist on hunger.
Acute malnutrition rates among Iraqi children under the age of five nearly doubled late last year to 7.7 per cent, from four per cent after Saddam's ousting in April 2003, said Jean Ziegler, the UN Human Rights Commission's special expert on the right to food.
The situation facing Iraqi youngsters is "a result of the war led by coalition forces," said Ziegler, a Swiss sociology professor.
Overall, more than a quarter of Iraqi children didn't get enough to eat, Ziegler told a meeting of the 53-nation commission, the top UN rights watchdog, which is halfway through its annual six-week session.
The US delegation and other members of the coalition which includes Australia did not respond to the report.
Ziegler's criticism was in line with previous studies of the food crisis in Iraq since the US-led war to oust Saddam two years ago.
In November, the Norwegian-based Fafo Institute for Applied Social Science released a report that found malnutrition had reached 7.7 per cent among Iraqi children between the ages of six months and five.
Ziegler also cited an October 2004 US study that estimated as many as 100,000 more Iraqis - many of them women and children - had died since the start of the United States-led invasion of Iraq than would normally have died.
(Source: The Age)
Acute malnutrition rates among Iraqi children under the age of five nearly doubled late last year to 7.7 per cent, from four per cent after Saddam's ousting in April 2003, said Jean Ziegler, the UN Human Rights Commission's special expert on the right to food.
The situation facing Iraqi youngsters is "a result of the war led by coalition forces," said Ziegler, a Swiss sociology professor.
Overall, more than a quarter of Iraqi children didn't get enough to eat, Ziegler told a meeting of the 53-nation commission, the top UN rights watchdog, which is halfway through its annual six-week session.
The US delegation and other members of the coalition which includes Australia did not respond to the report.
Ziegler's criticism was in line with previous studies of the food crisis in Iraq since the US-led war to oust Saddam two years ago.
In November, the Norwegian-based Fafo Institute for Applied Social Science released a report that found malnutrition had reached 7.7 per cent among Iraqi children between the ages of six months and five.
Ziegler also cited an October 2004 US study that estimated as many as 100,000 more Iraqis - many of them women and children - had died since the start of the United States-led invasion of Iraq than would normally have died.
(Source: The Age)
New research has contradicted warnings from nutritionists and the dairy industry that a dairy-free diet can lead to the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.
A team, led by Dr Luigi Fontana of the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, reports its findings in this week's issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
The study compared a group of vegans who had only eaten uncooked, unprocessed vegetables for several years, to another group who had a more average diet.
The vegans' bones were thinner on average, but researchers said this was appropriate for their lower weight: the 'average' group was slightly overweight, unlike the vegans.
The vegans also had low levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory molecule that is becoming linked with the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic disease, and of IGF-1, a growth factor linked to risk of breast and prostate cancer.
(Source: ABC News In Science website)
www.goveg.com
A team, led by Dr Luigi Fontana of the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, reports its findings in this week's issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
The study compared a group of vegans who had only eaten uncooked, unprocessed vegetables for several years, to another group who had a more average diet.
The vegans' bones were thinner on average, but researchers said this was appropriate for their lower weight: the 'average' group was slightly overweight, unlike the vegans.
The vegans also had low levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory molecule that is becoming linked with the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic disease, and of IGF-1, a growth factor linked to risk of breast and prostate cancer.
(Source: ABC News In Science website)
www.goveg.com
Australians are overworked, and far from taking 'sickies' tend to go to work when sick, according to new research.
Research by recruitment firm CareerOne has found most Australians work when they feel ill because they are conscientious or fear losing their job. The research, based on a survey of 461 capital city workers aged over 18, showed 65 per cent "always or nearly always" worked when sick. Nineteen per cent worked when ill. Only 2 per cent said they never worked when sick.
The data reinforces an international comparison of annual working hours conducted by the OECD in 2000. That study showed the average Australian worked 1855 hours a year compared with 1643 hours for workers in other developed nations.
The director of Monash University's Centre for Research on Employment and Work, Peter Holland, said that compared with Europeans, Australians had fewer holidays, with 60 per cent failing to take their full entitlements. "This makes Australia the most overworked nation in the world, with only South Koreans putting in more unpaid hours each year than we do," he said.
The CareerOne survey found women were more likely to feel guilty for taking a sickie than men, and that people aged between 18 and 34 were more likely to regret taking sick leave than older workers.
Careerone.com.au editor Kate Southam said the study exploded the myth of the "Aussie sickie". "Going to work while sick is symptomatic of the 'long hours' culture," she said. "Australians need reminding they are entitled to sick leave when they genuinely feel too ill to work."
(Source: The Age)
Research by recruitment firm CareerOne has found most Australians work when they feel ill because they are conscientious or fear losing their job. The research, based on a survey of 461 capital city workers aged over 18, showed 65 per cent "always or nearly always" worked when sick. Nineteen per cent worked when ill. Only 2 per cent said they never worked when sick.
The data reinforces an international comparison of annual working hours conducted by the OECD in 2000. That study showed the average Australian worked 1855 hours a year compared with 1643 hours for workers in other developed nations.
The director of Monash University's Centre for Research on Employment and Work, Peter Holland, said that compared with Europeans, Australians had fewer holidays, with 60 per cent failing to take their full entitlements. "This makes Australia the most overworked nation in the world, with only South Koreans putting in more unpaid hours each year than we do," he said.
The CareerOne survey found women were more likely to feel guilty for taking a sickie than men, and that people aged between 18 and 34 were more likely to regret taking sick leave than older workers.
Careerone.com.au editor Kate Southam said the study exploded the myth of the "Aussie sickie". "Going to work while sick is symptomatic of the 'long hours' culture," she said. "Australians need reminding they are entitled to sick leave when they genuinely feel too ill to work."
(Source: The Age)
Monday, March 28, 2005
The majority of Australians consider US foreign policy to be as dangerous as Islamic fundamentalism, and are more worried about global warming than terrorism or 'illegal immigration', a survey has revealed.
The inaugural Lowy Institute Poll asked 1,000 randomly-selected Australians for their views on a range of foreign policy issues including the war in Iraq, the US free trade agreement (FTA) and globalisation.
When asked how much notice they thought Australia took of America's views in formulating foreign policy, 68 per cent said too much, while 57 per cent judged the threat of US foreign policy to be as great as that of Islamic fundamentalism.
Global warming and nuclear proliferation out-polled terrorism and illegal immigration as the greatest foreign policy concerns.
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
The inaugural Lowy Institute Poll asked 1,000 randomly-selected Australians for their views on a range of foreign policy issues including the war in Iraq, the US free trade agreement (FTA) and globalisation.
When asked how much notice they thought Australia took of America's views in formulating foreign policy, 68 per cent said too much, while 57 per cent judged the threat of US foreign policy to be as great as that of Islamic fundamentalism.
Global warming and nuclear proliferation out-polled terrorism and illegal immigration as the greatest foreign policy concerns.
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
One in 10 Australian managers display behaviour comparable to psychopaths, according to new research.
A psychotherapist with the consultancy Banks Management Group, Dr Glyn Brokensha, has coined the term 'powerpath' to describe such managers.
He describes powerpaths as deceitful, cold-hearted manipulators bent on attaining power for its own sake. Devoid of empathy, they are reckless and leave a trail of wrecked careers, corporate destruction and a legacy of fear.
Dr Brokensha said powerpaths thrive in businesses with autocratic management cultures where they can curry favour with peers and superiors, while causing misery for those who report to them.
"You'll get senior management say, 'So-and-so is really good. He has cleared out all the deadwood, all the non-performers.' And then find three years later that the deadwood has not been cleared out. He has cleared out anybody who knew what he was, anyone who opposed him."
Dr Brokensha said powerpaths typically introduced meaningless reforms and endless reviews to cover up that they achieve very little.
It is typical for such people, who may suffer psychopathic personality disorder, to leave a workplace before the damage they have done is revealed.
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
A psychotherapist with the consultancy Banks Management Group, Dr Glyn Brokensha, has coined the term 'powerpath' to describe such managers.
He describes powerpaths as deceitful, cold-hearted manipulators bent on attaining power for its own sake. Devoid of empathy, they are reckless and leave a trail of wrecked careers, corporate destruction and a legacy of fear.
Dr Brokensha said powerpaths thrive in businesses with autocratic management cultures where they can curry favour with peers and superiors, while causing misery for those who report to them.
"You'll get senior management say, 'So-and-so is really good. He has cleared out all the deadwood, all the non-performers.' And then find three years later that the deadwood has not been cleared out. He has cleared out anybody who knew what he was, anyone who opposed him."
Dr Brokensha said powerpaths typically introduced meaningless reforms and endless reviews to cover up that they achieve very little.
It is typical for such people, who may suffer psychopathic personality disorder, to leave a workplace before the damage they have done is revealed.
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
The Federal government gave several million dollars of public money to a failed tourist railway, and allegedly offered to write off over 1 million dollars of its tax debts.
The Beaudesert railway project in Queensland was offered $400,000 in Federal Government money in 2003 as an interest-free loan. This loan was later replaced with a $600,000 grant, despite the Department of Regional Services having found the business financially unviable.
The project had already failed to meet financial obligations from a $5 million Centenary of Federation Grant in 2001.
The railway became insolvent in November 2002, but local Liberal MP Kay Elson urged it to trade on while she sought federal funds.
In addition, a report from the Association's provisional liquidator to the Supreme Court shows he said there would be a forgiveness of a potential debt to the Australian Taxation Office of up to $1.5 million.
(Source: ABC News website, The Age)
The Beaudesert railway project in Queensland was offered $400,000 in Federal Government money in 2003 as an interest-free loan. This loan was later replaced with a $600,000 grant, despite the Department of Regional Services having found the business financially unviable.
The project had already failed to meet financial obligations from a $5 million Centenary of Federation Grant in 2001.
The railway became insolvent in November 2002, but local Liberal MP Kay Elson urged it to trade on while she sought federal funds.
In addition, a report from the Association's provisional liquidator to the Supreme Court shows he said there would be a forgiveness of a potential debt to the Australian Taxation Office of up to $1.5 million.
(Source: ABC News website, The Age)
A Brisbane school has suspended a Year 11 student for 'retaliating' to a 45 minute beating from a trained kickboxer.
Balwyn High School's principal Bruce Armstrong said that students had recorded the attack using a camera on a mobile phone. The attacker and other students involved were also suspended.
The victim said his attacker had seven years of kick-boxing training.
"He kicked me in the head, stomach, arms and legs. It went on for about 45 minutes," the victim said.
The teenager said he had been unable to get up after the attack.
His mother said his braces had been embedded in his cheek and he had suffered a black eye and cuts.
She said it had been the second time her son had been seriously assaulted at or near the school.
My son was bruised and battered all over" she said.
"To learn other students were watching and egging on the attacker, and even making a record of it, makes me feel sick to the stomach."
She said a speech impediment had made her son a target of verbal, physical and social abuse.
Principal Armstrong claimed that the school had "a strong anti-bullying program with a strong focus on students learning to live together."
(Source: The Courier-Mail)
Balwyn High School's principal Bruce Armstrong said that students had recorded the attack using a camera on a mobile phone. The attacker and other students involved were also suspended.
The victim said his attacker had seven years of kick-boxing training.
"He kicked me in the head, stomach, arms and legs. It went on for about 45 minutes," the victim said.
The teenager said he had been unable to get up after the attack.
His mother said his braces had been embedded in his cheek and he had suffered a black eye and cuts.
She said it had been the second time her son had been seriously assaulted at or near the school.
My son was bruised and battered all over" she said.
"To learn other students were watching and egging on the attacker, and even making a record of it, makes me feel sick to the stomach."
She said a speech impediment had made her son a target of verbal, physical and social abuse.
Principal Armstrong claimed that the school had "a strong anti-bullying program with a strong focus on students learning to live together."
(Source: The Courier-Mail)
Quote of the Moment:
"On May 30, my squad was ambushed for the first time in the eastern part of Ar Ramadi in what was called the 'Sunni Triangle.' We heard a whistle as we passed an area that was notorious for bombed out buildings. Next, a bomb exploded in the road in front of our lead Hum Vee. Prior to this attack I had briefed my squad on what I understood to be Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which was that if we were ambushed we should 'haul ass' while returning fire with our weapons. Following the blast, bullets rained down on us from rooftops on both sides of the road as we drove out of the area."
"Back at the base, we were euphoric that no one had been hurt in the ambush. My commander, XO, and 1st Sgt. immediately asked to be briefed. When I told them what happened they asked me why we had fled rather than staying and fighting. I told them that it was SOP to try and drive out of an ambush. They agreed, but added that we had just sent the wrong message to our attackers because our mission is not to run from the enemy-but to kill them. The next morning our commander passed down word that in the future we should not celebrate our 'failures' and celebrating our escape also sends the wrong message to other soldiers."
"It dawned on me that protecting our troops didn't rank very high on our leaders' agenda. Medals, glory, and 'sending the right message' were all worth the lives of a few soldiers. This war was more complicated than I had imagined. Not only did we have to be careful with the enemy but we also had to be careful with our own leaders too."
"In my experience, our unit of activated reservists was treated differently than active duty GIs. For example, when one of our soldiers was injured or killed, we didn't receive a replacement. It was the same thing with supplies and equipment. We never really got resupplied with the ammo, weapons, vehicles, night vision gear, etc. that we consumed. We left the States without even having a basic clothing supply. As far as ammo, we travelled with just a basic combat load and weren't resupplied. In some instances, we had to exchange ammo magazines within our platoon before going out on missions. When an improvised explosive device (IED) blew up one of our vehicles, we didn't get a new one."
"It also bothered me that we weren't allowed to use the mess hall or commissary of the 82d Airborne, our parent unit. In my mind, we should have been treated as equals since we were all taking the same risks."
"This shortage of personnel drove my commanders to do some pretty despicable things. The soldier I mentioned earlier with defective hearing was kept in the unit even though an IED explosion had made his hearing even worse. I remember lending him my notes after our squad leaders' meeting since he couldn't hear our platoon leader's briefing while sitting a few feet away. This would directly affect his proficiency as a squad leader. He didn't dare request to be sent home but he did ask the doctors to get him a hearing aid. One of our doctors told him to 'get out of my face' and to wait until our deployment was over."
"Another soldier whose surrogate mother was dying was denied permission to return home, while another's request to visit his 13-year-old daughter who'd just been raped was also turned down."
"When I saw with my own eyes what war can do to people, a real change began to take place within me. I have witnessed the suffering of a people whose country is in ruins and who are further humiliated by the raids, patrols, curfews of an occupying army. My experience of this war has changed me forever."
"One of our sergeants shot a small boy who was carrying an AK-47 rifle. The other two children who were walking with him ran away as the wounded child began crawling for his life. A second shot stopped him, but he was still alive. When an Iraqi tried to take him to a civilian hospital, Army medics from our unit intercepted him and insisted on taking the injured boy to a military facility. There, he was denied medical care because a different unit was supposed to treat our unit's wounded. After another medical unit refused to treat the child, he died."
"Another time, my platoon responded to a political protest in Ar Ramadi that had turned violent. My squad took a defensive position on a rooftop after some protesters started throwing grenades at the mayor's office. We were ordered to shoot anyone who threw anything that looked like a grenade. A young Iraqi emerged from the crowd carrying something in his right hand. Just before he threw it, we all opened fire, killing him. The object turned out to be a grenade, which exploded far from everyone. I know that the man we killed had no chance of hurting us-he was too far away. My platoon leader later told us that we killed three other Iraqis during this same protest although I didn't see them die."
"I also learned that the fear of dying has the power to turn soldiers into real killing machines. In a combat environment it becomes almost impossible for us to consider things like acting strictly in self defense or using just enough force to stop an attack."
"Going home on leave in October 2003 provided me with the opportunity to put my thoughts in order and to listen to what my conscience had to say. People would ask me about my war experiences and answering them took me back to all the horrors-the firefights, the ambushes, the time I saw a young Iraqi dragged by his shoulders through a pool of his own blood, the time a man was decapitated by our machine gun fire and the time my friend shot a child through the chest."
"Coming home gave me the clarity to see the line between military duty and moral obligation. My feelings against the war dictated that I could no longer be a part of it. Acting upon my principles became incompatible with my role in the military and by putting my weapon down I chose to reassert myself as a human being."
Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia, one of at least 5500 US soldiers to refuse to serve in Iraq since the war began.
"On May 30, my squad was ambushed for the first time in the eastern part of Ar Ramadi in what was called the 'Sunni Triangle.' We heard a whistle as we passed an area that was notorious for bombed out buildings. Next, a bomb exploded in the road in front of our lead Hum Vee. Prior to this attack I had briefed my squad on what I understood to be Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which was that if we were ambushed we should 'haul ass' while returning fire with our weapons. Following the blast, bullets rained down on us from rooftops on both sides of the road as we drove out of the area."
"Back at the base, we were euphoric that no one had been hurt in the ambush. My commander, XO, and 1st Sgt. immediately asked to be briefed. When I told them what happened they asked me why we had fled rather than staying and fighting. I told them that it was SOP to try and drive out of an ambush. They agreed, but added that we had just sent the wrong message to our attackers because our mission is not to run from the enemy-but to kill them. The next morning our commander passed down word that in the future we should not celebrate our 'failures' and celebrating our escape also sends the wrong message to other soldiers."
"It dawned on me that protecting our troops didn't rank very high on our leaders' agenda. Medals, glory, and 'sending the right message' were all worth the lives of a few soldiers. This war was more complicated than I had imagined. Not only did we have to be careful with the enemy but we also had to be careful with our own leaders too."
"In my experience, our unit of activated reservists was treated differently than active duty GIs. For example, when one of our soldiers was injured or killed, we didn't receive a replacement. It was the same thing with supplies and equipment. We never really got resupplied with the ammo, weapons, vehicles, night vision gear, etc. that we consumed. We left the States without even having a basic clothing supply. As far as ammo, we travelled with just a basic combat load and weren't resupplied. In some instances, we had to exchange ammo magazines within our platoon before going out on missions. When an improvised explosive device (IED) blew up one of our vehicles, we didn't get a new one."
"It also bothered me that we weren't allowed to use the mess hall or commissary of the 82d Airborne, our parent unit. In my mind, we should have been treated as equals since we were all taking the same risks."
"This shortage of personnel drove my commanders to do some pretty despicable things. The soldier I mentioned earlier with defective hearing was kept in the unit even though an IED explosion had made his hearing even worse. I remember lending him my notes after our squad leaders' meeting since he couldn't hear our platoon leader's briefing while sitting a few feet away. This would directly affect his proficiency as a squad leader. He didn't dare request to be sent home but he did ask the doctors to get him a hearing aid. One of our doctors told him to 'get out of my face' and to wait until our deployment was over."
"Another soldier whose surrogate mother was dying was denied permission to return home, while another's request to visit his 13-year-old daughter who'd just been raped was also turned down."
"When I saw with my own eyes what war can do to people, a real change began to take place within me. I have witnessed the suffering of a people whose country is in ruins and who are further humiliated by the raids, patrols, curfews of an occupying army. My experience of this war has changed me forever."
"One of our sergeants shot a small boy who was carrying an AK-47 rifle. The other two children who were walking with him ran away as the wounded child began crawling for his life. A second shot stopped him, but he was still alive. When an Iraqi tried to take him to a civilian hospital, Army medics from our unit intercepted him and insisted on taking the injured boy to a military facility. There, he was denied medical care because a different unit was supposed to treat our unit's wounded. After another medical unit refused to treat the child, he died."
"Another time, my platoon responded to a political protest in Ar Ramadi that had turned violent. My squad took a defensive position on a rooftop after some protesters started throwing grenades at the mayor's office. We were ordered to shoot anyone who threw anything that looked like a grenade. A young Iraqi emerged from the crowd carrying something in his right hand. Just before he threw it, we all opened fire, killing him. The object turned out to be a grenade, which exploded far from everyone. I know that the man we killed had no chance of hurting us-he was too far away. My platoon leader later told us that we killed three other Iraqis during this same protest although I didn't see them die."
"I also learned that the fear of dying has the power to turn soldiers into real killing machines. In a combat environment it becomes almost impossible for us to consider things like acting strictly in self defense or using just enough force to stop an attack."
"Going home on leave in October 2003 provided me with the opportunity to put my thoughts in order and to listen to what my conscience had to say. People would ask me about my war experiences and answering them took me back to all the horrors-the firefights, the ambushes, the time I saw a young Iraqi dragged by his shoulders through a pool of his own blood, the time a man was decapitated by our machine gun fire and the time my friend shot a child through the chest."
"Coming home gave me the clarity to see the line between military duty and moral obligation. My feelings against the war dictated that I could no longer be a part of it. Acting upon my principles became incompatible with my role in the military and by putting my weapon down I chose to reassert myself as a human being."
Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia, one of at least 5500 US soldiers to refuse to serve in Iraq since the war began.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Victorian Labor Party president Brian Daley has threatened legal action against the party's administrative committee for refusing to deal with branch-stacking, and has criticised party leaders Steve Bracks and Kim Beazley for refusing to intervene.
The committee, which is dominated by Steve Bracks' right-wing faction, closed an inquiry into branch stacking in the seat of Gorton, appointed an official associated with the Right to investigate claims of right-wing branch stacking in the seat of Corio, and admitted party members to the Kings Park branch, which former premier John Cain, as a dispute tribunal member, had found was defunct.
(Source: The Age)
The committee, which is dominated by Steve Bracks' right-wing faction, closed an inquiry into branch stacking in the seat of Gorton, appointed an official associated with the Right to investigate claims of right-wing branch stacking in the seat of Corio, and admitted party members to the Kings Park branch, which former premier John Cain, as a dispute tribunal member, had found was defunct.
(Source: The Age)
Victorian police knew in 2003 of a sacked drug squad detective's relationship with a murderer linked to underworld boss Carl Williams, but let him continue to manage an informer who was later shot dead.
The force's chief crime investigator has also conceded there has been a history of "unhealthy relationships" between some Victorian detectives and underworld figures.
The police ethical standards department had revealed in mid-2003 that former drug squad sergeant Paul Dale had 'assisted' now-jailed murderer Thomas Ivanovic, a member of the Williams crew.
But Dale was allowed to remain in the now-disbanded drug squad, which brought him into contact with informer Terence Hodson.
Hodson, a career criminal, and his wife, Christine, were murdered in their Kew home on May 16 last year. Their murders remain unsolved but corruption investigator Tony Fitzgerald, QC, found last month that Dale was the obvious suspect in the theft of an internal police report that has been linked to the murders.
The report, which contained information based on Hodson's criminal intelligence, was circulating in the underworld in the lead-up to the Hodson murders. Corruption investigator Graham Ashton said "there was certainly a calculated dissemination (of the report) . . . with a purpose of damaging Hodson".
According to Victoria Police, Dale's relationship with Ivanovic was "beyond the professional level". Ivanovic was jailed in October 2003 over the 2002 road-rage murder of a motorcyclist.
Dale, Hodson and sacked detective David Miechel were charged over a $1.3 million drug robbery from an East Oakleigh drug laboratory in September 2003. Charges against Dale were dropped after Hodson's murder.
(Source: The Age)
The force's chief crime investigator has also conceded there has been a history of "unhealthy relationships" between some Victorian detectives and underworld figures.
The police ethical standards department had revealed in mid-2003 that former drug squad sergeant Paul Dale had 'assisted' now-jailed murderer Thomas Ivanovic, a member of the Williams crew.
But Dale was allowed to remain in the now-disbanded drug squad, which brought him into contact with informer Terence Hodson.
Hodson, a career criminal, and his wife, Christine, were murdered in their Kew home on May 16 last year. Their murders remain unsolved but corruption investigator Tony Fitzgerald, QC, found last month that Dale was the obvious suspect in the theft of an internal police report that has been linked to the murders.
The report, which contained information based on Hodson's criminal intelligence, was circulating in the underworld in the lead-up to the Hodson murders. Corruption investigator Graham Ashton said "there was certainly a calculated dissemination (of the report) . . . with a purpose of damaging Hodson".
According to Victoria Police, Dale's relationship with Ivanovic was "beyond the professional level". Ivanovic was jailed in October 2003 over the 2002 road-rage murder of a motorcyclist.
Dale, Hodson and sacked detective David Miechel were charged over a $1.3 million drug robbery from an East Oakleigh drug laboratory in September 2003. Charges against Dale were dropped after Hodson's murder.
(Source: The Age)
Quote of the Moment:
"I acknowledged at the time that our decision [to send more troops to Iraq] would not be popular and the polls would indicate that it's not got popular support...but occasionally governments are required to take decisions that involve unpopularity."
Prime Minister John Howard explains how 'representative democracy' works.
"I acknowledged at the time that our decision [to send more troops to Iraq] would not be popular and the polls would indicate that it's not got popular support...but occasionally governments are required to take decisions that involve unpopularity."
Prime Minister John Howard explains how 'representative democracy' works.
Quote of the Moment:
"I am aware of two patients that have died waiting and others whose cancer has progressed...we have two theatres empty every day, and that is purely funding, not staffing."
Professor David Morris, who resigned as divisional director at St George Hospital in protest at long waiting lists for surgery in the public hospital system.
"I am aware of two patients that have died waiting and others whose cancer has progressed...we have two theatres empty every day, and that is purely funding, not staffing."
Professor David Morris, who resigned as divisional director at St George Hospital in protest at long waiting lists for surgery in the public hospital system.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
New laws designed to make employers legally responsible for workplace deaths caused by their negligence have been partly over-ruled by the federal government.
In an Australian first, the ACT last year made industrial manslaughter an offence under the Crimes Act, making employers and senior officers liable for deaths in their workplaces. New South Wales is considering similar laws.
But the federal government has sought to override the laws in relation to commonwealth departments, agencies and bodies, through the ironically named Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Amendment (Promoting Safer Workplaces) Bill 2005.
Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews said industrial manslaughter laws created an unnecessary adversarial culture.
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
In an Australian first, the ACT last year made industrial manslaughter an offence under the Crimes Act, making employers and senior officers liable for deaths in their workplaces. New South Wales is considering similar laws.
But the federal government has sought to override the laws in relation to commonwealth departments, agencies and bodies, through the ironically named Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Amendment (Promoting Safer Workplaces) Bill 2005.
Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews said industrial manslaughter laws created an unnecessary adversarial culture.
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
A woman has accused former governor-general Peter Hollingworth of 'basically telling her to get lost' when she went to him with a sexual abuse claim against a priest.
Beth Heinrich said she was a boarder at the Anglican hostel at Forbes in western NSW in the 1950s when then Bishop Donald Shearman, who ran the hostel, started having sex with her.
Just before his appointment as governor-general, Ms Heinrich approached Archbishop Hollingworth for help when she realised she had been sexually abused.
She told the ABC that he had fobbed her off.
Now in her 60s, Ms Heinrich told the program that, as a 15-year-old schoolgirl, Bishop Shearman would make her lie naked on his bed with him when his wife was away and read a book about sexual techniques while he told her, "This is what God wants it to be."
Bishop Shearman later expelled Ms Heinrich from the hostel for promiscuity after she returned late from the movies.
When she turned to the bishop 21 years later to escape a violent marriage, he swore he wanted to be with her. Six years later, in 1984, he left his wife and six children to join Ms Heinrich. But about 12 days later, he returned to his family.
After Ms Heinrich realised she had been a victim of sexual abuse. She went to the Brisbane diocese for mediation - a meeting that was attended by then Brisbane archbishop Hollingworth.
But despite revelations in the meeting, archbishop Hollingworth did not seek a private meeting with her, saying that he had a pressing engagement.
"Here was one of his bishops out of line, big-time, and Hollingworth had something more important to do. It was astounding," she said.
Five years later, in January 2000, Ms Heinrich again contacted the Brisbane diocese asking for a hearing.
"The church gave me the run around again and archbishop Hollingworth wrote to me and said that Donald Shearman was in his 70s and had exercised contrition, and basically told me to get lost," she said.
Almost immediately afterwards, Ms Heinrich learned Dr Hollingworth had been appointed governor-general.
(Source: The Age)
Beth Heinrich said she was a boarder at the Anglican hostel at Forbes in western NSW in the 1950s when then Bishop Donald Shearman, who ran the hostel, started having sex with her.
Just before his appointment as governor-general, Ms Heinrich approached Archbishop Hollingworth for help when she realised she had been sexually abused.
She told the ABC that he had fobbed her off.
Now in her 60s, Ms Heinrich told the program that, as a 15-year-old schoolgirl, Bishop Shearman would make her lie naked on his bed with him when his wife was away and read a book about sexual techniques while he told her, "This is what God wants it to be."
Bishop Shearman later expelled Ms Heinrich from the hostel for promiscuity after she returned late from the movies.
When she turned to the bishop 21 years later to escape a violent marriage, he swore he wanted to be with her. Six years later, in 1984, he left his wife and six children to join Ms Heinrich. But about 12 days later, he returned to his family.
After Ms Heinrich realised she had been a victim of sexual abuse. She went to the Brisbane diocese for mediation - a meeting that was attended by then Brisbane archbishop Hollingworth.
But despite revelations in the meeting, archbishop Hollingworth did not seek a private meeting with her, saying that he had a pressing engagement.
"Here was one of his bishops out of line, big-time, and Hollingworth had something more important to do. It was astounding," she said.
Five years later, in January 2000, Ms Heinrich again contacted the Brisbane diocese asking for a hearing.
"The church gave me the run around again and archbishop Hollingworth wrote to me and said that Donald Shearman was in his 70s and had exercised contrition, and basically told me to get lost," she said.
Almost immediately afterwards, Ms Heinrich learned Dr Hollingworth had been appointed governor-general.
(Source: The Age)
The Victorian government spent nearly $100,000 of taxpayers' money to promote itself after cabinet meetings were held outside Melbourne last year.
Freedom of Information documents obtained by the State Opposition show that $93,596 was used to create glossy brochures outlining what Government ministers did during community cabinet visits to six regional and metropolitan towns last year.
Community cabinet meetings are held, often in rural and regional areas, about 10 times a year as part of a Bracks Government push to be more accessible to local communities. The Opposition's figures were released yesterday as ministers visited Maldon, near Castlemaine, for the Government's 51st community cabinet meeting.
The Opposition said the money had gone to pay for MPs' photos, printing and inserting brochures into local newspapers after each event.
An average of $16,000 was spent on the promotional material after community cabinet visits in the cities of Brimbank, Baw Baw, Stonnington, Murrindindi, West Wimmera, and Loddon. About $37,000 was spent to create 250,000 brochures outlining Government achievements after visiting Brimbank for a cabinet meeting. A further $18,000 was also spent inserting 72,000 leaflets into newspapers in the shire of Baw Baw.
(Source: The Age)
Freedom of Information documents obtained by the State Opposition show that $93,596 was used to create glossy brochures outlining what Government ministers did during community cabinet visits to six regional and metropolitan towns last year.
Community cabinet meetings are held, often in rural and regional areas, about 10 times a year as part of a Bracks Government push to be more accessible to local communities. The Opposition's figures were released yesterday as ministers visited Maldon, near Castlemaine, for the Government's 51st community cabinet meeting.
The Opposition said the money had gone to pay for MPs' photos, printing and inserting brochures into local newspapers after each event.
An average of $16,000 was spent on the promotional material after community cabinet visits in the cities of Brimbank, Baw Baw, Stonnington, Murrindindi, West Wimmera, and Loddon. About $37,000 was spent to create 250,000 brochures outlining Government achievements after visiting Brimbank for a cabinet meeting. A further $18,000 was also spent inserting 72,000 leaflets into newspapers in the shire of Baw Baw.
(Source: The Age)
Women earned $150 a week less than male employees and the government's planned changes to the award system would make matters even worse, the ACTU said.
ACTU President Sharan Burrow said that "on average, women working full time are paid 15 per cent less than male colleagues and earn an average of $150 a week less than men.
"The gender pay gap is not getting better and changes in the job market mean that more and more women are being employed as casuals and in low paid jobs."
Mr Burrow said about a third of all working mothers were employed casually and had no access to a paid day off when they or a family member was sick, or to paid leave for annual holidays.
"ACTU research shows that over the last three years more than half of the new jobs for women paid less than $500 a week," she said.
"The federal government's planned changes to workplace laws will make matters worse for working women."
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald, The Age)
ACTU President Sharan Burrow said that "on average, women working full time are paid 15 per cent less than male colleagues and earn an average of $150 a week less than men.
"The gender pay gap is not getting better and changes in the job market mean that more and more women are being employed as casuals and in low paid jobs."
Mr Burrow said about a third of all working mothers were employed casually and had no access to a paid day off when they or a family member was sick, or to paid leave for annual holidays.
"ACTU research shows that over the last three years more than half of the new jobs for women paid less than $500 a week," she said.
"The federal government's planned changes to workplace laws will make matters worse for working women."
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald, The Age)
Friday, March 04, 2005
The 'tough' law-and-order policies of federal and state governments have caused an explosion in the prison population by almost 80 per cent in the past two decades, and are likely to cause more crime, according to experts.
The Australian Institute of Criminology reported yesterday that the number of inmates had risen by an average 5 per cent a year since 1984 - from 86 to 153 per 100,000 people.
Indigenous Australians' rate of imprisonment is 13 times higher than the non-indigenous population.
A spokesman for the New South Wales Justice Minister, John Hatzistergos, said there were more than 9000 people in NSW jails - a 50 per cent rise since 1995 - and another 18,000 offenders being supervised in the community.
It costs at least $500 million a year to house the inmates and the Government has spent more than $1 billion in expanding prisons and building new jails over the past decade.
A criminologist at Bond University, Paul Wilson, said the rising jail population would only lead to more crime.
"There is a continuing hardening of public and judicial attitudes towards crime," he said. "They are tending to use prison as an option for crime - even more minor crimes - rather than other alternatives ..."
Professor Wilson said imprisonment did not reduce rates of crime: "The use of prison ... will backfire on the public and produce more hardened criminals when they come out," he said.
Professor Wilson also said that rehabilitation programs were "badly funded and tokenistic".
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
The Australian Institute of Criminology reported yesterday that the number of inmates had risen by an average 5 per cent a year since 1984 - from 86 to 153 per 100,000 people.
Indigenous Australians' rate of imprisonment is 13 times higher than the non-indigenous population.
A spokesman for the New South Wales Justice Minister, John Hatzistergos, said there were more than 9000 people in NSW jails - a 50 per cent rise since 1995 - and another 18,000 offenders being supervised in the community.
It costs at least $500 million a year to house the inmates and the Government has spent more than $1 billion in expanding prisons and building new jails over the past decade.
A criminologist at Bond University, Paul Wilson, said the rising jail population would only lead to more crime.
"There is a continuing hardening of public and judicial attitudes towards crime," he said. "They are tending to use prison as an option for crime - even more minor crimes - rather than other alternatives ..."
Professor Wilson said imprisonment did not reduce rates of crime: "The use of prison ... will backfire on the public and produce more hardened criminals when they come out," he said.
Professor Wilson also said that rehabilitation programs were "badly funded and tokenistic".
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
Lawyers for three British soldiers convicted of abusing prisoners in Iraq claim they have been made scapegoats for more senior officers.
Corporal Daniel Kenyon, 33, was sentenced to 18 months while Lance Corporal Mark Cooley, 25, was given two years in prison. Lance Corporal Darren Larkin, 30, who pleaded guilty to assaulting an Iraqi prisoner, will serve 140 days. All three were dismissed from the Army.
Judge Advocate Michael Hunter acknowledged that the plan at Camp Breadbasket to round up looters and punish them, had gone much further than was intended and that other people involved had gone unpunished.
"It's quite possible, in the view of this court, that people in the course of that operation were hit and assaulted and others have not been brought to justice and this could have been avoided.
"The officers on this court did not fully accept all the evidence given in the court by every officer and every warrant officer and it may be that there are some of those that gave evidence whose behaviour certainly warrants scrutiny, to say the very least," he said.
Among other acts, the soldiers forced Iraqi men to simulate sex acts and give the thumbs-up while they took photos of them.
General Sir Mike Jackson, the army's chief of staff, acknowledged that the Camp Breadbasket commander Major Taylor had broken the Geneva Convention by ordering that the looters be worked hard but this was "not a grave breach".
(Source: The Guardian [UK])
Corporal Daniel Kenyon, 33, was sentenced to 18 months while Lance Corporal Mark Cooley, 25, was given two years in prison. Lance Corporal Darren Larkin, 30, who pleaded guilty to assaulting an Iraqi prisoner, will serve 140 days. All three were dismissed from the Army.
Judge Advocate Michael Hunter acknowledged that the plan at Camp Breadbasket to round up looters and punish them, had gone much further than was intended and that other people involved had gone unpunished.
"It's quite possible, in the view of this court, that people in the course of that operation were hit and assaulted and others have not been brought to justice and this could have been avoided.
"The officers on this court did not fully accept all the evidence given in the court by every officer and every warrant officer and it may be that there are some of those that gave evidence whose behaviour certainly warrants scrutiny, to say the very least," he said.
Among other acts, the soldiers forced Iraqi men to simulate sex acts and give the thumbs-up while they took photos of them.
General Sir Mike Jackson, the army's chief of staff, acknowledged that the Camp Breadbasket commander Major Taylor had broken the Geneva Convention by ordering that the looters be worked hard but this was "not a grave breach".
(Source: The Guardian [UK])
The High Court has overturned a government immigration policy which could have meant that no Jewish refugees would be accepted into Australia.
A Russian father and son, who were not named in the court case, were held to have a well-founded fear of persecution in Russia because they were Jewish and because of the father's political activities.
However the Immigration Department refused to grant them asylum, because under Israel's racially-based Law of Return, they would have the right to live there.
Justice Michael Kirby said that, if this was taken as a reason not to grant someone asylum, the existence of more liberal refugee treatment regimes in countries such as Germany meant Australia had no obligation to protect anyone.
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
A Russian father and son, who were not named in the court case, were held to have a well-founded fear of persecution in Russia because they were Jewish and because of the father's political activities.
However the Immigration Department refused to grant them asylum, because under Israel's racially-based Law of Return, they would have the right to live there.
Justice Michael Kirby said that, if this was taken as a reason not to grant someone asylum, the existence of more liberal refugee treatment regimes in countries such as Germany meant Australia had no obligation to protect anyone.
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald)
An Asian teenager was murdered in Britain by a white racist after they were placed in the same cell as part of a game to fulfil the "perverted pleasure" of prison officers, a public inquiry heard today.
Duncan Keys, the assistant general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association (POA), said that 19-year-old Zahid Mubarek was killed because warders at Feltham Young Offender Institution in west London "thought it would be funny to see what would happen when they put a young Asian lad in with someone who wanted to kill Asians."
Mr Keyes named Nigel Herring, the chairman of the Feltham branch of the POA at the time Mubarek was killed, as the "instigator" of a game called "gladiator" or "coliseum", which involved pitting inmates against one another and betting on which one would win in a fight.
White inmates would be placed with black prisoners, large prisoners with small, and bullies would be placed together in a bid to spark conflict. Mr Herring thought the game as funny and laughed about it, Mr Keys told the inquiry.
He said: "I had gone to the general secretary and the deputy general secretary of my own union and I had told them of my deep concerns and the information I had. I was subsequently told to shut up."
Fearing his union would do nothing, Mr Keys made an anonymous phone call to the Commission for Racial Equality in May 2004, saying that Mubarek was killed as a result of the game. He also alerted senior prison officer officials about the practice, including the director general of the Prisons Service, Phil Wheatley.
Mr Keys said: "I believed that a cover up was taking place. I was just desperate to kickstart an inquiry, a serious inquiry into the information that I had been given."
Police investigated his claim but brought no charges. In his July 2004 police interview the prison officer told detectives he believed the game amounted to "a conspiracy to murder".
Mr Keys admitted he had no direct evidence linking Mubarek's murder to the
gladiator-style fights.
He had heard this from Tom Robson, a POA national executive committee member with responsibility for Feltham in 2000. He added that the practice was well known by senior union officials.
Mubarak died seven days after he was beaten by his cellmate, Robert Stewart, in March 2000. Stewart, now 24, was later jailed for life for murder.
(Source: The Guardian [UK])
Duncan Keys, the assistant general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association (POA), said that 19-year-old Zahid Mubarek was killed because warders at Feltham Young Offender Institution in west London "thought it would be funny to see what would happen when they put a young Asian lad in with someone who wanted to kill Asians."
Mr Keyes named Nigel Herring, the chairman of the Feltham branch of the POA at the time Mubarek was killed, as the "instigator" of a game called "gladiator" or "coliseum", which involved pitting inmates against one another and betting on which one would win in a fight.
White inmates would be placed with black prisoners, large prisoners with small, and bullies would be placed together in a bid to spark conflict. Mr Herring thought the game as funny and laughed about it, Mr Keys told the inquiry.
He said: "I had gone to the general secretary and the deputy general secretary of my own union and I had told them of my deep concerns and the information I had. I was subsequently told to shut up."
Fearing his union would do nothing, Mr Keys made an anonymous phone call to the Commission for Racial Equality in May 2004, saying that Mubarek was killed as a result of the game. He also alerted senior prison officer officials about the practice, including the director general of the Prisons Service, Phil Wheatley.
Mr Keys said: "I believed that a cover up was taking place. I was just desperate to kickstart an inquiry, a serious inquiry into the information that I had been given."
Police investigated his claim but brought no charges. In his July 2004 police interview the prison officer told detectives he believed the game amounted to "a conspiracy to murder".
Mr Keys admitted he had no direct evidence linking Mubarek's murder to the
gladiator-style fights.
He had heard this from Tom Robson, a POA national executive committee member with responsibility for Feltham in 2000. He added that the practice was well known by senior union officials.
Mubarak died seven days after he was beaten by his cellmate, Robert Stewart, in March 2000. Stewart, now 24, was later jailed for life for murder.
(Source: The Guardian [UK])
