.

This post is not a comprehensive survey of federal or NSW Govt policy and performance. Rather an activist wannabe politician's intuition and insight into some evolutions in the last several days.

* We called Bob Walshe OAM yesterday as friend, colleague, role model.

Now 85 years old, joint founder of Total Environment Centre in 1972 when he gathered 12 people together and asked Milo Dunphy to be the director. Also founder of Sutherland Shire Environment Centre. He's been known to wear bad brown suits and is a wiry bright eyed intrepid thinker. However he is not so well at the moment but still loved and respected in that part of the world for being so real. Last year he had us loading boxes of leaflets and distributing my share of 10,000 or so.

Our excuse was to congratulate him on being recognised as one of 100 top "most influential people" in Sydney in 2008 in the Sydney Morning Herald colour magazine. This guy is green. The Herald story didn't have a picture of the man in action because he has been resting at home. We've been searching for a picture at a recent rally outside Macquarie St where Bob was present and we might find it yet. Here he is in a related newspaper:

* The same day we heard Nathan Rees as new Premier on abc radio refer to NSW as smart, energetic (or something like that) "and green". Well we wonder.You can say it Mr Rees. But it's going to take alot more than a few solar panels to change the real record. It's a good thing you are young - it's a long long journey ahead champ. The trouble with ALP politicians is that when the heat is on they tend to melt like chocolate figures. We reached a different conclusion about the real ALP years ago as the loggers won 20 year resource guarantees from the then Carr Govt in 1999 - in effect just as intense level of logging in the public's estate for private profit.

* Just recently the Rudd Govt, which is indeed close to the Rees NSW Govt, was on front of The Australian newspaper being pressured by other world leaders like Nobel Prize winner Al Gore, former US Vice President, and Prime Minister of the UK Gordon Brown. Their concern was Australia backsliding on commitments to the next round of treaty negotiations on climate change emissions. Recently Monica Oliphant an Australian from the International Solar Energy Society noted 193 countries of smaller emissions than us are watching our efforts in Australia as a symbolic indicator of the real intentions of the developed world. These 194 countries in total comprise 30% of global emissions.

Not surprisingly The Greens, with their official party status in Federal Parliament now see an opportunity to further shift the whole political spectrum despite sledges by PM Rudd on 7.30 recently about aggrieved "radicals" and preferring the middle path. Al Gore? Gordon Brown? 193 countries that expect better? Mmm. Here are The Greens in a Media Release recently:

Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 10:06 AM

Wong's Howard game at climate talks will send voters to the Greens

Hobart, Wednesday 10 December 2008

The electorate will not forgive the Rudd Government for holding back
global progress towards responsible emissions reductions, the Australian
Greens today.

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong is taking the Howard Government's
negotiating tactics to the Poznan meeting, adopting the same positions
and even flying the same negotiators, led by Jan Adams and Robert Owen
Jones, to the conference. The Greens now provide the only real
alternative for voters who want to see action to protect the climate.

"Australians who voted last year to end the Howard decade of climate
denial will be deeply troubled by what the Rudd Government is doing,"
Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Climate Change Spokesperson, Senator
Christine Milne, said.

"As Minister Wong prepares to deliver plans for Australia which will
refuse to grapple seriously with the problem, she is laying the
groundwork in Poznan by help to hold back global progress.

"The clear reports from Poznan are that Australia is still blocking the
25-40% negotiating range in order to justify what it plans to do next
week.

"There is no way that Penny Wong will allow the rest of the world to
show up Australia's backwardness by adopting a 25-40% negotiating range.

"Nobody should be in any doubt that the Rudd Government is intent on
trying to save its own image at the expense of people and ecosystems
from the poverty-stricken in Bangladesh to Queensland's coastal
communities to farmers in the Murray-Darling."

Australia won runner up "Fossil of the Day" award from the Climate
Action Network yesterday for supporting Japan's move to shift the agreed
emissions baseline from 1990 to 2000.

The Rudd Government is also playing a dangerous game over forestry
negotiations.

"The hypocrisy of continuing to log our own tremendous carbon stores in
Tasmania and Victoria while lecturing Indonesia and PNG on protecting
their own forests is beginning to provoke angry responses.

"It is utterly reprehensible that the Rudd Government will not take on
the State Governments and require them to stop logging these magnificent
stores of carbon and biodiversity that are our beautiful forests.

"Australians voted 12 months ago to move on from Howard-era climate
politics, and they will be deeply troubled to see that very little has
changed under Kevin Rudd."

Come join the conversation at GreensBlog <http://greensmps.org.au/blog>

* Forests of course are greatly related to climate regulation because of the "green carbon" not only above ground but in massive quantities in the soil of a living healthy forest according to ground breaking research by CRES at Australian National University. Which makes the ALP's evil attitude to destruction of forests so disgusting. We have written often of this over the last 2 years. Here are some reminders and some other issues that show the theme of "beige" ALP:

Picture above and more below: Community rally at Botany Bay Beach off Foreshore Rd, Botany Saturday 3rd March 2007, against expansion of Port Botany guaranteed to increase toxic transport congestioni??in most of southern metropolitan Sydney. Shade was a premium under the burning late summer day.

Posted by editor at 4:39 AM EADT

Updated: Sunday, 4 January 2009 10:57 AM EADT

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Mood:  energetic

Well that was the economy.

China is way down to some 5% growth from a 12% sprint (Crikey ezine reports yesterday) while Chinese exports are negative apparently. RBA chief Glenn Stevens also notes on ABC World Today show 'the China story is where it's really at for Australia':

ABC World Today China's economic growth understated: Stevens 10 Dec 2008

The Reserve Bank governor, Glenn Stevens, says China's economy is growing at a slower pace than the official figures of 8 per cent. Economists have backed his comments, with one leading analysts saying it's likely China is growing at around 5 per cent.

Sydney's economy has contracted ... oh let's say about 10%. Building workers are being laid off in their "thousands" in the December quarter says unionist Andrew Ferguson on ABC TV news last night.

NSW Treasurer Roozendaal on ABC Stateline last Friday admitted Sydney is more exposed being a global finance sector kind of place.

So the editor of this micro news service (70% USA readers apparently) had a 12 month review yesterday with our job agency. Don't jump to conclusions now: We live a busy life - 2 biggish pro bono environmental cases in the last 6 months, part time paid work work as a secretary. About 10 job applications a week. Always building the blog portfolio. Free conferences to attend and report on.

The odd repair and resale hobby via The Bower. We rebuilt a bike totally from spares earlier this week. Our last temping job for 4 weeks was with Allen Arthur Robinson. The temp agency rang again yesterday to see if we were still on call. Of course dear. Never a dull moment.

But the truth is we have a long, long google tail. Anyone can see we are political and more than that, quite effective, indy and fiesty and therefore worriesome. We may even be unemployable. How's that for Gough Whitlam's free education and 2 degrees.

We have left two jobs in the last 2 years due to illegal behaviour of the employer. We're a bit like that - we don't like bullshit, or liars. And we find 20K readers per month on this non profit, 'non advertising' blog alot more socially satisfying and constructive anyway. Look out for advertising any week now.

But as good natured G pointed out "Does it lead to work?" "Does it get you off the dole?" To which we said Mission Australia job agency is laying off 200 staff. You might be out of a job soon too. Here is the news:

8 Dec 2008 Staff face sack at charity job network - National - smh.com.au

Adele Horin

MISSION AUSTRALIA has joined the Salvation Army in announcing retrenchments in their Job Network agencies, just as unemployment is expected to rise.

Between 100 and 120 jobs will be lost at the Salvation Army, and last week Mission Australia said 73 positions would go, mostly in NSW. The agencies - the two biggest providers of job placement services - cited the lack of job vacancies because of the global financial crisis as the main reason.

Under contracts with the Federal Government, the Job Network agencies get their biggest payments for placing long-term unemployed people in jobs and for maintaining them in work for at least 13 weeks.

But with businesses putting the brakes on hiring and able to choose newly unemployed and better-skilled people for any vacancies, the long-term unemployed are missing out and income is declining for Job Network agencies.

Mission Australia's executive leader of employment services, Leisa Hart, said vacancies in the job market had fallen steeply over the past four months, particularly in NSW.

Mission Australia's placements into jobs were down 25 per cent year on year in October and 31 per cent last month.

"Job Network providers receive the bulk of their payment as they place people into work. If the vacancies aren't there, then that impacts on income."

Because Mission Australia used the surpluses generated by its Job Network agencies to fund its charity work, it had to act with great care in financial matters.

"If our employment services are doing it tough that has a direct impact on our ability to provide crucial community services," Ms Hart said.

A Mission Australia Job Network manager said staff would be told on Tuesday next week who would lose their jobs.

"Managers have been told who is to go, but we're not allowed to tell staff. It's disgusting."

Ratios would increase from one staff member to 80 clients to one staff member to 100 clients, she said.

"Bad times are coming, and more people are coming through the door, but you don't make very much money out of those [newly unemployed] people."

David Thompson, the chief executive of Jobs Australia, the peak body for not-for-profit providers, said Job Network agencies would face tougher times under new three-year government contracts to take effect in July.

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/12/07/1228584656089.html

Our job agency dude looked a bit cranky after that and told me to come back in the New Year.  We explained the long google tail which might have been journo Thomas Friedman's point to his kids. Indeed it was here 18 months ago:

In a flat world imagination is the key - Opinion - smh.com.au Thomas Friedman
May 4, 2007

"The fourth thing I tell my kids is that how you do things matters so much more today. We are living in a transparent age where everything you do is going to leave a digital footprint never to be erased.

Our kids will not have the luxury we have of being wild and crazy when they were young because it's on somebody's cell phone camera forever. It's in somebody's MySpace. Everyone who has a cell phone is a paparazzo. Everyone who has a blog is a journalist and when everyone is a paparazzo and a journalist, everyone else is a public figure - so be good.

Last, imagination matters most of all. We always think of economic competition as between countries and countries or between companies and companies. The most important competition is between you and your imagination.

Therefore the country that's going to win is the country that empowers more of its people to imagine and to act on its imagination. Washington DC today is brain dead. But do not be misled by that, because the rest of our country is alive. "

Now we're researching why 3 days job searching with 15 applications in a falling market, instead of 2 days and 10 applications, is illogical. Especially when my existing "Activity Agreement" is still valid until April 2009. 

P - the manager at said job agency rang and said 'it's becaue I'm in the next continuum'. But he says it like it's punishment for being partially unemployed 12 months. Like he's the tough guy who runs the boot camp. To which we said "Do you know what section of the Social Security Act 1991 that is based on?" Oh I'm not a lawyer, you will have to talk to DEEWR (presumably Dept of Employment Education & Workplace Relations).

Indeed G let the cat out of the bag "The best thing for us would be you get 6 months work so we get paid, than you get sacked and come back here. Then we do it all again." Quite.

We suggested to P the agency manager we would probably be talking to the Social Security Appeals Tribunal instead about the job agency breaching my Activity Agreement by trying to change the terms mid contract.

....................................

Postscript #1

We had a some phone calls today with

- Centrelink inquiries who referred us to DEEWR Hotline

- Stewart at Job Network Hotline,

- Frances Hadlington lawyer at DEEWR Job Network Legal Section in Canberra,

- an intern on reception at the Welfare Rights Legal Centre in Sydney.

Stewart felt sure the job network provider can change the Activity Agreement at any time but he couldn't give me any legal basis for that (other than Government Guidelines on the DEEWR website). We discussed with all these folks legal concepts like administrative law principles of judicial review involving 'inflexible application of policy' given:

- political economic circumstances and

- our Activity Agreement still on foot until April 2009,

- as well as political blogger status with about 20K readers per month.

 The NSW Ombudsman's office was also discussed.

Ms Hadlington in particular was friendly then increasingly professional and frosty as the issues were outlined including the political economic concerns about churning of the structurally unemployed which the Govt would have to grapple with in policy terms sooner or later.

Interestingly it turns out my particular job agency is tendering for their federal govt funding again in July 2009 and will want to get their statistics in shape for their pitch.

.....................................

Postscript #2

12 Dec 2008 - The great irony is we like our local local job agency and most of the staff. The word on the street is they provide the best service and facilities compared to the other places. We do our regulation job applications and go on our way. But when we noticed a new manager was alot more pushy and started throwing his weight around well we confess we decided to engage rather than be passive. Not alot just a bit and entirely professional.

My man just wants 'the issue' to disappear. Talk about blink. Why would we transfer? As George Orwell would say - it's all good research.

My man has already offered - behind closed doors - to make the third day per week an "offsite job search activity to get an agreed resolution". Poor bastard. His eagerness to over enforce the rules on the unwashed has resulted in tripping over his own feet and bruising his forehead. Doh! It may have been at the moment we revealed knowledge of the sensitive July 2009 tender. Is it about power or helping the unemployed into work? Of course it's about power, this is NSW after all.

The irony is that his job is in my hands now: Trying to avoid a difficult job seeker case (given our history of sometimes very effective political blogging free speech). Trying to quash an inconsistent Activity Agreement to April 2009 that 'conflicts with the computer programme'. Trying to refer me as far away as Burwood or Ashfield!? How indeed has it come to this, he must be asking himself. As we commented to one of the staff "I know you are just doing your job, it's the system, sister".

We did get a call back from the alluring Ms Frances Halingdale in the DEEWR legal dept who said she has referred my legal question of inflexible application of policy etc onto the right people in DEEWR. Meanwhile my man wants me to sign a new Activity Agreement by midday today or be reported for "a failure". Mmm. It's a railroad. I don't think so. Not yet anyway. We've won a case in the 3 person Social Security Appeals Tribunal before as pro bono for our disabled volunteer Carol. We got a $6K debt recovery dismissed because she is as innocent as the day is long. They are honest people there, and so are we.

Postscript # 3 11.55 am 12 Dec 2008

Well as they say God helps those who help themselves. As usual the social services sector are too busy and unavailable so we checked out the legislation ourselves as below. On the strength of this we postponed the 'negotiation to vary the Activity Agreement' as per section 606 (5) (a) of the Social Security Act 1991 until Tuesday next week. Which just happens to be our usual day at the job agency under the current Activity Agreement.

And the legal definition of "negotiation" to vary my AA? Well we do suspect as per dictionary.com it means agreement of both parties subject to reasonableness (just like the right to negotiate in native title land law?):

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/negotiation

  –noun

1.	mutual discussion and arrangement of the terms of a transaction or agreement: the negotiation of a treaty.

2.	the act or process of negotiating.

3.	an instance or the result of negotiating.

Our evidence of reasonableness relates to contractions in most economic sectors here in Sydney. Not least the Legal Affairs section of The Australian today and all the other news generally. 

.................................

Sent: Friday, December 12, 2008 11:28 AM

Subject: Lastly legislation s.606 (5) (b) Re: contact details Re: Care to comment

Dear WR lawyers/case manager etc

 

My local Marrickville Legal Centre has referred me back to your office as the experts on the Social Security Act and Activity Agreements. .....

You may interested to consider section 606 of the SSA 1991 extract here via Austlii, especially sub section 5 about power to suspend and replace (but not cancel) and no doubt this is not exhaustive.

My existing Activity Agreement has not been suspended nor cancelled by a review. One assumes factors in (3)  and (4) (b), (c) and (g) would need to be formally considered for the AA to be suspended or cancelled on review.

Actually on reflection s.606 (5) (b) looks to be a slam dunk in my favour. Thanks for your time.

Yours truly, Tom McLoughlin, solicitor  tel. 0410 558838, 02-...

SOCIAL SECURITY ACT 1991 - SECT 606

Newstart Activity Agreements--terms

             (1)  .....a Newstart Activity Agreement with a person is to require the person to undertake one or more activities that the Secretary regards as suitable for the person.

          .....

             (3)  In considering whether to approve the terms of an agreement with a person, the Secretary is to have regard to the person's capacity to comply with the proposed agreement and the person's needs.

             (4)  In having regard to a person's capacity to comply with an agreement, the Secretary is to take into account, but is not limited to the following matters:

                     ......

                     (b)  the state of the local labour market and the transport options available to the person in accessing that market; and

                     (c)  the participation opportunities available to the person; and

                     .......

                     (g)  any other matters that the Secretary or the person considers relevant in the circumstances.

             (5)  An agreement with a person:

                     (a)  may be varied (in negotiation with the person) or suspended; and

                     (b)  if another Newstart Activity Agreement is made with the person, may be cancelled; and

                     (c)  may be reviewed from time to time at the request of either party to the agreement; and

                     (d)  may be cancelled by the Secretary after a review under paragraph (c).

Posted by editor at 5:57 AM EADT

Updated: Friday, 12 December 2008 12:37 PM EADT

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Mood:  chatty

ACCC denies tricking Visy boss Dick Pratt | The Australian 10 Dec 2008

[including, bold added]

"Asked whether he had considered that the settlement deal would allow the ACCC to bring a criminal prosecution against Mr Pratt, Mr Cassidy replied: "No".

Mr Cassidy also said he was unaware the statement of agreed facts contained a clause stating that it could be used as evidence only in the civil case and did not constitute a general admission.

Mr Richter asked Mr Cassidy why, at a meeting to discuss the possibility of criminal charges, he didn't say: "Hang about, we promised not to use this".

"I didn't become aware of that promise not to use it until the investigation into Mr Pratt," Mr Cassidy said.

The ACCC chief did not explain how the commission justified using the statement against Mr Pratt despite having undertaken not to do so.

The court was also told that public relations maven Ian Smith, executive chairman of Gavin Anderson & Co, was used as a go-between in negotiations between the ACCC and the Pratt camp on the terms of the settlement deal, but Mr Cassidy denied he was used as an intermediary. "

Dear Tom 

Thanks for the positive feedback to our position against prejudice. There is no connection between the Facebook and the Richard Pratt stories; one is a story about antisemitic racism and the other a story about the prosecution of a person who happens to be Jewish, but whose identity has no bearing on his activities.

Furthermore, we do not subscribe to the notion that Mr Rivkin or Mr Pratt were singled out for prosecution because they were Jewish.

 Vic Alhadeff

Chief Executive Officer, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies

---------------------------------------

To answer your questions:

1. Are you aware Dick Pratt pleaded guilty to civil breaches of the corporations law last year and has now been charged with criminal offences?

 Yes

 2. Are you aware Pratt pleaded not guilty to the criminal offences today as per abc radio news we heard earlier?

 Yes

 3. Are you aware that Jewish members of the business community in Melbourne in particular were concerned earlier this year that ACCC's failure to drop the criminal charges even after a $40 million fine for civil breaches might be motivated by discrimination?

 I have heard many reactions to the issue.

 4. Do you think the Scots' students allegedly involved in the offensive website might have got prejudiced attitudes from their business parents here in Sydney?

 Prejudice can stem from many sources – peers, family members, social circles. The usual common denominator is ignorance.

5. Is billionaire business man Dick Pratt a donor to the JBD or related groups in the past? How much? 

Not to the JBD. I cannot speak for other organisations.

6. Is it a coincidence that these two stories are running today namely Scot's College website and Dick Pratt not guilty plea to criminal breaches of the corporations law?

Yes. There is no connection between the two.

7. Is the JBD or similar/related groups innocently seeking to make the point of prejudice existing against the Jewish community in some parts of the upper echeleons of society, as expressed by their adolescent children? That indeed "racism is unacceptable"

No; we point out prejudice wherever it exists and in whatever echelons of society it exists. This is merely the latest example.

8. Did the NSW JBD or related groups 'get the story up' regarding (alleged) Scots student scandal website? 

It is our policy to report and expose racism whenever it occurs and is brought to our attention. In this case, we were approached by the media to respond to the issue; we did not take the issue to the media.

9. Is there any intention of the JBD or other groups that you may know of to influence the public's view of the Pratt criminal case, or indeed the court itself?

Absolutely not.

10. Are you aware that the courts receive clips of articles of all related matters in the press via such service providers as Media Monitors? Indeed on the flipside does the JBD continue to receive clippings from MM as they did in 1999-2001?

Yes. Yes. 

From: SAM editor Sent: Tuesday, 9 December 2008 1:24 PM
To: Vic Alhadeff
Cc: Assistant Principal Scots College
Subject: questions with notice re meta analysis of today's media re scandal story smh etc

 Dear Vic,

While always agreeing with your strong stand against prejudice that we wholeheartedly agree with, there is an interesting convergence of news cycle today regarding prominent Jewish business identity and philanthropist Dick Pratt in alot of trouble for allegations of criminal corporate behaviour.

I am submitting these questions in good faith, as per many other 'story behind the story' lines of inquiry in our website on diverse topics. Feel free to reject or repudiate the inferences. However the coincidence in timing is there and the questions are in the public interest, also speaking as a (rusty) corporate lawyer.

 Tuesday, 9 December 2008

JBD condemns offensive student website as Dick Pratt pleads not guilty to business crimes
Mood:  not sure
Topic: legal

 

By way of comparison, I worked for an independent (radical) secular Jewish guy Lawrence Gibbons (City Hub, Bondi View, Sydney City News) 2001-2007 who suggested to me in all seriousness that when Rene Rivkin was being pursued over Offset Alpine fraud and share trading issues and later personal meltdown "that it was only because he was Jewish". The claim being that plenty of fraudsters cheat on the sharemarket but prosecutions were selective.

Anyway I scoffed at the suggestion while really having no proof one way or the other about any such conjecture. It did seem to me a little paranoid but who really can judge these things. On the other hand there can be little or no doubt that website by the students was offensive and has to be confronted and exposed. No debate about that.

Yours truly

 Tom McLoughlin, editor/owner www.sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog

 tel. 0410 558838.

CC Principal assistant Scot's College

..............................

Postscript 11 Dec 2008

ACCC delayed perjury charges against Pratt | The Australian 11 Dec 2008 ... Mr Pratt's legal team has accused the ACCC of conducting a campaign against Mr Pratt to trick him into signing a document,

Posted by editor at 5:23 PM EADT

Updated: Thursday, 11 December 2008 5:51 AM EADT

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Mood:  not sure

We are writing to the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies to ask some questions about the interesting timing of the scandal story running front of the Sydney broadsheet today. References behind the following questions to follow asap:

1. Are you aware Dick Pratt pleaded guilty to civil breaches of the corporations law last year and has now been charged with criminal offences?:

22 Dec 2005 PM - Pratt case crucial for ACCC

Crikey - $40 million = small beer for Australia's third richest ... 10 Oct 2007 ... Pratt the winner: $36 million just a drop in the bucket · Dick Pratt takes money from ordinary Aussies -- so where is the uproar? ...

Crikey - Pratt’s insults not quite disguised as an apology - Pratt ... 9 Oct 2007 ... Briefly Business: iPod index, Pratt pleads sainthood, eBay ... The question raised by Dick Pratt’s letter to Visy customers: is it primarily ...

It's time we gave our watchdogs fangs | The Australian 15 Dec 2007

Crikey - Could billionaire Dick Pratt really go to jail? - Could ...20 Jun 2008

2. Are you aware Pratt pleaded not guilty to the criminal offences today as per abc radio news we heard earlier?

 

Richard Pratt has pleaded not guilty, (ABC: Timothy Marshall)

3. Are you aware that Jewish members of the business community in Melbourne in particular were concerned earlier this year that ACCC's failure to drop the criminal charges even after a $40 million fine for civil breaches might be motivated by discrimination?

24 June 2008 Melbourne establishment comes out boxing | smh.com.au By Ian Verrender

Spare a thought for poor old Dick Pratt. It's difficult to imagine what's worse: facing criminal charges of lying under oath or having John Elliott for ...

"....It may have escaped the minds of certain Bleak City academics, who were scathing of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission boss, Graeme Samuel, but Pratt already would be behind bars had his offences been committed in the United States or most other OECD countries. Australia is one of the few Western countries that does not impose a mandatory jail sentence for market rigging.

Samuel is right to pursue Pratt to the limit of the law. Failure to do so would be a travesty of justice and would reflect badly on Samuel, just as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission's soft treatment of Steve Vizard rightly earned it the scorn of the wider community.

But the cheer squad has been marshalled, with an avalanche of letters to newspapers bemoaning the harsh treatment being meted out Pratt. ..."

4. Do you think the Scots' students allegedly involved in the offensive website might have got prejudiced attitudes from their business parents here in Sydney?

Sydney Morning Herald story here:

Student Facebook scandal

11:47am | Principals of elite Sydney schools vow to deal with pupils who posted anti-Semitic slurs on Facebook. | Student shame

5. Is billionaire business man Dick Pratt a donor to the JBD or related groups in the past? How much? 

6. Is it a coincidence that these two stories are running today namely Scot's College website and Dick Pratt not guilty plea to criminal breaches of the corporations law?

7. Is the JBD or similar/related groups innocently seeking to make the point of prejudice existing against the Jewish community in some parts of the upper echeleons of society, as expressed by their adolescent children? That indeed "racism is unacceptable"

8. Did the NSW JBD or related groups 'get the story up' regarding (alleged) Scots student scandal website? 

9. Is there any intention of the JBD or other groups that you may know of to influence the public's view of the Pratt criminal case, or indeed the court itself?

10. Are you aware that the courts receive clips of articles of all related matters in the press via such service providers as Media Monitors? Indeed on the flipside does the JBD continue to receive clippings from MM as they did in 1999-2001?

.................

On a personal note SAM's editor loves Jewish folks and socialises and supports and indeed works for several of such in Sydney society.

.................................

Postscript #1 13 December 2008

 There is an extra aspect to the big media coverage that we didn't appreciate at the time of writing this above. We feel obliged both for fairness and balance to add: Either geniunely or again as a PR gambit or both, billionaire Mr Pratt has been presented as suffering prostrate cancer and having a spine operation as well related to the treatment. This appeared on crikey ezine about 2 weeks back we recall, and again in the press early this week - that we read late this week:

9 December 2008 Ill health throws doubt on Dick Pratt case | The Australian

All of this is in the balance along with Alan Bond getting an easier run because of his health when he crashed and went to gaol for 4 years. We will post separately on this transcript from Denton's Enough Rope interview with Bond.

Here's a tough appraisal of Dick Pratt:

8 Oct 2008 Crikey - Pratt 2: proof that the rich are indeed different - Pratt ...

12 Dec 2008 Richard Pratt denied cartel scam to John Howard | The Australian

Posted by editor at 11:54 AM EADT

Updated: Saturday, 13 December 2008 9:22 AM EADT

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Mood:  chatty

 Picture: Refer Inside Business below.

Author’s general introductory note

This is not a well packaged story. It’s a contemporaneous traverse of the Sunday television free to air political talkies indicating the agenda of Establishment interests: Better to know ones rivals and allies  in Big Politics and Big Media. 

For actual transcripts and/or video feeds go to the programme web sites quoted including Riley Diary on 7. And note transcripts don’t really give you the image content value.

Media backgrounders (tba)

10 Meet the Press:  8- 8-30 am

No show.

Meet The Press - Watch Political Video Online - Channel TEN.

Riley Diary 7, from 8.30am

Footage of wind up of Parliament. Stuck to satire about Batman and Robin and Catwoman regarding dep treasurer Julie Bishop. Omitted the meltdown Thursday night in the Senate with split in the Coalition., as per front page of The Australian this weekend.

Emphasises feel good over Christmas good wishes by MPs

Riley Diary clashes with Laurie Oakes on 9 with Barnaby Joyce doing a forensic Q & A on this last point. Winds up

8.50am union advert runs.

http://www.seven.com.au/sunrise/weekend

9 Sunday newshour Laurie Oakes interview 8.40 am

Ross Greenwood gives wrap economic downturn in USA very serious.

Forensic Q & A of Nationals leader in Senate Barnaby Joyce as per front page of The Australian yesterday. Backed into a corner with LO suggesting BJ is calling Andrew Robb a “liar”. Disagrees or retracts, rather not correct.

Concerns infrastructure fund for regional Australia. No doubt with ascendant ALP there is structural pressure on redneck Nationals.

Speculative question of Joyce moving to lower seat of Maranoa. Not on the cards he says. Hypothetical. 

Has been chatting with Malcolm Turnbull yesterday in Oxford St near St Vincents.  Strongly believes in Senate as review while lower house is follow the leader. Not dissenting against anyone, sticking to constitutional functions of Senate.

Confirms was offered a front bench position by Malcolm Turnbull in coffee shop discussion yesterday. [Deliberately public tactic by Liberal leader to sideline The Oz front page story.]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/oakes

Insiders 2: 9- 10am

Great intro into wacky last week. Thrills and spills “emblematic of last weeks of the past 20 years”.

Grattan story today Milne comments re Barnaby Joyce going onto front bench, maybe downstairs.

Panel includes Annabel Crabb (Fairfax heir apparent to Alan Ramsey), Malcolm Farr, Glenn Milne (latter two News Corp fairly moderate).

Paul Kelly soliloquy, all about jobs jobs jobs in 2009 given bad economic news. Policy cracks like deposit guarantee, emissions trading scheme, partial deregulation of labour market. Formidable Rudd Gillard, Turnbull looks good, challenge is his own side.

Everyperson humorous segment with 40 year olds all over the place politically.

Rudd preferred PM 69 to 14 v Gillard, who beats Mal Turnbull or close.

Praise for Harry Jenkins as speaker.  Reg in Talking Pictures showing fantastic one liners straight man delivery.

Matt Price political moments with Nelson revealing the inner freak as usual. Show signs off for the year.

Home page is http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/

Inside Business – 2 at 10am

Excessive greed, excess and  bad regulation. But what caused the GFC in fact, asks Alan Kohler.

Hamish Douglass Magellan Financial Group – collapse of Lehman Brothers  caused banking across the globe to meltdown in this way: 3 days later oldest commercial paper fund held $800M of Lehman’s Bros written down to $1. Dominos fell across the world after that requiring security for $5 trillion in commercial paper. [Didn’t quite get this is the real explanation. This is a must watch by video or whatever down the track.]

Alan Oster, chief economist National Australia Bank, negative GDP for Dec quarter.

Kohler says difference this time, will govt pump priming work? Oster – not in major economies. They are gone. Australia mild downturn. AK – interest rates globally? AO – yes all going to zero.

HD – mining 7.5 to 10% of our revenue, but China is not the only destination either.  Hedge funds, insurance industry, banks.

Alan Kohler talking point – historic, frightening year gone. 2009 will be in recession and don’t listen to the politicians. Lehmann Brothers caused the dominoes to fall. Unemployment is the last indicator, sharemarket is the first.

Refer http://www.abc.net.au/insidebusiness/

Posted by editor at 11:20 AM EADT

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Mood:  special

.......and tried his best to close the Eden chipmill for 20 years.

He spent the last 8 years killing noxious bitou bush in Botany Bay National Park where his ashes now lie as of yesterday.

His sons, half brothers from 14 to 20 something, are shown below after the friends and family have started walking back to the carpark. Earlier they posed for a picture but this one shows them in their private thoughts in a sense still looking up to their beloved dad:

More images of Bruce's environmental activism follow including letter from Minister Peter Garrett

, pics taken by Bruce of the Japanese Ambassador in Canberra

, of the director of The Wilderness Society Alec Marr on the road outside the chipmill.

Of outdoor exploits and beloved family.

Rest in peace Bruce Dover, founding member of the ACF Forest Campaign Group in Sydney since the mid 1980ies.

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2008 12:51 PM

Subject: [chipstop] vale Bruce

Hi greenies.

Some very sad news - our old friend and colleague Bruce Dover from the ACF Forest Campaign Group in Sydney Bruce lost his battle with mesothelioma this morning.

Longer term campaigners will remember Bruce for his prominent role in the Walk Against Woodchips (x2), the charcoal campaign, Forests for Water Roadshow, Threatened Species roadshow and many other forest campaigns.

When a few of us occupied the chipmill office a few years ago, it was Bruce in the guise of a camera toting “tourist” who recorded the event on film as we were thrown out. His photo of Keith airborn in mid flight exiting the office is still one of our most prized possessions.

Bruce loved nature and never wavered in his commitment to end woodchipping. He told me a couple of weeks ago that  his biggest regret .... is that woodchipping goes on, in spite of all our efforts.

Yes we can end it!

regards
harriett

Posted by editor at 11:46 AM EADT

Updated: Saturday, 6 December 2008 1:46 PM EADT

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Mood:  a-ok

Crabb has got what it takes. Whether she gets the gig we have no idea. Whether she wants it is another big one. Looking at crusty Ramsey she would have to be searching her soul about locking in a certain future.

What brings SAM's owner editor to this judgement I hear you ask, just as we predicted Deborah Cameron would succeed in the crunch job after Trioli at ABC 702 radio? AC is clearly smart and writes well with an appealing dry wit. But that's not nearly sufficient. She's really very honest and strong and that brings gravitas. A keystone has to have gravitas. Hair style has nothing to do with it as follows:

1. Last Saturday 29 Nov column AC declares a brazen attempt by the Deputy PM Gillard to duchess her with a personal call about 'Tim's hair care product'. All so innocent - not. But only the beady eyed and cynical would understand the need to declare. Even better if she had refused the gifts outright. But AC reveals she accepted the trivial gifts - the real import was the deputy PM making the call not the value or source of the shampoo. The attempt to blurr the lines of separations of 2nd (executive) and 4th (press) estates, infamous revolving door.

2. On Meet the Press 10 next morning, we watch with jaded eye as AC defers to News Corp colleague to ask "the question" about Tim Mathieson over alleged nepotism for an honourary health ambassadorship role. This looks tragic we think. The duchessing has taken it's course as per 1 above. But then Crabb breaks out of the gilded cage with the spirit of a real pillar of the 4th estate so essential in our democracy: A crunching question on the real issue de jour - failure to properly manage money in a time of economic strife with computers in schools roll out double the cost announced at election time.

Nor was it a simple question. It took maybe 30 seconds to a minute to ask. And Gillard didn't answer it because she had no answer really. And it showed. The natural order was re-established. Accountability was reinforced. Faux sisterhood was subordinated to the business of democracy and professional arms length.

Step on up Annabel Crabb, your country needs your service and as they say on the West Wing, where's the choice in that? You are a little fresh by comparison, and we think you made a minor factual mistake in today's column (Bidgood really did mispeak by leaving out a second "not" in his mangled double negative pommie defense of mate PM Rudd), but these are indeed trivial, amplifying the greater reality. Our imperfections colour the jewell and provide the space to grow into the role.

As No Drama Obama has revealed, you feel like 'this is what I should be doing'. SAM can tell which is our blessing and our curse.

And Old Ramsey? You will be missed Dude, you will be missed. Well played, that's some innings Dude. It's all one can ask for in this veil.

Posted by editor at 10:37 AM EADT

Updated: Saturday, 6 December 2008 11:36 AM EADT

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Mood:  d'oh

Pictures above and below from Sydney Daily Telegraph: Immolation prevented ... AFP officers douse Marat Aminov with water.

There have been some interesting developments over the "controversial" Aminov protest pictures sold to the Sydney Daily Telegraph for charity.

The photo was of police well in control of the situation. Indeed the picture may have headed off an actual suicide bid by leading to the coverage the protester so desperately wanted. Who really knows?

We covered this issue in our penultimate post around PM Office control games, rival big media punishment tactics, and the role of every citizen to do community media.

We have contributed to a Crikey.com.au string by media expert Margaret Simmons along these lines:

http://www.crikey.com.au/Media-Arts-and-Sports/20081204-Bidding-for-Bidgood-no-shame-for-the-buyers.html#comments

Ailie Bruins

Thursday, 4 December 2008 3:12:22 PM

An MP takes a photo of a protester and it is used by a newspaper. The message of the protester is lost in the beat up about the MP.

What was the man protesting about? What drove him to such lengths that he tried to set himself alight outside parliament?

The story that the MP has committed some heinous transgression smacks of spin and media management.

Perhaps the MP’s biggest sin was that he excluded Fairfax . Or, was it because he circumvented the middleman in the modern ‘news’ cycle — the public relations / media professionals. So PR flexed its mighty muscles and the MP copped it.

 

Tom McLoughlin

Thursday, 4 December 2008 3:46:52 PM

Well said Ailie. After hearing AM but before looking at the Sydney press I made it my business to address this story in the framework of CENSORSHIP of community media and that's what it is really about.

"Insensitive, inappropriate"? For taking a picture invited by the protest to promote his own profile. Get real. Of course it was okay to take pictures. Then was it wrong to ask for money? Well there is no doubt someone was going to buy his intellectual property in the Big Media. And that's what it was - intellectual property. So it was only a question of price and who should ethically benefit.

On principle I don't think there is any objection to him profiting from his own work EXCEPT that he was in harness as an MP and therefore on our tab. So he was wise to donate it to charity. If he had been out of hours, or on holidays it would have been fine.

I reported the basic claims of the Aminov's on my blog on 19 October ....2007, with a picture via, from memory, an email from Jamal Daoud, who is quoted in the news this week. 14 months ago. It's here again today www.sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog

That's how pathetic the govt department DIAC have been. But the attempt to sanction Bidgood (who 'did good' amplifying the humanitarian protest as any decent photographer, blogger, indy media, or agitator would have), sanction by the PM's office is all about fear of the policy and politics of refugees, detention and stateless people.

To dress it up as wrong is pure ALP machine stock standard emotional violence in the name of playing the angles. In my humble opinion the rest is sophistry and internal Big Media rivalry.

I rang Bidgood's phone about 9.30 a.m. and left a message as above as they were in hiding. I can just imagine the staffer listening as the calls came in. I also left a message at the Telegraph's editorial desk., and Senator Hanson Young, Greens. And the Bidgood angle of the story has been killed stone dead, amen whether by coincidence or Big Govt shame.

 

Tom #2

Thursday, 4 December 2008 3:59:32 PM

In fact only recently the Big Media in their maddening hypocrisy praised the "beautiful" snapshots taken by a bevvy of MP's from Bob Brown/Greens to the MP for Wannon David Hawker (which covers my old home town of Warrnambool). Some pics good, some pics bad? What a load of nonsense. We are all media practitioners now - get used to it Big Media and show due respect while you're at it.

They really get my goat with their holier than thou exclusive role and airs and graces. Too dumb to do law or medicine more like it:

"Pollies on other side of the camera" Sydney Sun Herald, Kerry-Anne Walsh
November 16, 2008

http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/pollies-on-other-side-of-camera/2008/11/15/1226318995289.html

Tom #3

Thursday, 4 December 2008 4:10:08 PM

... and then there was the poltiical cartoonists on the tv the other day with their exhibition of superb works - http://www.nma.gov.au/media/media_releases_index/political_cartooning_exhibition_wraps_up_2008/

Guess what - first prize is $1,000

Conclusion: Anyone can create an image and profit from it, cash or in kind (often worth alot more in career terms). Some even do it while moonlighting.

arty

Thursday, 4 December 2008 4:17:15 PM

It's not illegal. It's not unethical. It's not immoral.
The protester sought it.

The media constantly asks us to submit our photos.

Is there a list of people that are not allowed to submit their photos?

 

Tom #4

Thursday, 4 December 2008 4:21:22 PM

My last word on this I swear - the cops were there obviously doing the security as per their expertise. For Joe Hockey or anyone (like those dunces Cato and Timbo on spindoctors abc sydney this morning) to say the MP shouldn't record a serious political statement/action is just bizarre. That would really be wrong. That would be an attempt to censor the MP's free speech via his photo image. In the USA they would be howling about PM's Office trying to breach the constitutional rights of his MP.

It's only a matter of charging for the image and who benefits and he's answered that - just like gifts declared and donated to the local orphanage. Talk about silly season kicking in on cue.

Tom McLoughlin

Friday, 5 December 2008 5:15:13 AM

Not so fast Jenny. The MP lacks real politik judgement would be my guess as a "novice" but the question is here did he lack moral judgement? I am totally unconvinced as a 15 year non profit campaigner for community media. I say it was a duty for him to take those pictures. That was the point of the protest. You admit yourself it got the story up and frankly I will be VERY surprised if the Aminov Family are not sorted within a month now.

He got beaten up by the ALP machine running scared of adverse coverage from one sector of the media running tattle tail to the PM's office over the "money" who panicked and forced a grovel statement. That is a media sector who got shut out of access to the image. They took revenge. If he'd shared it equally and even required a donation to charity by all of them none of this would have blown up in my guesstimation.

Last evening the aggrieved sector of the Big Media such as Chris Uhlmann [and we say this despite Walkley award, as well as a good streak of sanctimony as an ex seminarian/ACT independent candidate], on abc tv prime time news again went the biff: Tones dripping with condemnation 'for taking a photo', as if. Karen Middleton of SBS similarly went the biff about 'taking a picture'. Censorship? Right to know? They used the MP's grovel statement as moral 'proof' but it isn't. They levered early MP doorstops who were gulled by biased rival press that morning. It's proof of real politik censorship from his own boss/media rivals.

The biff was compounded as Kerry/7.30 rightly noted 'a video has turned up' further embarrassing Bidgood dated from Oct. So there's the proof. A video irrelevant to the question of mertis of taking 'the photo', cheap emotional violence. Th video ironically was good votes in the evangelical bible quoting North Qld (forget SE Oz comfort zone). And notice Uhlmann's Catholic rivalry.

Wiser heads like Annabel Crabb stood off Bidgood on cross to Richard Glover abc 702 4.45pm, and Brissenden on 7.30 said he was "controversial" to take the pic. It's all about Big Media turf protection! Did the commercials cover it on 9,10, 7? I wonder.

..................................

In the mix is this media release from The Greens:

Thursday 4 December 2008

New border protection agency must service human rights

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the Government's new Australian
Customs and Border Protection Service must treat compassionately and
humanely people who arrive by boat to seek asylum in Australia.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the formation of the new agency
today, a day after a boat of 35 suspected asylum seekers was intercepted
off the Western Australian coast and escorted to Christmas Island for
detention.

"What kind of service will this new agency be offering to those who need
our assistance and protection?" asked Senator Hanson-Young.

"We cannot forget: it is not illegal to seek asylum. It is a right under
international law."

Senator Hanson-Young said that Australia must learn from the mistakes of
its past immigration policies.

"We have an opportunity to move forward to a more humane, compassionate
approach to the treatment of asylum seekers, and the opportunity to
rebuild Australia's international reputation," she said.

"Let's not allow ourselves to slide back to the dark days of the Howard
and Ruddock immigration regime and all that it brought: Tampa, children
overboard, the reprehensible tragedy of the SIEV-X and more than 200
cases of lawful residents being detained.

"The politics of fear must not cloud our actions on matters of human
rights and justice."

Senator Hanson-Young expressed concern at the detention on Christmas
Island of those who recently arrived on boat.

"Christmas Island's detention facilities should be closed, and we should
do away with this 'out-of-sight, out-of-mind' attitude towards asylum
seekers who arrive by boat.

"All processing of claims for asylum should be done promptly and fairly
on the Australian mainland, where processes can be overseen and
community support services can be more easily accessed.

"The Greens will be closely monitoring the progress of the detainees on
Christmas Island."

Media contact: Gemma Clark on 0427 604 760
......................................

Postscript 8th December 2008:

The major party liners on abc 702 radio still push the orthodox emotional violence line against Bidgood MP, and we sent the Cameron Morning show these comments where her own colleagues disagree with their presentation:

Your own Barry Cassidy Insiders yesterday said words to the effect of 'there was no problem with him taking a photo' it was trying to sell it.

 

Annabel Crabb Sydney Morning Herald in her weekend column effectively said it was inconsistent of Big Media to criticise the sale of photographs of people's suffering.

 

Brissenden on 7.30 last Thursday refused to go further than to say it was "controversial".

 

My point is that - it is every citizen's duty to do citizen media of important political actions and statements and Bidgood would have been very wrong to NOT take those pictures. To avoid conveying the message of the protest would have effectively been political censorship.

 

The projection of Fairfax, ABC, and PM's Office of the idea Bidgood was exploiting suffering of Mr Aminov to make money while police had him under control (Cassidy's point also) is just self serving tosh. For instance the PM's office are dead scared of the refugee/immigration debate keen to shut it down if at all possible. The rival media wanted to punish an MP playing favourites with News Corp.

 

Having said that Bidgood should have distributed the photographs for free, or by equal donation of all commercial media to charity. Why? Because he was moonlighting from his MP duties on our time.

 

editor Tom McLoughlin

 

Posted by editor at 5:25 AM EADT

Updated: Monday, 8 December 2008 1:23 PM EADT

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Mood:  sharp

Picture: Photo [by a supporter] sent to SAM blog micro news last year taken at Railway Square in Sydney, outside the Dept of Immigration & Citizenship (DIAC) of a long running protest over these stateless people. These are the same Aminov family in the news today.

Editorial

The attacks by the PM's office and competing big media on an MP promoting the profile of a humanitarian case (duly and correctly published by the Sydney Daily Telegraph today) appear totally disingenuous if not dishonest.

 MP roasted over petrol protest pics

KEVIN Rudd has slammed a Labor MP who took and gave out pictures of a protester who doused himself in petrol in dramatic scenes at Parliament House.

They are also an attack on community media practise. Here is the holier than thou from Fairfax today:

MP in cash for photograph scandal

PHILLIP COOREY | A Federal Labor MP has been carpeted by the Prime Minister's office after he allegedly tried to sell pictures he had just taken of a man threatening to set fire to himself outside Parliament House.

The fact is the Big Media don't like being gazumped on their news gathering work by the public or a commercial rival. They will seek to embarass any person, MP or public including bloggers who seeks to take up their closed shop role in a serious way - unless it's for free. The competitive sniping of the big media amongst themselves is similarly legendary.

This MP was quite within his rights to seek a fee from commercial media to donate it to charity. As if the journalists on their big fat wages shouldn't have to pay for someone doing their work for them. There is no issue of self interest here at all, only of professional jealousy.

The MP was also right to take the picture and try to amplify the media coverage of the humanitarian case by offering the pictures around.

What is 'unforgiveable' as far as Rudd's minders and office are surely concerned, is that this case is embarrassing to the government responsible for resolving the 10 year long case. It also echoes pressure coming to bear on the PM in the last several question times (eg via Sharman Stone MP), and in The Australian, about an increase of boat people and fraught policy on border protection and refugee detention:

People smugglers try again - Hon Dr Sharman Stone MP17 Nov 2008 ... This fifth boat that has been intercepted on its way to ...

Corrupt Indonesian officials put visas on sale | The Australian 3 Dec 2008

It may have been this same desperate protester who jumped into the chamber from the public gallery earlier this week, but in the normal course his protests were censored from both the radio and tv coverage.

In other words no problem with the MP taking pictures, or 'selling the picture' to benefit charity and profile an important humanitarian issue, but lack of real politik judgement about his own Govt's problems on immigration and refugee policy.

But Bidgood's moral judgement was just fine as far as we are concerned, and his engagement with popular community media practise is just fine by us. And we say that with 15 years in the non profit community media sector about a humanitarian case that has been unresolved for a good 10 years.

We have an archive picture which may be of these same protesters from outside the Immigration Dept here in Sydney also which we will publish (see above) again and refer this post back in late 2007:

Friday, 19 October 2007

Hunger strike by the Aminovs
Mood:  sad
Topic: human rights

 

Our correspondent writes: Attached is a photo from the hunger strike staged by Aminovs family outside Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) yesterday. The Aminovs decided to take the matter further and will go on a day of hunger strike outside PM's house this coming Sunday. The hunger strike will start 10 am - 4 pm, outside Kiribilli house, Sunday 21 October 07.  

There demands are:

1. Speed up the process of the visa, on highly humanitarian basis Or,  Grant them humanitarian visa instead of parents visa.

2- Issue them a photo ID to enable them to move more freely and comfortably.

3- Allow them to access Medicare services (on humanitarian grounds) and other basic settlements services (English classess...).

They will be joined by few friends and other long time similar case/s.

Please come along for solidarity and to protest the inhumane treatment of asylum seekers by Howard's governement

Posted by editor at 9:36 AM EADT

Updated: Thursday, 4 December 2008 11:49 AM EADT

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Mood:  accident prone

This event is dated 20 October 2008 so actually is a little stale, and should be updated with this piece November 17th 2008 we also linked to here:

Wednesday, 19 November 2008

W Bush regime 'looting the treasury for illegal bailout': Naomi Klein, Democracy Now
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: world

Posted by editor at 8:45 PM EADT

Updated: Wednesday, 3 December 2008 1:59 PM EADT

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