Mood:  a-ok

Last Monday saw Premier Rees asked a doozey of a question by compere Kerry O'Brien along the lines of 'Why don't you do what some other governments have done and support a vote of no confidence in yourselves and bring on a general election?'

It will be all there on the 7.30 Report transcript. But what won't be visible is the quick talking, very articulate Mr Rees gag for a second over the political reality behind the question.

Hardened political activists will say that's just rhetoric and the constitution is just that with 4 year terms, with many benefits avoiding the opportunism and flaky policy games that go with arbitrary election dates.

Hard heads will say another 2.5 years to run can make a world of difference. SAM news website tends to agree with that sanguine perspective too.

But there is definitely real politik adjustments in the State Govt settings of late. The breaking news that Callan Park is being taken out of the hands of Syney University is a big win for open space and open access campaigners of Inner Sydney.

How much is this decision announced on abc local radio in the last 2 hours is due to Sydney Uni pulling back from it's expansionary, pro development budget due to the Global Financial Crisis? Certainly the EDO lawyers tell us recently they are noticing a range of damaging projects falling over for lack of easy finance. How much is success of the local Green Party in general council elections in September? Armchair observers will be debating the parents of this government switch. Probably both.

We notice in the abc radio coverage that the empire builders at the 'NSW Writers Centre' are implicated in the now dead dirty deal with Sydney University as owners of their building in Callan Park. If true then shame on them being captured by the ALP machine within Sydney Uni seeking to enclose public land exclusively for Big Education.

And then there is the Coalition counter intuitively last Sunday announcing it's policy to formally repeal the developer's Part 3A section of the Planning Act which we read here as a wedge on the browns in the ALP Government, as ex Premier Bob Carr wedged the Coalition on green issues in 1995.

New Premier Nathan Rees is nothing if not, like this writer a political student of the 90ies.

Posted by editor at 12:10 PM NZT

Updated: Wednesday, 22 October 2008 12:34 PM NZT

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Mood:  a-ok

The same Brad Hazzard MP shadow minister for planning (?) we noticed nattering to an ex Liberal Environment Minister Tim Moore in Martin Place one lunch time.

That takes us back to 1992 when we got our green slippers on as street activist for The Wilderness Society and soon after the Greiner regime imploded under pressure from Independent MP, former Liberal MP, Terry Metherell over destruction of forest and wilderness areas. That and the 3 cross benchers in a minority government, and the hungry ALP Opposition behind them again.

If one had to guess one would say the Liberal National Coalition in NSW are learning how not to be wedged on the "mainstream" issue of the environment. And learning perhaps how to return the favour in 2011. That all those scolded community groups' anger the length and breath of NSW for some years now is worth harvesting. The kind of groups the ALP Right treated with base contempt for way too long. The groups that Bob Carr courted in 1992-1995 and won a famous victory by only 3 seats.

Meanwhile Liberal Party Mayor of Hawkesbury City Council is weighing up how to approach a hearing tomorrow in the Land & Environment Court. It's about protecting a chunk of Blue Mountains World Heritage where a sandminer Birdon Contracting Pty Ltd has a highly defensive claim for security for costs as a way of preventing ventilation of their breach of DA consent, which HCC's own chief planner reports 29 July 2008 has lapsed, recommending a cease to operate notice be issued.

Various community groups are riding this court case just like the folks at the big protest in Macqarie St yesterday in this image shown above. The Liverpool Plains farmers with the squat triangle placard remind us of a conversation outside the Environmental Defenders Office last Friday.

"You don't look like your average greenies" I said to this older distinguished looking couple in smart suits.

"We're from the Liverpool Plains. Do you know why?"

I did, being a bit of a media obsessive, regarding King Coal and juicy exploration license fees to the NSW Govt for prime farming country. Food versus coal. This gentleman was a retired judge now farmer!

Everyone is a greenie now.

Posted by editor at 1:07 PM NZT

Updated: Monday, 20 October 2008 1:58 PM NZT

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Mood:  blue

Lord, I aint’ goin’ down to no race track
See no sports car run
I dont’ have no sports car
And I don’t even care to have one
I can walk anytime around the block.

- Bob Dylan’s Blues

What's a few hundred trees when between 2500 and 3000 native eucalypts are being fed into the Eden Chipmill on the far south east NSW coast every day?

That's the environmental damage at the Olympic Park precinct at Homebush with Premier Rees approving some mindless V8 car races apparently.

He could have bought into a solar car race perhaps. Or some other more forward looking style of event. But like the ALP, and society more generally he just doesn't get it.

Like Paul Kelly who writes for The Australian he obviously thinks the growth fetish is just fine as the Murray Darling carks it, as rental in Sydney turns oppressive, as native species head south, and the rate carbon emissions escalates. How wrong can leaders be. We should be exporting teachers to help educate the people of the world with alternatives so they can reduce the global population. Instead we escalate exports of coal.

Keep going this way Nathan and we will all be living "in caves" as a result of dangerous climate change. The symbolism really so stinks.

The irony is that Rees was a competitive cyclist who was seriously injured when some redneck car driver took a U-turn and wiped him out broken shoulder and all (so he says somewhere in the Big Media).  But he still didn't learn much from that it seems .....like cars and people are a poor mix.

Posted by editor at 8:00 PM NZT

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Mood:  party time!

29 Sept 08 Criminal pasts but police officers still keep their jobs | The ...

Posted by editor at 3:56 PM NZT

Updated: Monday, 29 September 2008 4:57 PM NZT

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Mood:  on fire

Well we wish. Here was our derivative wrap on the weekend which did indeed look grim for the infamous blatherskite:

[21 Sept 2008 Posted by editor at 10:27 AM EADT] Ex treasurer's '$500M risk' to AAA rating for NSW is stupid say Walkers
Mood:  irritated
Topic: nsw govt

Here is the big news media reference today of Costa's resignation by fax to the Governor NSW:

23 Sept 08 Costa resigns from NSW parliament - Breaking News - National ...

Certainly Costa already made it clear he would quit soon enough, and he suggestively passed his qualification time for a cosy pension for life recently. (Accrues at 55 years of age according to colleague Peter Primrose on abc radio just now.)

But we would like to think that Stateline work last Friday ventilating the Walkers' financial expertise building on their work earlier this year in cooperation with such as Greens MP Dr John Kaye including citizen's right of reply, finally finished the guy's political career:

There is a big big difference between $500M and $14M in annual interest exposue in a AAA to AA+ credit rating and a NSW Treasurer has to know that difference or to quote Costa look "like a joke".

Posted by editor at 10:42 AM NZT

Updated: Tuesday, 23 September 2008 1:32 PM NZT

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Mood:  irritated

Here was the claim paraded in all the 'serious' press courtesy of loud mouth Costa:

Quoting AAP here 5 Sept 08

"The loss of the AAA credit rating would add $500 million to NSW's interest costs over the next few years, he warned, and called for a "push out" in major projects to prevent the need for savage cuts to health and education budgets." at LIVENEWS.com.au > National > Rees rules out returning Costa to cabinet

5 Sept 08 Business Spectator - NSW credit rating future hangs in the balance

On NSW Stateline last Friday 19 Sept 08 had the reality - a AAA rating which is very atypical for a sub national government to a AA+ rating would amount in NSW case with our low debt levels to a mere $14M increased interest payments per year.

To put that in context that is 1/10 of the money thrown at the World Youth Day corporate welfare for the Catholic Church earlier this year.

Here is the referencing:

19/09/2008 Saving NSW  Is it true the AAA rating is endangered?

Over the last two weeks, Premier Rees has been warning of the consequences of that in these terms: a massive cost in interest payments on borrowings of $500 million extra a year.

DAILY TELEGRAPH EXCERPT (voiceover); The main priority was to avoid losing NSW's triple A credit rating, which would mean an interest payment blowout of $500 million a year, Mr Rees said.

QUENTIN DEMPSTER: Are you saying that that figure is inaccurate?

BOB WALKER, SYDNEY UNIVERSITY: That figure is wrong and I think it's unfortunate that Mr Rees was advised in that manner. It's even more unfortunate that he was - repeated it three days later. The NSW Treasury has got a lot to answer for for not intervening and correcting him and giving him the proper advice. I think they've left him exposed in making somewhat exaggerated statements. Now he's the new boy on the block. He needs time to get on top of those facts. But it's the responsibility of the public service to protect their minister, not leave him exposed.

QUENTIN DEMPSTER: Professor Bob Walker is Professor of Accounting at Sydney University and a former chairman of the council on the cost of government, appointed by the Carr-Egan Government. What would it cost the state if the credit rating was downgraded?

BOB WALKER: The standard reference to this is a publication of NSW Treasury by former assistant secretary Don Nicholls who estimated that the cost of a downgrade from triple A to double A plus would be 20 basis points - that's 20 per cent of one per cent. Now, the interest rates currently being paid by the state are only six per cent, roughly. So if we increased that modestly to 6.1, it would have a very minor impact on the state budget. In fact, not all the debt in the state would rollover at once; about $7 billion might rollover in the next year or so. That would increase the interest cost to the state of a modest $14 million, not $500 million, as has been popularly reported.

QUENTIN DEMPSTER: Fearing the public was being misled by the Costa analysis and rhetoric about the state's possible loss of the triple A, Professor Walker's wife Betty Con-Walker, an economist and former State Treasury official, has extracted the budget figures on net debt of the state.

At June 2008, the net debt was $22 billion, or 6.2 per cent of gross state product.

With infrastructure borrowings, including the north west metro, net debt was projected to rise to $41.76 billion, or 9.1 per cent of gross state product, by 2012.

BETTY CON-WALKER, FORMER TREASURY OFFICIAL: And remember, it compares with international developed countries at more than 40 per cent. Some of them are as high as 80 per cent of their gross state product. It's going to rise to, according to the budget papers, to $41.8 billion over the next three years. Now, that will still only be nine per cent, 9.1 per cent of the gross state product. Still a very modest indebtedness ratio for the state. And these figures have been there and available to the credit rating agencies.

QUENTIN DEMPSTER: We've got a cash flow problem with declining property tax revenues and a blow out in the health budget.

BETTY CON-WALKER: Well we have Mr Costa's word for that because he's claiming that on the basis of two months figures - that's July and August - figures that have not been published, not available to anyone to analyse, and he's projecting those two months figures to the whole year, and we're still talking about less than $200 million in a budget of $48 billion.

QUENTIN DEMPSTER: The Walkers believe State Treasury has a responsibility to the public to publish accurate figures about the state's fiscal position and a realistic assessment of risk to the triple A. They say the Treasury website, usually giving monthly status reports, has not been updated since May.

Under the Iemma Government, the north west metro became a showpiece of propaganda designed to show everyone the Government's new found commitment to borrow money for much-needed public transport. At his exit new conference, Michael Costa confirmed there'd been an almighty row in Cabinet over the north west metro; he'd been rolled.

MICHAEL COSTA: We've got to push out our capital program and it's no secret that I'm not a fan of the north west railway.

QUENTIN DEMPSTER: So we have to wait to see if the north west metro survives the mini-Budget process. There's no doubt Michael Costa has softened up the public for its axing or radical modification.

Bob and Betty Walker believe that while some reprioritising of capital works projects may be necessary along with some economic stimulus, the state's triple A credit rating is not at risk.

You, I take it, would be surprised if the state does lose its triple A credit rating?

BOB WALKER: I'd be rather shocked because there doesn't seem to be any justification for it and nor have the credit rating agencies indicated that is even a likelihood.

QUENTIN DEMPSTER: So, what do you think's at play here?

BOB WALKER: Oh, it's a common practise when there's a change of government, change of minister for some bureaucrats to wheel up their pet projects and their pet scare stories. I mean, a case in point is this talk about a decline in state revenues. The fact is the Government publishes monthly figures about its revenues, but for some reason, nothing's been published since May.

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

Back on 24 June 2008 we notice this Citizen's right of reply to Michael Costa then Treasurer of NSW who has the smell of dead cat about him now in the politics of NSW, via largish PDF file off the parliamentary website (at least with Explorer brower if not Firefox):

Appendix 1

Response by Professor Bob Walker and Ms Betty Con Walker, agreed to by

Professor Bob Walker and Ms Betty Con Walker and the Committee, according to standing order 203(4)(b)

We seek a Citizen’s Right of Reply regarding comments made by the Hon Michael Costa MLC in the

Legislative Council on 6 March 2008 regarding the proposed privatisation of the State's electricity industry and issues relating to public sector financial management.

We believe that Mr Costa’s statements under privilege are wrong and that they have adversely affected our reputation; and have the potential to injure us in our occupation and/or trade (Bob Walker as a Professor of Accounting with expertise in government finances; Betty Con Walker as an economist with experience in both the public and private sectors).

Mr. Costa was asked a question by Dr John Kaye on the basis of the contents of our jointly authored book, Privatisation: Sell off or sell out? released with a New Introduction that morning at Parliament House.

Dr Kaye specifically referred to two pieces of information contained in the New Introduction, namely:

the more than 25 per cent rate of return on equity of the six electricity agencies being considered for privatisation, and the 93 per cent of the electricity retail market served by the three Government agencies with 7 per cent being served by privately owned retailers.

Dr Kaye asked Mr Costa why the Government’s submission to the Unsworth Inquiry referred to a much lower rate of return of 5 per cent and a much higher proportion of 20 per cent of electricity customers as being served by privately owned retailers.

The rate of return on equity of 25.2 per cent rate, reported in the New Introduction, was calculated on the basis of detailed analysis of the audited financial statements of the six agencies for 2006-07. Data regarding the market share of state-owned retailers (Energy Australia: 44.1%, Integral Energy: 25.0%, and Country Energy: 23.8%) and of privately owned retailers (7%) was sourced from the Standard & Poor’s, Industry Report Card: After Weathering A Stormy Year, Will Valuations Hold Up For  Australian Government-Owned Energy Utilities Facing Privatization?, 12 February 2008.

Mr Costa did not answer Dr Kaye’s questions. Instead he attacked the content of our book, and did so by referring to one of the authors – Bob Walker. Since the book is a joint publication, we believe that any attack on its content is an attack on both authors.

In particular, Mr Costa accused Bob Walker of being wrong on four separate times without providing a single example. He stated variously:

Bob Walker is wrong.

Bob Walker has been wrong on a number of issues.

Bob Walker is consistently wrong.

Bob Walker gets these analyses wrong because he assumes that State governments and some national governments can borrow at some preferential rate.

Mr Costa also stated:

One problem Bob Walker has regarding his economic and financial analysis … is that he thinks that governments can borrow for nothing. That is his fundamental problem.

These statements are false. Neither of us has ever made such claims. A reading of our book or of several submissions prepared to various Parliamentary inquiries will show that to be the case. The differential between the cost of public sector and private sector borrowings and the impact of that differential are reviewed in our book at Ch 5 and elsewhere, while a 22 page technical appendix examines the related concept of the 'cost of capital'.

Mr Costa also asserted a lack of understanding on our part of key financial management issues (which are our areas of expertise) on a further four occasions. The assertions focused on our understanding of credit ratings, and their impact on interest costs.

In response, we note that that the use of credit ratings began in NSW in the 1980s. Before then, governments were able to borrow without the benefit of credit ratings.

Contrary to Mr Costa's assertions that we believe that government borrowings are 'cost free or at a very low cost', our book provides an extended discussion of yield differentials between differently-rated securities. That discussion was based (among other sources) on information presented in the 1994-95 NSW Budget Papers, which reported that during 1993-94 the average yield differential was only 0.25 to 0.35 per cent, and that a downgrading of the NSW credit rating by two notches - from AAA to AA - would have added less than $20 million to the NSW Government interest bill in the first year (at a time when Gross State Debt was reported to be almost $31 billion).

Further, our book acknowledged that governments with high levels of borrowings relative to Gross National Product or Gross State Product, may have to commit a high proportion of their expenditures to interest costs. However it also pointed out that this was not relevant to Australian federal or state governments, because of their relatively low (and historically low) levels of debt.

We also noted that on 11 October 2007, the credit rating agency, Moody’s Investors Service, in confirming its Aaa credit rating of the State and describing the outlook as ‘stable’, reported that the State has the capacity to take on more debt, and that State Owned Corporations, such as water and electricity utilities, are capable of funding new infrastructure investment since their debt is selfsupporting.

In summary, each one of Mr Costa's defamatory statements is contrary to evidence.

Posted by editor at 11:27 AM NZT

Updated: Monday, 22 September 2008 2:38 AM NZT

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Mood:  d'oh

We spied newly re elected Cr Black yesterday at around 11 am whom we also crossed paths with literally in the streets of Erskineville a month back - he leafleting for the Clover Moore team, myself for Botany Bay & Catchment Association. We had a little natter about rival Burgmann's antecedents.

This time it was in the herd of Town Hall railway station. Whippett like middle aged somewhat academic looking Black was walking fast somewhere. We had just been considering whether to drop into Cr Harris of the Greens for an update.

"Councillor, let me walk with you" in my best West Wing voice, trying to mask a shocking head cold. "Tom McLoughlin. We crossed paths on the streets in Erskineville. How are the results looking?"

A spark of vague recognition for man on a mission Black, and conversation to this effect: "We have 5, Shane Mallard Liberals is in, one councillor still to be decided ....

"What about the Greens".

"They have two."

"Oh that's right someone called Doutney. What about the ALP?"

"Meredith Burgmann is elected."

"Is that all? Only 1?" in incredulous tones.

"That's right".

So now the truth is there for all to see. We made sure at the right time the local and Sydney CC stakeholders got a copy of this evidence of local political sleaze. One assumes the convenience of email networking took it's course with barely a nudge from the author here:

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

To: Yvette Andrews ; gm@addisonrdcentre

Cc: senator.bob.brown marise@marisepayne; Norman Thompson ; senator.faulkner ; Clover Moore ; charris@cityofsydney; tpooley@cityofsydney; pblack@cityofsydney; vfirth@cityofsydney; mhoff@cityofsydney; rkemmis@cityofsydney; mlee@cityofsydney; jmcinern@cityofsydney; smallard@cityofsydney; m.knox@smh; Olive ; marrickville.greens

Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 1:54 PM

Subject: shadow around political mates of candidate Meredith Burgmann in Sydney Town Hall election?

Hi Yvette,

I don't suppose you've undertaken a competitive job selection process since you got the position there as general manager of Addison Rd Centre after being President as well? That would make it December 2007 to August 2008 by now I suppose?

That's the advice I've got from my source there at Addison Rd Centre current to 8 July 2008.

Is this because you are co-author of the Ernies book with VIP Meredith Burgmann or for some other special reason justifying an exemption from normal public advertising of positions in public organisations?

Here is my faithful report to the general community sector, without fear or favour 25,000 readers per month on the micro news website here:

Tuesday, 26 August 2008

Shadow around political mates of candidate Burgmann getting darker?

Mood:  sharp
Topic: nsw govt

Yours truly

Tom McLoughlin, editor www.SydneyAlternativeMedia.com/blog, solicitor in NSW

The hubris of the ALP in NSW is not just evidenced by gooses like ex Police Minister Matt Brown by the look of things. Suffice to say there was no response from aparatchik Yvette Andrews, or her mentor Terry Cutcliffe in the bcc along with all the tenants there at Addison Rd 'Community Centre' in Marrickville.

And so the scandal of ALP closed shop in my community centre rolls on.

But Burgmann can't hide behind the travails of the ALP at State Govt level - she is part of the problem as evidenced by this successful ALP candidate in Balmain ...against the swing - the numbers don't lie:

Posted by editor at 7:30 AM NZT

Updated: Wednesday, 17 September 2008 10:16 AM NZT

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Mood:  not sure

Back on 27th August 2008 we took a call from Chris Merritt. It went something like this:

'Hi, yeah I know your name you're a senior journalist, legal editor with The Australian, used to write for the Fin Review.

Sure I have Oliver's number, I don't want to cramp your style.'

This was all in response to this briefing I sent to the acting editor of The Australian Media Section here in this email string about a civil liberties/right to know/citizen journalism situation involving NSW Police:

Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 12:43 PM

Subject: as discussed, for Lara Acting Editor The Media

Lara,

Oliver who had his charge dismissed is email at far bottom in the string. Then next back from there is my response to him, then first below is my package to the civil liberties types making out the pattern of 4 different cases I'm aware of brazen police over reaching (even when they have good cause it seems for those arrested same time as my guy Oliver Hopes.)

The hook for the Right To Know folks probably is the incredible invitation from the Police hierarchy as per articles below) for citizens to get involved in citizen reportage (actually dobbing - just not on the coppers!) as below. 

I can't let you have the letter I wrote to the Redferm Command without Oliver's permission due to legal confidentiality as former client (suggesting just drop the charges/it's a waste of time - diplomatically leaving out that it could also result in ....).

But I can tell you the policeman who gave dubious if not outright dishonest evidence and issued the Court Attendance Notice dated 26 May 2008 was Constable ..... Command.

The charge was "Hinder police". It was dismissed last Friday 22 August 2008.

Yours truly

Thomas McLoughlin (solicitor in NSW restricted certificate)

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

Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 10:21 AM

Subject: in confidence, Oliver Hopes hinder police case dismissed in Local Court last Friday! Damn good.

I refer to previous correspondence about pro bono case, which ended up with Slater & Gordon on a fee basis. Also copy to civil rights campaigner Kristian Bolwell of the Fire Brigade Union, nsw solicitor.

Barrister was Mr Crawford Fish apparently. (Bragging rights here: Barrister apparently said my letter to police to drop the charge was "very good". Too bad they didn't - wasted court's time and lost the case. Good show all round by defence team.)

There is definitely a pattern of behaviour going on here by local Sydney police to avoid reportage: See also Matt Khoury story in The Media (bible of the media industry) in The Australian 2 months back as linked below. There was another fairly high profile in the Sydney Morning Herald pre World Youth Day too:

Solicitor charged after intervening in drug search at pub - National 7 July 08

See also my post here of similar at http://www.sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog/index.blog/1826882/sunday-political-talkies-climate-and-real-democracy-is-gods-work-too-seriously/

with this extract posted Sunday 13 July 08:

 

Picture: Saturday 12th July 2008, 10am. The bonhomie was mixed with the heavy security in the tunnel under Central Station . The plods and pseudo plods really didn't like me passing my card to this coloured gent. Nor did they appreciate me standing 10 paces away, nor did they appreciate me taking a picture of them from 40 paces away, and indeed the short blonde copper (Constable Phillips, City Crime - Commuter) made it her business to stalk over to me 40 paces away and officially ordered me to leave the area. "On what legal basis?" I asked and  "Because you don't want a witness? Is that what you are saying?". "Because you are intimidating" came the smooth practised reply. So there you have it - taking a picture of police in the course of their duty is "intimidating".  All under the flag pictured above of our fair democracy you understand. 

 

Nor is this the first time local inner Sydney cops have tried these tactics over recording of their police work. We are well aware, as is the ABC, of a case yet to be heard in court regarding police confiscation of a camera phone from a witness to a brawl outside a local inner city pub earlier this year, who we understand was then ordered to delete the footage in a police cell while being stood over by two local policemen.

 

Very very ironic given these two reports here exhorting exactly this kind of citizen media:

As a riposte we told one of the security guards about our readersip figures to which he said with contempt "You only see one side of life." Well actually we did see the aggressive drunk the night before and were glad for the security being present then. What worries us is fare evasion (not that we know the facts) leading to more serious charges for a public transport service that should be near to free anyway on public policy grounds.

Yours truly

Tom McLoughlin, editor www.sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog tel 0410 558838,

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

Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 8:55 AM

Subject: yeah! you earned it, fortune favours the brave, smart, honest Re:

Hey Olli,

this is great stuff having your charge of hinder police dismissed last Friday. I rang and spoke to your mother earlier this morning sort of by coincidence as I found a story in the press here on the weekend doing my catchup, which is a BIG echo of your experience, and remembered you were about due for your hearing.:

Arrested for witnessing a police raid | The Australian Matt Khoury | June 12, 2008

And you know about my experience a month back too during the start of World Youth Day reporting/observing an arrest at Central Railway.

I'm so pleased you kept your nerve, got the help you needed, and have got the charge dismissed, and your mum got a barrister too and you got the result you deserved. You deserved to get costs I think, only fly in the soup.

I would love to do a report on my micro news website anytime. And ....

Kind regards,

Tom.

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

Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2008 10:18 PM

hey tom, we won the case on friday. we didnt get awarded costs but atleast i dont have a criminal record. thanks again for all your help. many of the things you told me .... helped alot. are you taking on coca-cola? sounds like a david and goliath battle. how were they so rough to you? hope things are well. olli.

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

[For those eagle eyed you may be wondering why this writer didn't progress the case himself - the reason being after intial correspondence and first appearance our principal solicitor chucked in his practising certificate (or something) end of 07-08 financial year and we couldn't act unsupervised past 30 June 08, hence Slater's took on the case as house lawyer for the family's employer. We remain an out of work 'junior' lawyer though under s.63 of the Land & Env Court Act 1979 we can do pro bono as a court agent in that jurisdiction.]

All this resulted in this article by Chris Merritt here next day 28th August 2008 in The Media section of The Australian in terms of right to know agenda, even though google lists it as Sept 1st for some reason: 

28 Aug 08 Call to reform police powers | The Australian

Chris Merritt, Legal Affairs editor | August 28, 2008

CIVIL libertarians have called for reform of police powers after a Sydney art student was arrested and pressured to delete video footage of a violent clash between 20 late-night revellers and between 30 and 40 police.

The incident has raised concerns that police are sending mixed signals about the value of "citizen journalism" in fighting crime, as well as their treatment of reporters who might film or photograph them in action.

It took place one month after they appealed for the public to send them videos to help identify criminals.

Art student Oliver Hopes was charged in April with hindering police after he used his camera-phone to record them using capsicum spray to subdue violent revellers in April.

The charge was dismissed last week after Mr Hopes' barrister, Michael Crawford-Fish, presented the Downing Centre Local Court with separate footage of the incident that had been taken by a security camera.

"The whole incident has darkened my view of the police," said Mr Hopes, who did not save the footage after he was told by police to stop filming.

He said the deleted footage would not have shown any misconduct by police.

"It's not another Rodney King," he said, but it could have shown the extent of the violence. "They saw me filming and told me to move back, which I did. They then said 'Turn that off' and I kept filming. He said 'Give me the phone' and I turned it off and put it in my pocket. He said 'Give it to me' and I said 'It's off. It's cancelled'. And he then said 'That's it, you're under arrest'."

Later, when he was being held overnight, police entered his cell, handed him the phone and told him to delete the footage.

"They told me it was against the law to film people and there were special provisions covering the media," he said. He explained that the footage had never been saved but he was still charged with hindering police.

The action over Mr Hopes' camera-phone forms a sharp contrast with the launch in March of a scheme in which NSW police had invited the public to send video footage of crime directly to a police website. The scheme, known as Project View -- Video Image Evidence on the Web, had been developed by assistant commissioner Bob Waites.

Last November, NSW police arrested journalist Matt Khoury after he witnessed a raid on a nightclub and made it clear to police he would be filing a story on the incident.

Mr Khoury had been charged under "move along" legislation but police withdrew the charge just before the case had been due to go to court.

NSW Civil Liberties Council president Cameron Murphy said police generally had no authority to order video footage to be deleted. But they would sometimes be justified in seizing footage if it were needed as part of an investigation.

He was deeply concerned about both incidents.

"There has been a steady increase in police powers to stop people, search them and move them along," he said.

"This is very dangerous and it's the sort of thing that over time will lead to a police state," Mr Murphy said.

Nice for Cameron Murphy of NSW CCL to get the quote, truth is they are so under resourced or something they didn't answer ANY email or telephone approaches by this writer over the months of this saga. Nor did NSW Ombudsman. Only PILCH charity referral service responded and then in the negative. And of course News Corp above for the gritty story.

Now we have yesterday a quite serious feature by the Sydney Daily Telegraph about another burgeoning aspect of NSW Police secrecy while keeping in mind the press mainly want to have access to the juicy news stories and therefore mixed motives - as they say in the media game 'if it bleeds it leads'.

The links to this latest unresolved front in right to know/public safety versus good policing practice/operational confidentiality is here:

15 Sept 08  Stalkers preying on our schools | The Daily Telegraph

15 Sept 08 Community alarm over silence of police | The Daily Telegraph

15 Sept 08 [offline] Attacks on children increasing (Sydney Daily Telegraph

15 Sept 08 [editorial] Hamstrung by NSW Police's new communication system Sydney Daily Telegraph

15 Sept 08 Police radio blackout is a concern for civic safety | The Daily Telegraph ...

Posted by editor at 7:46 AM NZT

Updated: Wednesday, 17 September 2008 6:58 AM NZT

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Mood:  energetic

What is the political price for being fat? It's pretty high would be our guess.

We predicted back on 15 May 2008 that an exercise regime for big John Della Bosca could counter intuitively be the saving of his career. Sure enough the often cruel Sydney press today are all very approving. Credit where it's due now medium size John. Here was the prediction:

15 May 2008 Della Bosca's bright political future on two wheels?
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: nsw govt

Here are some stories today:

Della Bosca slim, trim and back to health - National - smh.com.au  9 Sep 2008

Smaller Della Bosca has a big role | The Daily Telegraph 9 Sep 2008

Posted by editor at 2:19 PM NZT

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