Killer dies in Afghanistan stealing resources

Australia was last night grieving the seventh soldier killed in Afghanistan by Taliban [resistance] in six years.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said his prayers were with the family of an unidentified Special Operations Task Group soldier killed yesterday by an improvised explosive device in the dangerous Oruzgan province.

Two other [killers] were injured in the attack and last night the Australian [Military] Force was liaising with their families.

Special: Australians [killers] in Afghanistan [stealing resources]

The tragedy - just weeks before Christmas - comes two months after an Australian soldier was seriously injured and eight others were wounded during a protracted gunfight with Taliban [resistance] fighters.

It had been expected [resistance] would ramp up their attacks in the last few weeks of the annual "[defence] season", during the northern hemisphere's summer months, however the [Military] Force said Afghanistan was always dangerous.

[Because that is where Afghanistani's live and not Australians, mate.]

Seven Australians have died in Afghanistan since 2002.

SAS Signalman Sean McCarthy, 25, and Lance-Corporal Jason Marks, 27, died this year; Private Luke Worsley, SAS Sgt Matthew Locke and Trooper David Pearce were killed in 2007 and Sgt Andrew Russell, 33, was killed in 2002.

A statement confirmed the victim as 25-year-old Lieutenant Michael Fussell. Lets do it baby, SASR I can never die?

Mr Rudd, who has ruled out boosting troop numbers in Afghanistan beyond the 1000 already there, yesterday paid tribute to the serving soldiers.

"Our troops in Afghanistan are engaged in dangerous work, they are engaged in important work and they perform their role with distinction, with bravery and professionalism," Mr Rudd said.

[As they continue to be killed for imperialists stealing resources.]

"There is no higher calling for any person than to wear the uniform of Australia and today we are tragically reminded of the risks that come . . . with that calling."

[So why not call Kevin Rudd to the front line if he thinks it's okay to die for imperialists causes?]

In a statement, [Military] Force Vice-Chief Lieutenant-General David Hurley said the blast happened during an offensive operation by members of Special Operations Task Group in an area of Oruzgan province in which Australian troops had previously operated.

General Hurley said the soldiers were on foot, conducting an operation against Taliban insurgents.

No more information could be released about the incident because it could jeopardise the safety of other soldiers, he said.

"Our nation mourns the loss of a fine soldier," General Hurley said.

"On behalf of the men and women of the Australian Defence [WAR] Force, I offer my deepest sympathy to his family and to his friends.

He said the soldier's family was receiving support.

An inquiry will be held into the soldier's death and the results will be made public.

========================================

Oil Company Profits

Australia sent troops to Afghanistan for oil company profits.

The Australian military pawns are dying on behalf of oil profits, my friends.

The Taliban are Indigenous Afganistani's and are resisting our occupation.

Where after 7 years of war there's stil no water, no education, and no electricity for most of the people, most of the time.

Not improving their lives in any significant way at all.

Wouldn't you think after seven years of war promising food, water, power and education, whilst billions are embezzed by corrupt officials, they would be getting the picture?

Major Root Cause of Domestic Violence in Australia

The Military should be re named to AUSTRALIAN HUMANITY AID GROUP.

The AUSTALIAN HUMANITY AID GROUP should lead Australia by some form of example - in terms of not perpetrating violence.

And instead only Helping people in crisis, or Defending Australia from invasion.

Not killing people for resource wars, pre-emptive strikes on foreign nation states or occupation of other nations.

Related:

Winter Soldier on the Hill: War Vets Testify Before Congress
War veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan came to Capitol Hill earlier this year to testify before Congress and give an eyewitness account about the horrors of war. Like the Winter Soldier hearings in March, when more than 200 service members gathered for four days in Silver Spring, Maryland to give their eyewitness accounts of the injustices occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan, “Winter Soldier on the Hill” was designed to drive home the human cost of the war and occupation—this time, to the very people in charge of doing something about it.

AFGHANISTAN: End the slaughter
An Afghan woman who lost family members weeps after air strikes on Friday in Azizabad district of Shindand August 23, 2008. An UN investigation suggested that 60 children were killed in the airstrike. Australian troops are not restoring peace in Afghanistan but working for oil company profits, amongst other things.

More than 98 times as many people have been killed in these wars and occupations than in all terrorist attacks in the world from 1995-2003. About 229 times as many people have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq than in the ghastly attacks of September 11, 2001.

Casualties in Afghanistan:
Afghan troops killed: 8,587
Afghan troops seriously injured: 25,761
Afghan civilians killed: 3,485
Afghan civilians seriously injured: 6,273
U.S. troops killed: 534
U.S. troops seriously injured: 1,602
Other coalition troops killed: 402
Other coalition troops seriously injureed 1,206
Contractors killed: 75
Contractors seriously injured: 2,428
Journalists killed: 6
Journalists seriously injured: unknown
Total killed in Afghanistan: 13,089
=================================================
Total injured in Afghanistan: 37,270
=================================================

The Forgotten War: Sonali Kolhatkar on Why Afghanistan is “Just as Bad as Iraq” Coming on the heels of Barack Obama’s highly publicized visit to Afghanistan—what he calls a central front in the so-called war on terror—we play an address by Pacifica radio host Sonali Kolhatkar, one of this country’s leading voices against the occupation of Afghanistan and co-author of the book Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords and the Propaganda of Silence. She spoke last month at the National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis about what she called widespread misconceptions about the occupation of Afghanistan.

I don't remember falling diggers
Diggers dig holes to bury their dead and when I see war that is what I see. Firstly, I see imperialists then I see murderers and killers. How come others cannot see that?

Lets do it baby, SASR I can never die?

Army chief admits morale concerns over lack of combat
Lieutenant General Leahy was responding to public criticism from two infantry officers who have written in the Australian Army Journal. The officers claim that some soldiers are sometimes ashamed to wear the Australian uniform and have been treated with "near contempt" by allies in Iraq and Afghanistan because they are involved in such low-risk missions.

Women jailed for leaving lover to die

A woman who drugged her lover then left him to die in a burning house has been jailed for 24 years.

Vasiliki "Vicky" Efandis, 50, cooked George Marcetta his favourite meal of pork and noodles, lacing it with sleeping tablets, in 2004, the Victorian Supreme Court heard.

She then used kerosene and paper to light a fire at several points in his Bellfield house, including the bedroom where Mr Marcetta, 58, slept.

Justice Stephen Kaye said Efandis's crime was planned, cold blooded and remorseless.

He said she was motivated by greed and had abused Mr Marcetta's trust in the most "appalling way".

Justice Kaye said Efandis callously exploited his affection and attraction to her to gain control of his assets before his death.

Had the medication she drugged him with not worked quickly, he would have suffered a most terrifying end, he said.

Efandis had tried to set up a friend as a suspect in his murder, he said.

Justice Kaye said Efandis had suffered a series of accidents and she accepted the impact jail would have on her health.

He also said despite her financial motive in the crime, she would be largely destitute on release.

Efandis must serve a minimum of 20 years.

Teen jailed for autistic man's death

A teenager who stabbed an autistic man to death in a Sydney toilet block has been sentenced to seven years in jail.

Thirty-five-year-old Gerard Fleming, who had a mild form of autism, died after being stabbed twice in a toilet block at Narrabeen, on Sydney's northern beaches, in 2007.

A Year 11 student, who was 16 at the time, was found guilty of manslaughter.

The court heard the teenager had been drinking with Gerard Fleming, but told a friend the 35-year-old tried to rape him in the toilet block, which was a well-known gay beat.

In handing down the sentence, Justice Kirby said the crime was compulsive and the offender was remorseful.

But he said human life is sacred and it was still a senseless death that had arisen from a misunderstanding.

He sentenced the teenager to seven years' jail with a non-parole period of three-and- a-half years.

Judge jails 'cold-hearted' murderer

A Victorian woman who murdered her partner by drugging him and setting his house on fire has been sentenced to 24 years in jail.

Vasiliki Efandis showed little emotion as she was jailed for the murder of George Marchetta at Bellfield in 2004.

The Victorian Supreme Court heard Efandis, aged in her late fifties, was motivated by greed, as she became close to her victim, and gained control of his assets.

The Court heard on the night of the murder she cooked her victim's favourite meal, laced it with a sedative, and later set his house on fire using almost 30 litres of kerosene.

A jury found Efandis guilty of one count of murder.

In sentencing, Justice Stephen Kaye said the crime was cold-hearted and merciless.

Efandis will serve a non-parole period of 20 years.

Man charged over fatal collision on harbour

Police have charged Percy Small but not Matthew Reynolds the person who allegedly stole the boat that fatal night on Sydney Harbour?

POLICE have charged Percy Small, the man allegedly driving the boat that was in a collision with a fishing trawler in Sydney Harbour earlier this year killing six young people.

Homicide officers arrested the 24-year-old former Sydney barman at a house in Sippy Downs, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, yesterday afternoon.

He was taken to Maroochydore police station and charged with six counts of dangerous navigation occasioning death and driving a boat with a mid-range blood-alcohol content, in accordance with the Marine Safety Act.

He was refused bail and is due to appear today at Maroochydore Magistrates Court, where NSW homicide squad detectives will apply to have him extradited.

Small's family would not discuss the arrest last night.

The arrest is the culmination of an eight-month investigation by detectives in the homicide squad's coronial investigation team, who have been assessing whether charges should be laid over the May 1 crash.

The people who died in the crash were mother-of-two Ashlei Ayres; Jessica Holloway; Stacey Wright; Alexander Rumiz; Elizabeth Holder; and Alexandre Nikakis.

The seven-metre half-cabin runabout allegedly driven by Small was initially reported as having been taken without the knowledge of its owner, Sydney Ship Repair and Engineering, [by Matthew Reynolds.]

Although it was only authorised top carry eight people, 14 were aboard when the crash occurred.

The group allegedly had been drinking at a Balmain hotel on the night of April 30, and Matthew Reynolds had offered to take them for a cruise to Rose Bay and back.

The group made it safely to Rose Bay and at some point it is believed Small took control. Then, about 100 metres off Bradleys Head, the boat was in a collision with the fishing boat Jordon's as it was heading out to sea.

It is understood this is not the end of Strike Force Condor, formed to investigate the incident. Survivor Matthew Reynolds is still considered a person of interest by detectives. [If not why not?]

In August, Mr Reynolds said he was not responsible for the collision and was not behind the wheel of the overcrowded boat. "People need to remember that there were two boats involved that night. The front of their boat hit the side of ours," he said.

Yesterday evening his father, Charlie a [cruser tycoon in QLD], said his son did not want to discuss the arrest or crash. [No doubt as well as the fact that he and the publicans at the Balmain hotel have influence.]

"Whatever he says is never reported that way, so he's not saying anything," Charlie Reynolds said. [Actually not quite correct the corporate media have been reporting lies in his favour and trying to cover-up for him see links below;.

Updated 4:17pm (AEST)

Daily Terror Attacks Wrong Culprit

Percy Small crash skipper on 'coke, dope, booze' FORMER cocktail barman Percy Small was under the influence of a mixture of cocaine, cannabis and alcohol when skippering the runabout that crashed on Sydney Harbour in May, killing six, court papers allege.

Who stole the boat? Then handed Percy Small the wheel? The driver of the vessle is the culprit why are they working on Small? Not enough money or influence. Matthew Reynolds the person who is accused of stealing the boat that fatal night on Sydney Harbour.

Can anyone imagine that they attended a Pub Staff Night Gone Wrong?

Then during the party were invited out on the harbour for a cruise by Matthew Reynolds who allegedly stole the boat. During the cruise one of the passengers somehow or another ends up with the steering-wheel and then the boat hits another boat.

Firstly, it is hard to believe that Reynolds did not have a drink or something. He was hospitalised after the accident 'was his indulgence covered up’? The reason is because it's also hard to believe that the police took 8 months to lay a charge.

Why? Because Sydney Ship Repair and Engineering reported the boat stolen and reiterated that the boat had been stolen.

1) Why would police not act on this information?

2) Why would Percy Small the invited guest be charged and not the person who was, at all material times, the skipper of the vessel, whether he handed over the wheel to someone else during the journey, or not.

3) Hence did police accurately do a drug and alcohol test on Matthew Reynolds and could they cover that up as well?

Questions for the coroner I would have thought.

4) Why was there no coroner’s inquest into the accident?


Related:

Harbour revellers speeding before impact
Amongst other things, like theft and drunken driving, there are dangerous driving charges - occasioning 6 deaths on Sydney Harbour.

Crash survivor won't get on a boat
Who stole the boat that was subsequently overloaded, unregistered, uninsured, and unlicensed? Now you don't have to be a policeman to work that out do you?

Crash skipper named in police cover-up
Who stole the boat that was subsequently overloaded, unregistered, uninsured, and unlicensed? Now you don't have to be a policeman to work that out do you?

Harbour crash 'driver' goes to police
Police "too busy" to question possible driver of boat in fatal harbour crash. Matthew Reynolds, the 31-year-old originally thought to be at the helm of the runabout which collided with a fishing boat on Sydney Harbour in May, killing six people, attended Tweed Heads Police Station today.

Boat safety laws overhauled
The New South Wales Government has announced maritime safety laws will be overhauled, a month after six people died in a boat crash on Sydney Harbour.

Boat tragedy: mystery over driver?
Three weeks after the Sydney Harbour tragedy, police have yet to establish who was driving the runabout that collided with a fishing trawler, killing six young people.

Boat driver in fatal crash revealed: cover-up
Cocktail barman Percy Small has been named as the man at the wheel of the runabout when it crashed into a larger fishing boat, killing six people. It is believed those on board have also claimed that a third person may have been at the wheel during some point in the journey, News Limited [Limited News] reports. [???] [An attempt now to place someone that was allegedly not drunk at the helm???] Quote: "Witnesses have told police that after Mr Reynolds, a qualified skipper, negotiated the boat from Balmain Wharf he handed the controls over to Mr Small. Mr Small, who holds a 'boating licence' and 'did not appear affected by alcohol', safely took the boat across the harbour to Watsons Bay." Unquote. [NSW Police and Limited News Lies? Seems like they got the all clear??? Now all they have to do is inform the boat owners that granting permission to the crew for the journey won't be a liability???]

Harbour death crash: [who stole the boat?]
The father of Matthew Reynolds, [the man originally thought to have stolen the runabout and] the man originally thought to have been at the helm of the runabout at the time of last Thursday's harbour tragedy, says his son knows who was steering the vessel but will not reveal their identity because of "legal implications".

Homicide squad called in over harbour crash
THE homicide squad stamped its authority on the investigation into the harbour tragedy yesterday, with an inspection of the boats that smashed into each other in the cold and dark on Thursday morning.

Police name 6th harbour crash victim
Thirty-two-year-old Ashlei Ayres, a single mother of two, has now been named as one of the five people who died at the scene of the crash.



Balmain hotels fill as young mourn pub mates
Many of those involved in the accident were from Balmain. Friends gathered, embraced and cried openly on Darling Street, and soon after were intoxicated with alcohol as well as grief. Balmain bar staff described the incident as a pub staff night gone wrong.

Activists target Rudd's net censorship plans

The political activists who helped free David Hicks and abolish Work Choices have now set their sights on the Government's plan to censor the internet, which is already facing a major backlash and a lack of political support.

GetUp says it plans to run mainstream ads and offline action that will be as elaborate as its free Hicks campaign. In just a day, a petition on its website has attracted over 22,000 signatures; GetUp said it had received more emails urging them to act on this issue than "any other campaign in recent history".

The Greens this week officially announced their opposition to the internet filtering plan, which critics like GetUp fear will slow the internet to a crawl and open the door to censorship of other material such as, political views and pro-abortion sites.

They join a chorus of dissent from internet providers, consumers, engineers, network administrators and online rights activists.

Despite the significant opposition, the Government is pressing ahead with live filtering trials, which it wants to launch by December 24. ISPs, which already offer free filters but on a voluntary basis, are reluctant to take part but fear they have no other way of showing the Government the deep flaws in its mandatory censorship plan.

"We're very, very concerned that there's going to be a unnecessary clamp down on the internet and it has to be watched," Greens leader Bob Brown said Tuesday.

GetUp campaign director Ed Coper said he was certain his organisation's "Save the Net" campaign would be "really big and ongoing".

"It's certainly one of the most ill-thought-out decisions of the Rudd Government so far," he said.

Laboratory test results released in June by the Australian Communications and Media Authority found available filters frequently let through content that should be blocked, incorrectly block harmless content and slow network speeds by up to 87 per cent.

The Government plans to impose a mandatory filter for all internet users that will block sites found on the secret ACMA blacklist and blacklists held by other countries. But only half of ACMA's list is child pornography, while the rest is mainly X-rated porn and sexual fetish material.

A second, optional filtering tier, which will also be tested in the trial, will block content deemed inappropriate for children.

The filters can easily be evaded by those using freely available tools.

Britain, Sweden, Canada, Norway, Denmark and New Zealand have all implemented similar filtering systems. However, in all cases, participation by ISPs was optional and the filtering was limited in scope to predominantly child pornography.

12yo drink driver gets probation

A 12-year-old Mount Isa girl has been ordered to serve 12 months' probation after pleading guilty to several charges, including drink driving.

The Mount Isa Children's Court heard the girl was more than three times over the legal blood alcohol limit when she stole and crashed a car.

As part of the probation, Magistrate Howard Osborne ordered the girl to undergo drug and alcohol testing, and Child Safety to stay in contact with her family.

Zionists are a power group in Australia

And they all have an office in every corporate news media in Australia including (allegedly) your ABC.

But wait there is more…

They go under the name of (AIPAC) The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Pro-Israel Lobby working to strengthen relations between the United States and Israel through political and student activism in campaigns and elections.

But wait there is still more…

Zionist Tactics and Manipulation in Australian Media…..

1) They over sympathise with people who have been accidentally hurt as we all do but they MAGNIFY this in their media to show the public they really do care more....When there is no need to do this to the extent that they do. This gives them credibility in the eyes of the public. For instance: Extreme makeovers. We care more therefore you should believe everything we say now.

2) They attack and trial by media even those that may be innocent and drive them into being guilty, especially if they have something to gain from it. One of those things they gain is that they want to be seen as PROTECTING the community. That gives them credibility as well in the eyes of the public. They are doing the community a favour? Example: Now there are no juries in the common law division and the equity division of the courts - that means manipulated courts can seize your money and property. No double jeopardy rule in criminal courts: So people can be tried until they're found guilty – not just by the court but by the media endless sound-bites - regardless of a finding. The Judge can sack a jury member without sacking the entire Jury: That means the government can easily manipulate trials. People are convicted on circumstantial evidence and hearsay regardless of whether that circumstantial evidence is flawed and or whether they have a weapon or body.

3) They attack the race of people they are exploiting and lately that is Aboriginals and Muslims because they sought to take their land in NT and WA and are attacking Muslims in their own countries Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine.

4) They choose your ELECTED party and FOCUS on only two parties in the end "Two Party Preferred.

5) If the preferred party has its hands dirty, crimes included, they do change the baton but only to the other party that they can control. Can you remember Kevin Rudd seeking Rupert Murdoch's approval for Kevin 07?

6) They hide and ignore the real truth.

7) They undermine people and attack people regularly: "Calls for independent Iguana-gate inquiry mounting > National ..."

8) They flood the media with diversions when they don't want any attention about a subject or issue that should be their focus.

9) They put fears in the community that don't exist and cover up for state terrorism.

10) They provoke wars.

11) They Divide and Conquer the general public.

12) They MAGNIFY women and sex offences to maintain their righteousness and credibility knowing that those who would attack a women or children as in the NT Aboriginal community, and as many media reports;

Sydney Morning Herald, Australia SOME Muslim religious leaders are condoning rape within marriage, domestic violence, polygamy, welfare fraud and the exploitation of women, a report on imam ... Imams condone rape, violence - report.

We all detest women and child offences but those accused being the 'most unpopular people' can then be undermined 'guilty or not' and mud sticks. But that is why we have a court of law.

13) You write what you're 'told' or you don't have a job.

14) They push for more draconian laws based on the fear they project and the wars they provoke. The 44 draconian laws made in the corrupt so-called war on terror. Instigated by US state terrorism in Bali with the complicit Australian government including the AFP and ASIO who helped cover it up.

15) Internet filtering and censorship the Australian Government's current Internet filtering and censorship proposals.

16) Mandatory Testing and Vaccinations for all health workers. Whatever anyone feels about the rights and wrongs of vaccination this compulsory vaccination program is a violation of our rights to work in the health care system. We should not have to submit to tests and vaccinations to keep our jobs. We have to work. Perhaps this mandatory Testing and Vaccinations is good for big Pharma? They Mandatory Vaccinated US military and they ended up with gulf war syndrome. A congressionally mandated report released Monday concluded that “Gulf War Syndrome” is a legitimate condition suffered by more than 175,000 US war veterans who were exposed to chemical toxins in the 1991 Gulf War. Nothing should be mandatory.

17) Well off people belittle poor and desperate people to cut off tax-payers provided Social Security to undermine humanities life line. Murdoch warns against Australian bludger mentality. But Rupert Murdoch’s media empire has lied to the world causing unnecessary fears and provoking wars, hence becoming the biggest bludger on humanity. Charity a waste, says Gerry Harvey. Retail king says giving money to some is like helping a whole heap of no-hopers to survive for no reason". Since when has survival been for no reason?

18) Police and Media un-necessarily breaking down families into criminals I.E referring to them as just men or alleged criminals in child access disputes. Hunting them, posting them, and not referring to their relationship with their children. This is to give the State and the police more credibility to break down families, making out that they are protecting society from dangerous relatives.

19) People who are valuable to the state like Police who do the states bidding, football stars, Olympic stars or some people with money and influence like publicans etc get let off for their crimes. Any enquiries or court proceedings about them are delayed and are then white washed. The fact that their decisions are delayed helps the authorities to overcome the general publics outrage at the disparity. I think people are aware of who these people are and have been over the past few years so I won’t mention names. Accept to say that these crimes include gang rape, accidental manslaughter and assaults. In one instance six people were killed on Sydney Harbour and no-one was even charged.

160 juveniles housed in NSW police cells

We have seen a massive increase in the number of kids who are being held on remand partly due to the changes in bail laws: Juvenile Justice Minister

The New South Wales Government says overcrowding in the juvenile justice system will be alleviated by the availability of new beds in the next few months.

Last year, about 160 juveniles who were remanded in custody spent time in police cells because there was not enough room at detention centres.

The Juvenile Justice Minister, Graham West, says while there is a short-term problem, a new facility in Sydney's west and extensions to other centres will eventually relieve the pressure on the system.

"We recognise there is a shortage of beds in our facilities which is why we are building an extra 80, including 50 in a specialist remand unit," he said.

"We have seen a massive increase in the number of kids who are being held on remand partly due to the changes in bail laws and also because of changed policing practices."

But the Opposition's spokesman on juvenile justice, Anthony Roberts, says union sources have told him the changes will not be made in time.

"There'll be no juvenile justice beds for young offenders between Sydney and the Victorian border," he said.

"The Government, in light of this - they are spending $2,000 a day keeping young juveniles locked up in police cells - needs to overturn the decision to close the Keelong Juvenile Justice Centre and they need to do that immediately."

Related:

Judge rules youths be taken out of adult jail
IN A victory for prisoner rehabilitation, a Supreme Court judge has ordered three young offenders be removed from adult jails and returned to juvenile detention centres by Monday to complete their sentences.

Laws will push teenagers into adult prisons
TWELVE young offenders who have brought a court challenge against their transfer from juvenile to adult jails have been dealt a blow after the State Government rushed laws into Parliament that may ensure they are moved.

Juvenile jails crisis: inmates turned away
THE state's juvenile justice system is so overcrowded that at least three institutions are refusing to accept any more inmates.

Juvenile detainees sharing single cells
SEVERE overcrowding in the state's juvenile detention centres is forcing young people to share cells designed for one person, to sleep on mattresses on the floor and be held in "segregation" rooms usually used as punishment cells.

Anti-violence plan for children

A Federal Government agency is developing a plan for anti-violence education programs for children.

Libby Lloyd chairs the National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children and spoke at a seminar in Adelaide last night.

[Why not Violence Against ‘Everyone’ not necessarily just Against Women and their Children - If not then why not? This is supposed to be an article about educating children? Why educate children with a one sided view? Is it okay to violate men? The idea that we should only reduce Violence Against Women and their Children is a Zionist Tactic. Zionists maintain leverage by choosing to focus only on ‘women and children’ because that is how they undermine and divide the community the best. Anyone can search this blog under murder, violence, or domestic-violence and see that women also need help.]

[We are all human beings and to solve any problem like domestic violence then we must go to the ‘root’ of the problem and not try to divide the root of the problem into parts.]

Ms Lloyd says the plan outlines ways to change the way school children think about relationships, to prevent them entering abusive ones later in life.

"As we've gone around the country we've been talking with people about what age that would mean and many are saying high school and then they're saying junior high school, saying university, but we're even into people saying we need to work with playgroups, so we'd be looking at doing a lot around education and better understanding," she said.

"To make sure that we offer perpetrators of violence those sort of services at a very early stage in their lives and this is going down to you know kids bullying in schools, right through to using violence in their homes."

Quote: Pretty much a one sided view though. Perhaps the men should just kill each other and leave the women and children here on earth by themselves? I guess it's okay for parents to smack their children too? Bad lesson! How can children who have been 'reasonably forced' learn by example 'Anti-Violence' from the person they love the most? See link below: Bad lesson! Alienating parents doesn't solve the problem of domestic violence either See link below. Furthermore: Police use violence and so does the military.

You see even authorities have to lead by some form of example and that means no violence NONE. If society really wants to fix the problem. And what about violence in sport? What about violence on TV? When is that going to stop? And what about all the dead civilians in the Middle East?

Clearly there is a violence epidemic in Australia and we have to start asking the question why?

YOU SEE IT IS SOCIETY THAT IS FAILING OUR CHILDREN THESE ARE PARENTS NOT CHILDREN AND SOCIETY HAS TO LEAD BY SOME FORM OF EXAMPLE OTHERWISE THE CHILDREN ARE DOOMED TO FAILURE.

Related:

More women perpetrating domestic violence: statistics

In the 12 months to September 2003 police recorded 4918 women as persons of interest for perpetrating domestic violence. By 2006-07 that had risen to 6056, figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show.

Of the women arrested for domestic violence-related assault in the five years to last September only 32 per cent of the cases reached court, compared with 56 per cent of cases involving men, statistics show.

The bureau's director, Don Weatherburn, said the increase was likely to have been driven by more than one factor. Others could include an increase in binge drinking, or more men who were willing to admit they are victims.

"It's possible that people are becoming less tolerant of violence by females than they used to be," he said. More women are also being arrested for assault not related to domestic violence, which some attribute to a rise in alcohol abuse. Others say women can be as violent as men, and that in more than half of violent partnerships partners struck each other.

Zionist Tactics and Manipulation in Australian Media…..

6) They hide and ignore the real truth.

11) They Divide and Conquer the general public.

12) They MAGNIFY women and children offences to maintain their righteousness and credibility knowing that those who would attack a women or children as in the NT Aboriginal community, and as many media reports;

Sydney Morning Herald, Australia SOME Muslim religious leaders are condoning rape within marriage, domestic violence, polygamy, welfare fraud and the exploitation of women, a report on imam ... Imams condone rape, violence - report.

We all detest women and child offences but those accused being the 'most unpopular people' can then be undermined 'guilty or not' and mud sticks. But that is why we have a court of law.

Bligh won't budge on smacking code
The Queensland Government says it will not change a controversial section of the criminal code that allows "reasonable force" to be used when disciplining children.

Police arrest a father over access dispute?
In a media report yesterday the ABC reported (see article below), that the police arrested a man over the abduction of children. But were these his children?

Domestic murders hit 10-year high
But when we write our article then we may need to leave out say, the statistics in relation to women who commit 'domestic murders'? That's if we are going to succeed changing public opinon that it's only the men. Another fact is that women don't commit domestic murders? Of course this is just a guess?

Mayor seeks 'truth' over Mulrunji death
The Mayor of Palm Island, off north Queensland, says there are still too many unanswered questions about the 2004 death in custody of Mulrunji Doomadgee and the events that followed his death.

Torched man's killers get 24 years
Two people have each been sentenced to a minimum of 24 years in jail for burning a man to death in a hotel car park in Adelaide.

Psychiatric care for woman who killed
A Sydney woman charged with the stabbing murder of her father and sister has been found not guilty by reason of mental illness.

Lindstrom's murder plot sentence extended Swedish model
Charlotte Lindstrom's jail sentence for plotting the murder of two witnesses in a drug trial has been extended by at least another year.

Mother sentenced over her children's murders
A Victorian woman convicted of murdering her two sons has been sentenced to 24 years in a psychiatric hospital.

Psychic spirit sex murder accomplice jailed
A woman who helped her de facto husband after he murdered her best friend will spend at least 18 months in jail.

Woman jailed for 24 years for murdering teenage friend
Two Perth women have been sentenced to strict security life imprisonment, with a 24-year minimum, for what a judge has described as the evil and sexually perverse murder of a teenage girl.

Mother who threw baby convicted of manslaughter
A young mother has been found not guilty of murdering her baby daughter, despite admitting she caused the infant's fatal injuries.

On a dusty morning, our tiny Lake Angel finds peace
Two-year-old Dean James Shillingsworth was laid to rest in his father's home town of Brewarrina yesterday, a fortnight after his body was found dumped in a Sydney lake.

Mother found guilty of daughter's murder
A woman has broken down in the South Australian Supreme Court as a jury unanimously found her guilty of murdering her young daughter.

Teens to serve 15 years for 'gruesome' murder of friend
Two teenage girls have been sentenced to life imprisonment in Western Australia for murdering their 15-year-old friend who they then buried in a shallow grave in the south-west town of Collie.

Teens who killed taxi driver jailed
Two teenage girls who killed a taxi driver in western Sydney in January last year, have been jailed for at least three-and-a-half years.

Lawyers struggle to explain teenage murder motives
Lawyers for two teenagers have told the Perth Children's Court experts have been unable to determine why the girls turned into murderers.

Payouts for families of abused soldiers
The families of four young soldiers [diggers] who took their lives after suffering abuse in the army hope that government compensation is a step toward changing Australia's military justice system.

Day police just went too far
A man who challenged the right of police to remain in his home - only to be sprayed with capsicum spray, handcuffed and locked in a cell wearing only boxer shorts - has won his case in the High Court.

Girls gone wild
Women are drinking more and behaving more aggressively. Sonia Harford asks why. Not long ago, the women in Victorian prisons were there largely because of drug or property-related crimes. But that picture is slowly changing, with a rising number of women being convicted for assault and other violent crimes. Police statistics show that the rate of women arrested for crimes against the person - including homicide, rape, sexual assault, robbery and assault - increased from 2005 to 2007.

Court overcrowding 'inviting violence'
The Federal Government has been told that overcrowding at Newcastle Family Court is creating a volatile situation that invites acts of violence.

AFGHANISTAN: End the slaughter
An Afghan woman who lost family members weeps after air strikes on Friday in Azizabad district of Shindand August 23, 2008. An UN investigation suggested that 60 children were killed in the airstrike. Australian troops are not restoring peace in Afghanistan but working for oil company profits, amongst other things.

AFGHANISTAN: End the slaughter
On 22 August, 95 civilians were killed by NATO forces, 60 among them
were children. Yesterday 1 September another 70 civilians suffered the
same fate.

Casualties in Afghanistan:
Afghan troops killed: 8,587 Afghan troops seriously injured: 25,761
Afghan civilians killed: 3,485 Afghan civilians seriously injured:
6,273 U.S. troops killed: 534 U.S. troops seriously injured: 1,602
Other coalition troops killed: 402 Other coalition troops seriously
injured: 1,206 Contractors killed: 75 Contractors seriously injured:
2,428 Journalists killed: 6 Journalists seriously injured: unknown
Total killed in Afghanistan: 13,089 Total injured in Afghanistan: 37,270

Casualties in Iraq:
Iraqi troops killed: 30,000 Iraqi troops seriously injured: 90,000
Iraqi civilians killed: 658,227 Iraqi civilians seriously injured:
1,184,809 U.S. troops killed: 4,193 U.S. troops seriously injured:
30,634 Other coalition troops killed: 314 Other coalition troops
seriously injured: 942 Contractors killed: 917 Contractors seriously
injured: 10,569 Journalists killed: 159 Journalists seriously injured:
unknown Total killed in Iraq: 693,810 Total injured in Iraq: 1,316,954

War criminal Howard wants crackdown on school violence?
Discipline is not achieved by cracking down but by teaching better lessons that include self awarness, empathy towards others and insight into offending behaviour. Once more Howard couldn't possibly teach those lessons because he himself lacks all of the above. That's why he asked for a 'crackdown'.

Williams refused leave for mum's funeral

Corrections Victoria have denied Carl Williams the right to grieve for his mother at her funeral.

Leave has been granted to his father, George Williams, who will be escorted to the funeral by Corrections Victoria prison staff.

Stringent security conditions are being put in place to accommodate his attendance.

Barbara Williams was found dead in the bedroom of her home in Essendon, in Melbourne's north-west, on Saturday morning after an apparently deliberate drug overdose.

Carl Williams is serving 35 years in jail for the murders of gangland rivals - father and son Lewis and Jason Moran, Mark Amelia and Michael Marshall - and conspiracy to murder Mario Condello during Melbourne's underworld war.

Williams' father, George, 61, is serving time for drug convictions.

In the event of a death in the family, Corrections Victoria will attempt to arrange a visit between family membes in custody, the statement said.

Quote: It is sad day for society when any person has been denied the right to grieve for their own family. If his father can be escorted then the view that Carl cannot can only be described as political. Who runs the prisons? Politicians? What happened to the Sepparation of Powers? What does that say for Victorian Corrections? They obvioussly have no intention whatsoever to correct people. Why not change the name to Victorian Punishments?

Greenhouse gases rise to record levels

Levels of climate-warming greenhouses gases rose to record highs in 2007, leading to a 1 per cent increase in the overall warming effect, the World Meteorological Organisation said.

Carbon dioxide rose 0.5 per cent from 2006 to reach 383.1 parts per million, while nitrous oxide levels were up 0.25 per cent, according to latest WMO statistics.

Methane meanwhile increased 0.34 per cent, surpassing the highest level recorded in 2003.

"Using the NOAA Annual greenhouse gas index, the total warming effect of all long-lived greenhouse gases was calculated to have increased by 1.06 per cent from the previous year and by 24.2 per cent since 1990," said the WMO.

Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have risen 37 per cent since the 18th century, added the WMO.

Doctor's appeal rejected - now accepted

A tribunal has rejected an appeal by a Wimmera doctor against a decision denying his family permanent residency because of his son's disability.

Dr Bernhard Moeller and his family have had their application for residency refused because of the costs associated with the care of their son, who has Down Syndrome.

The Member for Mallee, John Forrest says the Migration Review Tribunal decided yesterday to support the Department's decision.

He says the Minister for Citizenship, Chris Evans, will now be asked to intervene.

"The Minister's indicated on a number of occasions his willingness to consider the use of his powers," he said.

"He's recently done it in regard to a professional nurse in Australia and we are hopeful he will come good for the Moellers."

Updated 4:12pm (AEST)

Doctor with Down syndrome son granted residency

A German doctor who was refused permanent residency because of his disabled son has been given a reprieve by the Federal Government.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans has granted a permanent visa to Dr Bernhard Moeller and his family.

Dr Moeller asked Senator Evans this morning to intervene in the case.

He had been denied a visa by the Immigration Department because his 13-year old son has Down syndrome.

Today Senator Evans told the Upper House that Dr Moeller would be able to stay.

"As Minister I can take into account all the circumstances and it was clear to me that Dr Moeller and his family are making a very valuable contribution to their local community," he said.

"Dr Moeller is providing a much-needed service in the area the family have integrated very well and they have substantial community support."

Dr Moeller says it has been very stressful waiting for the news,

"I was very tired yesterday when I got this news about the refusal from the tribunal and I was thinking is it really worthwhile? But now I am really happy. We've been jumping for joy," he said.

He said the system needs to be changed.

"I think something has to be done about it. It has to be set up more flexible. because I don't want more people to have such an experience like I had."

"It was a lot of stress and I think it was unnecessary," he said.

Dr Moeller is the only internal medicine specialist servicing 20,000 people in Horsham in western Victoria.

Related:

Disability group: review migration laws
The Down Syndrome Association of Western Australia says the Commonwealth must review legislation which makes it hard for people with children with disabilities to migrate to Australia.

:

Jail for repeat hit-run offender

An Adelaide man has been jailed for the hit-run death of an elderly man at Blair Athol.

Grigorio Sgardelis, 79, died in Prospect Road in January last year, after he was hit by a car driven by Clay Chittleborough, of Kilburn.

Port Adelaide Magistrates Court was told that Chittleborough failed to stop to help the dying man.

Magistrate Paul Foley set a 15-month head sentence for charges including failing to stop.

The sentence also took into account another crash, in 2004, when Chittleborough hit a pedestrian and also fled the scene.

He will be eligible for parole next May.

Uni students struggling more than ever

Uni students are struggling to make ends meet

New economic modelling has found university students are struggling financially more than ever.

The average university student will earn about $240 per week from all sources, but will have to spend about $540 on essentials such as food and rent.

Over the past decade, living costs have risen by 50 per cent, while Youth Allowance has only gone up by about 30 per cent.

The average student will also graduate with a HECS debt of about $20,000 and many will never be able to pay it off.

Related:

Students' $250 fee for uni services
UNIVERSITY students face new compulsory fees of up to $250 a year to fund campus activities such as debating clubs, counselling services and student newspapers.

HEP C in Australian Prisons out of control

Figures showing that Hepatitis C infection rates in Australian prisons are out of control have sparked fresh calls for needle exchange programs in gaols.

The research, to be published in The International Journal of Infectious Disease, puts the number of South Australian prisoners infected with the disease at 42%, with a staggering 60% of women prisoners testing positive to the virus.

This is compared to infection rates among the general public of under two percent.

If left untreated Hep C can result in liver disease or complete liver failure and can be fatal in rare cases.

To help combat the virus, many communities offer needle exchange programs to help make sure drug users don't share needles, but these programs are not available in Australian gaols.

Deakin University health researcher Dr Emma Miller is behind the study of Hepatitis C infection rates in gaols, and she says providing inmates with clean fits is a no-brainer.

To hear this 2SER interview click here:

Greens call for uranium mining be reinstated

The WA Greens will move an urgency motion in the Upper House calling on the Government to immediately reinstate the ban on uranium mining in Western Australia.

The Premier, Colin Barnett, announced the ban had been formally lifted last week, and that mining leases would no longer contain a clause excluding uranium mining.

Greens MP Giz Watson says the Government does not have a mandate for its position, given that the Liberal Party only won 24 seats in the Lower House, compared with Labor's 28.

"They didn't win the election, let's get this clear.," she said.

"They formed a minority Government with the Nationals. Now the Nationals didn't run on a policy of open slather uranium mining in this state. The Nationals ran on a policy of royalties to regions."

Aust ratifies UN protocol on discrimination

Australia has signed a UN convention to provide Australian women with international legal protection for their human rights.

The Federal Government has ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

The Minister for Women, Tanya Plibersek, says women now have the option of making a sex discrimination complaint to the United Nations after exhausting all legal channels in Australia.

"I think it's a very important thing for men and women that Australia says internationally, that equality between men and women is important in this country and that we're prepared to be judged by international standards," she said.

"We live in a region where a number of countries have very high rates of domestic violence and sexual assault and as we campaign in Australia to reduce domestic violence and sexual assault, as we try and help our neighbouring countries, it's very important to say that we are prepared to be judged by the same standards."

Quote: The problem with this though is that Australia doesn't uphold its UN protocol's on anything so in reality this is just a worthless piece of propaganda by the Australain Government and the alleged United Nations. All people are discriminated against in this country all the time. It's one thing to state these protocols but another to uphold them. Shame on Australia.

Sydney terrorist-attacks linked to London bomb plot?

Parody:

The masked terrorists cells who have committed violent Jihad bombings across Sydney who have blown up three ATMs early this morning, exploding machines in Clovelly, Chester Hill and Guildford have now been linked to another explosives-packed car found outside a nightclub near Piccadilly Circus in London on June 29, 2007.

This mornings three ATM terrorist attacks across Sydney causing explosions make it seven robberies or attempted robberies using gas cylinders in the last week.

Detectives from Strike Force 'You Look Silly’ are now investigating a spate of ATM terrorist attacks and explosions using gas cylinders across Sydney since July.

Now sources say an ATM card found at the seen of the Clovelly terrorist attack this morning has been linked to the same bank account of one of the bombers in a terrorist cell in London.

On June 29, 2007 police defused a bomb consisting of 200 liters of fuel, gas cylinders and nails found in an abandoned car in Haymarket, central London. A second car packed with gas and nails was later found to have been parked just a few hundred yards from the first, before it was towed away by traffic wardens in the early hours of Friday, June 29, 7007 for violating parking restrictions. Police say those two vehicles were also clearly linked.

The first terrorist cell in Sydney this morning hit an ATM at the Bendigo Bank on Clovelly Road at Clovelly in the city's eastern suburbs.

About 1.45am four of the terrorists exploded the street-front ATM at the intersection of Mount Street using gas cylinders, sending glass and debris flying as far as the other side of the road.

The ATM and front of the bank were destroyed. In the explosion, the terrorist thieves' dark grey Audi getaway car parked out the front of the bank was also damaged, forcing them to abandon it.

Police established a perimeter around the bank and told nearby neighbours to evacuate their homes until the gas cylinders in the boot of the car are deemed safe.

Police closed Clovelly Road as well as several surrounding streets and conducted Polair and dog squad searches throughout the early hours of this morning.

About the same time another terrorist cell of three masked men exploded an ATM at a bank on Waldron Street at Chester Hill in Sydney's west.

Police said the ATM and front section of the bank was significantly damaged and the area has been cordoned off while officers investigate.

The three terrorists, also using an Audi, but this time silver, as a getaway car, then managed to escape police.

The third terrorist attack in the space of half an hour happened about 2.15am, with cell this time targeting an ATM at the front of a physiotherapist shop on Guildford Road at Guildford in Sydney north west.

Guilford Road between Cross Street and Station Street have been cordoned off.

London has a long history of bomb attacks and alerts during decades of violence mounted by terrorists. Lone attackers also have previously targeted the city's gay and immigrant communities.

We're currently facing the most serious and sustained threat to our security from international terrorism.

If you see anything suspicious call the 24-hour National Security Hotline on 1800 666 and remember every piece of information helps.

Related:

Terrorist attacks - Cells strike Sydney’s ATM’s
Masked terrorists cells have committed violent Jihad bombings and have blown up three ATMs across Sydney early this morning, exploding machines in Clovelly, Chester Hill and Guildford.

There's never been a terrorist attack in Australia
Just yesterday an ATM was blown out of a wall though. Hole in wall' gang blow out ATM The damage caused when thieves blew away the brick wall of a North Ryde shopping centre to steal an ATM.

Terrorist attacks - Cells strike Sydney’s ATM’s

Masked terrorists cells have committed violent Jihad bombings and have blown up three ATMs across Sydney early this morning, exploding machines in Clovelly, Chester Hill and Guildford.

The first terrorist cell hit an ATM at the Bendigo Bank on Clovelly Road at Clovelly in the city's eastern suburbs.

About 1.45am four of the terrorists exploded the street-front ATM at the intersection of Mount Street using gas cylinders, sending glass and debris flying as far as the other side of the road.

The ATM and front of the bank were destroyed.

In the explosion, the terrorist thieves' dark grey Audi getaway car parked out the front of the bank was also damaged, forcing them to abandon it.

Police established a perimeter around the bank and told nearby neighbours to evacuate their homes until the gas cylinders in the boot of the car are deemed safe.

Police closed Clovelly Road as well as several surrounding streets and conducted Polair and dog squad searches throughout the early hours of this morning.

About the same time another terrorist cell of three masked men exploded an ATM at a bank on Waldron Street at Chester Hill in Sydney's west.

Police said the ATM and front section of the bank was significantly damaged and the area has been cordoned off while officers investigate.

The three terrorists, also using an Audi, but this time silver, as a getaway car, then managed to escape police.

The third terrorist attack in the space of half an hour happened about 2.15am, with cell this time targeting an ATM at the front of a physiotherapist shop on Guildford Road at Guildford in Sydney north west.

Guilford Road between Cross Street and Station Street have been cordoned off.

It is not yet known if the Guildford and Chester Hill explosions are linked to the plot to blow up the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the Sydney Opera House or if any of the men escaped with cash to buy more explosives.

This mornings three ATM terrorists attacks causing explosions make it seven robberies or attempted robberies using gas cylinders in the last week.

Detectives from Strike Force 'You Look Silly', who are investigating a spate of ATM terrorist attacks and explosions using gas cylinders across Sydney since July, have been notified.

Sources say a fatwa was issued early this morning.

"Fatwa, fatwa, fatwa all you infidels in Australia while you continue to imprison all our brothers for thought crimes we'll steal the rest of your money.

Related:

There never has been a terrorist attack in Australia
Just yesterday an ATM was blown out of a wall though. Hole in wall' gang blow out ATM The damage caused when thieves blew away the brick wall of a North Ryde shopping centre to steal an ATM.

PM urged to tackle homelessness

'Dead wrong' ... Mr Rudd has been urged to follow through on homelessness

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is under pressure to make good on his promise to help the plight of the nation's homeless.

Mr Rudd put homelessness on the national agenda in January, announcing he was forming a committee to improve crisis services and help people get long-term housing.

He also told MPs to learn more about the plight of the homeless by spending a night in an emergency shelter.

"It is dead wrong that in a country as wealthy as ours that on any given night some 14,000 people are sleeping rough," he said at the time.

But Deb Tsorbaris from the coalition Australians for Ending Homelessness says the situation has deteriorated over the past year, and the global financial crisis is already biting the Australian community hard.

"We already know that in one of the last sets of data, the data that is collected from our services, that nearly 3,000 people had had mortgages before they appeared at our services," she said.

"That was at least a year ago, so we would expect those numbers to double or triple. Now that's frightening."

The coalition is in Canberra with a five-point plan to reduce homelessness and holds out hope that action can begin before the end of the year.

"Kevin Rudd has distinguished himself as the only prime minister, in my memory anyway, who has singled out homelessness as an issue that he wants to tackle," she said.

"We have had the white paper delayed. COAG is in a week and at that time there will be discussions between the states and the Commonwealth about huge amounts of money, in excess of $33 billion, and we are keen to make sure that a chunk of that goes to the area of homelessness."

The group's plan includes a proposal to build an additional 250,000 low-cost and community houses by 2020.

Federal Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek says she expects the issue will be raised at next Saturday's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting.

"I think we are at, obviously, a very difficult time because of the global financial crisis, but the Government's early and decisive action with its $10.4 billion economic security strategy, I think, has certainly given a lot of people comfort and security and our actions on homelessness have been critical," she said.

"But we have got to ask ourselves, not just how the economic circumstances are affecting the number of homeless people, but how successful we are as a community and as governments working together to turn around some of these numbers."

Ms Plibersek says the Prime Minister's commitment to dealing with homelessness "has been full and unwavering".

Financial crisis no excuse for homeless neglect: Greens

The Greens say the Federal Government should not use the financial crisis as an excuse to water down its commitments to homeless people.

Greens Senator Scott Ludlum says the Government's rhetoric on homeless people has not been matched by action.

He says he is worried the Government will continue to stall and blame the financial crisis.

"It is something that's starting to colour the debate, if it's anything the Government's trying to put off or might be politically difficult it's certainly something being raised," he said.

"With due acknowledgment that the world economy is in serious trouble, people are still homeless right across Australia so I think it's time we saw some concrete action."

Related:

Mixed bag for Sydney's renters: report
Rents for Sydney homes have increased by more than 16 per cent in the past year.

Greens push for affordable homes
The NSW Greens have introduced a bill into the Legislative Council that would allow councils to require up to 25 per cent of new multi-unit housing developments to be set aside for affordable housing.

More families needing emergency support
The welfare group Anglicare says it is noticing a growing need among working families for emergency relief and housing support.

Report warns new wave of homelessness
State and federal governments are being warned of a new wave of homelessness threatening disadvantaged families.

Upwardly immobile: mortgage stress bites
Reserve Bank statistics do not begin to tell the real story of housing stress in Sydney's western suburbs, according to financial counsellor Mike Young.

Households give up three years of gains
AUSTRALIAN households have been hit so hard this year that their financial gains of the past three years have been wiped out, a Reserve Bank report has found.

Rental rage surges in Sydney
One in three real estate agents have been threatened or abused by people frustrated at Sydney's rental shortage, a survey has found.

Qld has highest homeless rate in Australia
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show Queensland has the highest homeless population in Australia.

More homeless seeking help: report
A new report shows there has been a substantial increase in the number of homeless Australians seeking government help.

Housing rents surge in Sydney
RENTS for houses across Sydney surged 8 per cent in the three months to June, driven by landlords facing higher mortgage rates.

First mortgages doubled in a decade: ABS
The amount first home buyers borrowed to make their housing purchase doubled in the 10 years to 2005-06, new statistics show.

Housing crisis forcing people to sleep rough
A Wesley Mission study found 71 per cent of respondents identified the housing crisis as the major reason for them becoming homeless. Of those, 88 per cent said accumulated debt and unexpected financial crisis were factors.

Funding fall 'locks workers out of housing'
People who cannot afford to rent or buy suitable homes have been locked out of public housing because of a drastic fall in national funding, a Sydney conference has heard.

Renters must pay for their own evictions
SYDNEY renters have plenty to gripe about. Not only are their rents soaring but they are also funding the legal machinery used by landlords to evict them.

NSW feels the deepest jobs cut
MORE than 17,000 NSW workers left or lost their jobs last month in the worst labour market reading in years, fuelling fears the state will suffer the brunt of the coming economic slowdown.

Welfare services under strain: survey
The number of people accessing community services is on the rise, a new survey shows.

Report warns new wave of homelessness
State and federal governments are being warned of a new wave of homelessness threatening disadvantaged families.

When pain persists, they arrive
People are still angry when they lose their houses, but he notices that "people nowadays seem to think, when they take a loan, that it's a risk and that if they take the loan they might end up losing their house".

'No warning' about Beechwood collapse
The New South Wales Government says it had no warning one of the state's largest building companies was about to collapse, despite receiving more than 100 complaints over three years.

Housing crisis is real: industry
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) says new research highlights the seriousness of Australia's housing crisis.

Fee too much for Block project
THE Aboriginal Housing Company has accused the Minister for Planning, Frank Sartor, of "trying to crucify" an ambitious housing plan for the Block in Redfern after his department refused to waive a $60,000 development application processing fee for the project.

Bligh won't budge on smacking code

The Queensland Government says it will not change a controversial section of the criminal code that allows "reasonable force" to be used when disciplining children.

The State Government reviewed 200 cases in response to concerns that parents were using discipline as a defence for abusing their children.

Premier Anna Bligh says the review showed parents who use excessive force are being charged and penalised accordingly.

Quote:"Reasonable force" by picking up a young child and moving them out of danger is okay but reasonable force by assaulting them is not. Anyone who assaults another person is committing a crime. Governments should not make crimes legal. Hence child abuse.

Related:

Children needing protection 'has tripled'
The biggest increase in the number of notifications was in NSW. New research shows state governments have failed to put in place appropriate child protection measures despite a sharp rise in the number of children needing protection from violent and sexual abuse in the last 10 years.

Criminal Code legtimises violence against kids: MP
A Queensland state Labor MP says new statistics showing the extent of child physical abuse by parents support his case for a review of the criminal code.

Child removal rate similar to Stolen Generations
A Queensland Government report shows Aboriginal children are being removed from their families at a rate similar to the Stolen Generations of the 1920s.

Parents lack life skills, means, time: Stanley
ONE in five Australian parents are poor caregivers because they don't have the means or life skills, child health expert Professor Fiona Stanley says.

Mental illness more prevalent among youth
A new report on children's health shows that young people's mental health may not be improving, as was previously thought.

Taking the scalpel to DOCS
Overloaded on one front, the state's child protection agency fails all. When the body of a boy was found in a suitcase last year, and a girl was later found starved to death, the State Government could no longer ignore the calls for a major inquiry into the state's child protection system.

Formal sorry to child abuse victims
The Mullighan Inquiry recently exposed hundreds of cases of abuse, some dating back to the 1960s. Commissioner Ted Mullighan called it a foul undercurrent of abuse in SA institutions.

Principals agree: cut out social subjects
"The curriculum is far too crowded and we know from our research that not all schools can do what is being asked of them," she said. "The social responsibilities being placed on primary schools are ever increasing, taking time and resources away from our core business."

NZ passes anti-smacking law
New Zealand's anti-smacking Bill will become law within weeks after winning overwhelming support in Parliament.

End Physical Punishment of Children
EPOCH-USA seeks to end corporal punishment of children in all settings including homes through education and legal reform. The following links provide useful information about effects of corporal punishment of children and alternatives. Questions?

Police arrest a father over access dispute?

In a media report yesterday the ABC reported (see article below), that the police arrested a man over the abduction of children. But were these his children?

By the sounds of it making this man 'estranged' to these children in the eyes of the general public?

Well the ABC never cleared that up so we don't know.

So he was like this 'known man' who abducted them and nobody closer than a friend?

Then the police media stated that a six year-old boy and his two-year old sister were allegedly taken from their Fairfield home the day before by quote “a man who is known to them”. Un-quote.

So who was this man known to them? Their father?

But was the word father omitted out of the report? And why would a reporter omit that the person of interest may have been the father of the children?

Was that reported by the police PR media unit?

Was that special operation 'we don’t have a clue?’

What about special operation 'we don't believe in fathers'.

Would you believe special operation 'we only deal with criminals.'

They then reported that he kidnapped them? Not allegedly kidnapped them, but he did kidnap them. So he was guilty in their eyes.

But did he kidnap them? Well they were kids i'll grant them that.

Although it does sound more like he did not return the children say after an access visit? Or perhaps he, the [father], just wanted to be with his children? Perhaps, even say, an access visit gone wrong or even in direct contravention of a Family Court order? We don’t know.

Police then said, according to the media or police PR Quote: that the [man] allegedly threatened to harm them, ‘these [known] children. “

But does this cause unnecessary, alarm and affront and did he threaten these ‘known’ children?

If he were their father would he have been more likely to threaten his own children if a crisis situation had developed?

Police had earlier issued a rare amber alert during the search for the two young children.

Seems that this could have just been a dispute between parents of children?

So if the police arrested the man over a dispute why didn’t they report this alleged crime for what it may have been?

Why make an access dispute into a DANGEROUS situational crisis? Could that have gone wrong and caused this person to panic?

What is wrong with the label [father] if that is what the man was to his children?

What does changing that label do to the family in crisis?

Is this how people get shot and killed when police have no notion of family in their vocabulary?

And is a father a dirty word to the Police Force?

The reason I raise this article is that the breakdwon of families means that because a family is strong it can usually withstand intimidation by the authorities and therefore allot harder to breakdown. Once broken down into sepparate entitiies can easily be manipulated by the STATE.

I do understand that the Police want to criminalise people so that allegedly more attention is gained in order to arrest this person having others in the community think that this man is and could only be a danger to society but that's not true.

Because this notion can also go very wrong say if the person thinks that all he is, (in this case) is a criminal and did do something stupid like what happens in police pursuits . If that had occured and there was a death then would the police take the blame? I don't think so.

Personally I think it is fair for the word, father, brother, uncle etc to be included in the report if that is in fact what relationship the person was to those children and this would rather calm down the situational crisis much better. Man is more like a stranger and that's not fair to the family.

Related Article:

Police arrest man over child abduction

Police have arrested a man over the kidnapping of two children in Sydney.

A six-year-old boy and his two-year-old sister were allegedly
taken from their Fairfield home yesterday morning by a man who is known
to them.

Police said the man allegedly threatened to harm the children before driving off with them in a grey four-wheel drive.

A police spokesman says the man was found near his four-wheel drive in Campsie.
Police had earlier issued a rare amber alert during the search for the two young children.

Updated: 8:31am (AEST)

Dad charged after kidnapping man-hunt

Police say a man who allegedly abducted his two children in south-west Sydney yesterday did so on the same day an apprehended violence order (AVO) was taken out against him.

Officers allege the 37-year-old took his six-year-old son and two-year-old daughter from their Fairfield home about 8:00am (AEDT) on Saturday.

He was arrested about 7:50pm (AEDT) yesterday at Roselands, where police seized the car.

The father has been charged with eight counts of breaching an AVO.

The man spent the night in police custody and will face Fairfield Local Court today.

The children were safely returned to their mother yesterday.

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

Quote: Oh! Dad better late than never. And when they say that the apprehended violence order (AV0) was issued on the same day. That is usually also Police, Media PR propaganda, and not necessarily before the act of child access.

Because police can make out the said AVO even before they speak to the defendant or accused person. Just more media tricks to break down this family and have the person appear more guilty.

Related:

Law council backs Family Court merger plan
The Law Council of Australia has backed recommendations to revamp family law by integrating the Family Court with the Family Law Division of the Federal Magistrates Court.

Driver gets $55K payout after affair with MP

The Tasmanian Premier, David Bartlett, has announced a settlement with the driver who had an affair with former Cabinet Minister, Paula Wriedt.

Ms Wriedt attempted to commit suicide in August when she learned the driver, Ben Chaffey, had lodged a claim with the Government.

Mr Chaffey's lawyers had threatened to pursue a sexual harassment claim.

The Premier says Mr Chaffey has agreed to a one off payment of $40,000, as well as reimbursement for up to $15,000 in legal and medical fees.

Mr Chaffey will also be offered another job in State Government but on a lower salary.

Ms Wriedt was sacked from the front bench six weeks after her suicide attempt.

She is still on leave and has not announced if she is returning to Parliament.

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Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett has sacked Paula Wriedt from his Cabinet.

Domestic murders hit 10-year high

The New South Wales Government is being urged to hold an immediate review into domestic violence homicides, with the number of women and children killed in NSW at its highest level in almost a decade.

The state's Bureau of Crime Statistics says 29 women and children were murdered in domestic incidents between July last year and June this year, six above the average for the past 10 years.

The State Opposition's spokeswoman for women, Pru Goward, says it is obvious police and community services systems are not working.

"These record figures are an absolute indictment of the State Labor Government," she said.

"The State Labor Government has had the opportunity to introduce a domestic violence homicide review for some time.

"It's been called for by the sector, we've called for it. We've asked the Government and they consistently refuse to do it."

Quote: But when we write our article then we may need to leave out say, the statistics in relation to women who commit 'domestic murders'? That's if we are going to succeed changing public opinon that it's only the men. Another fact is that women don't commit domestic murders? Of course this is just a guess?

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Pensioners demand payment increase

About 200 pensioners have gathered at the Melbourne Town Hall to demand an increase in their payments.

The Government is giving pensioners a one-off payment of $1,400 next month, but they say it will not be enough to cover the rising cost of living.

Seniors groups want the Federal Government to increase the pension rate from 25 per cent of average weekly earnings, to 35 per cent.

The Council on Ageing spokeswoman Patricia Reeve says pensioners are struggling to survive.

"Some people are talking about a $30 a week increase and that's just not enough that won't make the difference that's required," she said.

"The other thing is Government has many calls on it. We're asking a whole community to say to the Government it's time to do something about pensions."

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Poor pay sees lawyers stop legal aid work

The Law Institute of Victoria is predicting that the state's court system will be overloaded with unrepresented clients because of inadequate funding for legal aid.

The institute says pay for legal aid work has become so poor and the workload so great that hundreds of lawyers have made the decision to immediately stop taking on cases.

A recent survey by the Federal Attorney-General's department showed that a third of law firms that have done legal aid work in the past have stopped mostly because the rate of pay is about half the going commercial rate.

The president of the Law Council of Australia, Ross Ray, says it is a national problem for all state governments and the Commonwealth.

"The system is really calling out for help and it is time the State and Federal Government paid appropriate attention to the issues. It is the community that loses out and it really is time this was dealt with," he said.

The president of the Law Institute of Victoria, Tony Burke, says the legal aid system in Victoria is in crisis and legal aid lawyers are preparing to down tools.

"We are expecting that as a consequence, there will be delays in the courts," he said.

"The courts will struggle. Judges and magistrates will have to deal with many more unrepresented people. There will be inconvenience. The cost of running the courts will increase. The cost of policing will increase and the cost of corrections will increase.

"For too long in Victoria we have had what is effectively a gaping wound in the criminal justice system and it has been patched over by the unpaid labour of lawyers in the worst-paid sector of the private legal profession. Now that unpaid labour won't any longer be available and the problem will get worse."

Mr Burke says legal aid lawyers were once paid almost as much as they could earn from paying clients, but now they earn somewhere between 15 and 45 per cent of the average private fee.

"The Victorian Bar recently did some research which shows that junior barristers, for example, who in the main would have had at least six years of tertiary education and several years in practice, are earning as little as $36,000 a year," he said.

"And that is sometimes half and less than a half of what is being paid to the public prosecutors at the other end of the bar table and it is even less than what is being paid in the private profession."

Mr Burke says lawyers who take on legal aid cases are now required to do more background work than in the past and they are not getting paid for it.

"We are expecting that some hundreds of lawyers who in the main are doing legally aided work will cease to do this effectively pro bono or charity work that isn't covered by legal aid and that will have a reverberation through the system," he said.

"That happens now. That is beginning today, the practitioners are saying enough is enough. They are not going to continue with this charity work they are not paid for any longer."

The state Attorney-General's office referred request for comment to the managing director of Legal Aid Victoria, Bevan Warner.

Mr Warner is urging lawyers not to stop working for legal aid.

"Well, it would have a significant impact and I sincerely hope that that doesn't occur," he said.

Mr Warner confirmed Victoria Legal Aid had an operating deficit of more than $20 million last financial year, and said there should be more Commonwealth funding.

"Whereas the State Government has provided ongoing assurances in relation to funding sufficient to preserve service levels, the Commonwealth Government has not and services in Commonwealth law matters have had to be reduced by 30 per cent," he said.

"Ten years ago the Commonwealth Government contributed approximately 60 per cent of legal aid funding and last year this figure had dropped to 30 per cent.

"Now Commonwealth's policy is to encourage parents to focus on their needs of their children when they separate and just yesterday I was advised of a situation where a parent on income support had not seen their eight-year-child for some years and having a home with $170,000 equity meant they were ineligible for legal aid to have a lawyer put the case for contact with the child.

"Now the only option available to this parent was to sell or refinance the home and to fund their own action."

Mr Warner says lawyers' fees are now under review.

"Legal aid is committing to reviewing its fee structures to ensure that the time allowances that are comprehended in our fee structures are contributing to an effective court system and one that avoids unnecessary court events," he said.

"But it is important that we align these time allowances with proposed new court procedures that will come into effect late next year and the Law Institute is aware of these plans."

A spokesman for the Federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, says legal aid received a one-off funding boost of $7 million last year, including about $2 million dollars for Legal Aid Victoria.

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