Family murders under review?

ALL domestic violence homicides that occurred over the past five years are set to be reviewed by a new body announced by the NSW Government.

Just days after another violent husband chose to murder his wife then kill himself rather than let her leave the relationship - bringing the death toll from domestic murders in the state for the past 18 months to at least 30 - the Government abandoned its long-held resistance to a homicide review.

"We've decided to bring forward a detailed examination of domestic violence-related homicide as a matter of urgency," said the Minister for Women, Verity Firth.

[As long as it includes all domestic violence-related homicide? That means the Government itself (Military) (Police) (Prisons) and Men, Women, Youth and Children?]

The review will examine the 108 deaths that occurred over the past five years, identify common risk factors, any gaps in the treatment of victims and recommend any changes to practices and procedures that would contribute to a reduction in domestic homicides, she said.

"Ultimately what this is all about is changing the way we do things, if there is a systemic problem, if there are risk factors we can identify, if there are gaps in services - this process will also help us inform the Government's consideration about having an ongoing, formal, domestic homicide review process," Ms Firth said.

The announcement follows the allegations by the Sydney Morning Herald that domestic violence homicides make up the majority of murders committed each year and that deaths in NSW remained unacceptably high - at least 184 over the past eight years.

It also [allegedly] revealed a system unable to protect women and children from violent men, of apprehended violence orders not enforced and danger signs that were ignored. [But revealed nothing about whether the same system could be unable to protect Men, Women, Youth and Children holistically, from violent Governments, Military, Police, Prisons, Men, Women, Youth, of apprehended violence orders not enforce and danger signs that were ignored? Or was it just the way the article was worded by SMH?]

[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.]

The director of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Don Weatherburn, will head the expert advisory group, while other panel members will include Betty Green, the co-ordinator of the NSW Domestic Violence Coalition, and the chairwoman of the Premier's Council on the Prevention of Violence Against Women, Lesley Laing, as well as representatives of NSW Police and the departments of the Attorney-General, Heath and Community Services.

"Considering the proportion of homicides each year that are domestic it is well worth doing - we pay far more attention to stranger homicides than domestic even though domestic homicide is far more of a problem," Dr Weatherburn said.

Ms Green described its establishment as "the beginning of a long overdue process".

"I am pleased that we are moving towards a domestic violence homicide review and I believe it is certainly the right thing to do."

Ms Green said the death of Melissa Cook this week, shot dead by her estranged husband John Kudrytch, raised serious questions about whether police and other services were responding appropriately to warning signs that indicate a woman's life may be in danger.

"It is much broader than questions over how a man with an apprehended violence order had a gun - she was in the process of separating from him, he had threatened to harm her, there had been attempted strangulation, he had threatened to kill himself; these are all indicators that there was a lethal risk here."

Ms Green didn't say anything about Psychic spirit sex murder accomplice jailed or On a dusty morning, our tiny Lake Angel finds peace or even Teens who killed taxi driver jailed and what about Payouts for families of abused soldiers then perhaps she could look at The day police just went too far Then how about say, Girls gone wild Then what about say, Court overcrowding 'inviting violence' It just depends on the old memory stick and how you want some articles to come across? AFGHANISTAN: End the slaughter Or say, Soldier killed during Rudd's surprise visit or even, Ministerial Cover Up at LB Prison Hospital. How about Young at risk of homicide.

Last but not least people should look here for the reason the Sydney Morning Herald wants to condemn only men and violence, Zionists are a power group in Australia, particularly listings, 2). 6). 11). 12).

Updated: Mon 8:27am (AEDT)

Critical incident – North Parramatta

Sunday, 21 Dec 2008 05:32am

A critical incident investigation team has been formed following a shooting incident at North Parramatta.

About 1:30am police attended Iron Street following reports a female had threatened a male with a knife.

Upon arrival the woman allegedly threatened police with the knife.

Capsicum spray was used in an attempt to subdue her.

The female continued to threaten police and a female officer discharged a number of gunshots.

A 48-year-old woman sustained serious injury and has been taken to Westmead Hospital where she is undergoing surgery.

A 23-year-old male is being treated for a laceration to the neck.

A critical incident investigation team comprising officers from the Gladesville Local Area Command is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Quote: So there is more to this story than meets the eye? If the government is serious about preventing violence or domestic violence then the government has to lead by some form of example - and if anyone looks into the links posted here then one can see holistically (at the root the cause of domestic violence in the community) that this problem of domestic violence has to include the Military, Police, Prisons from the Top Down and then the Community including women as a well as men and youths.

If it were as simple as 'lets just hit all the men over the head' and that'll fix the problem then that would be too easy and it wouldn't work. Because men per se are not the only perpetrators of violence in the community. Then we have the influence of TV murder and killing on every channel. Why is that? So when some person feels revengeful they have been well programed about what they can do 'subliminally' because they seen it on TV. Now we have women and girls boxing? Sport also teaches violence. There ought to be no violence taught or perpetuated in sport.

Yes we do have a violence epidemic in Australia with many root causes that have to be taken into account (altogether) to prevent that violence but if you take the SMH view that it is only men then the problem will continue to perpetuate, the community will continue to be divided, and families continually being broken down. Once a family is divided then they are easily able to be manipulated by 'big brother' and I think behind it all... that is what some evil people want? Always a scapegoat, always a victim and a victim industry - for leeches to suck your blood money. Don't let them do it, violence can be prevented as long as people decide to lead by example and spell out the real causes and dangers.

Related:

Police defend shooting knife-wielding woman
Police were called to North Parramatta just after 1.30am after reports of a woman threatening a man with a knife.

Gun laws fail safety test: Greens
THE latest domestic violence murder-suicide in Sydney should cause the Premier, Nathan Rees, to change gun laws immediately so that women [people] at risk from their estranged partners are better protected, the Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said.

Husband killer gets four years jail
Guilty of manslaughter ... Danielle Stewart has been sentenced to at least four years in jail for stabbing her husband Chaim Kimel to death.

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

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?

Kiddy criminals, 8, let off with warnings
ONE murder last year by a 10-year-old, although details of the crime are not available.

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'.

Man jailed over rocket launcher thefts

A Sydney man has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years jail over the theft of army rocket launchers he knew could be used by [state] terrorists [in a false flag operation.]

The court today heard that 30-year-old Tahah Abdul Rahman acted as a middleman in the theft.

Judge Mark Marien said only one of the weapons has ever been found but he said an early guilty plea has saved the need for an expensive trial.

The three-and-a-half year jail sentence has a non-parole period of two years and five months.

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.

But Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has paid tribute to nine soldiers who were wounded in battle, one of whom has life-threatening injuries, and said the Government remains committed to restoring peace in Afghanistan.

[In the 7 years since the invasion of Afghanistan there is still no water, no electricity, and no education, most of the time.]

The troops were members of a Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) detachment fighting an overnight battle with the Taliban in Uruzgan province.

Mr Rudd has told Parliament the operation is still continuing and says Australia will continue to help Afghanistan in the fight against the Taliban.

[For oil company profits.]

"The Australian Government remains committed to assisting the people of Afghanistan and their democratically elected Government to achieve a measure of the stability and prosperity that we take for granted in our country," he said.

[For oil company profits.]

[In the 7 years since the invasion of Afghanistan there is still no water, no electricity, and no education, most of the time.]

"Our adversaries should take heed of the resolve of Australia's soldiers, the resolve of the Australian Government and the resolve of the Australian people in bringing to an end this unsustainable instability and conflict in Afghanistan.

Mr Rudd said those still involved in the operation were undertaking essential but dangerous work which was part of a vital mission.

"The Taliban can never again be allowed to use Afghanistan as a training ground, a hiding place or a launching pad for terrorist operations around the world," he said.

[Because it never happened. Bin Laden worked for the US and the Bush family.]

Five of the soldiers have serious wounds and three others have slight wounds, while one is seriously injured.

Earlier today Chief of the Defence [military] Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston confirmed the troops were ambushed.

[For ripping of Indigenous Afghanistanis]

"It's a very dangerous place and we were involved in an activity with other forces, and I guess we were ambushed and this is what happened," he said.

The incident follows the death in July of 25-year-old SAS Signaller Sean McCarthy, the sixth Australian soldier to die in theatre in Afghanistan.

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.

Afghanistan does not make the news; Afghan lives seem not to matter to the so called "civilised world".

7 October 2008 marks the seventh year of Afghanistan’s occupation. The NATO led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is made up of over 50,000 NATO troops, of which about half are US soldiers. Australia under operation SLIPPER provides 1,080 Australian soldiers.

NATO has killed actually more civilians than the Taliban, this is just one of the reasons why the resistance to the occupation is increasing.

The US alone spends $100 million a day in Afghanistan’s war, while total international aid comes to $7 million a day - most if not all is 'boomerang' aid.

The US puppet regime of Hamid Karzai exerts control over no more than 30 percent of the country.

After the US led invasion Afghanistan has become the ‘opium capital of the world’ and foreign soldiers are much involved in opium trade as the warlords.

The 2007 Afghanistan Human Development Report shows some catastrophic development indicators: access to water is at 31% of households; life expectancy is 43.1 years; adult literacy is 23.5%; 50% of Afghan children under five are malnourished; while 6.6 million Afghans do not meet their minimum daily food requirements.

Violence is up by 50% in a country where suicide bombings had never been seen before December 2005. RAWA, the lead Afghan women’s rights group, says the US backed regime in Kabul is no improvement for Afghan women.

Malalai Joya, a leading Afghan politician also called the ‘bravest woman of Afghanistan, has denounced the warlords, Karzai and the endemic corruption.

Malalai has also called for all US and foreign troops to get out of Afghanistan and allow Afghans to run their country. Australia is aiding and abetting in a disastrous occupation.

Foreign troops have not brought democracy to Afghanistan but chaos and misery.

Join our call to: BRING THE TROOPS HOME! JOIN THE STOP THE WAR COALITION - SYDNEY ON TUESDAY 7 OCTOBER 2008 AT 5.30pm AT SYDNEY TOWN HALL.

STOP THE WAR COALITION
Malalai Joya
(RAWA)

Related:

Austraila detained Afghans in 'dog pens'
Australian special forces troops detained suspected Taliban militants [or indigenous Afganistanis] in "dog pens" in actions which have prompted a protest from the Afghan ambassador.

Investigation last week found mass NATO Killings of 90 Afghanistan Civilians including 60 Children.


"Investigations by UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) found convincing evidence, based on the testimony of eyewitnesses, and others, that some 90 civilians were killed, including 60 children, 15 women and 15 men," U.N. Special Envoy to Afghanistan Kai Eide said in a statement.

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.

Rice greeted by protesters in Perth Rice will always have a job with the Bush family (she served the father, too) or with Chevron-Texaco Oil

Australian SAS soldier 'killed' in Afghanistan
The reported death of the soldier in Afghanistan would be the second loss Australia has experienced in the attack on the sovereign nation state this year, and brings the nation's death toll from the war to six.

Iraq oil output, exports hit post-war high


Oil production has climbed to a post-war high of more than 2.5 million barrels-per-day.

Iraq has raised oil exports to a post-war high, earning billions of dollars to fund reconstruction after Baghdad cracked down on sabotage of its strategic pipelines, Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani says he expects 2008 oil revenues to reach $70 billion if oil prices stay high and there are no output disruptions. Mr Shahristani was optimistic Iraqi forces would be able to sustain tight security at oil facilities. That could raise the confidence of [foreign] investors who have been discouraged by [resistance to; the pre-emptive strikes on Iraq by the coalition of the killing, false flag operations by them, to encourage civil war, sectarian violence, Al Qaeda and powerful Shiite militants who had a tight grip on Basra, home to Iraq's biggest oilfields.

"In May, we have exceeded for the first time 2 million barrels-per-day (bpd) as an export rate," Mr Shahristani said. Production had also climbed to a post-war high of more than 2.5 million bpd, he said. Mr Shahristani was confident Iraq could pump up to 2.9 million bpd by the end of 2008. He declined to comment on export levels for June, but senior Iraqi oil officials said last month shipments would run slightly higher because of extra Kirkuk sales from the north.

Unknown News
"News that's not known, or not known enough."

-- IN IRAQ --

30,000 IRAQI TROOPS KILLED
and 90,000 SERIOUSLY INJURED Aug. 2003

785,957 IRAQI CIVILIANS KILLED
and 1,414,723 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

3,615 U.S. TROOPS KILLED
and 50,677 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

287 OTHER COALITION TROOPS KILLED
and 861 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

160 U.S. CIVILIANS KILLED
and 288 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

251 OTHER COALITION CIVILIANS KILLED
and 452 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

-- IN AFGHANISTAN --

8,587 AFGHAN TROOPS KILLED
and 25,761 SERIOUSLY INJURED July 2004

3,485 AFGHAN CIVILIANS KILLED
and 6,273 SERIOUSLY INJURED July 2004

342 U.S. TROOPS KILLED
and 1,026 SERIOUSLY INJURED Jan. 2007

278 OTHER COALITION TROOPS KILLED
and 834 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

? U.S. and COALITION CIVILIANS KILLED
and ? SERIOUSLY INJURED

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.

IT'S ALL ABOUT OIL!
In 1998, Dick Cheney, now US vice-president but then chief executive of a major oil services company, remarked: "I cannot think of a time when we have had a region emerge as suddenly to become as strategically significant as the Caspian." But the oil and gas there is worthless until it is moved. The only route which makes both political and economic sense is through Afghanistan.

Department criticised over F-111 worker payments

An inquiry has heard claims of poor record-keeping, inconsistent decision-making, and an absence of an official policy by the Department of Veterans Affairs in determining payments for those affected by the RAAF's F-111 deseal/reseal program.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman has told the Inquiry into RAAF F-111 deseal/reseal workers and their families there was no official policy in determining which claimants would be successful, with the Department instead relying on a tiered system of criteria definitions, which the ombudsman also described as ambiguous.

Acting ombudsman Vivienne Thom also told the inquiry that more complex cases were delayed because those which could be handled quickly were dealt with first and similar evidence was sometimes treated inconsistently.

The ombudsman's office has received 102 complaints from claimants about the Department's handling of their applications, 95 of which have been resolved.

Ms Thom said the Department has responded to its comments and is seeking to make improvements.

"Unfortunately in terms of record keeping you can't recreate records that haven't been kept properly in the first place," she said.

The deseal/reseal program, which ran at the Amberley air base, in south-east Queensland, from the late 1970s until 2000, involved the use of toxic chemicals to strip and replace a sealant inside the fuel tanks of F-111 planes.

Workers have since reported a range of serious health problems such as cancer and some have since died or committed suicide.

In 2006 the Government allocated funds towards an ex-gratia payment, which was criticised for its eligibility criteria.

However, the Department has defended its handling of the claims for ex-gratia payments and compensation.

The Department's Ed Killesteyn told the inquiry the inflexibility within the tiered eligibility criteria and a lack of evidence due to minimal Air Force record keeping of what each worker had done made the process difficult.

He says there was also a widely held perception that every worker would receive an ex-gratia payment but he is satisfied that all of those eligible did receive one.

"We went to extraordinary lengths to uncover [further information] with an emphasis on inclusion rather than exclusion," he said.

Fair outcome 'not easy'

Earlier today, the inquiry heard that 460 workers are directly affected by the four reseal/deseal programs that were run, but up to 2,000 people, such as other workers and relatives, may be also affected indirectly.

Deputy Chief of the Defence [Military] Force, Air Vice Marshal Geoff Brown, admitted that the scope of people affected and a lack of Defence records poses significant problems in ensuring everyone affected is treated fairly.

"In other words achieving a fair outcome for everyone will not be easy," he said.

Air Vice Marshal Brown also admitted the measures taken to date are not a substitution for compensation or long-term health care.

"We also believe that there are people who genuinely need care as a result of involvement in F-111 fuel tank maintenance and who have not been able to get access to appropriate compensation and health care," he said.

"We believe that there is more that can be done under the existing legal framework to make it easier for people with genuine claims."

The inquiry also heard evidence that confusion existed over what was the purpose of the ex-gratia payment, which the Defence Force says was in recognition of the conditions workers were subjected to, rather than health problems they may have.

The committee was also asked to consider ways of resolving claims and court actions in a more timely manner.

The Defence [Military] Department's Michael Lysewycz confirmed there are 31 actions before the Queensland Supreme Court.

"This one really cries out for resolution around a table, not in the court," he said.

"We would think that if we could not resolve these matters by negotiation we'd have failed."

The inquiry is due to hand down its report on October 23.

Related:

International warships gather off Darwin
The Defence [Military] Department says international warships are sailing into waters around Darwin in preparation for major maritime wargames next week. The Australian Defence [Military] Force is hosting the offshore simulated war exercise, dubbed Kakadu IX.

Australian SAS soldier 'killed' in Afghanistan
Casualties: SAS special forces, killers and thieves in Afghanistan digging holes to bury their dead with reports that one Australian soldier has been killed. The reported death of the soldier in Afghanistan would be the second loss Australia has experienced in the attack on the sovereign nation state this year, and brings the nation's death toll from the war to six.

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.

Suicide soldier's dad compensation wait

Australian soldier Private Jeremy Williams killed himself after being bullied

The father of an Australian soldier who committed suicide says he is tired of waiting for the Federal Government to decide if it will compensate him for his loss.

Private Jeremy Williams took his own life in 2003 after being bullied at the Singleton Army Base.

His family and the families of three other soldiers have spent years seeking an ex gratia payment over the deaths of their children.

Charles Williams says he just wants an answer.

"It is pointed out with respect that this is now the Government of the day's problem and we ... feel that it's a perfectly reasonable request to ask for some form of timeline so that we may have some expectation on when we can obtain some closure on this," he said.

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says he is familiar with Private Williams's case and sympathises with his family.

"The incident did occur in my own electorate and I feel deeply for the family," he said.

"It's quite clear that the hearings have demonstrated that Defence had a case to answer and if Jeremy Williams did have a wife and or kids, the compensation would have been paid long ago.

"He doesn't, he doesn't have any dependants and I'm disappointed that the former Government took more than five years to do nothing."

Howard accused of war crimes

A legal brief has been sent to the International Criminal Court (ICC) alleging former prime minister John Howard committed a war crime by sending troops to Iraq.

An alliance of peace activists, lawyers, academics and politicians is behind the brief, organised by the ICC Action group in Melbourne.

Organiser Glen Floyd says Mr Howard should be held accountable for sending troops to a war not sanctioned by the United Nations.

"We have produced a 52-page brief of evidence which states to the chief prosecutor of the criminal court that we allege John Howard's actions are war crimes under article 8 of the Rome Statute," he said.

Democrats Senator Lyn Allison says the legal brief sent to the ICC is justified.

Senator Allison, who is one of several eminent people supporting the move, says accountability is important.

"This action has been taken to hold those accountable for their action, so it's essentially our prime minister - he was the one at the time [who] was the executive of government, made the decision," she said.

'It wasn't put to the Parliament and as we all know, it turned out to be unjustified."

A similar brief has been sent by a group from the United Kingdom regarding former prime minister Tony Blair. The United States is not a signatory to the court.

Related:

No combat deaths for the quiet imperialists
If lethal memes, death and destruction are an achievement then we don't account for all those related deaths below. The illegal and degrading war and crimes against humanity committed on Iraq for their oil resources should now be dealt with as soon as possible. Those responsible or who collaberated should be committed to face the war criminal court - to account for those who were tortured, maimed or killed in that war on Iraq unnecessarily, because of the pre-emptive strike on that sovereign nation.

'Charge Howard with war crimes'
FORMER Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has called for ex-prime minister John Howard and other Western leaders to be charged with war crimes over the conflict in Iraq.

Prosecute War Criminal John Howard
To: International Criminal Court
We, the undersigned, called for the indictment and prosecution of John Winston Howard (currently Australian Prime Minister) for acts of terrorism and war crimes.

US dockers strike over Iraq war
Union officials say about 10,000 longshore workers who handle cargo along the west coast of the United States have stayed away from work in a one-day protest against the war in Iraq.

Unknown News
"News that's not known, or not known enough."

-- IN IRAQ --

30,000 IRAQI TROOPS KILLED
and 90,000 SERIOUSLY INJURED Aug. 2003

785,957 IRAQI CIVILIANS KILLED
and 1,414,723 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

3,615 U.S. TROOPS KILLED
and 50,677 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

287 OTHER COALITION TROOPS KILLED
and 861 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

160 U.S. CIVILIANS KILLED
and 288 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

251 OTHER COALITION CIVILIANS KILLED
and 452 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

-- IN AFGHANISTAN --

8,587 AFGHAN TROOPS KILLED
and 25,761 SERIOUSLY INJURED July 2004

3,485 AFGHAN CIVILIANS KILLED
and 6,273 SERIOUSLY INJURED July 2004

342 U.S. TROOPS KILLED
and 1,026 SERIOUSLY INJURED Jan. 2007

278 OTHER COALITION TROOPS KILLED
and 834 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

? U.S. and COALITION CIVILIANS KILLED
and ? SERIOUSLY INJURED

Thousands take part in anti-war protests
Thousands of anti-war protesters have marched in Britain and the United States to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.

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.

IT'S ALL ABOUT OIL!
In 1998, Dick Cheney, now US vice-president but then chief executive of a major oil services company, remarked: "I cannot think of a time when we have had a region emerge as suddenly to become as strategically significant as the Caspian." But the oil and gas there is worthless until it is moved. The only route which makes both political and economic sense is through Afghanistan.

No combat deaths for the quiet imperialists

DESPITE a five-year commitment that has involved almost 14,000 soldiers, Australia will end its war in Iraq without a combat fatality.

In contrast, the Americans have lost more than 4000 soldiers; the British have lost almost 180. In Vietnam, about 50,000 Australians served and 520 died; in Afghanistan, where about 8000 soldiers have served, five have been killed.

This lack of fatalities in Iraq is, in part, a credit to the prowess of the military but it is primarily a result of the Government's decision to keep the soldiers away from harm. As an American official told a Washington Post journalist, Thomas Ricks, when describing the US-led coalition: "Except for the Brits, they weren't there to fight."

The most celebrated offensive Australian mission occurred before the war started, when SAS troops crossed into Iraq and - for the first time since Gallipoli - headed an invasion.

Inthe following days, for the first time since Vietnam, the Australian air force and a naval gunship were involved in bombing ground targets. On April 16, 2003, the SAS, assisted by commandos from the 4th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment and air support from fighter jets, captured the massive Al Asad air base west of Baghdad.

But by the following month, the SAS troops had returned home. In the Gulf around Kuwait, divers from the navy's mine clearance team had finished their job of defusing sea mines and unexploded ground munitions.

In the five years that followed, the Howard government deployed more troops but reduced the intensity of their mission.

In 2005, as the Iraqi insurgency worsened, about 450 soldiers were despatched to the southern province of Al Muthanna - one of the quietest regions in the country - to protect Japanese reconstruction workers and train Iraqi forces. The following year, the troops moved to the neighbouring Dhi Qar province to assume an overwatch role for Iraqi security forces. Across Iraq, the Australians have helped to train about 33,000 soldiers and police.

One of the most dangerous tasks has been performed by a security detachment of about 110 soldiers, which will stay in Baghdad to protect the Australian embassy. In January 2005, a bomb exploded near the embassy, killing two Iraqi civilians and injuring two Australians.

Neil James, the executive director of the Australia Defence Association, said the deployment had provided valuable battle experience and had led to improvements in training and equipment, including changes to body armour and the Bushmaster armoured vehicle and the development of a pre-deployment training program.

"The pre-deployment training has probably been some of the best given to a force leaving Australia," Mr James said.

"It is often overlooked how well the Australians have done, particularly in the early days in Dhi Qar protecting the Japanese engineers … They trained the local security forces and restored confidence - that they were not needed much is more a sign of success rather than a sign of failure."

Quote: If lethal memes, death and destruction are an achievement then we don't account for all those related deaths below. The illegal and degrading war and crimes against humanity committed on Iraq for their oil resources should now be dealt with as soon as possible. Those responsible or who collaberated should be committed to face the war criminal court - to account for those who were tortured, maimed or killed in that war on Iraq unnecessarily, because of the pre-emptive strike on that sovereign nation.

Related:

Iraq oil output, exports hit post-war high


Oil production has climbed to a post-war high of more than 2.5 million barrels-per-day.

Iraq has raised oil exports to a post-war high, earning billions of dollars to fund reconstruction after Baghdad cracked down on sabotage of its strategic pipelines, Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani says he expects 2008 oil revenues to reach $70 billion if oil prices stay high and there are no output disruptions. Mr Shahristani was optimistic Iraqi forces would be able to sustain tight security at oil facilities. That could raise the confidence of [foreign] investors who have been discouraged by [resistance to; the pre-emptive strikes on Iraq by the coalition of the killing, false flag operations by them, to encourage civil war, sectarian violence, Al Qaeda and powerful Shiite militants who had a tight grip on Basra, home to Iraq's biggest oilfields.

"In May, we have exceeded for the first time 2 million barrels-per-day (bpd) as an export rate," Mr Shahristani said. Production had also climbed to a post-war high of more than 2.5 million bpd, he said. Mr Shahristani was confident Iraq could pump up to 2.9 million bpd by the end of 2008. He declined to comment on export levels for June, but senior Iraqi oil officials said last month shipments would run slightly higher because of extra Kirkuk sales from the north.

Unknown News
"News that's not known, or not known enough."

-- IN IRAQ --

30,000 IRAQI TROOPS KILLED
and 90,000 SERIOUSLY INJURED Aug. 2003

785,957 IRAQI CIVILIANS KILLED
and 1,414,723 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

3,615 U.S. TROOPS KILLED
and 50,677 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

287 OTHER COALITION TROOPS KILLED
and 861 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

160 U.S. CIVILIANS KILLED
and 288 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

251 OTHER COALITION CIVILIANS KILLED
and 452 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

-- IN AFGHANISTAN --

8,587 AFGHAN TROOPS KILLED
and 25,761 SERIOUSLY INJURED July 2004

3,485 AFGHAN CIVILIANS KILLED
and 6,273 SERIOUSLY INJURED July 2004

342 U.S. TROOPS KILLED
and 1,026 SERIOUSLY INJURED Jan. 2007

278 OTHER COALITION TROOPS KILLED
and 834 SERIOUSLY INJURED June 2007

? U.S. and COALITION CIVILIANS KILLED
and ? SERIOUSLY INJURED

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.

Memorial Day Special…Winter Soldier on the Hill: War Vets Testify Before Congress
War veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan came to Capitol Hill this month 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. The name, Winter Soldier, comes from a similar event in 1971, when hundreds of Vietnam veterans gathered in Detroit, and is derived from the opening line of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, “The Crisis,” published in 1776: “These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” In a packed public hearing this month, the soldiers testified before a panel of lawmakers from the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Today we spend the hour hearing their testimony.

US dockers strike over Iraq war
Union officials say about 10,000 longshore workers who handle cargo along the west coast of the United States have stayed away from work in a one-day protest against the war in Iraq.

Thousands take part in anti-war protests
Thousands of anti-war protesters have marched in Britain and the United States to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.

'Charge Howard with war crimes'
FORMER Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has called for ex-prime minister John Howard and other Western leaders to be charged with war crimes over the conflict in Iraq.

IT'S ALL ABOUT OIL!
In 1998, Dick Cheney, now US vice-president but then chief executive of a major oil services company, remarked: "I cannot think of a time when we have had a region emerge as suddenly to become as strategically significant as the Caspian." But the oil and gas there is worthless until it is moved. The only route which makes both political and economic sense is through Afghanistan.

Army chief admits morale concerns over lack of combat?

Lance Corporal Jason Marks with his two children.

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.

One of the authors, Major Jim Hammett, says there is a widespread perception amongst troops that the army is "plagued by institutional cowardice".

In a separate article, Captain Greg Colton says there is frustration that the infantry are getting second rate operations ad compared to the special forces.

The officers say the policy of leaving Australian combat operations to SAS and other special operations troops is having a detrimental effect on the morale of regular infantrymen.

Lieutenant General Leahy has said he is aware that some infantry soldiers are not happy about being excluded from combat action, but he says that simply reflects the changing role of the military.

"What we've seen is the changing nature of war - this is no longer infantry wearing red jackets and white cross straps, taking on the army of another king," he said.

"What we're seeing now is that we're required to work in different populations to work to protect, to support and persuade.

"And the important work that our infantry are doing in the Solomon Islands, in East Timor, and other places, gives us a clear indication of that."

The Australian Defence Association (ADA) says the infantry should be given more combat roles.

ADA executive director Neil James says Australian officers are feeling inadequate as they watch other nations' infantry in combat against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

"Basically, most of their duties are predominantly protective, and this is the problem," he said.

"They have fairly severe restrictions on what they're allowed to do, not just formally but informally, in that the role they're allocated is mainly protecting the engineers in Afghanistan."

Quote: Is this propaganda? If not then why not? Jim Hammett and Greg Colton, need to check out the Memorial Day Special Winter Soldier and tell us if they still think they missed out on something. You idiots!!! The best thing Lieutenant General Leahy and Neil James could do is fully educate the two infantry officers about the real dangers of war and or send them to take the place of fallen US soldiers on the front line if they don’t shut up. There could be another tact to this propaganda and that is if the military is ‘promoting’ Jim Hammett and Greg Colton to ‘strategically convince’ other military personnel and the country that they should be put on the front line instead and at more risk because they are about to be placed there anyway??? These resource wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, for the likes of Neil James, are about stealing their oil resources and have 'nothing' do with defence of this nation. If you want to defend Australia then change the name to the Humanitarian Aid Group instead of the guise of Defence Association and start helping people out instead of stealing oil that doesn't belong to you.

Related:

Memorial Day Special…Winter Soldier on the Hill: War Vets Testify Before Congress
War veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan came to Capitol Hill this month 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. The name, Winter Soldier, comes from a similar event in 1971, when hundreds of Vietnam veterans gathered in Detroit, and is derived from the opening line of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, “The Crisis,” published in 1776: “These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” In a packed public hearing this month, the soldiers testified before a panel of lawmakers from the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Today we spend the hour hearing their testimony.

Slain commando's body on way home to Australia
The body of the Australian special forces commando killed in Afghanistan this week is on its way home.

US dockers strike over Iraq war
Union officials say about 10,000 longshore workers who handle cargo along the west coast of the United States have stayed away from work in a one-day protest against the war in Iraq.

Thousands take part in anti-war protests
Thousands of anti-war protesters have marched in Britain and the United States to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.

Aussies hurt as bomber kills 15
TWO Australian journalists were wounded in a suicide bombing that killed about 15 people in Afghanistan yesterday, just two days after an Australian commando was killed in battle.

IT'S ALL ABOUT OIL!
In 1998, Dick Cheney, now US vice-president but then chief executive of a major oil services company, remarked: "I cannot think of a time when we have had a region emerge as suddenly to become as strategically significant as the Caspian." But the oil and gas there is worthless until it is moved. The only route which makes both political and economic sense is through Afghanistan.

Trust blown to smithereens

The theft and sale of 10 rocket launchers was a betrayal of comrades and country.[Perhaps not necessarily true, what about boys and their toys? Money? Illegal and degrading wars? War crimes against humanity?]

THE words traitor and treason are [alledgedly] nowhere to be heard as the disgraced army captain Shane Malcolm Della-Vedova is given his marching orders by Judge Jonathon Williams: straight to jail for the next seven years.

He shows little emotion as he is led from the dock of Downing Centre District Court to begin his sentence, but an older female relative sitting next to Della-Vedova's wife and family weeps in the public gallery.

He will be stripped of his medals, including the one he was awarded for serving in [the illegal and degrading war in] Afghanistan in 2006, where he was auditing the ammunition supplies for Australian special forces troops fighting Taliban [indigenous resistance] rebels around Kandahar, including checking whether weapons such as the M1 66 millimetre rocket, used by infantry to attack bunkers and light armoured vehicles, had passed their use-by date.

Yet for almost five years this 46-year-old career soldier, who had risen from private to captain in 27 years of service, guarded a treasonable secret of which NSW major crime squad police had only heard initially by way of rumour and then idle talk in phone intercepts among criminals vying for control of Sydney's drug trade.

There had been talk on the streets since early 2000 that criminals and motorcycle gangs had gained access to military arms and munitions, including rocket launchers, but the Australian Defence Force long denied any breach of its weapons stockpile, saying its audit books accounted for weapons used in exercises and those that were meant to have been destroyed after passing their safe usage date.

Della-Vedova, a quiet, devoted father living at Wattle Grove, near the Holsworthy army base, was among the trusted, regarded as a committed soldier [who followed a lethal meme.] Yet to those who served with him and believed they knew him as a friend he has proved to be an enigma [to a lethal meme.]

By his own admission to NSW counter-terrorism police from Strike Force Ridgecrop, who arrested him in a raid on his home on April 4 last year, he was at the heart of one of Australia's greatest military security breaches: the theft and sale of 10 M1 single-shot rockets and launchers. Nine are still missing.

His downfall came not through intelligence gathering by counter-terrorism police but from officers attached to Task Force Gain (since renamed the Middle Eastern Crime Squad) investigating a series of bloody tit-for-tat drug-related shootings and murders in Sydney's south-west.

Phone intercepts had picked up suggestions that Adnan Darwiche, now serving a triple life sentence for murder, wanted to increase his armoury and that he and his cohorts had obtained at least one rocket and launcher. On offer to anyone with the cash were grenades, night vision goggles and bulletproof vests.

But there was nothing to verify the telephone talk until September 2006 when, in an unsuccessful attempt to have his life sentence reduced, Darwiche showed NSW Police one of two rockets and launchers he had purchased.

Army link to stolen weaponry The launcher was recovered in negotiations between police and Darwiche – the latter hoping for a reduction in his double life sentence for the murders of Ziad Razzak and Mervat Nemra at a Greenacre home in 2003.

The weapons had [allegedly] been written off as old ordnance destroyed from the army's stockpile near Muswellbrook in 2001.

The discovery and or [political scapegoating? Or more likely political climate of fear?] set in train a covert backtracking operation by NSW and federal counter-terrorism officers with the NSW Crime Commission to locate the source and reel in the outstanding weapons, a story that may not be fully told for some years because there are outstanding court matters [and it is a secret.]

It is [allegedly] a tale of treachery and greed involving a member of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang turned protected witness with the code name Harrington, an illegal gun dealer and a former relative by marriage of Della-Vedova, whose alleged criminal connections were used to pass on the launchers.

One of those involved, is [allegedly a] drug dealer called Milad Sande, 29, was shot dead at Malabar in an unrelated heroin deal with an alleged member of the Bandidos bikie gang who has connections to the Victorian drug cartel allegedly controlled by Tony Mokbel.

It was [allegedly] Sande who originally put the thought of profits to be made through the sale of military weapons into the ear of Della-Vedova's relative in 2003.

By then Della-Vedova had [allegedly] been keeping at least 10 rockets and launchers in the garage of his home. He later told arresting police he had overlooked them in the boot of his army vehicle when he returned on June 8, 2001, to Sydney from Muswellbrook, where he [allegedly] had spent the day blowing up other M1 rockets that were deemed out of date and unsafe.

It was a mistake; he simply forgot they were in the boot of his car, he later told investigators. He was scared he would be disciplined and even demoted and charged had he reported his oversight. There were at least 10, perhaps more: he could not remember the exact number.

He said the weapons were not functioning properly, and when he realised they were still in his possession he "didn't know what to do" and "just had a failure in utter logic".

He also told police he had not thought the weapons would reach terrorists' hands but would end up in "some stupid person's house up in the boondocks" as a trophy on their wall.

On Thursday Judge Williams refused to accept such an excuse when sentencing Della-Vedova to 10 years' jail with a non-parole period of seven years for the theft and sale of the weapons.

Della-Vedova, who faced a maximum 14 years, pleaded guilty to stealing the weapons between 2001 and 2003 and to selling them for $10,000.

Judge Williams said it was "extraordinarily difficult to believe that the 10 rockets and launchers could have been overlooked by Della-Vedova in the first place" and that Della-Vedova could have easily rectified the situation by handing them back to the army without significant recourse, or could have disposed of them another way.

"He decided to sell the rocket launchers instead of taking them to sea and dumping them," Judge Williams said. He said it was "wholly unbelievable, given that the world was still reeling from 9/11 terrorism", that Della-Vedova did not think the weapons would end up in the hands of terrorists.

[Also Politically Correct.]

Judge Williams rejected his claim that "Harrington" had wanted the rockets as a trophy.

"I also find it extraordinarily difficult to believe that Mr Della-Vedova wouldn't have had well in mind that these weapons … were more likely to be used for some criminal, terrorist-type activity," he said.

[Perhaps not necessarily true, what about boys and their toys?]

"He was either prepared to turn a blind eye to these probabilities or acted in reckless disregard of them."

[That's what boys with toys do. They don't imagine terrorism. In fact it was probably the farthest thing on his mind, but not the money?]

While he accepted Della-Vedova had performed dangerous duties on behalf of his country, Judge Williams said his crimes constituted a grave breach of the trust placed in him as a member of the Defence Force [Military force? Which is a lethal meme. The sooner we change that to a Humanitarian Aid Group the better.]

He also said the nine rockets and launchers still missing posed a serious terrorist threat and could also be used against Australian forces serving overseas and there was little chance of their being found. [Or posed? or still does pose??? A serious false flag operation?]

Related:

Rocket theft soldier gets 10 years
An Australian army captain who stole 10 rocket launchers and sold them to a man with [alleged] links to terrorism has been jailed for a maximum of 10 years.

Police probe rocket launcher claims
The NSW Opposition has accused the state's government of failing to act on warnings three years ago that rocket propelled grenade launchers (RPGs) were being sold illegally in Sydney.

Parliament 'target of rockets'
A terror suspect who allegedly bought five stolen army rocket launchers said he would use them to blow up "the nuclear place" and Parliament House, a Sydney court has been told.

'Charge Howard with war crimes'
FORMER Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has called for ex-prime minister John Howard and other Western leaders to be charged with war crimes over the conflict in Iraq.

Loyal troops farewell an old campaigner
THE American general Douglas MacArthur once said old soldiers fade away but old politicians find it hard following suit.

Things can only get better, Howard tells party faithful
JOHN HOWARD told the Liberal Party it needed to keep a sense of historical perspective about its current woes, out of office federally and in every state and territory.

Rocket theft soldier gets 10 years

An Australian army captain who stole 10 rocket launchers and sold them to a man with [alleged] links to terrorism has been jailed for a maximum of 10 years.

Shane Della-Vedova, 46, pleaded guilty to stealing the weapons during his time as an army ammunition technician officer between 2001 and 2003.

Della-Vedova, of south-western Sydney's Wattle Grove, also admitted selling the launchers to a man named "Harrington."

Sydney's Downing Centre District Court today sentenced the former career soldier to 10 years in prison with a non-parole period of seven years.

Judge Jonathan Williams said Della-Vedova's actions "strike at the very heart of state and federal security".



Related:

Police probe rocket launcher claims
The NSW Opposition has accused the state's government of failing to act on warnings three years ago that rocket propelled grenade launchers (RPGs) were being sold illegally in Sydney.

Parliament 'target of rockets'
A terror suspect who allegedly bought five stolen army rocket launchers said he would use them to blow up "the nuclear place" and Parliament House, a Sydney court has been told.

'Charge Howard with war crimes'
FORMER Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has called for ex-prime minister John Howard and other Western leaders to be charged with war crimes over the conflict in Iraq.

Loyal troops farewell an old campaigner
THE American general Douglas MacArthur once said old soldiers fade away but old politicians find it hard following suit.

Things can only get better, Howard tells party faithful
JOHN HOWARD told the Liberal Party it needed to keep a sense of historical perspective about its current woes, out of office federally and in every state and territory.

Sailors get community service over US brawl

Two Australian sailors who got into a fight over politics and football have been sentenced to 90 days of community service in San Diego.

Twenty-six-year-old Philip Ferres and 25-year-old Kolis Barba were on shore leave in San Diego last year when they met 28-year-old Jeffrey Wilkinson at a bar.

The three men went on to a party where an argument broke out about the relative merits of American football and rugby league.

The end result was that Mr Wilkinson suffered a broken nose, a broken rib and a suspected broken eye socket. He also had to have 30 stitches in his face.

The sailors were facing up to seven years in jail, but last month they pleaded guilty to lesser charges as part of a plea bargain.

The Superior Court of San Diego has sentenced them to work out their community service at the San Diego Naval Base.

With time off for good behaviour they could be home in Queensland within two months.