$100 Bill

It's a slow day in the small town of Roma and the streets are deserted.

Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody is living on credit.

A tourist visiting the area drives through town, stops at the motel, and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs to pick one for the night.

As soon as he walks upstairs, the motel owner grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.

(Stay with this ..... and pay attention.)


The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.

The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill to his supplier, the Co-op.

The guy at the Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer her "services" on credit.

The hooker rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill with the hotel owner.

The hotel proprietor then places the $100 back on the counter so the traveller will not suspect anything.

At that moment, the traveller comes down the stairs, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, picks up the $100 bill and leaves.

No one produced anything. No one earned anything. However, the whole town now thinks that they are out of debt and there is a false atmosphere of optimism and glee.

And that, my friends, is how a "stimulus package" works!

Scott Morrison - Australia's most-heartless and worst Immigration Minister since World War II

Ari Illingworth, 4, with grandad Mark
 Illingworth and mum Eunsil 'Chloe' Park.

Ari Illingworth was born here, making her an
 Australian citizen, and she started Prep this year.

A FAMILY has made a last-minute plea for Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to overturn an order that will force a four-year-old Brisbane girl out of the country.

Ari Illingworth was born here, making her an Australian citizen, and started Prep this year but her South Korean mum Eunsil Park, known as Chloe, has been ruled to have no right to remain following the breakup of her relationship with Ari's father in 2010.

Ari's heartbroken grandparents have called on the Minister to use his discretionary powers to allow them to stay so their "Angel Girl'' can grow up an Aussie.

"No one seems to care about what is best for the child in all this,'' Ari's grandfather Mark Illingworth said.

Ms Park, 31, has until next Monday to buy a one-way ticket to South Korea and must be on a flight within a week after that. If she fails to do, officials have warned her she can betaken into detention immediately.

"She is frightened out of her brain,'' Mr Illingworth said.

Ms Park has no home or job to go to and Mr Illingworth said Ari, who is almost 5, would be going to an unfamiliar culture. The family fears both mum and daughter, as the single-parent family would be stigmatised and shamed and discriminated against in South Korea.

"Her whole life has been in Australia.''

"It's still a matter of shame to be a single parent and it would show up on her documentation when she applied for work,'' Mr Illingworth said. "And as a child of mixed race, Ari would be ostracised or ridiculed.

"As a grandfather, I am out of words and it beggars belief that this could happen," Mr Illingworth said. "If they won't allow a woman gainfully employed and paying tax and rent with an Australian child and supportive Australian family to stay in Australia - then just who would be allowed to stay?"

Ms Park came to Australia eight years ago as a student and met Mr Illingworth's son Brett 11 months later. They split up in 2010.

Mr Illingworth said he and Ari's grandmother Sharon Smith were distraught at the thought of losing the little girl.

"We are really close. I want to do the things that grandparents do with their grand kids, taking her to the beach to build sandcastles and all that.''

Ms Park, who came to Australia eight years ago as a student, has been working for the past three years and Ari has settled well into her Prep class at Macgregor State School, where she has lots of friends. Mr Illingworth has offered to provide an assurance of support for them if required.

"I want to stay in Australia with my daughter,'' Ms Park said. "This is our home. I really don't know what to do.''

Mr Morrison rejected a previous application to intervene in the case, and the Department of Immigration last month refused to forward a second request to his office, saying nothing had changed, but Mr ­Illingworth has now made a final desperate appeal ­directly to the Minister, and local federal MP for Forde, Bert van Manen has also made representations.

Mr Morrison's office last night declined to comment.

In his latest letter to Mr Morrison, Mr Illingworth says: "Minister this case has slipped through the cracks in the system and we, the grandparents, implore you to let her stay in Australia to keep doing what she is doing. Working and bring up a beautiful child.''

www.CourierMail.com.au

13.3.14

COMMENT: The Immigration Minister Scott Morrison is proving to be the most uncaring, unreasonable, heartless and incompetent Minister for Immigration since World War II.  How he can possibly fail to intervene in this case, under the special powers which he possesses, absolutely beggars belief.  He is either a complete political troglodyte or he is mindlessly following his policy advisers' disgraceful advice, or both.

Coca-Cola's massive Australian ripoff - Money for nothing!

Coca-Cola Amatil accused of draining Springbrook National Park on the Gold Coast

 A row has developed between Springbrook
 and Coca-Cola Amatil over the global
 organisation’s water-pumping operation from
 Purlingbrook Falls to produce its Mount
 Franklin spring water. 

CASCADING streams tumbling over Purlingbrook Falls are the kind of thing money can't buy – and Coca-Cola Amital doesn’t have to.

The international soft drink giant is under fire from locals in the tiny Gold Coast community of Springbrook over its water-pumping operation to produce Mount Franklin spring water.

Coca-Cola has a lease to extract water from groundwater at Springbrook – and they don’t have to pay a cent.

Under the terms of the agreement, Coca-Cola are restricted to operating from 8.30am-5pm six days a week and can take two tanker loads each day – but there is no limit on how much water they are allowed to take per visit.

Acting Gold Coast Mayor Donna Gates hinted that it might be time to renegotiate the terms of Coca-Cola’s arrangement on Springbrook.

“It’s a very old approval and it probably needs to be updated,” she said.

“It’s possible that a new material change of use application might be needed to alter their operations up there.”

The council’s development compliance department is now investigating complaints by Springbrook residents about Coca-Cola’s operations, but Councillor Gates said there was no evidence the company was breaching its obligations.

Earlier, The Courier-Mail reported residents of the tiny Gold Coast community of Springbrook are in a fizz over Coca-Cola Amatil’s water-pumping operation to produce its Mount Franklin spring water.

Springbrook is home to Purlingbrook Falls, one of Queensland’s most spectacular waterfalls, and the World Heritage-listed Springbrook National Park.

Coke has had approval for the operation since 2006, but residents say Springbrook’s creeks and streams have never looked worse.

Even after recent rain, the iconic Purlingbrook Falls looked more like a trickle yesterday, while other nearby watercourses have gone from cascading creeks to stagnant swamps as Coca-Cola continues to extract thousands of litres of water every day.

Ceris Ash has lived on the mountain for more than a decade and said immediate action was needed.

“They are threatening the world heritage values of Springbrook National Park,” she said.

Ms Ash said a dry summer was all the more reason for Coca-Cola to scale back its operations.

“They might say it’s not all down to them if we’ve had dry weather, but surely that needs to be taken in to account,” she said.

“You can’t just continue draining water away at the same level if there is less water around.”

Resident complaints to Coca-Cola have been defended by the company.

A Coca-Cola spokeswoman yesterday said the Springbrook operation followed guidelines.

“CCA extracts groundwater from its site in the Springbrook area and is compliant with conditions set by the Gold Coast City Council,” she said.

In her latest sponsorship deal, Aussie supermodel Jennifer Hawkins has given Mount Franklin sparkling water a fresh new look.

“They are taking their water out of the ground, but that all still feeds into the creeks and streams that go through the national park and down to the coast.”

“We are just one of 50 or more bore sites in the area, and we certainly support a sustainable water plan for the whole area which must include all the water users.

“We look forward to working with the Gold Coast City Council on such a plan.

Queensland Natural resources Minister Andrew Cripps said Coca-Cola was not breaching any laws.

“Surface water levels are not necessarily linked to groundwater extraction,” he said

The matter is now under investigation by the council’s development compliance department.

www.CourierMail.com.au

12.3.14

COMMENT: It's about time the Gold Coast City Council closed this operation down. Coca-Cola has had it too good for too long, literally drawing down our natural resources for huge profits. Coca-Cola is defending the indefensible and should take a long, hard look at this operation.

Abbott dupes voters: IR changes key to jobs, according to Mad Monk

Tony Abbott says dealing with
"industrial lawlessness" is the key
 to driving the economy

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has put ridding the country of "industrial lawlessness" at the heart of his plan to grow the economy and improve the budget.

As parliament resumed on Monday, Labor leader Bill Shorten accused the prime minister of being a "wimp" when it came to standing up for jobs in the wake of manufacturing plant closures.

The comment parodied Mr Abbott's description of Immigration Minister Scott Morrison as not being a "wimp" when it came to border protection.

Mr Abbott told parliament he deeply regretted recent job losses, but it was his job in government to give businesses a fighting chance of flourishing.

"I am doing what I can in this parliament as prime minister to remove the taxes, and the regulation and industrial lawlessness which is damaging the job prospects of decent Australian workers," Mr Abbott said.

"I will do that for as long as there is breath in my body."

The prime minister found some support from Business Council president Tony Shepherd, who told a forum in Melbourne that labour costs accounted for a third of cost blowouts on infrastructure projects.

The chairman of the national commission of audit said the reinstatement of the Australian Building and Construction Commission should help control such costs.

The government sees infrastructure spending as one of the drivers of growth, to help bring the budget back to surplus and meet its target of one million jobs created over the next five years.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt accused Mr Shorten of ordering an "industrial go-slow" in the Senate, which is blocking the repeal of the carbon tax.

In a bid to pressure Labor over the repeal, Mr Hunt has issued a ministerial determination to stop carbon emission permit auctions before June 30.

As the government considers a 900-page report from its commission of audit, Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek asked the prime minister whether he could guarantee one of the areas of budget cuts being considered was pensions.

"There is a big challenge and we will address it in ways that are consistent with our election commitments," Mr Abbott said.

Labor families spokeswoman Jenny Macklin said the prime minister couldn't bring himself to use the word pension.

"This is a broken promise to every Australian pensioner who took the Prime Minster at his word on polling day," she said.

www.couriermail.com.au

24.2.14

Redcliffe swing equates to an extra 54 seats for Labor in 2015

Yvette Dath - new Member for Redcliffe

Yvette D'Ath scored an impressive 16.3% swing to the ALP in the Redcliffe by-election, on figures released at the close of counting on Saturday night.

She easily took the seat off the LNP following the forced resignation of the former member Scott Driscoll last year.

If that swing is repeated uniformly across Queensland in the 2015 state election, the Labor Party would gain an extra 54 seats as well as the 8 seats it now holds.

Ministers and one-term backbenchers would all be given the collective Royal Order of the Boot.

Labor would win office with 62 of the 89 seats in the Queensland Parliament.

Swings are rarely uniform and political fortunes can change dramatically but those figures are reminiscent of the days when Peter Beattie ruled Queensland with a massive majority.

What seems to be certain is that Campbell Newman will be facing impossible odds to hold his seat of Ashgrove which he won with 55.7% of the vote when Labor fortunes were at their lowest ebb since 1974.

If Campbell Newman panics and switches to the safe LNP seat of Moggill, the sitting member Bruce Flegg - who is no fan of Campbell - would almost certainly stand as an independent and win on ALP preferences.

Either way, Campbell Newman would join an array of single term conservative premiers which Queensland has had since 1859.

24.2.14

Sale of Australia Post would be just plain dumb

The Liberals have already proved their policies at the 2013 federal election were a smokescreen to dupe the people of Australia.

But to now be considering the sell off of Australia Post is nothing short of disgraceful.

Australia Post is a proud organisation owned by the people of Australia

The origins of postage in Australia pre-date federation. Originally known as the PMG (Post Master General's Department), Australia Post was formally created in 1975 when the PMG was split in two, including Telecom Australia which was later renamed Telstra.

To sell the nation's postal authority would be one of the dumbest things the Liberals under Tony Abbott could ever dream up.

Imagine if these political troglodytes ever got control of the senate.

Coca-Cola cares for people's health. What a crock!

Their full page advertisements across Australia today are an insult to every fair-minded Aussie.

Vehicle rort rips off battling taxpayers

It is illogical that someone with 80% private usage can claim 80% business usage.

That rort should have been outlawed years ago.

Kevin Rudd has quite rightly moved quickly to stop this statutory ripoff.

Why should the battlers of Goodna be subsidising the Chardonnay set of Ascot and Hamilton Heights?

Consumers complain about Coffee Club pie ripoff

Coffee Club pies - concealing just  a small casserole below

The Coffee Club has rolled out new homestyle pies for winter 2013.

 

On their specials menu, The Coffee Club is introducing Gourmet Homestyle Pies this winter season.

 

The two new pies are Beef & Barossa Shiraz and Chicken & Pancetta. They sound great.

 

But Fran - from the Ipswich suburb of Goodna - has complained that The Coffee Club pie is not a real pie.

 

It has a flaky top with no sides or bottom - just a watery casserole in the porcelain bowl below the crust!

 

Oh dear - what can the matter be?
A Coffee Club pie -
With no symmetry!

Which is a fair point for this gastronomic gal to make.

 

Ask any self-respecting Australian pie connoisseur if you can have a pie with just a flaky top and no crusty sides or base.

 

The Coffee Club beef and chicken pies sound and look tempting on the top - but steer clear of them if you want a fair dinkum, hearty Aussie pie to satisfy your hunger pains.

 

If you're from the dainty Chardonnay upper crust set of Ascot or Hamilton Heights, this half-baked pie might just be for you.

 

But if you're Fran from the working class suburb of Goodna, you will give these so-called pies a big miss because once eaten, twice shy!

 

Hazel Hawke dies

Farewell Hazel.

You were a great Australian.

Finance clause costs couple $13,000 over cancelled contract

A Queensland couple has been ordered to pay more than $10,000 to a unit owner after wrongly relying on the "subject to finance" clause in a sale contract as a "get out of jail free card".

Trevor and Irene Hauff agreed to buy a Port Douglas unit for $575,000 in September 2010 on the condition they secured a loan for $400,000 from ING Bank within seven days.

Under standard sale contracts buyers must take "all reasonable steps to obtain finance".

However, the couple's mortgage broker never submitted a formal application to ING Bank.

Instead, the broker made an application to The Rock Building Society.

The building society could not approve the loan application by the nominated date and the Hauffs terminated the contract.

Not satisfied, unit owner Anne Marie Miller demanded to see evidence that the Hauffs made a sufficient effort to obtain a loan from ING Bank, as stipulated in the contract.

Ms Miller took her case to the Supreme Court, which ruled in her favour.

The Hauffs appealed the decision in March this year but lost.

Associate Professor Kristy Richardson of Central Queensland University's property programs said the Hauff's experience served as a cautionary tale.

"The realisation that you might not be able to afford the great Australian dream may turn into a contractual nightmare," she said.

Ms Richardson said the subject to finance clause could not be taken lightly or used as a "get out of jail free card".

"Under a contract of sale, you as a buyer will be required to take all reasonable steps to obtain the finance that you are saying that you will under the contract," she said.

"Also bear in mind that documents supporting your attempts to obtain finance can be called upon."

The Hauffs were ordered to pay Ms Miller their $13,000 deposit for breaching the sale contract.

www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au

 

Is this really Scott Driscoll's car?

Why doesn't Campbell Newman sack this buffoon?

Queensland Liberal National Party MP for Redcliffe Scott Driscoll link to fund scandal and claims of secret control of taxpayer-funded community association



UNDER FIRE: MP Scott Driscoll faces several serious accusations.

A STATE Liberal National Party MP has been secretly controlling a taxpayer-funded community association that helps the homeless and other people in need, funneling tens of thousands of dollars in consultancy fees to his wife's company.

The Courier-Mail has established that Redcliffe MP Scott Driscoll has been directing the operations of the Regional Community Association of Moreton Bay, a provider of frontline social services to his electorate, from behind the scenes since becoming an MP.

Mr Driscoll cemented control - with the help of friendly RCAMB members - installing political mates on the board in 2012, getting his wife a job on the payroll and having dissenting staff removed and forcing a troublesome board member to resign.

Former RCAMB staffers have told The Courier-Mail that money was so tight last year they could not access funds to buy food for homeless clients of the RCAMB, which received about $1.6 million in public funding and donations in 2012.

It has been established that Mr Driscoll has had secret day-to-day control of the management of the RCAMB for at least the past 12 months, while Norsefire, a company owned by his wife Emma and where he was sole director until she took over on February 25, received almost $120,000 for consultancy work, only some of which was actually performed.

Emails, invoices and other documents show Norsefire charged $1000 a week until the middle of last year for "media communications strategy and management" and subsequently $2600 a week for "secretariat management fees".

From August 2012 there is no evidence of Norsefire having any employees to conduct any work on behalf of RCAMB.

Even prior to this, RCAMB staff say there was little evidence of any benefit from the "press liaison" work they understood Norsefire had been contracted to do.

Scott Driscoll's business world.

Mrs Driscoll, a florist, was from late last year on the payroll as "HR admin officer".

Mr Driscoll wrote her job description, which includes "formal qualification requirement: nil".

On February 28, a day after the Department of Communities asked RCAMB, formerly known as the RCA, for information about payments to consulting companies, Emma Driscoll sent an email to a colleague at the association asking for help to "delete what is in the drop box that was on my laptop which I have of course left at RCA".

"Is there a way we/you can do a complete sweep of that computer both files/trash/word docs etc ... so there is nothing left on there?" she asks.

Scroll down to read the emails.

All the members of the RCAMB board during 2012 except one worked on Mr Driscoll's election campaign, including his campaign director Ben Scott, his campaign treasurer Geoff Jamieson and former local Federal LNP chairman Brian Roselt. Its president until last month was Bruce Mills, another supporter.

The Courier-Mail understands Mr Mills held about half of the votes of the RCAMB's 20 members as proxies, which with the votes of Mr Jamieson, Mr Scott and Mr Roselt gave Mr Driscoll's political mates control of the board.

The other member of the board is understood to be a "client" of the RCAMB's mental health program.







When former RCAMB Treasurer Terry Rogers, himself a former state MP, questioned Norsefire's involvement in the association in March 2012, Mr Driscoll wrote to Mr Mills and Mr Scott saying: "The buck stops with an elected MP or Minister to make any required disclosures not Terry Rogers ...

"I personally suggest it's time his position on this board was considered for him and action taken pretty quickly right now".

Mr Rogers was forced to resign from the board shortly afterwards.

Mr Driscoll has disclosed his directorship of Norsefire but has publicly distanced himself, saying it is "100 per cent owned by my wife".

He has only ever described himself as "patron" of the RCAMB.

But emails show he micromanaged the body, giving instructions on everything from financial audits and how to respond to demands for information from bureaucrats to which airconditioning company should be used.

In January he even banned staff from participating in free health checks provided by Medicare Local.

"The fact paid RCA staff at large are being encouraged or allowed to avail themselves of funded services while the staff are meant to be working in essentially a government funded role could understandably create a catastrophic PR disaster," Mr Driscoll wrote to services manager Tracey Slater on January 17.

Emails also show Mr Driscoll presented Norsefire invoices to RCAMB and chased up payments.

Federal and State Governments are investigating the RCAMB over allegations of mismanagement and financial irregularities following complaints by staff.

Mr Driscoll did not respond to a request for comment. Mr Mills did not respond to questions. Mrs Driscoll could not be reached.

Mr Driscoll won the seat of Redcliffe at the LNP's landslide election victory last year.

Redcliffe had long been considered a Labor stronghold but the force of the LNP victory meant such seats were swept to the conservatives. Mr Driscoll has received strong support from Premier Campbell Newman in Parliament in recent weeks under scrutiny from the Labor Opposition.

www.CourierMail.com.au

18.3.13

RACQ goes from dumb to dumber

With Queenslanders hurting, the RACQ has come up with absolute cracker of an idea - force car owners to pay for compulsory annual vehicle checks.

The brains trust of the RACQ has forced its way out of its cage again.

Latest Queensland News

Weather Bureau's Rod Webb owes the people of southeast Queensland an apology

Any window showed more than the forecast

    

FORECASTERS have for the first time admitted they were caught unaware by the freak morning super-cell storm that smashed Brisbane's inner suburbs last November.

The bureau has repeatedly claimed it had acted within its guidelines when it failed to issue an early specific warning about the storm, which lashed the inner suburbs between 10am and 11am on Saturday, November 17.

Despite more than 1000 lightning strikes being recorded in the half hour before storm cell smashed into the inner suburbs at 10.30am, a specific warning was not issued until 10.50am, by which time the storm had passed over and was almost at the coast.

By that time there was flooding in some suburbs and dozens of calls for help had been made to authorities.

At the time, bureau bosses backed the decision to not issue a specific warning.

They said the storm had not met the bureau's threshold for a specific "severe thunderstorm" warning until just before the warning had been issued and that a series of general warnings about storm activity over that weekend was sufficient.

It can now be revealed that the day after, the bureau's Queensland regional director Rod Webb wrote in an internal email that the forecasters on duty had been caught unaware by the storm as it had blown up unusually early in the day and directly over the inner suburbs.

The email, only now released after a Freedom of Information application by The Courier-Mail, said: "The storms developed a little earlier than anticipated and forecasters felt the first wave would not produce severe weather.

"This was true on the most part but once the storms approached the city, forecasters issued warnings based on radar evidence."

In an interview yesterday following the release of the documents, Mr Webb acknowledged the warning should have come earlier.

But he denied any shortage of front-line resources at the bureau was to blame.

"That was a meteorological issue rather than necessarily having more people look at it," Mr Webb said.

"In hindsight, you would have like to have something out, but we felt ... much of the community would have been pretty well prepared for severe weather."

www.CourierMail.com.au

9.2.13

COMMENT:  Rod Webb would make the people of southeast Queensland a lot less nervous if he took a sabbatical during next summer's storm season and went  back to forecasting the weather  for the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. He should be pushing his bosses and the government relentlessly for more staff for the Brisbane office of the Bureau of Meteorology. What has he done to get more staff?  He owes it to the people of Queensland to publicly explain in detail exactly what new staff and facilities, if any, he has been actively seeking. 

Rail Back on Track: SEQ fares skyrocket

Media release 7th January 2013

SEQ: TransLink versus TransPerth

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers has highlighted the 7.5% fare rises.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The recent fare increases will hit residents in the suburbs of Bulimba, Centenary and the Northwest hard as these areas are public transport 'no go' zones and now they are paying 7.5% more for it. High frequency bus services should be extended to these areas as a priority, and in particular to Bulimba."

"Rail users will also be disproportionately affected as much of the network runs sub-par 30 minute frequency outside of peak hour. The exception here is the Ferny Grove Line, however even this is a partial upgrade, interpeak only and where frequent service is not available on weekends."

"Perth's system provides a stark comparison to the situation here in Brisbane. Not only does Perth have fewer people and a smaller network than Brisbane, they have now eclipsed Brisbane in carrying patronage, provide double the train service frequency to all stations on all lines all day, and not only that, charge less than TransLink does for comparable journeys.* Perth also runs identical trains to Queensland Rail."

"If anything is clear, we need a review of TransLink fares. These fare increases are significantly
above CPI and also above weekly wage growth. On trains, passengers are not getting value for money due to low frequency for most of the day. Where is the money going and what is driving such huge increases?"

"We just can't afford to not have a proper detailed fare review, with public consultation."

References:

* TransPerth Perth CBD to Mandurah, 70 km, adult pm peak hour - $9.40

* TransLink Brisbane CBD to Helensvale, 68.2 km adult pm peak hour $10.53

7.1.13

Wild Oats XI wins Sydney - Hobart

Channel 7 Sunrise and ABC News 24 are reporting the win live.

Meanwhile, over at Channel 9's Today program they are reporting the race is likely to be over within an hour.

The horrors of no daylight saving in Queensland!

Has the RACQ's Steve Spalding gone mad?

Steve Spalding

PARENTS should drive old bombs themselves and give teen drivers the keys to their newer and safer cars, the state's peak motoring body says.

RACQ executive manager of technical and safety policy Steve Spalding told The Courier-Mail younger drivers were typically given older cars to drive but were more likely to survive accidents in cars with better safety features.

In the 12 months to October this year 32.5 per cent of deaths on the road involved motorists aged 16-24.

"I think with young drivers and cars it's always better to put them in the safest car, which often isn't your first thought," Mr Spalding said.

"You put them in the older car because of a few knocks and scratches. People still tend to think bigger is better but it's not the case.

The RACQ's online buyer's guide lists some of the safer second-hand small and light cars, including the Mazda2 (07-10), Honda Civic (06-10), Peugeot 307 (01-09), Volkswagen Golf/Bora (99-04), Volkswagen Golf/Jetta (04-10) and Volvo S40/V40 (97-04).

The Courier-Mail has joined forces with the Queensland Police Service in the Below 300 campaign to try to keep the 2012 road toll under that figure.

The road toll yesterday stood at 274, which was 14 more deaths than at the same time last year.

The official national Christmas-New Year road toll period begins tomorrow and police yesterday pleaded with motorists to pay attention on the roads and drive to the conditions.

Inattention was this month added alongside speeding, drink-driving, not wearing seat belts and fatigue as one of the "Fatal Five" major causes of road deaths.

"What police would really like to see over this break is that they do not have to issue one single ticket," State Traffic Operations Inspector Ray Rohweder said.

"Contrary to popular belief police don't enjoy catching people breaking the law.

"If that occurred that would mean that everyone has obeyed the road rules and that would guarantee that people in Queensland would arrive at their destination safely."

www.couriermail.com.au

22.12.12

Masters lets down the people of Queensland

While every responsible retail outlet in Queensland has graffiti spray paint in locked cabinets, Masters at Springfield Central has cheap and nasty 98 cent cans of spray paint openly for sale or for easy shoplifting.

No wonder there is so much graffiti around Ipswich and Brisbane's western suburbs.

Come on Masters - you are not being responsible corporate citizens by taking this approach to this major community problem.

Rhys Holleran gives terrible performance

Rhys Holleran

CEO at Southern Cross Austereo

Melbourne

The most disgraceful media conference I have ever seen. 

Prevarication, hesitancy, failure to answer questions - Today FM and Rhys Holleran have let down the people of Australia. 

The two clowns on Today FM who caused this tragedy in London should never be allowed on air again. 

Congratulations to Coles for pulling the pin on their advertising on this disgraceful radio station. 

The Courier-Mail wants YOU!

The Courier-Mail Funeral Notices
Monday 26 November 2012

The Courier-Mail uses "fillers" in its classified advertising columns to avoid leaving small gaps when the individual ads don't quite fit.

They usually consist of 3 or 4 lines of text and ensure there are no excessive blank spaces.

Imagine the unappealing filler in The Courier-Mail of 26 November 2012 in the Funeral Notices which declared "OUR TRAINED STAFF are waiting to help you with your advertising needs".

Just what you want to know at 7 o'clock in the morning as you browse the details of all of the recently departed souls from around Brisbane!

 

RACQ push for mobile phone blocking in cars

CHAT-happy Queensland motorists could have communication cut off behind the wheel, with calls for new phone-blocking technology to be fitted to cars.

More than one-third of the 270 fatal car accidents in Queensland last financial year were linked to mobile phone calls, texting and other distractions.

Experts say tackling the explosion in smartphones on the roads will require smarter technology, not more police crackdowns.

Queensland and overseas researchers are developing technologies to either block mobile phone signals in cars or encourage sensible driver behaviour.



One product dubbed the "black box" is available overseas and marketed to parents and employers who own car fleets.

Founder and CEO of the Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) Russell White said that new cars should be built with phone-blocking capabilities, while older cars could be fitted.

"Without a doubt, if it comes through the production line it's easier to do," Mr White said.



 "It should be part of the standard equipment, another part of the design of cars."

He said some car manufacturers were investigating two-key systems so children driving their parents' cars could not operate phones.

Professor Simon Washington, from the Queensland University of Technology's Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety, said about 40 per cent of Queensland drivers admitted to flouting the law - it is illegal to have a phone in your hand while driving - on a daily basis.




Prof Washington said Queensland researchers were exploring the possibilities of an app that could monitor driver behaviour and be available within two years .

The product could potentially check driver speed, fatigue and phone use and could be linked to rewards such as discounts on vehicle registration.

"Imagine a future where you get feedback on how you drive and you get points if you're a good driver, sort of like frequent flyer points," Prof Washington said.

He said only a small percentage of drivers were caught by police, which was why it was necessary for technology to step in.

RACQ spokesman Steve Spalding said drivers should put their phones entirely out of reach because even a ring tone was a distraction.

The RACQ will launch a YouTube video on driver distraction before Christmas, as it pursues a campaign to have the Fatal Four expanded to include driver distraction as No.5.

"We are very much of the view that it is a driver's responsibility to stay safe and not be distracted by phones of activity," Mr Spalding said.

"You need to discipline yourself not to look at the phone or take a text.

"Phones are always with us and for many people, it's just too much."

www.CourierMail.com.au

25.11.12

 

RACQ's
Steve Spalding

COMMENT: RACQ spokesman Steve Spalding is quite unrealistic in his comments.  Why should passengers be prevented from taking or making calls while in a car?  You can be sure that current technology cannot differentiate as to whose phone it is.

The RACQ has weighed-in on a very serious issue but it deserves more than just the usual glib comments the RACQ regularly serves up.

And if a ring tone is a distraction Steve, what about car radios or raucous stereo systems?  What is the RACQ doing or saying about those?  Or backseat drivers -  which can be the biggest distraction of all!

 

Weather bosses lose important forecast tool for sake of $100 - BOM Brisbane boss Rob Webb refuses to ask for more

VITAL DATA: A file picture of the release of a
Bureau of Meteorology hydrogen-filled weather balloon.

 WEATHER bureau bosses have robbed their forecasters of vital data-gathering flights by weather balloons to save less than $100.

The balloons, which record and transmit information on temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure as they soar for kilometres, are a key tool when preparing forecasts.

They are considered especially important in stormy climates such as Queensland's, but in a cost-cutting move, the bureau has halved the number of weather balloons at 40 locations across Australia from two to one per day.

Seven of the sites are in Queensland, including Brisbane Airport.

The bureau's Queensland director Rob Webb admits data from a balloon could have helped forecasters to predict the intense storm cell that struck inner-Brisbane last Saturday morning.

The bureau has been criticised for not issuing a specific warning until 20 minutes after the storm hit, even though other forecasters had tipped the severity.

The bureau had launched an extra balloon on Friday night but a computer card failure meant vital temperature readings were lost.

Another launch was abandoned on Saturday morning.

Mr Webb said: ``I'm not going to say we would not have liked that extra information.''

He said it was ``not for me'' to request additional funding to restore the second daily flight.

A bureau spokeswoman yesterday would not say how much the cuts are saving the organisation's $323 million annual budget.

But The Courier-Mail has learned that each flight would cost less than $100 including the technical equipment and staff time.

In the absence of balloons, forecasters rely on data from the upper-atmosphere from sources such as planes.

The Federal Government allocated $4.8 million to recruit and train up to 40 meteorologists and flood forecasters around the country but cut $13 million from the bureau's overall budget this year.

Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability Don Farrell, who has responsibility for the bureau, has ruled out extra money to reintroduce second daily flights.

Senator Farrell said: ``Weather balloons are only one method of obtaining observations. The Bureau has winds and temperature measuring equipment on a large number of domestic aircraft, which provides a significant contribution to weather observations in the Brisbane region and nationally.''

He said other technology included the bureau's network of radars.

But industry experts say weather bureau flights were a small price to pay for the information they delivered.

Weather Channel forecaster Dick Whitaker said: ``Weather balloons are tremendously important. The information from weather balloon flights is very valuable especially in predicting storms.''

Weatherwatch meteorologist Don White said: ``Satellite imagery has improved but it's not the same as a weather balloon for finding out what's happening in the atmosphere at a a particular time in a particular location.''

Alistair Waters, deputy national president of the Community and Public Sector Union which represents Bureau staff, said: ``Certainly forecasters would prefer as many different mechanisms to gather information on climate conditions as possible. They would prefer more sources than less.''

Liberal Senator Sue Boyce told The Courier-Mail: ``It's not just about extra people but resourcing them so they can do the job in a way that keeps Queenslanders safe.

``It just seems crazy as we come into summer and given the sort of summers we've had recently that there would be cuts like this.''

And Greens Senator Larissa Waters said with climate change expected to bring more frequent and more intense severe weather ``we need a better resourced bureau''.

Farmers' group AgForce is also concerned.

``We wait to hear more detail of any cutbacks to the use of weather balloons, however (we) must point out that accurate and regular weather information is vital to running farm businesses,'' said a spokeswoman.

``Key decisions relating to day-to-day on farm activities including stock movement, irrigation, harvesting and crop treatments are based on regular and concise weather observations communicated to primary producers via the Bureau.

``Any reduction to weather services puts at risk best practice within our industry.''

www.CourierMail.com.au

23.11.12

COMMENT: The Courier-Mail reports BOM's Queensland director Rob Webb admits data from another balloon could have helped forecasters to predict the intense storm cell that struck inner-Brisbane last Saturday morning.  Mr Webb said: ``I'm not going to say we would not have liked that extra information'' and then he drops one of the biggest clangers of all time: He said it was "not for me'' to request additional funding to restore the second daily flight.

If it's not for you Rob, who the hell is it for?  You are the one complaining about the issue, you are one suggesting the extra resources would have been of benefit to your office but it's not for you to ask for additional funding!  You are supposed to be running an elite weather forecasting service.  If you don't have the full resources to undertake that role, you should be hammering the head office of the Bureau of Meteorology demanding those extra resources - day and night.  If there can be improvements in the way in which you and your staff do your job, you should be relentless in demanding additional funding. 

 

By saying it's "not for me" to do anything about it is clearly not the right way to go about solving this problem.  Rob: Get some testicular fortitude and demand what you need because it is your responsibility to do something about your funding shortfall.  Remember, God helps those who help themselves!

 

Long sought-after Kelly Gang gun hid in Rocky for 112 years

This memorial stands at the site in the Ipswich cemetery
where Dan Kelly, Ned's brother, is thought to be buried.

A LONG sought-after gun belonging to a member of one of Australia's most infamous bushrangers, has been hiding in a Rockhampton home for 112 years.

 But a private collector has just paid $122,000 for the muzzle-load single-shot pistol, believed to belong to the Kelly Gang's Dan Kelly.

 Bidding at Charles Leski Auctions in Hawthorn started at $75,000 with six phone bids made, up to the successful bid of $100,000. Auctioneer's commission brought the price to $122,000.

 For Charles Leski Auctions' Max Williamson, the historical journey to discover the origin of the pistol, has been a career highlight.

 And it began at The Morning Bulletin.

 The gun was brought to the auctioneers by a descendant of Rockhampton's Hansen family, claiming the East India Company Cavalry Pistol belonged to Ned Kelly's younger brother.

 Mr Williamson says the story behind the gun was revealed in an article in The Morning Bulletin on Wednesday October 17, 1900, and re-published in The Northern Miner and the Warwick Examiner and Times.

 "A memento of the once notorious Kelly Gang was found in Rockhampton recently, in a rather curious way," the article reads.

 According the article, Rockhampton gunsmith H. P. Hansen bought a lot of "old and rusty firearms" from a townsman.

 Amongst the firearms was an old horse pistol, about 46 centimetres long. Mr Hansen told The Morning Bulletin at the time, the person he bought the pistol from found it years beforehand on the bank of the Murrumbidgee River.

 "The stock is of walnut, and the weapon is brass mounted, with a ramrod," reads the newspaper description.

 "On the stock, where held by the hand, was found cut, apparently with a knife, '1876', and underneath 'Dan Kelly'.

"There seems to be no doubt it was at one time owned by one of the Kelly Brothers."

 Mr Williamson says further research and interviews with noted Kelly Gang historian Ian Jones suggests the Kelly Gang took 17 weapsons to the siege at Glenrowan.

 "And there's only one that wasn't retrieved," Mr Williamson says.

 "The pistol was with Dan at the siege of Glenrowan in 1880 where he was killed by police.

 "I love my job because every so often something like this comes along.

 "We've sold Phar Lap's saddle, the very first Brownlow Medal, Shirley Strickland's collection, and now this."

 Mr Williamson says the gun's discovery is not just remarkable because of its rarity and link to one of Australia's most intriguing historical events, but also because it has stayed with the Rockhampton family for so long.

 "Being a gunsmith, Mr Hansen obviously sold hundreds of guns in his lifetime," Mr Williamson says.

 "But he obviously treasured this one, kept it and it has been handed through the Hansen family through three or four generations."

www.TheMorningBulletin.com.au

22.11.12

BOM Alert - Rob Webb seems to have learnt a big lesson from last Saturday

Take a look at the first radar image showing a relatively puny storm near Warwick at 2.00pm yesterday. 

This triggered the following urgent BOM alert:

TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING for DAMAGING WIND and LARGE HAILSTONES
For people in parts of the 
Darling Downs and Granite Belt and Southeast Coast Forecast Districts.

Issued at 1:47 pm Thursday, 22 November 2012.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds and large hailstones in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected
include Warwick, Toowoomba, Stanthorpe, Boonah, Allora and Clifton. 


Now take a look at the second radar image which appeared on the BOM website at 10.12 am Saturday depicting a massive 40km storm front which hit Ipswich and Brisbane but did not trigger an official BOM alert until 20 minutes AFTER it had hit the heart of Brisbane. 

It seems BOM's regional director Rob Webb - despite his public posturing - must have put a bomb under his troops to issue alerts when considered prudent and to err on the side of caution - irrespective of all the claptrap regarding size of hailstones and other usual indicative criteria. 

It's taken a week but the tirades of criticism against BOM seem to have jolted them into a renewed sense of reality.

Now, all we are still waiting on is for Rob Webb to say sorry for last weekend's fiasco.

But on reflection, yesterday's initial warning which was followed by numerous updates, fresh alerts and new warnings was probably Rob Webb's own way of saying "sorry". 

Unfortunately, his tenure in the Brisbane office will always be remembered for last weekend's mighty clanger. 

BOM Alert for SEQ

BOM Brisbane at last giving timely warnings. They must have learnt from last Saturday's debacle. Well done Rob Webb.


TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
for DAMAGING WIND and LARGE HAILSTONES
For people in parts of the
Darling Downs and Granite Belt and
Southeast Coast Forecast Districts.

Issued at 1:47 pm Thursday, 22 November 2012.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds and large hailstones
in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected
include Warwick, Toowoomba, Stanthorpe, Boonah, Allora and Clifton.

Police warning on ATM skim scam



Detective Superintendent Brian Hay -
"the most-proactive anti-fraud cop in Australia".



HIGHLY sophisticated bankcard skimming devices have been found attached to ATMs in Brisbane's Queen St Mall, for the first time in Australia.

The devices are installed over the top of ATM card slots in just seconds and have put thousands of shoppers at risk ahead of Christmas, police warn.

"It's a perfect time to strike because of the high volume of turnover in the ATMs," Detective Superintendent Brian Hay of the fraud squad said.

"We know cards have been compromised over the days prior to the discovery and we know money has been withdrawn from accounts.

"We also know the fraudsters have had possession of these devices, we suspect, for the last five months."

The devices target specific ATM models and were found in two adjacent machines in Queens Plaza last week.

A customer noticed something amiss with an ATM belonging to one of the big four banks and contacted the fraud squad.

A second device was discovered in a machine connected to another major bank.

Almost-undetectable pinhole cameras record customers entering PINs while the devices simultaneously record card data in the all-in-one devices.

"We've heard of them in Europe but it's the first time we've seen them in Australia," Supt Hay said. "The concern is how many other machines have these been on over the last three or four months.

"Once upon a time it would have taken them longer because they had to fit a camera up the top. This is all in one. That would take them five seconds to fit," he said.

Police are searching for a man (pictured below) they believe is linked to the discovery of two ATM skimming devices over the weekend. They have released images of a man in a suit who police say "may be able to assist them with their investigations".

Anyone with any information is being asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Even if ATM customers conceal their hand as they enter PINs, criminals can still use skimmed card data to purchase goods online.

The devices are equipped with memory cards that can store extended video footage and the details of thousands of cards at a time.



This man is wanted for questionning
over the ATM card fraud in Brisbane.



Two separate micro-USBs also allow criminals to retrieve video recordings and data and then reuse the devices.

"When they go back to retrieve it they pull it off, plug it into their laptop then and there and it downloads all the data for them. They recharge, reset, clear the memory and go again," Supt Hay said.

Organised crime gangs based in eastern Europe have made a fortune using skimming devices.

"They will go and buy an ATM. Then they will engineer precisely the mould for how they're going to put it on top so it looks good.

"There's even been circumstances where they will go and secure the exact same paint that's on the ATM from the same paint factory so they match everything perfectly."

However despite their detailed design, the devices rely on double-sided adhesive and can come loose.

"Beware of anyone acting suspiciously around ATMS and report it. Always give the card entry point a bit of a wiggle to make sure it's firmly and completely attached," Supt Hay said. "It's going to look flush but you've got a seam line on the outside which is not normally there."

www.CourierMail.com.au

22.11.12

COMMENT: Det Supt Brian Hay is undoubtedly at the forefront of fraud investigation and detection in Australia.  He regularly exposes the cons and scams which have proliferated since the advent of the internet.  Whether its Nigerian bank scams, lonely hearts ripoffs or ATM fraud, Brian is relentlessly hot on the trail of the fraudsters and scammers who are a blight on our society.  He is without doubt the most-proactive anti-fraud cop in Australia. The Queensland Police are at the forefront of this work, leaving the various other state and territory police services and the Australian Federal Police way behind.  Brian Hay and his team deserve full congratulations for their commitment, persistence and vigilance in both their educative and investigative roles. - PaulGTully@gmail.com