Peter Hartcher’s piece on Alexander Downer, SMH 04/07/08, forcefully makes the point that whatever else Australia is it is not a meritocracy. Alexander for years has been a buffoon-like character on the world stage. Though it must be said he did seem to get on well with Condi Rice, she probably saw him as some sort of pseudo-British teddy bear.
In light of his present appointment it’s hard to believe that the UN is serious about the re-unification of Cyprus.
Posted
International corruption watchdog Transparency International says the Papua New Guinea Government is doing little to fight corruption.
Papua New Guinea’s daily newspaper alleges that a Government minister has received more than $50 million in under-the-table payments from Asian logging companies.
The money is believed to be parked in a private Singapore bank account and represents a 2 per cent cut from every log exported from PNG between 2002 and 2007.
Transparency International PNG office spokesperson Peter Aitsi is calling on the Government to act.
“We are yet to see any real political will within this current government to take serious action against these issues of corruption,” he said.
“They bring shame to our nation.”
The Government is says it will not investigate the allegations until the newspaper or the opposition party produces evidence.
Meanwhile, Opposition leader and former prime minister Sir Mekere Morauta is calling for a full investigation into the allegations.
“It is a very clear example of what I have been saying for some time - corruption is systemic and it’s institutionalised,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Dr Puka Temu has demanded the newspaper provide evidence.
Richard Ackland Sydney Morning Herald 27/06/08
Five days before the last federal election John Howard dipped with desperation into his grab bag of tricks and came up with $22 million of Commonwealth money for World Youth Day - the Catholic Church’s proselytising and marketing extravaganza to be held in this city next month.
Is that expenditure in breach of the constitution? The issue has hurriedly come before the High Court. It has had a couple of rounds already, and is on again this morning.
The applicant is Carmelo Vescio, a non-practising Catholic. When he heard about this money being splashed around in an effort to woo the vote of wavering Catholics he immediately contacted the relevant minister in Canberra, Peter McGauran (Xavier College, Melbourne), to ask, “On what basis are you doing this?”
He received no reply. Howard and his staff also refused to respond. Appropriate ministers in the current government have not replied.
On March 20, Vescio filed a writ of summons in the High Court seeking to challenge the expenditure as offending section 116 of the constitution, which says: “The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.”
These funds for World Youth Day will be appropriated by legislation. Of course it is not the only money for the event. The NSW Government is ladling another $86 million, Telstra is stumping up a heap of sponsorship money, and if you look up the World Youth Day shop on the internet you can see the dazzling array of merchandise, or “religious products”, that can be ordered with your credit card.
Does section 116 get in the way of Howard’s political bribe? The High Court has shown reluctance to get involved, except for Justice Michael Kirby (Fort Street High).
When the writ arrived the Chief Justice, Murray Gleeson (St Joseph’s, Hunters Hill) refused to accept it. He directed the court registrar to decline to issue the proceedings without the leave of a judge.
Vescio and his lawyers then sought leave from Justice Susan Crennan (Our Lady of Mercy, Heidelberg). She refused it, saying the documents were “confusing, prolix and embarrassing”. She added that the complaints “are political in nature”, presumably unlike Howard’s largesse.
So it came on before Kirby last Friday. Time is of the essence because Vescio wants the money stopped before it is all gobbled up in the frenzy of papal excitement.
Kirby was not actually hearing an appeal from Crennan. He was only deciding whether the application for leave to issue the summons was reasonably arguable.
The appeal from Crennan is on this morning before a full court. In breathing life into the case and saying it should be expedited, Kirby said: “If there is some defect in the applicant’s process it is sometimes appropriate to endeavour to cure that defect, rather than to prevent the person having one of the most fundamental rights that exists in a society governed by the rule of law, which is access to the courts.”
How’s that for a swipe? It got better: “The reference by Justice Crennan to the fact that the complaints of the applicant are ‘political in nature’ does not necessarily render them insusceptible to consideration against the standards set by the Constitution.”
The hurdles that have to be leapt by Vescio’s legal team include earlier decisions of the court on giving money to church schools, the Greg Combet case (Work Choices advertising) where “appropriation for the purposes of the Commonwealth” was considered, and also the various decisions on an individual’s “standing” to challenge the constitutionality of a law.
As Kirby said, it is all “arguable”.
And some of the arguments have already emerged. The applicant says he is personally affected by being excluded from Royal Randwick as a racegoer during the papal mass. He’s also excluded from certain streets and “airwaves”.
Counsel for the applicant, Peter King (Sydney Church of England Grammar School), said that during World Youth Day (ie. a week) people who go to Randwick are excluded from practising any other religion except Catholicism. This amounts to an “interference” in religious observance - sponsored by the state.
The particulars asserted before the court say that that the papal mass is a religious observance and so it must be taken as correct that “it excludes participation by persons who profess other faiths and religions”.
We will see how it fares today. If Vescio is not successful in his leave appeal then he can join the NoToPope brigade and hand out condoms to the worshipful “pilgrims” flocking to the holy of holies - Randwick racecourse.
As a practising Catholic (St Ignatius’ College, Riverview), I found much to agree with Richard Ackland’s piece in the SMH 27/06/08 : High Court ponders World Youth Day largesse.
Many Australians, I’m sure, would be less than impressed with tax payers’ money going directly to promote a religious function. The Church in any secular society is always ill-advised if it needlessly antagonizes people in seeking privileged treatment from the authorities at the expense of others. The dispute with the racing fraternity about Randwick Racecourse being used for a Papal Mass is a point in question. Surely there is ample church property in and around Sydney where this event could take place; the grounds of my old school, Riverview readily come to mind. The citizens of this country may be favourably disposed towards World Youth Day but many may not want to have to pay for it or be disadvantaged by it.
David Wall
152 Wilson Street
Newtown 2042 NSW
Phone: 02 95505053
Raheen is the former home of Archbishop Daniel Mannix, in the suburb of Kew in Melbourne and now owned by Richard Pratt. A house associated with the great and famous and perhaps infamous over generations. The illustrious of Church and State and Commerce have walked in its corridors - from the forenamed Archbishop and Joseph Lyons to John Wren and now Richard Pratt.
Apparently the name ‘Raheen’ in Gaelic means ‘little fort’. We can imagine the many conversations between Daniel Mannix and Bob Santamaria and even between Arthur Calwell and the Archbishop before the Labor split. Their differences were said to be patched up here before Mannix died in 1963. Even though it was claimed that Calwell had said that there would be no peace until ‘the angel of death had visited Raheen.’ These reputed words of Calwell’s have not been verified.
I can’t recall that there was any reconciliation between Santamaria and Calwell. Bob Santamaria in an SBS interview recalled running into Calwell in Mebourne shortly after the death of his son and he tried to convey his condolences and Calwell’s response was: ‘I don’t want any sympathy from you.’
The drama and intrigue directly and indirectly associated with this salubrious piece of real estate still beguiles the country with the misfortunes facing the present owner, Richard Pratt, who is facing criminal proceedings, of lying to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Whatever the outcome of this, I guess the old house will survive the present mutable times. That is unless some mad redeveloper with a new grand design for the suburb does not convince the powers that be to pull it down.
1. Paul & Dan 2. Paul 3. Paul,David,Dan 4. Helen & camera 5. Helen 6. Dan 7. Jenny 8. Jenny,Paul,Dan 9. Helen,Jenny,Paul,Dan
(Post Courier)
The Papua New Guinea daily newspaper Post Courier has an editorial comment on the current crime situation in the capital of Port Moresby. We are running the editorial in full because of its provides significant insight into the challenges facing lawful society in Papua New Guinea. (Pacific Magazine)
How To Be Safe In Modern PNG
We are heading into more daunting times at the hands of criminals in our midst. The latest rash of crimes added to the warnings emanating from a high-level meeting of security advisers makes this plain.
Basically, the criminals are getting smarter and devising new ways of making money illegally.
Police and other law enforcement agencies are finding it harder to keep up with the smarter criminals, as well as the “knock on the head, knife in the ribs’’ variety of neighbourhood troublemakers.
Last week alone, there were two kidnappings in Port Moresby, one involving the snatching of two brothers and their sister as they were dropped off at school in the morning by their parents. City police chief Fred Yakasa was justifiably proud that police were able to quickly and safely retrieve the children and prevent the ransom being paid.
At about the same time as the kidnapping, key officers of our security agencies were meeting to confer and discuss the national security.
One officer confessed that the agencies were not prepared or trained to handle the more sophisticated crimes that are springing up in our society.
Businesses were suffering and society was losing “intelligent people’’ who were withdrawing from such an atmosphere and retreating to their home countries or, in the case of Papua New Guineans, back to their rural roots, the meeting was told.
A percentage of the modern forms of crime is due to the influx of criminal elements from overseas. But there are many local imitators who are thriving with human smuggling, “sexploitation’’ of pornography and prostitution and kidnapping offences.
The term “inside job’’ is becoming common. The high value robberies and cases of fraud are often linked to privileged information being leaked to the criminals from inside the companies and other organisations that are the targets of crime.
Managers will need to look carefully at the knowledge of their most important operations and review on the basis of “need to know’’ as to what information is available to employees.
The latest trend of holding family members as ransom to get company officers to unlock a company safe is more worrying. You cannot, as a manager, provide security at all hours of the night and day for all of the staff who have the access and information to unlock access to valuables.
For that crime, companies will need to get smarter. For kidnappings and the like, every individual will have to look again at their daily habits and exercise more care, changing routine and checking safety practices.
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Captain Wall Jerusalem A.A.M.C. unit A.A.M.C. unit
Recommend a reading of:
By Cyril Falls
My father, Captain James Augustus Wall, standing on the right and wearing a slouch hat next to the man in civilian clothing.
Were the Australians in this photo thinking about the approach of the Australian delegation to the Paris Peace Conference?
The Australian delegates were Billy Hughes (Prime Minister), and Joseph Cook (Minister of the Navy), accompanied by Robert Garran (Solicitor-General). John Greig Latham later Sir, was also part of the delegation. Frederic Eggleston had been invited, but left in disgust at Hughes’ behaviour. Indeed, Latham was to run successfully for the Federal seat of Kooyong on a policy of ‘Get Rid of Hughes’, so appalled was he at Hughes’ behaviour. Their principal aims were war reparations, annexation of German New Guinea and rejection of the Japanese racial equality proposal (see below). Hughes had a profound interest in what he saw as an extension of the White Australia Policy. Despite causing a big scene, Hughes had to acquiesce to a class C mandate for New Guinea.
Source: Wikipedia
Atque inter silvas Academi quaerere verum.
