Crikey

Rumour has it that the other big bet on Simon Beasley’s black book —  reported to be an election bet — was a bet on Labor to win the last federal election placed by a rather senior state Liberal figure.

KPMG in Perth have made 50 positions redundant, about half of which are in their audit division. Some staff were offered redeployment to their Risk Advisory Services division. The whole thing has been handled appallingly given the extreme workloads many of these same staff were saddled with up until recently.

A Chinese owned mining project is advertising for a Bilingual (English Mandarin) Registered Nurse on their website. The role is stated to be designed for liaison with Chinese workers and is required to have industrial safety knowledge, reporting directly to a company director? How many Chinese workers is this project bringing into Australia given the recent restrictions on 457s, what about the requirement for foreign workers to have some competency in English, anecdotal evidence that building and construction labour rates are already decreasing and how would the unions view this approach to health and safety of foreign workers?

Who brokered the deal between Citylink, Vicpol and the Victorian State Government whereby Vicpol have agreed not to place mobile speed cameras in the M1 construction zone between Stud Road and the Domain and Burnley Tunnels?

The entire area is either 60km/h or 80km/h and the one blitz conducted so far netted eight drivers and two truck drivers. It is well known within the Vic State Government that there is a tacit understanding not to police this stretch of road outside of peak hours and that between 50% & 60% of drivers are speeding. There is great concern that seats already made vulnerable by the Eastlink tolls turnaround will be increasingly hard to hold should the M1 be slowed to the safe speed.

Vicroads are known to be particularly concerned about worker safety, particularly at night when work is being undertaken. There is a tragedy waiting to happen, and the finger pointing after the fact will be most interesting.

Robert Clark’s (Opposition Vic Parliament) media release regarding the Ringwood bomb scare and the inadequate response from the Victoria Police critical infrastructure protection unit to even be able to answer a phone call that evening is the tip of the iceberg of major problems within Victoria protective counter-terrorism regime.

The recent Victorian Auditor General’s report into Victoria’s counter-terrorism preparedness arrangements was damning to say the least, particularly around matters of communication and coordination between Victoria Police and responsible line agencies. The report basically said that the Brumby Government has wasted $300 million dollars for questionable results.

Ms. Natalie Bannan, the civilian officer responsible for many aspects of counter-terrorism preparedness and in charge of the Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit within the Victoria Police resigned her post shortly before the report was released. What a coincidence that is. While she worked there her father was the Assistant Commissioner of that particular Department.

What is even more concerning is that serving Police officers are moonlighting as paid consultants to write, organise and run counter-terrorism training exercises, as required under Part Six of the Terrorism Community Protection Act 2003 for “declared essential services”. A “declared essential service” is important stuff — the Latrobe Valley power stations, electricity and gas distribution networks, train and tram networks, etc — stuff that terrorists would take an interest in.

The standard of the adequacy of the exercise in meeting the legislative requirements is determined by Police also. So you’ve got cops earning cash from major corporations in the energy sector writing and running training exercises to test counter-terrorism plans that are judged adequate or not by their mates within the police force.

At best this is conflict of interest, at worst corruption, with the result that the $300 million process designed to protect the community from terrorism is not working, and probably has never worked due to nepotism within the Victoria Police force. This situation is widely known amongst police and government departments, with no-one tacking a stand.

There are a few of us who have had enough.

Xenia Hanusiak wrote an incomprehensible article on the lack of government support for contemporary music in The Age on the weekend, taking care to mention her own glowing success in attracting private funding — something most small music organisations do not easily have access to.

What Xenia failed to mention was her own position as the music rep on the Arts Victoria panel that assesses annual operations funding for new music organisations. Why model herself as the champion of new music if she doesn’t actually do anything useful about it? And why omit such a key fact in the article? The end effect is a bizarre blend of self-aggrandisement and hypocrisy.

Last night’s flagship 7pm ABC TV bulletin in Sydney went to black after the second story when the automation failed. Cost saving computer run studios might be okay at, say, the Australia Network (which broadcasts to an overseas audience) but technical glitches don’t go down well in capital cities like Sydney.

The Age’s circulation department has not been answering their phone since Sunday, with a voice promising an answer but blaming the “new system”. I’ve waited 40 minutes on hold each time before giving up. If you say you’re a new subscriber, the phone gets picked up immediately. Obviously, you get better service as a non-subscriber, so that’s what I’ll be becoming.

People who attended last night’s taping of The Gruen Transfer report some embarrassment. In the segment where two ad agencies are asked to make an ad selling a difficult product, one of the submitted ads shown offended people in the audience with sexist and racist jokes. The chosen topic was how to make fat people look good. One of the ads started with a these offensive jokes and then went into the pitch. (Much in the way that on the program last night, underwater shots of female synchronised swimmers were showed in the pitch, which was how to get young boys interested in synchronised swimming. The tag line about something being open, shown over a shot of the swimmers with open legs veered towards the gratuitiously offensive). It sounds like last night’s selling fat people ad went the same way, but stunned some in the audience.

General Motors Corporation was told by Congress in early Dec. to get rid of its corporate aircraft and not to own or lease or operate them. Yet even in light of it taking massive loans from us as taxpayers it has its same original seven aircraft hiding within its hanger at 530 E. Service Dr. at Detroit Metro Airport.

G.M is continuing to pay these lease payments for this hanger, security, and aircraft with our money. The seven aircraft have never been owned by GM but were and still are leased by GM. These Aircraft are All Gulfstreams, two each GV’s (Gulfstream five’s) with Tail numbers or registration # ‘s are N5101 and N5102, and five G350’s tail # ‘s are N5112, N5113, N5114, N5115 and N5116. The G350’s are newer and in a healthy market worth $40-45 million the GV’s are a bit older and longer range and worth approx the same. The value is much more than 30 each million each but even at 30 million each can make a quick sale. This could account for 21 million to repay us!

In addition to the aircraft there is a stock room with many parts — plus all the support equipment associated with them. It is nothing for one small box to value $80,000 I would guess roughly an additional 6 million in these parts and another 5-6 million in test equipment, support equipment could be realized. Additionally the hanger lease could be cancelled saving money. GM’s current intent is to keep 2-3 of these jets on their certificate!

They have plans for Penistar at Pontiac airport in Michigan to manage them while the executives fly them under the guise that they GM do not own them. Do not know these intimate details. I am appalled that I as a taxpayer and a former employee I have given tax money and had my career snapped from me while these CEO’s hide these gold nuggets for a later time once we all forget. Perhaps as a bonus?

I cannot understand why nobody has questioned what happened to their aircraft and where the money for them has went. Our US Coast Guard, Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines all use Gulstreams should not be impossible to get a sale. Four entire months has elapsed and no word from GM or the lawmakers on what is happening to these assets.

I can ascertain there is much scrambling going on to trying to figure how GM can continue to utilize some of these aircraft without public scrutiny. The Hangar at metro airport lease does expire in November and word is they will be taking the aircraft to Pontiac airport before then.

Worse than that, they are considering bankruptcy with this on their books Ford has the same situation. They shut their doors the same day but Ford does not at this point have any taxpayers loans, only assurances.

Easter fun (courtesy of the Australian Democrats).

Meanwhile on the grassy knoll: The House of Representatives are employing staff with links to the Commancheros bikie club.