"We in Denmark cannot figure out why you are even bothering to hold an
election.
On one side, you have a bitch who is a lawyer, married to a lawyer, she
opposes a lawyer who is married to a bitch who is a lawyer.
On the other side, you have a true war hero married to a woman with a huge
chest who owns a beer distributorship.
Is there a contest here?"
Quite simply the success of BMD and that its being fielded elsewhere has propelled Australia to the top of the target list because it is conceivable that the American leadership would not sacrifice a Australian city in order to use military force against North Korea or Iran. Or at least it would be worth testing for a desperate regime; Darwin as a warning, Brisbane as the punishment?Thats something I haven't thought of, we may end up a proxy nuclear target. I think this just improves the case for the ADF to lead the Australian Space industry. Ballistic Missiles are rockets and we don't have many skilled rocketeers in Australia. We wouldn't be able to develop our own systems and would have to rely on American help. Now, using US systems would probably be the way to go but it would be sensible to have a core group of skilled people just in case we found ourselves alone. Same reason we keep Lucas Heights going, just in case we need to build the bomb.
Twenty-seven-year-old commando Lance Corporal Jason Marks died overnight in a battle between his patrol and Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan, as melting snow heralded the start of the annual "fighting season''.
He was the fourth Australian soldier, and second commando, killed in Afghanistan in just over six months.
Four other commandos were wounded in the same action, but it's believed none suffered life-threatening injuries.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today warned there would be more casualties to come.
"We are facing a change of season, as the winter snows melt and the spring thaw begins, which usually indicates a heightening in military activity on the part of the Taliban and al-Qaeda,'' Mr Rudd said.
"Therefore, 2008 will be difficult and dangerous and bloody, and the Australian nation needs to prepare itself for further losses in the year ahead.''......
FEDERAL Health Minister Nicola Roxon has blamed the former Howard Government for the rise in teenage binge drinking.Now remember you have to be at least 18 to purchase booze so the teenagers Nicola Roxon is concerned about aren't that young. If she is concerned about underage drinking then I think she needs to ask who gave it to them in the first place.
Ms Roxon said the decision to cut taxes on premixed alcoholic drinks eight years ago helped fuel the surge in excessive drinking by young people, particularly teenage girls.
The Rudd Government overnight reversed the change, virtually doubling the excise on alcopops from midnight, pushing the cost of the drinks up by between 30 cents and $1.30 a bottle.
"We can track the change in the way that young women have been drinking these products from the time that the Howard Government changed the excise in 2000,'' Ms Roxon said to the Nine Network.
In a scene reminiscent of Dundee's, "That's not a knife" brush with New York bandits, Dingo saved the day after confronting the bullies attempting to steal a young boy's mobile phone.
....On location in London's famous Carnaby St for Channel 7's The Great Outdoors, the TV favourite stepped in to help the crying youngster, who was pleading for the return of his phone.
A Confidential reader on the scene said that shoppers watched as the boy followed the petty thieves while they "strutted arrogantly through the stunned crowd"."
To a man, they did nothing," the witness said. "Right when one of the bullies was about to belt the boy to stop him following them, they walked straight into the clutches of a fierce Ernie Dingo."
The dramatic scene was described as "straight out of High Noon".......
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has signalled a major shake-up of the Australian tax system.
Just one day after the 2020 Summit to gather ideas for the future of Australia, Mr Rudd put the taxation reform in the spotlight.
"I think it's time we actually looked at a root and branch reform of the Australian taxation system,'' Mr Rudd told ABC Television's 7.30 Report tonight.
Mr Rudd said the current system was too complex and criticised the former Howard government for not making changes.
A comprehensive review of federal and state taxes within two years was one of the ideas to emerge from the summit.
Ramsay, you see, thinks hard work honours man. Slackers drive him spare: “You might as well just f… off.”
He thinks if a job is to be done, it’s best done well. Sloppiness is an insult to a worker’s dignity. A moral crime.
He thinks if you’re taking a man’s wage, you owe him a day’s labour. Those who bludge on their boss are called “cheats” and the worst, like the manager of Dillons, are out the door.
He thinks reason beats irrational sentiment. If orange paintings of what seems global warming turn off customers, then too bad if the owner loves them to sentimental tears; they must go to save the restaurant.
He thinks some authority is better than none when you want things run well. Three managers in one chaotic restaurant get pared to one, despite the tears, because collectives and group fuzzies just don’t work.
Yet he also believes in loyalty and teams - the little platoons of society that are the bedrock of a community........
When the inquiry was announced last month, Young Media Australia president Janet Roberts said more government regulation was needed.
“Skimpy underwear is being developed for 8- to 10-year-olds,” she said. “None of this is helpful to children.”
No, it isn’t. But who usually buys these products? Mothers.
QUEENSLAND Health has admitted implanted contraceptive devices in girls as young as 12, and has called on the Opposition not to sensationalise the practice.
Opposition child safety spokeswoman Jan Stuckey told state parliament she discovered the practice on a visit earlier this year to two indigenous communities - Aurukun on Cape York and Woorabinda, west of Rockhampton.
THE previous federal government's $6 billion decision to buy 24 Boeing Super Hornet fighters for the RAAF could save taxpayers $750 million on a new jet deal.We can argue about his suitability as Liberal leader but Brendan Nelson was a good Defence minister.
According to well-placed sources, the Rudd Government is studying options to delay the purchase of next-generation F-35 joint strike fighters (JSFs) to potentially save hundreds of millions of dollars.
Without the Super Hornets a so-called "air combat capability gap" would have emerged after the retirement of the RAAF's F-111 fleet in 2010.
Australia's first JSFs are due in 2014. The Super Hornets, which enter service in 2009, could plug that gap for several years, but without them the Government would have been forced to buy the JSF at inflated "early" prices....
The model has been hired as a travel reporter to co-star with veterans Shelley Craft and Laura Csortan as well as Underbelly actor Frankie J. Holden and swimmer Sam Riley."I've never done anything like this before, so it's a great opportunity," Bingle told The Sunday Mail.
"I love to travel and I love the outdoors. I'm a bit of a thrillseeker – I love jet skis and wakeboarding, stuff like that – so we'll be doing some real adrenalin-filled episodes."
Submission to the Inquiry into
The Current State of Australia's Space Science & Industry Sector
by Ralph Buttigieg
Every few years various governments examine what, if any, Australian government activity in Space should be. There have been proposals for Australian Space Agencies , perhaps similar t what other medium sized countries like Canada have but these proposals don't go anywhere. We have had a few spasmodic programs such as Fedsat but nothing really consistent The reason given is lack of funds, which really means no convincing reason has been given why governments should prioritize the expenditure.
This can be contrasted with the commercial sector. Optus has had a successful satellite business for decades and is now acquiring the fourth generation of communication satellites. They are doing so because theres a clear commercial need for them.
I therefore accept its unlikely there will be any major government involvement in Space development unless theres a clear requirement.
I believe there is very much is a major requirement for Space assets by at least one important government organization, the Australian Defence Force. As a modern defence force they make use of space system such as GPS and remote sensing . They have major satellite ground stations such as Pine Gap and the one at Geraldton WA. They have their own communication package on Optus C and ran Fedsat for the last couple of years of its life.
The Defence forces even seem to be acquiring Space capability by accident. Consider our new AWD Destroyers. They will have the AEGIS weapon system and be equipped with the SM-2 missiles. The more capable SM-3 could easily be used instead giving the RAN a killsat capability as was shown in the recent destruction of an American satellite by an AEGIS/SM-3 equipped US destroyer.
Its clear that our military reliance on Space assets will increase. To be sure of access we need our own systems not just rely on foreign satellites and launchers.
I propose that the ADF sets up some type of Space office which would co-ordinate and advocate military space utilization. Properly in the RAAF it would be charged with working with all the services and the civilian sector.
Heres a list of possible projects that the Defence Space Office could be involved in:
An independent ADF communication satellite to replace the current Optus C package. Developments such as UAVs will require satellite communications and there must be no question of their availability or security. At the same time they can consider other packages on the geostationary platform. How about a real time weather satellite sensor? It would be invaluable for both military and civilian users. AstroVision proposed such a system but that didn't get anywhere.
Australian reconnaissance satellites. I'm thinking of a small constellation that would concentrate on our region . It could follow up what was learn t from Fedsat. We wouldn't have to rely of foreign satellites for our own security.
Small satellite Australian launcher. There is considerable work happening O/S on quick response access to space. Such systems would be ideal to launch ADF military small sats. We should be looking at our own capability to contribute to their development and the acquisition of such systems. Again, theres a possibility for civilian space use too.
In general I think we need to consider utilization of all mediums for our security,: land, sea, air and space.
I thank the Senators for considering my submission.
Ralph Buttigieg
AUSTRALIA'S top petrol cop has flagged that motorists could be slugged an extra 2c a litre under a push for a new higher national fuel standard.
The man appointed by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to stamp out "price gouging" has revealed he could be asking motorists to pay more - not less - when they fill up.
Patrick Walker wants to wipe out the state differences on fuel and replace it with a one-size-fits standard following the lead of Western Australia. "The quality premium is about 2c a litre in WA," Mr Walker said. "That is the sort of quantum we are talking. ''It would just make things easier if people, particularly nationally based chains or organisations, were able to be confident that one standard applied right across Australia."
The revelation came as angry industry groups attacked Mr Walker and his backing of the controversial FuelWatch scheme.
So, having concluded they couldn't withstand the heat of a trial, the OHRC cut to the chase and gave us a drive-thru conviction. Who says Canada's "human rights" racket is incapable of reform? As kangaroo courts go, the Ontario branch is showing a bit more bounce than the Ottawa lads.
I'd be interested to know whether the Justice Minister of Ontario thinks this is appropriate behaviour. At one level, Chief Commissioner Barbara Hall appears to have deprived Maclean's and me of the constitutional right to the presumption of innocence and the right to face our accusers. But, at another, it seems clear the OHRC enforcers didn't fancy their chances in open court. So, after a botched operation, they've performed a cosmetic labiaplasty and hustled us out.
SYDNEY house prices could fall by as much as 30 per cent in the next two years, economists say. They warned the pain will not be confined to Sydney's struggling south and west, where prices have already dropped dramatically.....
it is no doubt the case that housing will never be as ‘affordable’ as we might like, and the cost of housing has been the subject of concern for at least several decades”.
Which could mean anything. But the Reserve Bank has hit the nail on the head:
"In particular, policy initiatives to address any structural factors that encourage excessive demand for housing … will reduce ‘average’ house prices over future cycles and could provide enduring affordability benefits to both home buyers and renters.”
“It is now widely accepted that policies that simply give people more money to spend on housing are likely to be capitalised into higher housing prices.”
Those home grants and other housing subsidies are just making the situation worse.
What needs to be addressed is increasing supply not demand:
The RBA said to improve housing affordability, governments should be focused on policies on land use and improving efficiency in the supply of land and housing.
The question is how to do that. The IPA sponsors this website which has an excellent paper by Bob Day. He concludes by offering five ways to increase supply:
1. Where they have been applied, we need to remove urban growth boundaries or zoning restrictions on the urban fringes of our cities. Residential development on the urban fringe needs to be made a “permitted use.” In other words, there should be no zoning restrictions in turning rural fringe land into residential land.
2. We need to encourage small players back into the market by abolishing compulsory ‘Master Planning.’ If large developers wish to initiate Master Planned Communities, that’s fine, but don’t make them compulsory.
3. Allow the development of basic serviced allotments ie water, sewer, electricity, stormwater, bitumen road, street lighting and street signage. Additional services and amenities (lakes, entrance walls, childcare centres, bike trails, etc etc can be optional extras if the developer wishes to provide them and the buyers are willing to pay for them).
4. Privatise planning approvals. Any qualified Town Planner should be able to certify that a development application complies with a Local Government’s Development Plan.
5. No up-front infrastructure charges. All services should be allowed to be paid for through the rates system ie pay ‘as’ you use, not ‘before’ you use. The inequity of up-front infrastructure charging is obscene. First home buyers on the urban fringe are subsidizing, through their electricity, water, sewer and council rates, the massive repair and upgrading of existing, older infrastructure in the inner suburbs in order to accommodate wealthy ‘in-fill’ homebuyers.
If the Commonwealth government really wants to help homebuyers they can apply the stick to State governments to introduce necessary reforms, but please no more subsidies Mr Rudd!
