ZEG

In his latest offering, conservative Australian cartoonist ZEG is critical of the arrogance of Kevvy waking up one fine morning and deciding all by his little self that he will impose a big new tax on one of Australia's most important employers and exporters -- the mining industry.




Muslim victimology

Muslim female makes demonstrably false accusations against police on a statutory declaration but that's OK -- and hushed up as well? Making a false statement on a statutory declaration is an offence that should lead to a prosecution. It seems that the NSW police force is just about as gutless about "minorities" as is the Victoria police. One would have thought that they would be very zealous to uphold their reputation where they can

As I was driving today I happened to listen to Jason Morrison’s ‘Drive’ show at around 3 pm. He mentioned the story of the Sydney policeman who happened to stop a veiled lady recently because he had a well founded suspicion that she was not driving well and that her ‘P’ plate sign was not affixed properly to the car. This policeman asked to see the lady’s license. Of course to check her license the policeman had to see the lady’s face and you know what that means for a Muslim feminista.

Instant outrage. This lady did what any oppressed victim who has been asked to show her driver’s license would do .She went straight to the media and complained that the policeman was a racist, shouted at her, grabbed her veil and wanted to pull it off. Not a shy little hyacinth, this lass went to Channel 7 and told her tearful story aided and abetted by her Muslim handlers.

Thing is, she forgot she is in a western country and that not all the media have lost their marbles. As Jason Morrison related, Channel 7 contacted the policeman in question after she gave her tearful opera buffa version of events. And guess what? The policeman had filmed the entire proceedings with the lachrimose lady. And then guess what the filming revealed? THE TRUTH. And the truth differed significantly from what the dodgy Muslim lady driver said.

First – it appears the policeman spoke very politely to the lady from beginning to end.

Second – it seems the would be abused victim had not been abused at all. The policeman did not touch or grab her veil. He simply asked her politely to show her face so he could do his job and identify her with the driver's photo on her driver's license.

Third. The lady has told untruths on a Statutory Declaration she made about the whole incident in her official complaint about this officer to the NSW Police Force. [woops]

With or without the veil it ain’t a pretty story. And in fact the lady might be wearing her veil now but the truth has been unveiled and is there for all to see.

Channel 7, having got hold of the ‘other side of the story’ from the policeman and having seen the footage, invited the lady to come back and ‘please explain’ what the footage showed. The Muslima prima donna, who thought she had it all sewn up with her first bellicose Ayatolla-like hissy fit, on realising such footage existed, suddenly declined to come in to be interviewed again. A little bit of the truth and reality mugging apparently had spoilt her day and shut her up.

Technology saved the day for this policeman. Imagine if he had NOT filmed the interview with the would be veiled victim? What would the story be out there in the media? And good on Channel 7 for getting the other side of the story. If only other media outlets did the same.

This Muslima wanted to con the world but she didn’t make it this time She should go for a holiday on a flotilla near Turkey – that’s where she belongs. However, as the Latma TV song goes ‘the truth will never find a way to your tv’ as the whole story has died in Sydney and it is hard to find any links which tell anything about it.

If not for Jason Morrison’s radio report, I would not have heard of it. Not only that, but as Jason has noted, there has been no public apology or public exoneration of the policeman in question who after all, was just doing his job. Several organisations including the Ethnic Affairs Commission and the NSW Police Force declined to comment on radio about the incident and there is hasty burying of the story going on.

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Rudd in deep doo-doo over mining tax

LABOR figures and the mining industry have given Kevin Rudd two weeks to settle the damaging dispute over the resource super-profits tax as the ALP faces a call to dump the Prime Minister before the election.

Mr Rudd has rejected calls for an early settlement of the deep differences over the proposed $12 billion tax and warned that the fight could last for months, through to the election.

Former Queensland Labor treasurer Keith De Lacy has urged federal MPs to replace Mr Rudd as leader or risk being swept from power for a generation. Mr De Lacy savaged the Prime Minister as "an item of ridicule", as former party powerbroker Graham Richardson warned that Labor was "bleeding votes" because of the Prime Minister's planned 40 per cent tax on "super profits".

A Westpoll to be published in Western Australia today, after Mr Rudd and the cabinet spent two days in Perth and promised $2bn would be spent on infrastructure in the resources state, shows Labor's primary vote in the state at 26 per cent - the lowest ever - and the Coalition holding a two-party-preferred lead of 68 per cent to 32 per cent.

If such a result were duplicated at an election, Labor would not have a West Australian member of the House of Representatives.

Mr De Lacy, now a coalmining executive, who worked with Mr Rudd when the Prime Minister was Queensland's top bureaucrat under premier Wayne Goss, said: "Labor now run the risk of being out of power for a generation. "I regret to say there is no alternative but to change the leader - for someone who cares about Australia and cares about the long-term electability of the Labor Party. There are plenty of them around. But I reckon there is little time to waste."

Mr Richardson told Sky News that Mr Rudd must resolve the details of the proposed tax within a fortnight to stand a chance in the federal election, expected in September or October.

Mr Rudd's handling of political issues is even questioned by his brother, Greg, in an article in today's Weekend Australian. While Greg Rudd attacks the media for attempting to tear down his brother, he admits it is hard to say whether the Prime Minister has made Australia a better place because of the "smoky haze of self-lit spot fires of distraction".

Their comments came after The Australian revealed that Hawke government minister Peter Walsh had joined the critics of Mr Rudd's lack of consultation with the mining industry.

Mr Walsh, who as Resources Minister in 1984 introduced the petroleum resource rent tax on which the new levy is based, said the Rudd government should have followed the same consultation process before the PRRT was announced. "But there's an obstacle to that, and that obstacle is Kevin Rudd," Mr Walsh said.

The mining industry stepped up its demands for genuine negotiations with the government after expectations of a sudden breakthrough in Canberra were dashed yesterday and the Minerals Council of Australia expanded its advertising campaign against the new mining tax.

Xstrata Coal chief executive Peter Freyberg said last night that talks between miners and federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson in Canberra did not make progress. He said Mr Rudd needed to start genuine negotiations "as soon as possible".

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The charming Victoria police again

Chef bashed in police cell gets almost $100,000 compensation

A CHEF who made a 000 emergency call from a police cell to police to complain he had been bashed by police has been awarded nearly $100,000 compensation by three appeal judges. They today overturned an earlier ruling by a County Court judge that three police sergeants used "reasonable and proportionate’’ force to subdue Grant Watkins.

The Court of Appeal said there was no doubt Mr Watkins was assaulted on five separate occasions at St Kilda police station and the issue was whether the officers had legal defences to their actions.

Sergeants Nathan Kaeser, Andrew Falconer and Richard Lewis said that after Mr Watkins was arrested for an alleged assault on his girlfriend he tried to avoid being fingerprinted by spitting blood and struggling violently. They said they only used reasonable force to subdue him and that their actions were in compliance with the Crimes Act.

After the incident on May 14, 2005, Mr Watkins made an emergency call using his mobile phone and asked the operator to send police because he was being held against his will and had been assaulted by police.

Appeal judges Justices David Ashley, Philip Mandie and David Beach said Mr Watkins claimed that during an attempt to fingerprint him his arms were held by Sgt Lewis and Sgt Falconer while Sgt Kaeser king-hit him. They ruled that none of the five alleged assaults were justified and the evidence could not be denied.

"We are bound to say, the (trial) judge made a number of findings about the conduct of Mr Watkins and the police defendants which cannot be sustained," they said. "The assaults were a serious invasion of the appellant's rights. They caused him significant physical and psychiatric injuries.

Mr Watkins, 28, of Briar Hill, sued the State Government and the three officers, claiming he was left with multiple grazes around his face, ears and head and suffered intense anxiety, pain and emotional distress.

He had no previous convictions and admitted he refused to give his fingerprints after being arrested over an argument with his blind and bi-polar girlfriend.

Watkins was awarded $98,000, with the compensation amount being ordered only against the State Government and Sgt Kaeser.

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Victorian politicians who claim a right to remain silent

I wonder why?

LABOR MPs have tried to stop journalists knocking on the door of their Parliament offices. In the past month, the State Parliament's top enforcement officials have twice formally complained to the Herald Sun about MPs being approached to answer questions. Despite claims of an open and transparent government, the doors to some Labor MPs are off limits.

President of the Upper House Bob Smith and Labor backbencher Danielle Green are leading the charge to curb the media's access. Mr Smith is the undisputed king of the junkets with 10 trips in the past three years at a cost to taxpayers of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Last month he ordered the Herald Sun to leave his office and declined to answer questions about his trips.

Ms Green, unhappy with questions about being seen applying make-up in the chamber, immediately complained to the Speaker.

The Serjeant-at-Arms and the Usher of the Black Rod have since told Herald Sun reporters to seek permission before approaching MPs.

It comes after 13 Labor MPs in the most marginal seats in the state recently declined to answer questions on four key public policy questions.

Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu said the ban on journalists knocking on the doors of Labor MPs is an extension of the Brumby Government's attempt to gag its MPs. "Members of Parliament should be accountable and open to scrutiny by the media," he said.

The Speaker of the House and Labor MP Jenny Lindell yesterday called on members to adopt a more "professional manner" in dealing with the media.

Press gallery veteran Brendan Donohoe, from Channel 7, said MPs should have an open door policy with all Victorians.

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