Rob Oakeshott and Tax Reform

The NSW member for Lyne, Rob Oakeshott is in the news again - still throwing his weight around – threatening to “walk away” from Labor over tax reform. He made the tax reform forum, coming up in October, a condition of his power-sharing deal with Labor.

But he’s “completely underwhelmed” by Labor’s response to the Henry review of taxation and said "I will be doing what I can to make sure that they treat it as their most serious work of the 43rd parliament and, without being too explicit, I will be extremely disappointed if they don't," he said. He compared his personal passion for tax reform to another unpopular man, fellow independent Andrew Wilkie’s personal commitment to poker machine reform.

Oakeshott knows how unpopular he is, not only with his own electorate, but with almost everyone. "In no way do I underestimate the concerns of my constituents or my need to communicate with them more clearly about the decisions I have made and the benefits to our region," he said.

"In no interview have I stated that I blame 'shock jocks' for anything to do with current politics.” He added "I challenged Ray Hadley and Chris Mitchell to a town hall-style debate on their values and my values and on who is really representing the community, as opposed to dividing the community."

So will Rob Oakeshott be remembered as the man who "sold out" to further his own ends or could he possibly be responsible for making a real improvement to our daily lives? Only time will tell. He may be one of the most hated men in Australia today but he has great genes - his grandfather Captain John Oakeshott was a prisoner of war and survived the Sandakan Death Marches in Borneo.

Anders Behring Brevik is not a Christian

Anders Behring Brevik calls himself a Christian conservative. What a terrible insult to Christianity. Any wonder Christians around the world are appalled to think their religion is being linked to this cold-blooded killer who deliberately shot young people in the face. The outrage reminds me of how Muslims react when Islam is ridiculed or slandered but there is one important difference - Christians don’t threaten to kill those who criticize their religion and they don’t massacre hundreds of innocent people either. Calling himself a Christian is disgusting.

Anders Breivik presented to the world as a peaceful young man who lives with his 60 year old mother in downtown Oslo, in fact butter wouldn’t melt. On his Facebook page he says he’s single, enjoys hunting, literature, classical music and is a fan of Winston Churchill. On July 17 he posted his only Twitter comment, a quote by the British philosopher John Stuart Mill “One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests.”

He was active on anti-Islamic websites and thought that Scandinavian media was not critical enough of Islam. He was also an active participant of far-right blogs such as Brussels Journal and Gates of Vienna and claims to belong to a modern day Knights Templar, the order of Christian crusaders who in modern times are popular with conspiracy theorists and feature in novels of Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code.

But don’t tell me he’s crazy because I don’t believe it for a minute, he knew exactly what he was doing. Now this tiny nation of only 5 million people have to decide what to do with him.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide. It’s a standard measure of well-being, especially child welfare and is used to distinguish whether the country is developed, developing or under-developed and also gauges that country's quality of life. From 2001 to 2007 and again in 2009 and 2010, Norway had the hightest HDI ranking in the world. Oh, the irony.

Norway Massacre - Who's To Blame?

The route Anders Breivik took on Utoya Island

Now the blame game begins – what caused this terrible act, what made him do it? Muslim immigration has caused such huge problems in host countries around the world, criticism and anger about it has been coming from everywhere for years. The hatred is so deep that a member of France’s far-right National Front, Jacques Coutela, was suspended for calling Breivik "an icon” on his blog and had to replace it with a note saying that he denounced his actions.

The head of the Social Democratic Party in Germany, Sigmar Gabriel, said yesterday that a trend toward xenophobia and nationalism in the region were to blame and said “naturally on the margins of society, there will be crazy people who feel legitimized in taking harder measures.”

The Danish government have just recently co-operated with the far-right Danish People’s Party (DPP) by reinstating border controls. The DPP is a key supporter of Denmark’s Liberal-led coalition and keeping Muslims out of Denmark is an easy way to win votes, especially among the older generation. But some people would like to link Breivik to mainstream politicians and groups like the English Defence League to prove their case that xenophobia is dangerous and can kill.

After this terrible event, keeping watch over radical extremists everywhere in Europe has gone into overdrive and debate has begun on how best to crack down on them. But experts warn that banning political parties or groups could have a negative effect, driving individuals even further from mainstream dialogue and into violent solutions.

Margaret Olley - Australia's Favourite Artist

Tributes have been flowing for Margaret Olley since her death at home in Paddington on Tuesday morning. She was 88. Her family have accepted the offer of a memorial service at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where she spent many happy hours and donated millions of dollars worth of art.

She studied art in Sydney and graduated with honours in 1945 and fell into Sydney’s bohemian arts scene. In 1949 she went to Europe and studied at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris before returning home to Australia.

She was a very shy young woman and to gain confidence in the artistic circles she moved in, she began to drink alcohol and soon became dependent on it. In 1959 she entered a rehab clinic and using the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 step plan, she kicked the habit, went on the wagon and never touched alcohol again.

Ms Olley has donated more than $7 million in art to the Art Gallery of NSW including works by Picasso, Cezanne and Bonnard and many of her own paintings. In 2001 she suffered from depression brought on by the death of close friends but with the aid of medication and help from the Black Dog Institute, she regained her zest for life with renewed enthusiasm. Normally very reserved about personal matters, around this time she reveals the difficult, private moments of her life in her biography “Far from a Still Life” by Meg Stewart which was released in 2005.

In 1948, William Dobell won the Archibald Prize using Margaret as a model. Sixty three years later artist Ben Quilty also submitted a portrait of Margaret for the Archibald. When he first asked her to sit for him she said no, she couldn’t believe anyone would want to look at an ugly old lady. And when the portrait was finished she looked at it and said “Yes, there’s the old bag.” How fitting then that this grand old lady’s portrait won the coveted Archibald Prize for 2011 - that's twice in one lifetime.

First photo ever taken of a Human Being

The Daily Mail had an interesting article today about Robert Cornelius, the man who made the first ever portrait of a human being in 1839.

On a sunny day in October, Robert Cornelius set up his camera in the back of his father’s gas lamp-importing business on Chestnut Street in Center City, Philadelphia. After removing the lens cap, he sprinted into the frame, where he sat for more than a minute before covering up the lens. The picture he produced that day was the first photographic self-portrait. It is also widely considered the first successful photographic portrait of a human being.

The words written on the back of the self-portrait, in Cornelius’ own hand, said it all: “The first light Picture ever taken. 1839.”

http://www.petapixel.com/2011/07/19/the-first-self-portrait-photo-ever-made/

Transport Workers Union Unhappy with Carbon Tax

Tony Sheldon

Last week Paul Howes said that his union, the AWU, were fully behind Julia Gillard in her determination to bring in a carbon tax and threatened to name and shame any company who sacked workers using the carbon tax as an excuse.

But this week, another union, the TWU doesn't agree. Let's face it, we should all be concerned about what sort of stress truck drivers are under as they thunder across the country every day, trying to meet impossible deadlines. National secretary of the TWU, Tony Sheldon, has accused Senator Chris Evans of being incompetent and endangering the lives of truck drivers.

After Paul Howe's endorsement of the AWU last week, the government weren't expecting any trouble from the unions but Mr Sheldon is not a happy man. He describes the tax as a "death tax" which will apply to the heavy transport industry from 2014 and affect 90,000 of his members.

It's obvious to him that trucking companies will pass on the cost of the tax and this will increase stress on drivers and it won't just affect truck drivers, everyone on the road will be at risk. Mr Sheldon is worried that the TWU's "Safe Rates" campaign has been derailed - it was supposed to bring in conditions that would stop truck drivers from endangering their lives by having to meet impossible deadlines. He's also concerned about procurement contracts - in 2009 the Rudd government promised to bring in measures that would ensure subcontractors complied with a set of principles that would guarantee that their employees' conditions met those of the Workplace Relations Act, but so far it hasn't happened.

"If federal Labor demonstrated the same sort of urgency in these areas that it has on climate change, then working people who can't think of a reason to support Labor, might just take a second look" Mr Sheldon said.

So next time you are on the freeway and find yourself stuck in between two B-doubles on either side of you and one looms up from behind, spare a thought for the drivers and hope they are having a good day.

Moranbah - Queensland Coal Mining Boom Town

Bob and Megan Mills and their children

There is plenty of work to be had and good money to be made if you are prepared to travel to the harsh, hot spots of Australia. Our mining boom has helped many enterprising young people prepared to suffer for a few years, set themselves up for life.

Moranbah is a coal-mining town jumping out of its skin in the middle of nowhere between Mackay and Clermont in Queensland. As coal production swings into high gear, BHP Billiton subsidiary BMA have put forward a proposal for up to 100 per cent fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workforce which will be based in a work camp for its proposed Caval Ridge mine.

The Mills family think the life will be sucked out of their town if this proposal goes ahead. Megan Mills and her family moved to Moranbah from Toowoomba because her husband could no longer live as a FIFO worker and they enjoy living in their peaceful little town. But they worry it will end up like WA’s Pilbara region where 78 per cent of the money earned is spent elsewhere.

Central Queensland’s non-resident workforce has grown rapidly with around 15,000 workers (about 40% of the population) now living in temporary accommodation, often in aluminium “dongas” in crowded work camps. So it’s easy to see why the family man who doesn’t want to be separated from his family would move to the town permanently and the money he earns mining the black gold is spent in his town.

Mayor Cedric Marshall says the work camps in the region do very little for the local economy, they don't even buy their produce locally. Moranbah is now Queensland’s most expensive place to live because of the severe accommodation shortage. The money might be good but the workers pay a high price for it - being separated from loved ones, long shifts and for the drive-in drive-out workers, they have to spend two to three hours on the road to get home after their fortnightly rosters and road accidents are common. They take the long drive to save paying soaring rents which now rival those in the Pilbara. So the permanent residents of Moranbah want to make sure their town will benefit from the boom and 300 locals attended a rally protesting a proposal to lift the FIFO workforce from 70% to 100%. So what does BHP have to say about it?

"The fly-in, fly-out workforce proposal at the Caval Ridge mine provides necessary flexibility and choice for employees," the spokeswoman said. "Local jobs will not only be maintained but will continue to grow with the proposed growth."

James Murdoch Misled Parliament

Gordon Taylor

Gordon Taylor was a talented British football player and became chief executive of the English Footballers' Trade Union, The Professional Footballers Association and is reported to be the highest paid union official in the world. News International paid him $1.1 million in legal costs and damages in exchange for a confidentiality agreement barring him from speaking about the case.

James Murdoch tried to blame Colin Myler and Tom Crone for concealing vital information from him regarding the phone hacking of affair. Both former senior executives of News Of the World are now unemployed and they spent all day yesterday trying to figure out what to do.

James knew very well about the confidential financial settlement to Gordon Taylor whose voice mail was broken into by News of the World. The company settled the suit in June 2008 and James authorized the $1.1 million payout. So Mr Myler and Mr Crone decided to make a statement yesterday which read "We would like to point out that James Murdoch's recollection of what he was told when agreeing to settle the Gordon Taylor litigation was mistaken."

Surely this must mean that Rupert's son has deliberately mislead parliament, something that carries a heavy penalty. But he's not a British subject, he's an American citizen, so what happens now?

DPP to seize proceeds of David Hicks' book

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has finally begun legal action to seize the proceeds of David Hicks' memoir and has served him with a restraining order. The DPP received a report in December from the Australia Federal Police who investigated Hicks' proceeds from his book Guantanamo: My Journey. Neither Hicks nor his publisher Random House have disclosed just how much money the book has made since it was released earlier this year but industry estimates it could be as high as $350,000.

Issuing the restraining order is the first step in preventing money being spent or transferred before an application is made to seize the funds. He was released from Guantanamo Bay in 2007 and sent back to Australia to serve out the rest of his sentence after signing an agreement admitting that he had supported terrorism.

Dick Smith, who is a supporter of Hicks said "I'm absolutely amazed that the government could be so stupid because David Hicks has never been convicted in a proper court of any crime" he said. "So I suppose the advantage for David now will be that the issues can be seen in a proper court of law and I think that will be an advantage for him, that's what I always wanted."

Rupert and James Murdoch Face the Music

After a grueling afternoon answering questions from British lawmakers, it was clear from their testimony that Rupert Murdoch, his son James and Rebekah Brooks didn't know what was going on at The News of the World and because they didn't know, they are not to blame. It now remains to be seen if British lawmakers believe them and what happens next.

The most exciting event of the afternoon was when Rupert Murdoch's wife, who was sitting behind him, lunged at a protester with a pie filled with shaving cream and whacked him before he could make contact.

Louise Mensch, a conservative lawmaker asked Rupert if he ever considered resigning. "No" he said. "Why not?" she asked. "Because I feel that people I trusted let me down, I think they behaved disgracefully and frankly, I am the best person to clean this up."

Interesting to note that the News of the World represented only 1 per cent of the company's global business so why did he shut down the paper? "We felt ashamed of what happened and felt that we would bring it to a close - we have broken trust with our readers" Murdoch said. He denied that it was made for commercial reasons - that because it was such a small part of the overall empire and newspapers were dying a slow death all over the world anyway, it could easily be disposed of.

Could they not know that their own company had paid a confidential out-of-court-settlement of 600,000 and one million pounds respectively to two victims of phone hacking? And then there is Glen Mulcaire, a private investigator under contract to The News of the World. In 2007 he was convicted of hacking into the phone of staff members of the royal family and News Ltd paid all his legal bills. When asked about this James said "I'm as surprised as you are that some of these arrangements have been made."

Oh how the mighty have fallen!

Islamic convert beaten for drinking alcohol

Four men have been arrested for allegedly whipping a man for drinking alcohol, prohibited under Shari law. Four bearded men broke into the bedroom of a 31 year old man in Silverwater at 1 am on Sunday. Three men held him down while the fourth, Wassim Fayad, allegedly lashed him for over half an hour with electrical cable. The victim is a recent Islamic convert and told police he recognised the men from his local mosque and said they set out to punish him for having a few drinks with friends. He said he is living in fear since the attack.

Police arrested a 20 year old man at his home in Auburn yesterday charged with aggravated break and enter and for committing a serious indictable offence. He was refused bail and will appear in Burwood Court today. A search warrant was issued for a second man in Auburn who was charged with assault and resisting arrest but was granted bail and will appear in Parramatta Children’s court on August 18.

It seems that once again, the Muslim community in Sydney have put themselves above the law of this country. Sharia law may condone breaking into someone’s home and beating them, but Australian law does not and our legal profession needs to make it abundantly clear that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated.

Edit 28 February 2013. The four men have been found guilty.    The judge ruled Mr Martinez had withdrawn his consent and it was not properly informed consent in the first place. They will be sentenced at a later date.

Labor Hits Rock Bottom

The carbon tax is killing the Labor Party who now hold just 26 per cent of the primary vote. Suddenly big money is being laid on Simon Crean to become the new leader, last week he was $101 and now he’s $11 on both SportsBet and BetStar.

Nielsen pollster John Stirton says the majority of voters want a new election so they can ditch the carbon tax. For the first time, Tony Abbott is the voter's preferred choice as prime minister, now at 51 per cent, up five points, and 11 points clear of Julia Gillard.

But Nielsen says it’s possible Labor could recover. "John Howard famously came back from very low numbers in April 2001 to win the 2001 election, some say under the extraordinary circumstances of September 11 and Tampa, but he was on the way back before those events. So it is recoverable, but it is going to take something extraordinary. But there are two years to do it, and two years is a very long time" Mr Stirton said.

Simon Crean is said to be Julia's mentor so it seems unlikely he would entertain a leadership change again, especially after the public backlash from Kevin Rudd's demise - Graham Richardson said recently that Labor would follow Gillard over a cliff before they would ever consider Kevin Rudd coming back as leader. Defence Minister Stephen Smith is popular and then there's Greg Combet and Bill Shorten.

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party. Hold your nerve - I hear someone say. How ironic that Kevin Rudd is now more popular than any other Labor MP, even the Liberals like him. He was pictured having coffee in Melbourne on the weekend after some idiots supporting the Palestinian cause targeted a Jewish cafe. "I'm here to support Jewish businesses" he said with a smile. Oh Kevy, revenge is so sweet.

Sydney Prostitute Charged with Extortion

Bal Krishnan made a terrible mistake when he decided to use the services of Filipino prostitute “Belle” Haywood after seeing her phone number advertised in a newspaper. She came to his cafe in Burwood where they had sex on the “kitchen bench and floor”, he paid her fee of $150, and she left.

But she came back the next day and told him he owed her $8000 because she hurt her back during the sexual encounter and because she couldn’t work, she was “losing $2000 a night”. The cafe owner said he "couldn't pay that sort of money" but Haywood allegedly said: "You have to come up with the money - my boss belongs to a bikie gang and he's very pissed off - he can be very dangerous." Krishnan eventually handed over $13,700 in four payments.

Police arrested Haywood while she was talking to Krishnan on a mobile phone and claims that he gave her the money of his own free will. Her lawyer entered not guilty pleas to four charges of extortion in Penrith Local Court on Friday.

News of the World Scandal Worsens

Les Hinton

It looks a bit like Rupert Murdoch is sticking by his staff and leaving it up to them to decide whether or not to jump ship. First Rebekah Brooks resigned and now Les Hinton, his most faithful lieutenant has gone too. Murdoch brought Hinton over to America from the UK in 2007 just after he purchased Dow Jones, the publisher of the Wall Street Journal, and he’s held high-level positions within News Corp – head of Fox television and the American newspaper division. Hinton started work as a teenager checking copy at Murdoch's first paper in Adelaide and has been his faithful employee for 50 years.

Murdoch seems determined to set things right – he’s published an apologetic note in all British newspapers and has visited the family of Milly Dowler. Lawyer for the Dowler family said he was “very humbled, he was very shaken and he was very sincere.”

Andy Coulson

Closing down The News of the World was an unexpected, drastic step and two hundred staff who now find themselves out of a job are understandably angry. Yesterday they questioned why Ms. Brooks had not resigned earlier. “Our paper was sacrificed to save her career, and now she’s gone as well,” one former employee said “Who knows why they’ve chosen to do it now, as she’ll have to appear before the select committee anyway.”

Nine people have been arrested so far, including Andy Coulson, a former close associate of Ms. Brooks and once a senior aide to Prime Minister Cameron. Coulson denies that he “actively encouraged” reporters to illegally intercept voicemail messages while he was editor of News of the World.

Now the focus has shifted to police involvement in the scandal and Sir Paul Stephenson, head of London’s Metropolitan Police, has been asked to resign. One gets the impression that many more heads are ready to roll.

Rupert Murdoch Summoned to Enquiry

Early yesterday morning, Rupert and James Murdoch sent letters to the Commons Culture Select Committee, refusing an invitation to appear before a panel looking into phone hacking. But the panel wasn’t buying it and formally summoned them both to testify.

As Rupert and James are both American citizens, they may not have been compelled by law to attend the inquiry but agreed to testify as soon as the summonses were issued. I wonder if their quick response had anything to do with Sir George Young, the leader of the House of Commons, when he said lawmakers could impose penalties, including imprisonment, if people refusing to testify were deemed to be in contempt of Parliament. Ms Brooks who is a British subject, has also agreed to testify next week but has warned that she may not be able to answer detailed questions.

So things are getting serious - Scotland Yard have arrested Neil Wallis, former editor of The News of the World. Someone gave the order to break into the voicemail of Milly Dowler, the 13 year old who was abducted and murdered and they intend to find out who it was.

And it's a long way from over. Politicians in America have requested the FBI to look into allegations that News Corp hacked into the phones of September 11 victims.

Malcolm Turnbull Rocks the Boat Again

I took a poll in the Sydney Morning Herald today - who would I prefer as Opposition Leader, Turnbull or Abbott and the result was overwhelming for Turnbull. He’s between a rock and a hard place at the moment and he's rocking the Liberal boat - he doesn’t like the Opposition’s “direct action” plan - but has to pretend that he does.

He points out that the Coalition supported an emissions trading scheme under John Howard and went to the 2007 election with it as Liberal policy and yesterday he accused Abbott of changing his mind. He once supported a carbon tax then moved on to supporting a market-based emissions trading scheme but when he snatched the leadership off him, he suddenly decided that there would be no emissions trading scheme at all.

He insists he has given Mr Abbott complete “consistency and loyalty” but didn’t explain why he still personally supports a market-based emissions trading scheme or why he was having this conversation with ABC radio. He went further and said that the Opposition’s “direct action” plan was expensive and easy to dump.

When asked if he thought the Government’s carbon price had merit he said “Look, I think the best thing I can do is not express a personal view and just simply say that the Coalition’s policy is to be opposed to it.”

Rupert Murdoch's Integrity on the Line

Rupert Murdoch and his daughter

Rupert Murdoch will spend millions today buying back his own shares as angry shareholders hold their breath. Surely this man who was awarded a papal knighthood from Pope John Paul II could not possibly sanction phone hacking. Could he?

News Corp shareholders have hit him with a class action lawsuit that accuses News of the World bosses of failing to investigate charges that journalists were intruding into the personal lives of people by hacking into their phones. If he thought that shutting down the paper would ward off an investigation into the scandal, he was sadly mistaken - there are now too many people hurt and outraged by the actions of a few ruthless media moguls who set out to make news, no matter what.

Regarding the BskyB deal, experts are doubtful that News Corp will be allowed to buy the 61 per cent of BSkyB it doesn’t already own and Labor will call a vote in the House of Commons today urging Murdoch to withdraw the bid – a motion the Tories and Liberal Democrats will support.

Murdoch, his son James and News International boss Rebekah Brooks have been asked to appear before the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee next week to give evidence about the hacking and police bribery charges. So was Rupert Murdoch so lax in his stewardship of his huge media empire that it was it okay with him to hack the phones of people who would provide him with a media scoop no one else could match? We are about to find out.

Our Coalmining Industry won't be destroyed afterall

It seems the coal mining industry won't be destroyed by the carbon price afterall. Coal mining giant Peabody energy and steelmaker ArcelorMittal have teamed up to bid $15.50 a share to buy Australian miner Macarthur Coal. The $4.7 billion bid is the biggest takeover offer ever made for an Australian coalminer. Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said the government has been saying all along that the Australian coalmining industry has a bright future under a carbon price. "The industry is profitable, prices are high and there is a sizeable pipeline of planned new investment" he said "The only person talking the coal industry down is Tony Abbott, who has made the reckless and untrue claim that a carbon price will destroy the Australian coal industry."

But Senator Barnaby Joyce wasn’t having it. "Just because they buy mines in other places doesn't stop them from closing down unprofitable mines, and they will become unprofitable when they bring in the carbon tax” he said. Tony Abbott said yesterday "I have staked my political life, what's left of it, on stopping this carbon tax". "I figure for people in the coal industry, it's a hit on your potential employment and it's going to be a hit on your standard of living."

Macarthur's shares closed down 32c, or 2.8 per cent, at $11.08 yesterday as the market digested the impact of the carbon tax on the coal sector. Peabody chairman and chief executive Greg Boyce said last night his company believed there was "significant value that can be created by managing Macarthur's portfolio of coal assets." Peabody says that its coal fuels 2 per cent of global electricity generation and that it is a leader in "clean coal solutions".

Gloucester Coal, which is 65 per cent-owned by Singapore commodities trader Noble Group, says investors have not been frightened off by the carbon tax. Chairman James MacKenzie said "I was in London last week on a road show for Gloucester Coal, so I would have seen 20 institutional investors and there was not one grizzle about the carbon tax," he said. " It is not something that will affect the economics of the coal industry perhaps as much as Bob Brown would like it to."

When I look to the future, say in around 100 years from now, I see a picture of a decimated landscape across the whole country, ugly gaping holes everywhere, all our resources gone and all the billions of dollars earned from them spent. I only hope our politicians can see it too.

Carbon Tax Storm in a Teacup?

The steel industry were the ones who squealed the loudest about how the carbon tax would ruin their industry - horror stories about job losses and reminders of what happened in Newcastle. And they had good reason to worry, remember when Paul Howes said if the carbon tax caused one lost job, the deal was off.

But it’s all quiet on the union front for now because the steel industry will receive the biggest handout from the Gillard government – a $300 million subsidy. And it seems that other industries aren’t as outraged as expected either, they are instead breathing a sigh of relief now that a price on carbon is official, and can now make future plans with certainty. Research by the Deutsche Bank has found that we - Mr and Mrs Average - think it’s all a bit of a storm in a teacup, definitely not as bad as first thought, probably because the compensation is better than expected.

So what is Tony Abbott up to now that the legislation is finally through? The Opposition is organizing a campaign in Labor-held seats most likely to suffer under the tax and Wayne Swan’s Queensland seat is the first on the list. "I think if you're a Labor member of parliament in coal seats, steel seats, motor manufacturing seats, you ought to be very afraid of what this tax is going to do to your electoral prospects," he said. "It's one of the reasons why she wanted to avoid a sitting week was because this was not the caucus' carbon tax package, this was the Greens' carbon tax package. "The caucus has no ownership of this."

Julia Gillard has taken a huge gamble introducing this tax onto a population who didn’t want it. Tony Abbott told us Gillard was taking us down the road to ruin. Time will tell which one is right.

Rupert Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks

Rupert Murdoch looks worried and Rebekah Brooks says there is worse to come. Rupert’s son and heir James has admitted paying hush money to victims hacked by News of the World and David Cameron says he has ‘questions to answer’. There is now an allegation that a News International executive deleted millions of emails from an internal archive. Any wonder big daddy hopped on a plane to try and sort out the mess. Rebekah Brooks sent this email to all News International Staff this week.

Dear All

Yesterday was a day of great sadness for the News of the World and I know all of you felt deep sympathy for colleagues. I want the whole of the company to know and recognise the following things about colleagues at the News of the World. That team, led by Colin Myler, are hugely talented, dedicated and professional. Moreover, they are respected by their peers throughout the industry. They have endured unprecedented scrutiny while propelling the paper to award after award. While mistakes of the past have led the country's news agenda, News of the World exclusives have set the news agenda around the world. Importantly, too, News of the World has touched readers' lives in many other ways – such as the Children's Champions Awards, the For Sarah campaign, Go Green and Save, and the crusade to make the Military Covenant law.

These are great achievements and every member of staff should feel proud of them. The company will focus over the coming months on finding as many jobs as possible for the News of the World staff both within News International and the wider company. Retaining talent is very important and I have asked all the other titles to fill current vacancies with those from the News of the World where possible. No decision has been taken yet on any new publications or expanding existing ones. We will retain Fabulous which is a credit to everyone who has made it such a successful and award-winning magazine.

All current staff will be paid for the next three months. We have begun full consultation with NISA [News International Staff Association] and will offer support and provide regular updates to everyone affected. We will make sure that any redundancy packages will be fair and are meeting NISA on Monday to start discussions over severance terms and redeployment options. In addition, we are working on a framework for a bonus scheme.

I would also like to apologise for any operational problems in the newsroom that are a direct result of our co-operation with the police. I held a town hall meeting with News of the World staff at 4pm today to answer questions about what will happen next. In response to media coverage today, I would like to address several additional points relating to the ongoing police inquiries and my role.

News International is not leading an investigation into itself because that could interfere with the work of the Metropolitan Police. What we are doing is assisting the police, who are entirely independent, with their work. We are all clear about one thing: the police will follow the evidence no matter where it takes them. The strongest action will be taken whenever wrongdoing is proven.

People have asked if it is right for me, as CEO of News International and as the Editor of the News of the World until January 2003, to oversee our efforts to assess allegations, address serious issues and prevent them from happening again. I'm determined that News International does this.

For the avoidance of any doubt, however, the News Corporation independent directors agree with James Murdoch's recommendation that the Management and Standards Committee, comprised of Will Lewis, Simon Greenberg and Jeff Palker, report directly to Joel Klein in New York. Joel is leading and directing the company's overall handling of this matter. Many of you will know that Joel is a respected former assistant attorney general of the United States. Joel and Viet Dinh, an independent director, are giving oversight and keeping our parent company's Board advised as well. James outlined the standards this company demands in his message to you yesterday. These standards apply to everyone, first and foremost to me as News International's chief executive.

As a company we welcome the prime minister's calls for broad public inquiries into media standards and police practices. We are working hard to put our own house in order and do the right thing. Change and accountability will come through cooperating with criminal and civil inquiries and respecting due process during the tough times ahead. For this week, however, the News of the World staff have the toughest and most important job of all. I know they will produce a final issue that we will make us all proud.

Rebekah

Lord Monckton, Climate Change Denier

Lord Monckton's latest trip to Australia hasn't been a happy one. He's already been banned from speaking at venues around the country and yesterday he had a run-in with ABC radio presenter Adam Spencer. Spencer couldn't contain his contempt for the Lord and became so angry, he hung up on him. Shocked, Monckton said "It was a live broadcast interview that the ABC requested but it was really a malevolent and hostile tone the host was taking - he would not allow me to speak - he kept saying 'You are not a real Peer, not a real scientist' and he was implying that I'm a complete idiot who makes things up. Then he started asking questions more and more rapidly without giving me a chance to answer - he wanted to show who was boss I suppose and then I realized he'd hung up."

Adam Spencer

Monckton continues "Then his producer rang me and was extremely apologetic saying that wasn't the right way for a host to behave and 'we want to get you back on the air straight away' - all credit to the producer, it's nice to know that there is some civility at the ABC after all."

Yesterday Steve Jacobs from Fairfax sent an email to staff "Hi all" it said "We are not calling him Lord and this is the reason - although he calls himself Lord, he is not a member of the House of Lords but he is an hereditary peer. In 1999 the law debarred most hereditary peers, including his father, from sitting or voting in the House of Lords. Thanks Steve."

Adam Spencer deliberately set out to discredit Monckton's credentials. "It's my understanding that you have never held any academic position at any university or research institute attached to any science connected to climate change science." Monckton replied "You say you are not taking a position but it's clearly a position which is hostile, you are entitled to do that, it's what the ABC is infamous for on this debate."

Monckton said that the government's chief climate change adviser Professor Ross Garnaut has "a fascist point of view" and is someone who expected people to "accept authority without question." And isn't this the bottom line? I'm not going to believe that climate change is real just because Professor Garnaut says so and I don't need a degree in science to have an opinion. We know very well that there are plenty of climate scientists out there who still believe the whole thing is a phoney beat-up. The jury is still out on this one.

Footnote: The lord created a puzzle called Eternity II aka E2. There is a prize of $2 million to be won if you can solve it, but to date, no one - including mathematicians, computer geeks and even computers - can solve it.

Live Cattle Exports to Indonesian Ban Lifted

The Federal Government has lifted the ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia but it looks like they panicked under pressure and rushed it through when it became clear that farmers were on the brink of shooting their cattle. The industry will now be able to apply for new export orders but have to show proof their animals will be killed according to Australian standards.

The decision to lift the ban comes as a surprise to some Labor backbenchers who are angry at not being consulted and many still have serious concerns that the cattle won’t be stunned before they are butchered. Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said he could not guarantee Australian animals would not meet a cruel death but the government had done its bit to get Australian beef back on Indonesian plates. "It's now up to the commercial operators to come forward and meet those supply chain assurances and get those consignments flowing" he said.

The Opposition is ecstatic but the Greens and the RSPCA aren't happy. Greens Senator Rachel Siewert says there is no guarantee animals will be stunned before they are killed. "I'm deeply concerned that the Minister for Agriculture's made a serious mistake here," she said. "We do not believe Indonesia is ready to reopen the trade, the Government cannot guarantee animal welfare standards.” The RSPCA are also not satisfied with the outcome and have said that the new conditions are not strict enough.

Elders owns and operates both a feedlot and ISO certified abattoir in Indonesia that processes 22,000 cattle a year so welfare standards are guaranteed but the ban will cost them around $7 million. Chief executive Malcolm Jackson said the company was getting $800 a beast before the Four Corners program but prices have fallen to just over $700.

Prince Albert's Unhappy Bride

It is alleged that Princess Charlene tried to do a runner three times before her wedding to Prince Albert but the palace confiscated her passport. The royals must be desperate for an heir to be born on the right side of the blanket as the results of a DNA test are about to be released that will prove that the Prince has fathered yet another illegitimate child.

The wedding cost a cool $110 million and the lavish honeymoon will be in her homeland, South Africa, so she won't have far to run to friends and family if she changes her mind. So has Charlene been courted to produce an heir to the throne in exchange for the right to live like a Queen? Her father, Mike Wittstock said "I'm so disappointed that people believe all this nonsense, it feels like we have just won the World Cup."

Remove the Veil or Go to Jail

Yesterday, some of the world's toughest burqa laws were announced in NSW after Carnita Matthews refused to remove her niqab when her car was pulled over by police. Her conviction for making a false statement against a police officer was overturned by a judge who found he could not say beyond reasonable doubt, that it really was Carnita Matthews behind the veil. When the new law is introduced, if a woman defies police and refuses to remove her veil for identification, she can be jailed up to 5 years or fined $5,500.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione called on the government to close the legal loophole preventing officers from identifying suspected criminals. Premier Barry O'Farrell said yesterday "I don't care whether a person is wearing a motorcycle helmet, a burqa, a niqab, face veil or anything else, the police should be allowed to require those people to make their identification clear" he said. The law will be introduced when parliament resumes in August.

It's rather ironic that if this woman at the centre of the case had not lied in the first place about the police officer trying to pull her veil off, none of this would have happened.