Asylum seekers ready to risk death

Mohammad Eli

Afghan Mohammad Eli said "We'll risk death but not if the door is closed."  He added "If Australia announced the door is closed, the people will stop going there."  He firmly believes that the boats won't stop coming until our government starts sending asylum-seekers offshore for processing.  Mr Ali is a Hazara, a persecuted ethnic minority in Afghanistan and he says going back isn't an option.

There's a place in West Java where asylum seekers gather to wait for a boat to Australia, it's called Cisarua. Hundreds live there waiting for either the UN to settle them somewhere else or until they have scraped enough money together for a ticket to Australia.  You would think that the recent deaths of over 100 people would put them off, but it hasn't.  Many of those who died began their journey in Cisarua.

Children at the English school

Mohammad Ali teaches asylum-seeker children English in a makeshift classroom.  He actually knew the people who recently lost their lives but says as soon as he's saved enough money, he's willing to take a chance for a place in the next boat for himself, his wife and his two small children.  They have already risked their lives in a leaky boat getting from Malaysia to Cisarau.

One of Ali's pupils, Ali Esmaili, a 13 year old Iraqi boy isn't phased by the dangerous journey, "I want to go somewhere, anywhere - the U.S., Canada, Australia" he said.  Another English pupil, Nada Bahrami, an 11 years old Iraqi girl who has lived in Cisarau since she was a baby, said she knew that one group of her friends had arrived safely in Australia because she read about it on Facebook.

The price of a ticket varies between $4000 and $8000 and depends on the seaworthiness of the boat and how much the Indonesian police have been paid off.  Tickets used to be paid in cash but now the refugee only pays a small amount in cash, usually around  $500 or $1000 and the rest is given to a trusted third party  who pays the balance on their safe arrival in Australia.  Mr Ali says that while Australian politicians talk, the price goes up and down. "The price will go down when the government says the door is closed" he said.

Ewas Bahrami from Afghanistan said it was well known that local mafia run the voyages and are making huge profits.  "There are many mafia here, from Afghanistan, Iraq, many mafia here" he said.  The boats are in terrible condition, usually worn out fishing boats on their last legs.  When customers ask about safety concerns, the smugglers lie about the number of people taking the trip and when they board the boat in the middle of the night, they discover they have been lied to, as more people are crammed on board for a bigger profit.

All the people mentioned in this report are followers of Islam which makes me wonder if Muslims have the game sewn up so tight, that no non-Muslim refugees get a look in.

Angus Houston to head refugee panel

Julia Gillard has called on former Defence Chief Angus Houston to head a panel to find a solution to the asylum seeker debacle.  As expected, the Senate rejected the government's Malaysian people-swap deal yesterday.  Houston will join refugee expert Paris Aristotle and former Foreign Affairs Secretary, Michael L'Estrange.

Professor Michael L'Estrange

Professor L'Estrange graduated with Honours from Sydney University and was awarded the 1975 NSW Rhodes Scholarship and studied at Oxford University.  In 1986 he was awarded a Harkness Fellowship and studied at  Georgetown University in Washington DC and the University of California.  He worked for several leaders of the Opposition in a range of advisory positions and in 2000 became Australia's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.  In 2005 he  took up the position of Secretary to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra and was appointed Director of the National Security College of the Australian National University in December 2009.

The Prime Minister said no one would be able to utter "one word of criticism" of Mr Houston and if the panel endorses the Malaysian people-swap deal, Mr Abbott will find himself in a very awkward position if he doesn't go along with it.    Mr Abbott said yesterday that the Coalition will never support Malaysia - full stop, end of story.

Mr Abbott will also be under the spotlight when the PM sets up a Parliamentary reference group.  If he refuses to take up his allocation of three MPs in the group, individual Coalition MPs will be invited to nominate themselves.

Paris Aristotle

Liberal backbencher Mal Washer almost crossed the floor on Wednesday to vote with the Government but Julie Bishop was able to change his mind, and at one point, she planted a kiss on his cheek.  Mr Washer said last night that he would nominate himself to the reference panel if Mr Abbott did not nominate anyone and would not intervene if he chose "fair-minded people."

Dr Mal Washer

Ms Gillard said the government believed the defeated Malaysian solution was a good one but "we are certainly very prepared to "see through fresh eyes and new expertise brought to the task."  The outcome of the review would be "very persuasive" but she did not commit to accepting its recommendations.

After the High Court ruled that the Malaysian solution was unconstitutional, Foreign Minister Bob Carr said "it is one of the most questionable and curious High Court decisions in memory."

Julia Gillard appeals to the Senate

Yesterday Julia Gillard appealed to all MPs to put lives before politics and come together to find a solution to the asylum seeker problem.  While the debate was going on in Parliament, another boat sank and more bodies were pulled from the ocean as the people smugglers overloaded another un-seaworthy vessel for a healthy profit.

For a moment, we thought agreement could be reached but no such luck.  Nobody gave an inch.  Tony Abbott insists there is a proven example of how to stop the boats by adopting the same policies as John Howard - to re-open Nauru and re-introduce Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) and Julia Gillard is hanging out for the Malaysian-swap deal.

Refugee advocates described Temporary Protection Visas as a cruel way to treat people and left refugees with an uncertain future.  John Howard introduced them in 1999 to unauthorized boat arrivals fleeing persecution.  When they were eventually released from detention, they were required to re-apply several years later in case the life-threatening conditions had changed in their homeland.  They were eligible for special benefit, rent assistance, family tax benefits, child care benefits and Medicare but they had no family reunion rights and could not re-enter Australia if they ever chose to leave.

In 2008, Kevin Rudd abolished TPVs and introduced PPVs (Permanent Protection Visas) to all refugees who asked for protection and there is a strong belief among the general public, that this is why we have so many people risking their lives to come here in leaky boats.

Last night, with the help of the Independents, the government managed to scrape through Rob Oakeshott's Bill 74 votes to 72, after a day of emotional debate.  The Bill proposes to re-open the detention centre of Nauru but to allow the Malaysia people-swap deal to go ahead.  Experts agree there is no hope of it getting through the Senate today because the Greens won't support any form of off-shore processing, so the whole exercise seems a total waste of time.

The PM is hoping that one or more Opposition Senators will cross the Senate floor today and she issued them a warning. "There is a very stark choice for Senators today, either they vote for this Bill and we leave this Parliament with laws so we can process people offshore or they continue to play politics and we end this Parliament with nothing effective done."  She went on "I am calling on each and every senator today to look into their conscience, to think deeply about this."

She also said that if the bill did not pass, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott would have failed the nation and the Australian people.  But hang on a minute Prime Minister, Tony Abbott can't put policies into place that will solve the situation, he's not in government - you are.

Munchausen Syndrome mother loses right to see children

Munchausen Syndrome by proxy is a mental illness that defies logic and is almost impossible to diagnose.  Nobody would ever suspect that a mother would deliberately want to hurt her child, and that's why it took so long to get to the Children's Court last year.  Bells should have been ringing long before 115 hospital visits in three years, but finally the court ruled that a mother have no further contact with her four children until they reach the age of 18.

The court heard that she was so obsessed with her eldest son, she neglected the others aged 3, 6 and 7 and described them as "side salad."  Experts found they were "forgotten children" and the mother often told her eldest son that he only had a short time to live and actually discussed his funeral arrangements in front of him.

After the mother repeatedly tried to have her children admitted to hospital over a five year period, staff finally became suspicious and believed she was inventing stories or lying.  She took the eldest son to hospital 115 times in three years, mostly for asthma attacks and he tried to commit suicide in hospital last year saying that he had "had enough".  In another incident, when he started hitting his head against a hard surface in a Wollongong hospital last year, his mother allegedly encouraged him to hit himself harder.

Magistrate Graham Blewitt said he was satisfied that once the eldest child was removed from her care, his asthma ceased completely.  "Unfortunately, the child picks up on the mother's behaviour and sees himself as a sick child, that he has no life expectancy and that he will not live long.  This is promoted by the mother and she discussed his death and funeral arrangements in his presence" he said.

But there's a problem.  All sides agreed that the children want to see their mother and even the eldest boy is very affectionate towards her.  The father said the children love their mother dearly and she is a very important part of their lives, and they will never forget her.  But once they reach 18, it was agreed that no court order can stop them from seeing her if they want to.

The court not only banned any physical contact between children and mother but any written communication as well, which seems a bit harsh.  If this should happen, the father risks losing custody and they could be placed in care.  The Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) also asked the court to ban the father from having contact with his ex-wife, but this request was denied.  The couple have been separated for three years.

The mother denies any abuse and believes doctors dislike her because she is assertive and questions their authority and medical knowledge.  She said the children would rather be with her than their father.

The mother's condition is so severe, experts predict that treatment could take ten years or longer but she has refused any offer of treatment because as far as she is concerned, she doesn't have a problem.

Grant Hackett on Sixty Minutes

Grant Hackett's appearance on Sixty Minutes last night was a non-event.  The Nine network tried in vain to win back support for him before he leaves for the Olympics as one of their sports commentators.  There were no new revelations, just tears and denials.  He reiterated that he did not harm his wife or his children and denied he had a drinking problem or anger issues.  But the proof is in the photos, the darling of the swimming world is not the man we all thought him to be.

Candice Alley's father, Emilio Giannarelli is furious with Olympic team boss Nick Green's comment that he would be happy to appear with Hackett at the PM's Olympic dinner last Saturday night.  Green said "I don't know him very well but he seems to be a genuine person and this is out of character.  I will certainly extend my hand of friendship to him whenever I see him."

Mr Giannarelli said Mr Green should be ashamed because he doesn't know the circumstances.  "I'm devastated by what Grant has put my daughter and grandchildren through, the pictures speak for themselves, I would like Nick Green to be in my shoes before he makes those sort of decisions."

Mr Green said that Grant Hackett is not a part of the Olympic team but is employed by the Nine Network and what they decide to do is their business. "I look at this from a personal point of view, Grant Hackett is part of the Olympic family and what he has done for sport is absolutely colossal" he said.

Hackett was one of 27 Olympic gold medalists who attended the $25,000-a-table fund raiser organized by the Victorian Olympic Council last weekend.  The event generated more than $6 million and exceeded Australian Olympic Committee targets.

Jeffrey Gilham guilty or innocent?

On the 3rd December 2011, Jeffrey Gilham walked out of prison into the arms of his wife after serving three years for the murder of his family.  She never doubted his innocence for a minute and has been relentless in telling anyone who would listen, that it was his brother Christopher, and not her husband, who murdered their parents in 1993.

In a packed courtroom, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal quashed Gilham's murder convictions and ordered a retrial.  An expert witness in the 2008 trial has conceded that he was not fully qualified to give evidence about levels of carbon monoxide in the blood - an area that was crucial to Gilham's defence.

But Gilham's Uncle Tony thinks he's guilty and has gone to great lengths to prove it.  One of Uncle Tony's brothers told him to forget about it and stop wasting his money but another brother living in the US, now deceased, sent him money to finance his quest to put Jeffrey behind bars.  

At first it seemed like an open and shut case.  According to Jeffrey, when he entered the house he saw his brother Christopher standing over their mother's body with a lit match in his hand and said "I've killed mum and dad" before setting his mother's body alight.  Outraged, Jeffrey says he then killed him.  He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of grave provocation and he was sentenced to a five year good behaviour bond.

It was all done and dusted until "Mad Uncle Tony", as he likes to describe himself, decided the evidence didn't stack up, he believed Jeffrey fooled everyone and that people should remember that there was a $900,000 inheritance involved.


He went to Sixty Minutes who highlighted several inconsistencies in the forensic evidence and after fresh information came to light in February 2006, thirteen years later, Gilham was charged with the murder of his parents.  The jury couldn't agree and he walked free but at his second trial, the jury found him guilty and he was sentenced to life in prison. Uncle Tony said "I'm so pleased the jury worked it out, they worked out fact from fiction."  Judge Roderick Howie gave Gilham two life sentences and described him as "a consummate liar and brilliant actor."


Then last December, Uncle Tony was devastated when his nephew's convictions were quashed and he walked free.  Today we find out if the judge and Uncle Tony were right about Gilham.  He will either face another retrial or be acquitted and walk from the court a free man once and for all.

Update:   The three judge appeal panel was not unanimous in its decision, divided 2-1 in favour of acquittal.  Chief judge Justice Peter McClellan wanted a re-trial but Justice Elizabeth Fullerton and Justice Peter Garling voted to acquit.

Update 16/7/2012:  Tony Gilham died this morning of a suspected heart attack.  A police spokesman confirmed that emergency services were called to a home in the Sydney suburb of Panania at 4.45 am today, where the 60 year old civil engineer was found dead.  His life-long companion Jenny Robb's son said "We are still waiting on the Coroner's report, but we think more than likely, it had something to do with his heart, he was all burnt out from the fight."  Mr Gilham was working on a High Court appeal against the quashing of his nephew's convictions.

Brynne Edelsten's My Bedazzled Life

Geoffrey Edelsten is described as a "colourful character."  Once a doctor who changed doctor's surgeries into 'superclinics', open 24 hours a day with chandeliers, grand pianos and bulk billing, the high flyer eventually spent a year in jail for hiring hitman Christopher Dale Flannery to assault a former patient.  He reportedly suffered a heart attack the day after he was struck off the medical roll in Victoria in 1992.


But in 2009 he re-emerged into the spotlight.  He took his fiance, American Byrnne Gordon, to the Brownlow Medal Awards and when she walked down the red carpet on his arm in that jaw-dropping dress with a crystal-encrusted bra, everyone noticed.  The comments she received the next day were cruel but totally predictable, we hadn't seen anything quite that daring before.

When Brynne was invited to appear on Dancing With the Stars, she struggled and the judges were scathing.  Josh Horner said "That was frightening, I don't know what this step was, it looked like you were vomiting up something, you looked like a bedazzled sack of potatoes rolling down on the floor, it was shocking."  The audience booed.

Then judge Helen Richie had a go "You are a sweet lady but you are uncoordinated, I'm sorry but you do lack co-ordination."  But it was show host Sonya Kruger who took the cake "I just want to say, personally I have a lot of respect for you, I think it's great that you get on so well with your dad, it's lovely."

But the snide remarks backfired because the general public had made their decision, this girl was alright and to lay off.

And with this thought in mind, Brynne is happy with her new reality show on Channel 7.  Brynne - My Bedazzled Life will take "a candid look into the outrageous, glamorous, unintentionally hilarious and often touching life of Brynne Edelsten and her multimillionaire husband Geoffrey."  It will follow the day to day life of one of Australia's most intriguing women as she attempts to run her own company and launch a career into acting.

Executive Producer Dan Meenan and producer, writer and director Rob Menzies said the show will air later this year.

Dumb, Drunk and Racist

Journalist Joe Hildebrand is making a big name for himself.  He writes for the Daily Telegraph, The Punch, The Drum, and also appears on the panel of Q & A, Channel 7's Morning Show, and Sky's Paul Murray Live.  Now he has another feather in his cap - his controversial ABC series Dumb, Drunk and Racist on ABC2 has premiered to record breaking numbers.  The program follows Hildebrand and four Indians as they travel around Australia to test whether the popular Indian perception of Australians as stupid, intoxicated bigots is correct.

There have been many incidents of young Indian students being bashed and parents have decided that Australia is too dangerous to send their child to study, so much so, that it's now hurting our economy.

In the first episode, Call Centre operator Mahima Bhardwai plays recorded conversations of angry Australian males and how they react to being called by one of their workers.  It's easy to see why there is such anti-Australian feeling at the call centre - the language is foul and far beyond offensive.

Radhika Budhwar advises Indian students where they should study overseas and she hasn't recommended Australia for five years.  Gurmeet Chaudhary is a television anchor and Amer Singh is a third year law student who decided it was safer to study in India.

In the first episode, they visit Bondi and a life guard explains that Asians generally, are not good swimmers and are high on the list of surf rescues. Then a heated debate ensues at the site of the inner-city mural which reads "Say no to Burqas' when a local Muslim man and the Indian visitors agree that the message is confrontational  and likely to incite hatred.  The owner said the mural had been defaced 64 times but he is committed to restoring it as it is his lone protest to uphold one of our basic rights - free speech.

After the show was over, Joe said "We generally saw plenty of stuff that was just out-and-out ugly and nasty.  We had people throwing out the most outrageous racist abuse in the street, completely unprovoked that came out of nowhere.  But we also met some of the most amazing, inspirational, intelligent, thoughtful and compassionate people as well."

Catch the show on ABC iview.

Julian Assange seeks asylum in Ecuador

Julian Assange went to the Embassy of Ecuador in Knightsbridge, London today, to seek asylum.  In a letter to their government, he said his home country of Australia has "effectively abandoned" him and is "ignoring the obligation to protect its citizen who is persecuted politically."  He is being cut adrift, not only by Australia but by Britain, who have already made up their minds - it's time for him to go back to Sweden to face the music.

An acquaintance of Assange who met him and the two women in Sweden around the time of the alleged assaults, told The Guardian that his behaviour towards women would one day get him into trouble.  Because of his celebrity, many women invited him into their beds and he was quick to accept.  He warned Assange that it was not a good way to behave ethically, his weakness was - and still is - women.  But modern women the world over, and particularly in Sweden, are smart enough to know that having unprotected sex is very dangerous.

Lawyer for the two Swedish women is Claes Borgstrom, well respected with many years experience.  He says it is not a conspiracy to discredit Assange.  "It has nothing whatever to do with WikiLeaks or the CIA and I regret very much that Mr Assange does not publicly say so himself which would put all the rumours to rest" he said.  "These two women were molested by Mr Assange at two different times, independently of each other."

One of the women who met Assange at a lecture he gave in Stockholm in August, wanted to contact him after the alleged assault because she was worried about sexually transmitted infections.  She contacted the second woman, who had helped organize the lecture, to see if she could help her find him.  "When they spoke to each other, they realized they had been through something very similar so they went to police.  That is not odd" he said.

But Julian Assange didn't like being told what to do and refused to take the test until it was too late, when all the Swedish clinics were closed for the weekend.  "I don't like it when people are blackmailing me by threatening to go to the police" he said.

Borgstrom said the women were concerned about HIV and decided to go to police, to inform them of what happened and ask for advice.  They were not sure whether they should make a police complaint but when they told the police officer what had occurred, she realized that what they were telling her was a crime, and reported it to the Public Prosecutor who decided to arrest Assange.

Two days later, a second Prosecutor judged that the evidence did not meet the criterion of a rape or sexual molestation charge and cancelled the arrest order.  Borgstrom didn't agree and had the case re-opened. "I think that the Prosecutor who cancelled the arrest warrant did not study the case well enough" he said. Assange was at that time free to leave the country, it was only later when he was unwilling to return voluntarily for questioning, that the extradition process was put into place.

In Sweden, the charge of rape falls into three different categories - severe, standard and less severe.  Assange's charge falls into the category of 'less severe' but still carries a maximum jail term of 4 years.

Borgstrom is adamant that Assange would receive a fair trial and said "The Swedish court system is one of the best and strongest in the world and the WikiLeaks affair will have no influence on the case if it goes to court."

Christine Assange said today that her son had shown clear thinking in seeking asylum in Ecuador.  If they do not accept him she said other third-world governments, who have been affected by US greed and corruption, must come forward to offer protection.

David Hemler, US deserter found

Twenty eight years ago, an American Air Force serviceman serving in Germany, disappeared without a trace.  David Hemler was born in Pennsylvania and deserted on 10 February 1984 from the 6913th Electronic Security Squadron in Augsburg, Germany.

Hemler, now 47, said he was disillusioned with the policies of Ronald Reagan and was impressed by the German people's capacity to 'get very involved in peace movements.'  But surely there must have been something else, that's not a good enough reason to turn your back on your own country forever.

He hitchhiked through Denmark to Sweden where he met a woman from Thailand, settled down under an assumed name, and has lived there ever since.  Now 47, he works for a Swedish government agency and is registered in Sweden as a citizen of an unknown country, born in Zurich.

Hemler became one of the US Air Force's eight most wanted fugitives and he expected to be found and arrested by Interpol and Europol at any moment.

He emailed the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and gave himself up.  He decided to tell all in a newspaper article 'without pressure and in my own words' and waited until his youngest child turned two and could go to day care so his wife could cope on her own if he was arrested.

Hemler contacted his US family four weeks ago and spoke to his brother Thomas.  Believing him to be dead and after confirming that he was in fact his brother, family members plan to visit him soon in Sweden.

It's clear that Mr Hemler is an optimist when he said 'My dream scenario is that the responsible authorities realize I have already been punished quite severely for my actions.'  Oh really?  His lawyer thinks he will not lose his permanent residence permit in Sweden and will not be extradited back to the US.

I wouldn't like to bet on that one.

Australian Defence Force Shame

When Defence Minister Stephen Smith defended the girl in the ADFA Skype scandal who was secretly filmed having sex with another cadet and shown to his mates in another room, he acted decisively.  It was a disgusting thing to do and he said so, but he seems to have cooled somewhat.  Instead of announcing a Royal Commission to root out the pedophiles and sexual abusers who now hold senior positions within the ADF, he seems to be stalling.

The Piper Review shows there is very little evidence that abusers have been held to account and Mr Smith admitted he didn't know if any predators were still serving in the ADF.  We need to find out who they are Minister, and soon.

The Review recorded 775 plausible allegations of abuse which is beyond shocking, and we can't let it continue.  Mr Smith said investigations of so many claims over 50 years was "complex and complicated and couldn't be done overnight and couldn't be done as a job lot."  He said a Royal Commission may be the most effective way of dealing with these matters and the government isn't far away from announcing what action will be taken.

Some of the options of how to proceed include compensation, a public apology and meetings between perpetrator and victim but a Royal Commission is the only way to get to the bottom of this sick culture that's been allowed to flourish since the 1950's.   It's time the top brass, who are a protected species, were outed.

Lindy Chamberlain's Final Victory

Deputy NT Coroner Elizabeth Morris yesterday found that a dingo killed baby Azaria Chamberlain while the family was on a camping trip to Uluru in 1980.  Lindy and Michael finally got what they wanted - a death certificate officially stating the truth.

Stuart Tipple

Linda Chamberlain-Creighton paid tribute to the family's tenacious solicitor Stuart Tipple, who has stood by the family from the very beginning.  When he became aware of serious deficiencies in the forensic testing procedures in NSW, he lodged a formal complaint which was upheld and changes were put into place to NSW testing procedures and protocols.  And it was Stuart Tipple who agitated for, and finally brought about, the Royal Commission.

When Azaria was taken in 1980, there was no history of wild dogs killing infants but later events produced a dossier of 14 serious attacks since 1986 on humans, three of them fatal.  A 9 year old boy, Clinton Gage died on Fraser Island and two 2 year old girls were killed, one in NSW and the other in Victoria.

Coroner Morris said "I am satisfied that the evidence is sufficiently adequate, clear, cogent and exact that the evidence excludes all other reasonable possibilities to find that what occurred on October 17, 1980 was that shortly after Mrs Chamberlain placed Azaria in the tent, a dingo or dingoes entered the tent, took Azaria and carried and dragged her from the immediate area."

Lindy said yesterday "No longer will Australians be able to say that dingoes are not dangerous and only attack when provoked.  We live in a beautiful country but it is dangerous and we would ask all Australians to be aware of this and take appropriate precautions and not wait for somebody else to do it for them."

A second Coroner's inquest ended with Mrs Chamberlain-Creighton being charged with murder and Michael charged with being an accessory after the fact.  She was found guilty of slashing her baby's throat with scissors and making it look like a dingo attack and was sentenced to life in prison.  After serving three years, she was released in 1986 after Azaria's matinee jacket was found which supported her evidence that Azaria was wearing one when she disappeared.

The Morling Commission debunked the forensic evidence and her conviction was overturned.  Then yet another inquest was held which couldn't determine the cause of death and now at last, we have an end to this tragic event.

Lindy said yesterday that she was glad the saga was finally over and so are we.  Seeing her again reminds us of how she must have suffered from all the vitriol hurled at her and her husband.  When the story first broke about a religious couple who said their baby was taken by a dingo at Ayres Rock, the general public and more importantly, the irresponsible media, refused to believe it.

When it was discovered they were Seventh Day Adventists, a relatively unknown religion, the media pushed the idea that they were members of some bizarre cult who carried out weird rituals and rites.  The newspapers printed the rumour that the name Azaria meant "sacrifice in the wilderness" when it fact is means "blessed of God."  Nobody believed a dingo took the baby because it hadn't happened before.

This woman of steel has finally seen it through to the bitter end, and never faltered along the way.  She had her eyes firmly set on yesterday's legal outcome and against all odds, and three decades later, she achieved her goal - a death certificate stating what really happened on that terrible night.

Michael Chamberlain was not with his second wife in court yesterday, she is recovering from a serious stroke.  But he wanted to speak and said "This battle to get the legal truth about what caused Azaria's death has taken too long.  However, I am here to tell you that you can get justice even when you think all is lost, but truth must be on your side."  He added "If you know you are right, never give up on getting it right."

Azaria would have turned 32 on Monday.   Asked if anyone had phoned Lindy to apologise, she replied "You are being funny, aren't you?"

Allison Bayden-Clay Rumours

Police are having a hard time finding the person or persons who murdered Allison Bayden-Clay, and the public want to know why it's taking so long.  Everyone has an opinion, including Ipswich Councillor Paul Tully.

Yesterday he wrote in his blog "Although police have a prime suspect for the murder and apparently have no doubt whatsoever about that person's guilt, they are apparently facing some serious evidentiary problems in proving their case beyond reasonable doubt before a judge and jury."


"If the evidence of a reluctant accessory would overcome that evidentiary difficulty and ensure that the guilty party is brought to justice, it would be a powerful inducement to a person in such a predicament to give evidence against the murderer in exchange for an iron-clad deal to give them legal immunity from prosecution."

But Attorney General Jarrod Bleijie said he certainly has the power to grant immunity, and has done so in the past, but has not been approached by prosecution.  "If anything does come to me, I've got to look at the evidence and make an assessment on it" he said.

So where did Paul Tully get his information?  He said his sources were "reliable but not impeccable."

Kerri-Anne Kennerley diagnosed with breast cancer

It's been a week since Kerri-Anne Kennerley was diagnosed with breast cancer but she will wait until the final of Dancing With The Stars before having surgery.   "I didn't have any risk factors" she said "that's why I thought it could never happen to me, I've always looked after myself, but here I am."

She said she was glad to leave the sinking ship of Channel 9.  Executives were stressed out, she said, being chased by a number of banks who wanted their debts repaid.  But that's no excuse for the way she was treated.  Managing Director Jeff Browne didn't have the courage to tell her to her face that she was finished and Sonia Kruger would take her place, he took the cowards way out and let her read about it in a newspaper.

Channel 9 bosses were concerned that "no one was watching" because the show was stale, but Sonia Kruger has struggled with executive producer Louisa Hatfield who wants the show to be "fresh."  Kruger co-hosts Mornings with David Campbell who is the son of rocker Jimmy Barnes.

But Kerri-Anne's decision to switch to Channel 7 has turned out well and her future looks bright.  They plan to give her a show in prime-time which will surely turn Kruger green with envy.  Kruger has made several pilots for Channel 7 over the years but they all failed to get off the ground.  They wanted her to continue with Dancing With The Stars but she said "I needed a new challenge, they didn't really have the vehicle to offer anything else."

As Kerri-Anne enters a frightening new chapter in her life, we wish her well.

Matthew Milat sentenced to 30 years

Even though Matthew Mueleman had virtually no contact with his uncle, serial killer Ivan Milat, he was very proud of him.  So proud in fact that he wanted to share the same name, so he changed it to Matthew Milat.  Yesterday a judge gave him the toughest sentence ever handed down to a juvenile - 42 years maximum with a 30 year minimum.  Because he committed the crime before he was an adult, it saved him from the same fate as his uncle - life in prison.

Ivan Milat's victims were discovered in the Belanglo Forest and that's where Matthew Milat took his childhood friend David Auchterlonie, to inflict upon him 15 minutes of unspeakable torture, just for kicks.  Audio recorded on a mobile phone tells of the horrific cruelty that took place before he finally died - a boy who thought Milat was his friend, crying out in agony and begging for mercy.

But there was no mercy and no remorse, in fact Milat gloated over the murder and wrote poems about it.  He told friends "You know me, you know my family, you know the last name Milat, I did what they do."

He has had little contact with the large Milat family but Ivan's brother Bill and his uncle Chris came to the court for sentencing.  But Matthew, like his uncle Ivan, showed no emotion in the dock as the sentence was handed down.  The 'nature versus nurture' argument could well apply to this case.

Co-offender Cohen Klein who was strongly influenced by Milat's dominant personality, was nevertheless a willing participant, and was sentenced to a minimum of 22 years.

Aussie Olympic Swimmers' gun photo

Nick D'Arcy is in the news again but compared to last time when he broke the jaw of Simon Cowley, this time, his only crime is posing with some guns in a US gun shop with fellow team mate Kenrick Monk.

Monk is also well known for the wrong reasons.  When he broke his elbow in two places last year, he lied through his teeth and swore he was involved in a hit and run accident when in fact he'd only fallen off his skateboard.  He said he panicked because he wasn't supposed to be doing anything that could cause an injury, so he made up the story.

The pair accepted an invitation to visit a shooting range and try out a few guns and when the gun shop owner offered to take their photo, they agreed and Monk posted it on his Facebook page.  In America where gun shops are a novelty to Australians, what man or boy wouldn't want to go into one to have a look?

D'Arcy said he was deeply sorry for offending anyone with the gun-toting photo and Monk is equally contrite.  But Swimming Australia isn't impressed, nor is Olympic team chef de mission Nick Green who said "These postings are foolish and clearly inappropriate for members of the 2012 Australian Olympic Team and this incident serves as a warning to all athletes about the dangers of social media."

So can we blame their youth? Probably, the world hasn't yet figured out how to put an old head on young shoulders.  We can only hope they all behave themselves from hereon in.

Update:  D'Arcy and Monk have been ordered to leave London as soon as their events finish and have been banned from using social media during the Games

Lara Bingle's new reality show

Love her or hate her, Lara Bingle's new reality show airs next week.  John McAvoy from Eyeworks wanted her to do it 18 months ago but she refused.  He persisted and she eventually agreed to film a pilot episode and when Channel 10 saw it, they commissioned the series.

Lara is aware of her reputation.  "I haven't made the best choices over the years" she says "I know that, but people make mistakes and I have but I'm only 24 and have learnt a lot."

Her reputation was damaged when she had a short fling with Brendan Fevola who was married.  "We spoke a lot on the phone because he was in Melbourne and I was in Sydney."  They were on the phone one day and he told her it was his baby crying in the background.  According to Lara, he never mentioned he was in a relationship, let alone married, and since she was a Sydney girl who knew nothing about AFL, she was unaware of his wife, Alex.  "We met in Melbourne and he came up to Sydney for a couple of days and that was all there was to it" she said.

Not long after, she started dating Michael Clarke who asked her to marry him.  But when he came home suddenly from the Australian cricket tour of New Zealand and found calls to Kings Cross organized crime figure John Ibrahim on her phone, he was not happy and some say that was the reason he called off the engagement.

Three weeks ago we had a naked photo scandal when media photographers were accused of sneaking pictures of Lara in the nude inside her apartment.  And now she has to go to court next month to face four charges, including driving while suspended.  She was charged after she allegedly hit a motor bike with her Mercedes at Bondi Beach last month.

In the first episode of her new show, we get to meet her family, mother Sharon and brother Josh who has also been in the news lately.  Her angry grandmother gives Lara a stern lecture on the phone and says  "What the hell are you thinking of, don't you have enough trouble in your life, how do you think your mum and I feel, I'm disgusted with you."

Being Lara Bingle premiers June 12 at 8pm on Channel 10.

Eight glasses of water a day myth

Years ago, someone said we should drink 8 glasses of water a day.  I remember thinking at the time that no one could possibly drink that much water but the theory persisted and for years, people who weren't  the least bit thirsty, starting downing large amounts of water.  A belief evolved that if you weren't into water, you weren't taking good care of your health.

Now one Australian academic has upset all the fitness fanatics, know-all dieticians and health zealots everywhere by saying it's a big lie.

Spiro Tsindos wrote an article in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health which was released today.  He tells us we also get fluid from fruit, vegetables, juices, tea and coffee.  "If you're thirsty, by all means drink a beverage, but it doesn't have to be water."  He went on "We should be telling people that beverages like tea and coffee contribute to a person's fluid needs and despite their caffeine content, do NOT lead to dehydration."

He says that drinking large amounts of water in one sitting to reach the daily intake is pointless because it would not be distributed where it was needed, it would just dilute the urine.   Diets that recommend large amounts of water be consumed are also a waste of time without a low calorie diet.

So where did the idea of 8 glasses of water a day come from?  Blame the Americans.  Way back in 1945, the National Academy of Sciences in the US recommended that 2.5 litres of water should be consumed every day.  That's when common sense went out the window and we fell for it - hook, line and sinker and the bottled water companies have been jumping for joy ever since.

Drinking too much water can kill you, it's called Hyponatremia, especially dangerous at rock concerts and raves.  The body's salt levels drop so drastically, the brain starts to swell and death can soon follow.

Grant Hackett's fall from grace

To her credit, Candice Alley has refused to comment on her split with husband Grant Hackett.  She has the power to destroy him completely by relating exactly what happened on that terrifying night he trashed their apartment while his little children looked on.

The pictures released are so shocking, the destruction he caused must have taken a very long time and the terror he caused his wife and children will no doubt stay with them forever.

And how ironic that he was an ambassador for the Allanah and Madeline Foundation, set up to speak out about violence against women.  "If you suspect violence is occurring, stand up and say something" he said in a 2009 magazine campaign.  He is no longer their ambassador.

And he is no longer the public face of Westpac, they didn't renew his contract in February but he still remains in their employ.  A Westpac spokesman said Hackett would now have time to focus on his full-time duties as an executive with the bank.  "Grant has been a Westpac ambassador for nearly 13 years, an employee for four years and like any employee, we want to support Grant during this difficult time."

Channel 9 who also employs Hackett, is standing by him and he will be part of the team going to the London Olympics.

Grant Hackett is a true champion and was one of the greatest distance swimmers in history.  He won gold at the Sydney Olympics for the men's 1500m freestyle and the men's relay, and again in Athens in 2004.   He has joined the list of other sporting heroes who seem to have difficulty maintaining a happy existence outside the spotlight.

Chrissie Swan says "I'm not ashamed of my weight"

Chrissie Swan in an interesting woman.  She's warm, easy-going, unassuming and clever.  She also describes herself as "heavy."  She first became known as a popular contestant on Big Brother in 2003 and after working in radio she became one of the hosts of Channel 10's The Circle and won most popular new female talent at the TV Logie Awards.

When she finished school, she decided on a psychology degree but left after six months and enrolled in a primary teaching course.  Two years later, she realized that teaching wasn't her thing either and saw herself as a loser who would never do anything.  She liked the idea of advertising but thought she wasn't "groovy" enough and lacked the confidence to even try.  That was until copywriter Geoffrey Booth told her what she longed to hear.  "You can write" he said.

And write she can.  In today's Sunday Life magazine in the Sun Herald, she writes about her painful experience of being told that her 3 year old son is 7 kilos overweight and has to go on a diet.   But Chrissie is an educated woman and knows all about diets and calories and what food is bad for her children.  Her overweight son has never had a chicken nugget or even a fish finger in his whole life.

She jumped onto Google and discovered that juice was out so she stopped it.  Leo wasn't happy but she persevered, all to no avail because it didn't make any difference to his weight.  She finally gave in and made an appointment to see a paediatric dietician.  "I told her he eats fruit, lots of fruit, cheese, chicken breast, toast, no meat, he even eats around the meat in spaghetti bolognaise which is quite a skill."

Then the dietician told her something quite shocking -  her son was eating too much of the good stuff. Eating 4 bananas a day if you are only one metre tall will make you fat.  And if you throw in 3 mandarines, a punnet of strawberries, and four Cheesesticks, then you have a problem. Now the fruit bowl is out of his reach so 4 Kiwi fruit don't disappear during the day. He's now eating all the things he loves, just far less of them and not every day.

When Chrissie posed with sons Leo 3 and Kit 9 months, for the Women's Weekly, some women thought she was a bad role model for her children and sent nasty comments to the magazine. "Her sons already look fat, like mother, like sons" said one. "You are what you eat and Leo is not cute, he is absolutely huge, shame on you Chrissie" said another.

Chrissie knows all about the hurt of being heavy.  "It's shaming people into thinking their heart is going to explode, their legs are about to be cut off through diabetes, they'll never conceive a child, get married, find love or get the job they want."

"Ordering a full-cream flat white is often met with judgmental eyes yet people at their goal weight do it every day of the week.  So I do it too, I'm not ashamed any more."