Free legal aid to asylum seekers dumped

Scott Morrison and Lieutenant General Angus Campbell

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the Coalition has kept its election promise to dump free legal aid to asylum seekers who arrive without a proper visa, either by boat or plane.  It will also apply to the "vast majority" of 30,000 people already in detention waiting for their claims to be processed.  In future, they will have to rely on pro bono immigration advice.

Dumping the Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme will save the government $100 million over four years. "Whether someone is a refugee or not is determined by the process" Mr Morrison said. "What we're saying is it's not going to be the responsibility of taxpayers anymore to fund people pursuing appeals and various other things through this process."

Nobody can argue with the figures - last Saturday marked 100 days since the last asylum-seeker boat arrived on Australian territory. Although it's clear the government's Operation Sovereign Borders is working, Scott Morrison wouldn't say how many boats had been turned around and sent back to Indonesia during that period.  "It's our job to make sure they continue to fail" he said.

Papua New Guinea has agreed to resettle some but can't possibly take them all, and other Pacific nations have been approached to help share the wear.  "But what happens if no other countries come forward to take them?" someone asked. "They'll remain until they return voluntarily" he said.

Michael Williamson off to jail for five years

Oh how sweet it is to see Michael Williamson finally get what he deserves - a minimum of five years real jail time.  He's been there for two and a half weeks already.  On 3 March 2014, he came to court but didn't get to go home.  Instead, he was taken by prison van to Silverwater Jail after his barrister declined to seek an extension of his bail.

The former union boss and National President of the Australian Labor Party said he grew up in such poverty, he wanted to make sure his five children would never suffer financial hardship.

Broken and in tears, he told his psychiatrist Bruce Westmore that he still held a vivid memory of his parents being unable to pay for a movie ticket.  According to Dr Westmore, Williamson tried to kill himself in September 2011, the day he discovered that police were about to open an investigation into his crimes.

Son, Christopher Williamson

Williamson's daughter Alexandra, a former staffer to Julia Gillard, was at court to support her father, as was Bob Hull and Steve Pollard, former union supporters.

Daughter Alexandra

Williamson stole the money to maintain the lifestyle of his wife, his five children and his mistress.  He also tasked his son Chris, who also worked for the union, to smuggle a bag of damning documents out of the union's head office in Sydney, but when he was caught red handed, the game was up.

Cheryl Rose McMillan with Williamson

Proceedings began last December to recoup money from Williamson's long-time mistress, the union's former procurement officer, Cheryl Rose McMillan.

HSU's NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes said "every rock and stone" will be turned over to retrieve the millions still owed to union members.  He has asked Williamson's bankruptcy trustee to quiz Williamson's family members about their finances under oath.  "If there is any money there, we should be able to expose it, find it and reclaim it" he said.

Williamson 60, bankrupt and divorced, showed no emotion when Judge David Frearson sentenced him to seven and a half years for fraud yesterday.

It's been almost 20 years since Williamson began stealing from the Hospital Workers Union. The wheels of justice grind very slowly. 

His Maroubra home was sold for $1.45 million.

Bronwyn Bishop, most biased Speaker in history

It's been a bad week for Tony Abbott, two important things happened. The first was his decision to give his friend and ally Bronwyn Bishop the position of Speaker and the second was bringing back Knights and Dames.

Yesterday, Labor accused Bronwyn Bishop of being ' the most biased Speaker in history.'  And they would be right as her record speaks for itself.  To be "named" by the Speaker for disorderly conduct is one of the most serious actions that can be taken against an MP.

Tony Burke and Bronwyn Bishop

Yesterday Tony Burke addressed the Speaker and said "As of the action that you took today, 98 people have now been thrown out of the house by you and every one of them from the Opposition. Ninety-eight love. No Speaker in the history of Federation has a record like that. Everyone in Australia knows bias when they see it, you were effective as a warrior for the Liberal Party but that is not the job you chose to take on. Yet in the Speaker's chair, you have continued to act as though enjoying the victory for your own side is your job.  The Parliament deserve more than that and the Parliament cannot have confidence in a Speaker who refuses to be impartial.

Of course the Motion of No Confidence went nowhere, Labor don't have the numbers.  Christopher Pine made a valiant effort to defend Ms Bishop, but everyone who has been watching Question Time lately, knows that Burke's accusation is correct.

Then Abbott made the extraordinary decision to bring back Knights and Dames. "It's important to honour people's extraordinary service, suffice to say there can only be four of them in any one year, so it will be a very select honour."

So much for the theory about Tony Abbott taking advice from former PM John Howard, he obviously didn't seek his approval on this one because he knew that he wouldn't get it.  Howard wrote about it in his book Lazarus Rising and said "Despite urging from a number of people, I did not restore knighthoods."  And I bet if Abbott had put it to a vote among his Liberal Party colleagues, they wouldn't agree either.

Knights and Dames were introduced into Australia's system of honours in 1976 by Malcolm Fraser and abolished by Bob Hawke.   Only 12 Australian Knights and two Dames have ever been appointed.

Craig Thomson's farcical jail sentence

All eyes were on Craig Thomson's sentencing yesterday.  He packed a bag just in case he wasn't going home and expectation of jail time was high.  But the outcome was very disappointing - this arrogant liar, who has maintained his innocence since day one, walked out of court a free man, pending an appeal set down for November 24.

The former Labor MP was convicted of 65 charges of fraud and theft using his Health Services Union credit card for his personal use, including the services of prostitutes. 

Things looked promising. Magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg said he was greedy and arrogant with a shocking sense of entitlement, but then he dropped a bombshell - he sentenced Thomson to 12 months jail, but suspended nine months of that sentence for two years which only left a lousy three months to serve.  Well, we thought, three months is better than nothing but when his lawyer spoke to the judge, he walked out on appeal.

To feel let down by Magistrate Rozencwajg is a gross understatement and then to witness Thomson telling the media outside court yet again that he's innocent was almost too much to bear. There is only one tiny glimmer of hope left - that our esteemed judiciary will look at the case again and conclude that his sentence was far too light and extend his jail time well beyond three months.

Cardinal George Pell lies to the Royal Commission

Yesterday, Cardinal George Pell, the most powerful religious leader in the country, lied to the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse.  He flatly refused to accept any personal responsibility for failing children who were sexually abused by Catholic priests.

Perhaps it is an accepted code of conduct handed down by generations of priests through the ages, otherwise why did Pell make no attempt to change the culture?  When there was a complaint against a paedophile priest, they were simply moved somewhere else, knowing the abuse would continue.  Pell believed that sexual abuse victims were enemies of the church and as such, should be denied and ignored.

He blamed the men he depended on to handle the John Ellis case, he said they were mistaken, muddled, insufficiently informed or plain wrong. 

Father Duggan

John Ellis sat in the front row and hardly looked at Pell, sitting just a few steps away.

Ellis wanted $100,000 compensation but Pell fought the decision, hoping he would give up and go away.  But he didn't give up and the case went on to cost the church millions.

Pell blamed his chancellor Brian Rayner for not telling him. "But Rayner says he did" said Commissioner Justice Peter McClellan. "It didn't happen" snapped Pell, angry at being caught out in a lie.

"I asked good lawyers to deal with it and left the running of the case to them" he said.  Another lie according to the lawyers.

"You should be ashamed of yourself Cardinal" yelled a man in the audience.  "Please leave us" said McClellan and the man left the room.

George Pell has all the qualifications necessary to rise to the top of his profession, yet he defends child rape. 

The Cardinal was supposed to return to the hearing today but he's off to the Vatican this weekend and he's been given a day off to attend a farewell party.  He will take up the position of Prefect for the Economy in Rome. He's being rewarded for saving the Vatican millions in child abuse compensation. He returns to the witness box tomorrow.

Putin laughs at sanctions over Crimea

Putin now has Crimea back under Russian contol but at what cost? His decision to hold a democratic referendum to prove to the world that the majority of the Crimean people wanted to be part of Russia was just part of his long-range plan to keep Ukraine out of the arms of the EU and under his thumb.

Western individuals and companies are now barred from doing business with 12 of Putin's best friends. Assets are frozen, Visa and MasterCard have stopped transactions for Bank Rossiya and shares of companies linked to people on the black list have nose-dived.

But Putin's popularity is at an all-time high.  His people believe he's done a lot for Russia, their standard of living has risen under his rule and seeing him stand up to western bullying only makes him more of a hero.

European leaders are currently working on plans to break Putin's hold on gas and energy supplies.  The South Stream Pipeline, intended to link the EU to Russia through the Black Sea is now dead.  Gas group Novatak, owned by Gennady Timchenko has dropped 16 per cent since he was put on the black list and he had to sell his 43 per cent stake in Gunvor, the world's fourth largest oil trader, to his partner, to save Novatak.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there was an "unbelievable lack of trust in Russia" when Putin decided to extend his borders by force. The EU is obviously determined to make Putin pay and there is now a real threat to the Russian economy.

So we have a stand-off situation with no solution in sight.  Putin insists he has no plans to invade other parts of Ukraine or anywhere else, and the EU needs to butt out of his business.  The EU says they will punish him until he reverses his annexation of Crimea. Both scenarios seem highly unlikely.

Aboriginal domestic violence increased, says Nova Peris

Nova Peris with ex PM Julia Gillard

Labor Party Senator Nova Peris is trying to blame the LNP for increased alcohol-related domestic violence admissions to hospital in the Northern Territory.  She says it's because the LNP scrapped a register in 2012 that stopped problem drinkers from buying alcohol.

Surely she must be joking, she would know that Aboriginal problem drinkers have large extended families or friends who simply buy it for them.  Having your name on a banned drinker register was a joke.

She said that Emergency Department admissions in NT hospitals increased by 80 per cent in the 14 months since it was scrapped.  

Not so, said the NT Minister for Alcohol Rehabilitation, Robyn Lambley. She said the register was "useless in the fight against alcohol abuse" and ten years of data shows it had no long term impact on alcohol-related admissions to NT emergency departments.

The ABC Fact Check dated 20 March reads:  Alcohol-related emergency admissions to NT hospitals did increase by 80 per cent after the register was scrapped.  However, they did not decrease while the register was in place and the upward spike began before it was removed.   A comment appeared at the bottom of that article which reads:

As a former NT police officer, I served in Tennant Creek for several years during the banned drink register with all of my service in the central desert area.  I can tell you from someone working at the coal face that the banned drink register did not work in any shape or form.  We saw no decrease in alcohol-fuelled violent crime.  In fact, during that period all areas of alcohol-related incidents steadily increased, particularly domestic violence.

Banned drinkers did not stop drinking, they got relatives and others to buy grog for them.  We had one person who received a banning notice 12 times,  After having three issued, there was supposed to be a court ordered intervention.  The first notice gets you banned for 3 months, the second for an additional 6 months, and the third an additional 12 months and the person then was taken to court so that an alcohol intervention plan could be implemented.

It did not work, the police on the street will tell you so, A&E would tell you so and the ambos would tell you so. The problem is caused by sit down money, a total and utter lack of personal responsibility and a totally dysfunctional living environment.

I was pleased when Nova Peris was elected to the NT Senate, but her credibility after releasing this story, knowing it was untrue, is disappointing.

Oscar Pistorius puts house on the market

The Blade Runner's lawyers must be getting nervous about their client's ability to pay for their services, otherwise why is he selling his house now while the trial is still going on?  Pumping his girlfriend full of bullets and pretending he thought she was an intruder doesn't come cheap - his three full time lawyers are costing him up to $9,000 a day.

And hasn't he put on a great show?  Throwing up in a bucket, sticking his fingers in his ears, he should be nominated for an Academy Award. But nobody is buying it.

Estate agent Ansie Louw, who is handling the sale, said that although the property was the scene of an horrific crime, it would still attract plenty of interest.  Some people just don't care that a beautiful girl's life came to a bloody end inside its walls, she said. All potential buyers have to do is put a $5,000 deposit down, sign an agreement, and they will receive photos and plans of the property.  But there is one important requirement - they want a cash buyer.

Around 6.30 pm on Valentine's Day, while Reeva was inside the building, a search was made on Google for a porn website. Immediately after, a page was accessed that was described as Mobile porn, Free mobile porn, iPhone porn and iPad porn.  A leaked court document states that the sites are in direct contrast to that of a loving couple spending their time together.

On the anniversary of his lover's death, Pistorius tweeted  No words can adequately capture my feelings about the devastating accident that has caused such heartache for everyone who truly loved - and continue to love Reeva.

It's enough to make you sick.

Arthur Sinodinos should stand down

Arthur Sinodinos

Liberal Party members are looking sillier by the minute, falling over themselves repeating over and over again, how Sinodinos is as honest as the day is long, of the highest integrity, beyond reproach, etc, etc.

Just because he was John Howard's right hand man doesn't make him a saint and Tony Abbott should insist he stand down until all suspicions have been removed.  If ICAC mentioned his name in the same sentence as Eddie Obeid, we know he's in trouble. Something here is well and truly on the nose. 

Eddie Obeid

ICAC allege that Arthur Sinodinos was offered up to $20 million to use his Liberal Party connections to secure a contract with the NSW Liberal government.

As a close confidant of former Prime Minister John Howard, Sinodinos was once regarded as one of the most powerful men in the country. Born in Newcastle to Greek parents, his father was a staunch supporter of the Seaman's Union and he was an unlikely candidate for the conservative side of politics.

When an inquiry began into Australian Water Holdings, ICAC discovered that bribery and corruption was rampant on both sides of politics.  Even though the deal didn't eventuate, ICAC still feel that Mr Sinodinos has some questions to answer.

In an opening address to the inquiry, it was alleged that Mr Sinodinos' "true role in Australian Water Holdings was to open lines of communication with the Liberal Party" and "stood to gain a $10-20 million payday" if his lobbying efforts were successful.  At the time, Sinodinos was treasurer of the NSW Liberal Party before being appointed to the Senate in 2011.

The inquiry is looking into Australian Water Chief Executive and Liberal Party donor Nick Di Girolamo's efforts to win a contract which would net AWH shareholders $100-$200 million. ICAC alleges that Di Girolamo siphoned off payments meant for water infrastructure to the Liberal Party to the tune of $75,536.

They also found that Eddie Obeid's family had a secret 30 per cent stake in AWH and stood to gain $30-60 million if the deal went through.

Joe Tripodi

Evidence on Joe Tripodi's laptop showed that he had falsified a Cabinet minute recommending the contract go through, but Labor Premier at the time, Kistina Kenneally knocked it back.

Kristina Kenneally

Last night the Liberal Party agreed to return donations of $75,536 to Sydney Water.  And if that isn't reason enough for the Deputy Treasurer to stand down, I don't know what is.  Tony Abbott - you need to nip this situation in the bud, today.

Edit 19 March 2014:  Assistant Treasurer Arthur Sinodinos stepped aside from the frontbench just before Question Time today.  Tony Abbott said Senator Sinodinos would "draw no ministerial salary and have no access to ministerial entitlements", but insisted that he had stood aside and not resigned. 

Missing plane links to Malaysian corruption

If the captain of the missing plane wanted to make a political protest by bringing world attention to the corrupt Malaysian government, he's done it in spades. 

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah is a political activist, seen here wearing a Democracy is Dead T-shirt and is a passionate supporter of former deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who faced court on a trumped-up charge of sodomy.  The captain was reported to be "upset" when he was found guilty and sentenced to five years jail, just hours before he took control of MH370 and 238 lives.

Anwar 

Anwar is opposition leader and thorn in the side of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) who have ruled Malaysia for 56 years. He heads a coalition of parties, including his own, and has dedicated his life to stamping out political corruption.

Zaharie is estranged from his wife, even though they share the same house.  They have three children but yesterday, the maid was the only one at home.

Zaharie

Experts say only a skilled aviator could have disabled the plane's transponder and communications systems and flown over the Indian Ocean using navigational way points. Captain Zaharie has those skills.

Malaysia has one of the highest levels of bribery and corruption in the world.  Most people didn't know that before MH370 went missing, but they do now.

Praying for those on board at Friday prayers

Muslims guilty of glorifying Lee Rigby's murder

Hatred still runs deep in the heart of some crazy radicalized Muslims in the UK.  Within hours of British soldier Lee Rigby's brutal murder on a London street last year, Royal Barnes 23, and wife Rebekah Dawson 22, made three videos glorifying his death. They sent the videos - containing graphic images of a man holding a decapitated head and scenes of the Rigby murder - out to friends the next day.

Royal Barnes

In 2012, Barnes was one of the ring leaders of the socalled Muslim Patrol, a group who prowled east London streets shouting "Kill the non-believers."  They were all rounded up, sent to jail and back on the streets in no time.

Rebekah Dawson

Judge Brian Barker told the couple "No one is entitled to advocate a perverted use of idiology to glorify murder on the streets of London.  Freedom of speech has long been jealously regarded by the law but with freedom of speech comes respect and responsibility."  

Barnes was sentenced to 26 months for each of the three counts and Dawson 20 months each, to run concurrently.

In one of the videos Dawson took a photo of Barnes laughing as they drive past the spot where Rigby was killed, piled high with floral tributes.  Not long after, Dawson sends Barnes a text "Babe, someone has reported the laughing video and it's been removed."

It's not Dawson's first visit to court.  She made headlines last year when she refused to show her face in court charged with intimidating a witness.  She was outraged when a man allowed two female tourists entry into a mosque who were not appropriately covered up.  When her brother, another convert, decided to teach him a lesson, the victim went to police and they were both charged.

The presiding judge in that case was Peter Murphy who initially said she had to remove her burqa in court but after intense pressure from her female lawyer, he relented.  But he still insisted that she show her face to the jury when she gave evidence in the witness box.  She refused, saying it was against her religion to show her face to men, and waived her right to give her side of the story. 

When the jury couldn't agree on a verdict and she was faced with another trial, she finally admitted her guilt, but not until a deal was struck with prosecutors to drop the case against her brother who was facing the same charge.

Rigby killers Muslim converts Michael Adebolajo (left) and Michael Adebowale 

Dawson, known to police for shop lifting and other offences, comes from a devoutly Christian family, as did the Rigby killers.  She only became obsessed with covering up competely in 2012.  Her family was shocked when she turned up at a relative's funeral wearing the burqa.

Her great uncle, Gilbert Bell, said her Jamaican-born grandmother worked as a nurse at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. "My sister Dulcie would turn in her grave if she knew how Rebekah was carrying on" he said. "Dulcie was very religious and a committed church-goer."

Her father Christopher 54, served five years for trying to smuggle cannabis into the UK from Ethiopia.

Rebekah Dawson has proved just how easy it is to make a mockery of British justice.  Not one, but two judges bowed to her will, and caved in under pressure to uphold the "freedom of religion" law. And it will be used to checkmate every court in the land.

Child rapist Brett Peter Cowan found guilty

Daniel Morcombe's killer Brett Peter Cowan started sexually abusing children when he around 9 years old.  By the time he was 18, he told undercover cops, he had preyed on around 30 children. 

In 1989, he got two years for digitally and orally raping a seven year old boy in a public toilet in a Queensland playground. He knew that some judges still believe the myth that paedophiles can be rehabilitated, so he played the system and asked to participate in a sexual offenders treatment program at the Moreton Correctional Centre in Queensland, and it wasn't long before he was back on the street.   

Child rapist Brett Peter Cowan

Four years later in the Northern Territory, Cowan raped and almost killed a six year old boy and left him to die in an old car before the child was found wandering around naked and bleeding.  He was found guilty and sentenced to seven years but was out on parole in three and a half.

On his release in 1989, he moved to the Sunshine Coast and joined the Christian Outreach Church where he met and married Tracey Moncrieff.  The couple, who later divorced, had a child and were living in Beerwah at the time Daniel went missing.

Within an hour of being lured into Cowan's car at a bus stop under the Kiel Mountain Road underpass on Sunday 7 December 2003, Daniel was dead and his body dumped in an old sand mine less than 40 kilometres away.

Cowan was an immediate suspect and was interviewed by police twice, once in 2004 and again in 2005, but when he told the inquest he had nothing to do with it, there was no evidence to prove otherwise. 

Police knew the only way they were going to get Cowan to admit his guilt, was to trick him.  So they invented a clever ruse - undercover cops pretended to be members of a criminal gang and in time, became his best friends.  And he fell for it, hook, line and sinker.

He told his new mates, all on tape, that he picked Daniel up at the bus stop to have some fun with him and took him to a deserted demountable building on a farm.  When he invited him inside for a drink of water and tried to pull his pants down, the boy started to struggle, and that's when he killed him.  How, his new friends asked?  With an arm around his neck, he said.  He then took his body to an old sand mine where Daniel's bone fragments were later found.

Brett Peter Cowan was found guilty of murdering Daniel Morcombe yesterday - 14 March 2014 - and this time, the judge better keep him locked away for the rest of his life. If not, there will be public outrage.

Daniel's parents established the Daniel Morcombe Foundation in 2005 and have visited schools and spoken to hundreds of children, warning them about what can happen when someone with an friendly, honest face offers you a lift when you miss the bus.

Denise Morcombe particularly must be applauded for her dogged persistence to keep going for ten long years under extreme stress. A shy, private person, she must have suffered every minute of the media sessions her husband seemed to handle with ease.

Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon

After the guilty verdict was announced, the family embraced Crown prosecutors Michael Byrne QC and Glen Cash, as well as homicide detectives Detective Ross Hutton and Stephen Blanchfield.  Justice Roslyn Atkinson thanked the members of the jury for their service.

Bruce and Denise Morcombe stayed the distance and saw it through to the end.  Thanks to their efforts and fantastic police work, one less rock spider walks our streets. 

Edit 21 March 2014:  Yesterday, Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie said he is appealing the sentence handed down to Brett Peter Cowan. He said that the life sentence with a non-parole period of 20 years was "manifestly inadequate" for Daniel Morcombe's killer.

Rachel Canning's parents take her back

There's an old saying - a parent's love for their child knows no bounds - and it must be true because this case reeks of a spoiled brat who has a lot to learn about life.  After Rachel Canning sued her parents and dragged them through a heart-breaking court case, they welcomed her home with open arms.

When she refused to abide by her parents' rules, she left home and sued them, made possible by her best friend's father John Inglesino, a lawyer, who paid all her legal fees.

She first left home in October and moved in with her boyfriend's family for two days and then with her best friend Jaime Inglesino's family. When her parents retaliated by stopping her private school fees, she was encouraged to take them to court.  She asked for child support of $654 a week, legal fees, reimbursement of her high school tuition, medical bills, and other expenses, but thankfully, the judge said "no way" and she lost the case.

Canning claimed her parents were responsible for her anorexia and bulimia;  they pushed her to get a basketball scholarship and her father was too affectionate.  He "constantly put his arm around me in public and would kiss me on the cheek" she said.  

Her parents asked her to be respectful, keep to a curfew, do some chores around the house and end the relationship with her boyfriend, who was a bad influence.

State Superior Court Judge Peter Bogaard said "Are we going to open the gates for 12 year olds to sue for an X-Box, for 13 year olds to sue for an iPhone?" he said.  "We should be mindful of a potential slippery slope."

So who is this man who destroyed the Canning family and made this sad story possible?   Inglesino is a partner at the firm Inglesino, Wyciskala & Taylor in Parsippany, New Jersey.  His law firm's profile reads:

Mr Inglesino was recently named one of the top 100 "powerful people" in New Jersey by Politicker NJ for 2013.  He was also named in the "Power 100" list by NJBIZ and appears in "Best Lawyers in America 2013 and 2014."

Inglesino and wife

So why did he feel it necessary to intervene in this family's life with his chequebook?

"Rachel is likeable, communicates exceptionally well and is highly motivated to attend and excel at a college appropriate for her. That is why my wife and I have decided to fund this lawsuit personally" he said.  "We know that if Mr and Mrs Canning are not required to fulfill their obligations as parents, that Rachel's ability to fulfill her potential will be greatly diminished."

Australia to buy 8 American jets

PM with US Navy Commander Bill Pennington exit US Navy P8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft at RAAF Fairbairn, Canberra

The Abbott government is about to make Australia's biggest military purchase ever - 8 American-made Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft.  The new fleet, costing around $4 billion, will help patrol over 2.5 million square kilometres of our oceans.

The Poseidon is equipped with torpedoes and harpoon missiles, able to destroy submarines and warships and are currently part of the US Navy.  They will eventually operate with several unmanned Triton long-range patrol aircraft, also on Abbott's future shopping list.  The first aircraft will be delivered in 2017, with the fleet fully operational by 2021 and will be based at RAAF Edinburgh in South Australia.

The government could possibly buy another four aircraft, depending on the outcome of the Defence White Paper review. Labor gave official approval for the purchase back in 2007.

Last month for the first time, China sent several warships, escorted by a submarine, through the Sunda Strait between the Indonesian island of Java and Sumatra.  The ships travelled along the southern edge of Java, close to Christmas Island and then through the Lombok Strait between Lombok and Bali.

Experts say it was a deliberate and provocative move by the Chinese to send a clear message that they now consider the Indian Ocean a priority, and a warning of their intention to protect its interests in the region, if pushed.

 Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop with the Obamas

But Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop isn't worried and says the Chinese Navy is growing commensurate with the increasing size and strength of its economy and their place in the region. The fact that the Chinese navy is conducting exercises in international waters isn't a matter she would raise with her counterpart, she says, because we do it too.

"The United States has long been the single greatest power in the Pacific, in Asia, in fact globally.  But we recognise that there are other countries emerging as stronger economies, other countries are building up their militaries.  Japan is also redefining its defence stance.  So we are in a very different world, it's a changing landscape, and our foreign policy must be flexible enough and nimble enough to recognise that changing landscape" she said.

Magda Szubanski tries Jenny Craig again

Last weekend, Magda Szubanski was seen walking with a cane. When she was ambassador for Jenny Craig three years ago, she lost 35 kilos and looked fantastic but she didn't reach her goal weight loss of 40 kilos and now she's back to try again.

Magna's health isn't good.  While writing her biography and not exercising, the weight gradually crept back on.  She has a serious sleep apnoea problem and bad knee pain.

"When I think about the level of fitness I had, how great I felt....and how I lost it, let it go, I feel incredibly sad" she said.  What she doesn't realize is that most women know exactly how she feels, it takes huge amounts of self-discipline to keep it off, something most of us don't have.

Every day we see people with thin genes stuffing their faces with burgers and pies, and it makes no difference to their weight.  They will never get fat and have no need for scales in their bathroom. And they never have to undergo a punishing exercise regime either, they can eat their way through life without a care in the world.

People don't realize how important genes are in regard to our health and body weight.  If you have the cancer gene in your family you must get tested because there's a good chance you have it too and the same principle applies to weight.  Just look through old family photos to discover where you got your size and shape from - it's all there.

Jenny Craig's offer of $1.25 million to drop the kilos again is a huge incentive for Magna but it's still hard work.  Being starved and having to exercise every day is depressing and the will to give it up, especially at 52, will be overwhelming.

Being denied one of the most important pleasures in life is cruel and if Magna can achieve her goal, she deserves a medal.

Who will be Ukraine's next President?

According to a recent poll, Petro Poroshenko, known as the "chocolate king" could be the next President of Ukraine.  He leads the race with 21 per cent support.  He's a rich confectionary tycoon who wants closer ties to the European Union.  When President Yanukovych abruptly backed out of a promised deal with the UN, Poroshenko played a major role in his demise.  He has been an Independent member of Parliament since 2012.

Some say Poroshenko has an axe to grind.  Russia banned his Roshen chocolates last year, citing safety concerns, but he said it was a bullying tactic to shock Ukrainian businesses into realizing just how much they need Russia to survive.  

Coming in second at 15 per cent of the vote, is leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform Party, boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko, also known as "Dr Ironfist."  He's passionate about his country and made many anti-Russian statements during the protest in Kiev.  He has rock star status in the west and is the first world boxing champion to hold a PhD.  He won 41 matches by knockout and was World Champion three times.  He is the son of a Soviet air force pilot and his brother Wladimi is also a professional boxer.  

Next comes Yulia Tymoshenko with 10 per cent support.  She is chairwoman of the Fatherland Party and was released from jail by the Parliament when Yanukovych fled to Russia.  She was convicted of fraud in 2011 when she was Prime Minister under President Yanukovych and given a seven year sentence. 

Last week Putin described her as being a "reasonable partner", perhaps because she has a history of agreeing to pro-Russian deals.

Putin said he is willing to work with anyone who isn't a "downright criminal" but the way hostility is building on both sides, the election in May seems a long way off.

Tatars leaving Crimea

In 1944 Stalin decreed that Crimean Tatars had collaborated with the Nazis.  Within hours of placing an "X" on every Tatar household in Crimea, 200,000 were loaded onto cattle trains and deported to other parts of the Soviet Union, mostly to Uzbekistan and Siberia.  Many died on the way and their mosques were burnt to the ground.  At the same time, Stalin pulled Tatar soldiers out of the Russian Army and sent them to labor camps in Siberia and the Ural mountains.

When they eventually returned, they found their houses were taken over by Russians and Ukrainians and to accommodate the thousands of Tatars who were returning to Bakhchysaray after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, a new "Sixth District" was built for 1,000 Tatar families.  Today there are about 240,000 Muslim Tatars living in Crimea, around 12 per cent of the population

 Khan Chair mosque in Bakhchysaray.

Since they have declared their support for the interim government in Kiev, their community is being intimidated.  Young men with a list of names were seen walking down streets, marking Tatar homes with an "X".  Some are scratched on with a screwdriver while others are marked with chalk.  The chalk is easily washed off but the scratches remain.  Men in cars have also been seen photographing Tatar homes.

Pro-Russian protesters (left) stand opposite Crimean Tartars, who support the new regime in Ukraine


Although there hasn't been a mass exodus, hundreds have left for eastern Ukraine or have taken boats to Turkey.  Meanwhile their communities are on the lookout for Russian-speaking men who are trying to scare them into leaving, or to provoke violence which would justify a crackdown on Tatars right across the peninsula.

Where will it end?