Peter Slipper has finally left the Speaker's chair. He realized his time was up so he jumped before he was pushed. He enters Parliament today as an Independent back-bencher.
Yesterday was a memorable day in Canberra and when Tony Abbott moved a no-confidence motion to dump him, he survived by one vote. It was a disappointing result and then it slowly dawned that the PM had supported this man of questionable character, a man who has gravely insulted the dignity of womanhood in obscene text messages. Then later on in the evening, Slipper suddenly resigns.
Oakeshott and Windsor told Slipper to fall on his sword yet both supported him in the ballot. It makes no sense, if they thought he was an unfit person to hold the office of speaker they should have voted with the Opposition to get rid of him. I was surprised when Bob Katter abstained and said he wouldn't be party to pre-empting the ongoing legal process and pleased to see that Alan Wilkie did the right thing.
Tony Abbott showed a lack of compassion when he used the word "ashamed" to describe the PM's support for Slipper. With Alan Jones' words about the PM's father "dying of shame" still reverberating around the walls of the House, he could have chosen another word. The PM came back at him with "This government isn't dying of shame" and .... "my father did not die of shame." If it was a deliberate jibe, it was cruel, if it was unintentional, he is an insensitive twit.
More likely, it was a ploy to bait the PM and it worked a treat because she let him have it with both barrels. "I will not be lectured about sexism or misogyny by this man" she said and brought up Abbott's past examples of disrespect for women - pictures of him addressing a protest amid signs which read "Ditch the Witch" and "Bob Brown's Bitch." My God, what must the rest of the world think of behaviour such as this?
The PM has every right to be angry with Abbott but in my view, she made an error of judgement, not only by supporting Slipper yesterday but by putting him in the chair in the first place. He already had a reputation and she must have been aware of it.
Slipper admitted yesterday that his text messages were disgusting and said "nothing excuses their content." As a woman, and for that reason, she should have denounced him.
The Federal court will soon decide on either throwing out Slipper's sexual harassment claim or send it to trial and the DPP will decide whether to pursue allegations that he misused cabcharges.
Labor needs 5 of 7 crossbench votes but it's unlikely Slipper will vote with the Opposition on anything, so there shouldn't be a problem with the numbers. But in this crazy hung Parliament, with the leaders' hatred now running deep, who knows what tomorrow will bring?
When news of Roberto Laudisio Curti's death reached family and friends back in Brazil, his wealthy family engaged a Sydney legal firm to find out what really happened. Yesterday, the state Coroner, Mary Jerram, presided over the public inquiry into his death.
So far, things are not looking good for police, they appear to have been over-zealous and used unnecessary force. But when we learn that the 21 year old had taken LSD and was in the midst of a psychotic episode caused by a severe allergic reaction, we tend to give police the benefit of the doubt.
Any wonder police were called when in a manic state, he entered a convenience store and jumped the counter rambling on about being a messenger of God and how people were trying to kill him. He took 2 packets of biscuits and left.
Once outside, a street cleaner telephoned police after seeing what happened inside the shop. When he was asked if the man had a weapon he said 'I didn't see any.' But the triple-0 operator on duty passed the report on to police as an armed robbery. Until it was later corrected, it was still being referred to as "the armed robbery" on the police radio.
Not long after, he lay dead on the pavement after being shot 14 times with a taser, the barbs still embedded in his flesh. Police said he had "super human strength" and up to 11 officers were involved in the chase.
For the next two weeks, police will be under pressure to explain why so many tasers and 3 cans of capsicum spray had to be used to subdue an unarmed man.
Jeremy Gormly SC said it was not clear what killed Mr Curti, but there is a suggestion he may have choked while being held on the ground.
When graphic CCTV footage leading up to his death was shown to the court, several family members left. Seeing the young man they adored on the ground with several police officers on top of him was too much.
If only he had stopped running.
The hearing continues.
There has been another shocking crime in England that will turn your stomach. It is so abhorrent, it sends chills down the spine of every parent. We don't understand why deviates snatch little children off the street but we know that they are out there, looking for the opportunity to take our children away from us.
April Jones, a sweet little 5 year old girl from Wales went missing after playing with friends near her home and was seen willingly getting into a van. She has cerebral palsy and needs daily medication.
A 46 year old British man, Mark Bridger, has been arrested for her murder, even though they haven't found her body. He was questioned by police for three days and released without charge but has now been re-arrested. Bridger is known to the family and drives a Land Rover Discovery which was later seized from a local repair shop.
This is another horrific case that reinforces a message for every parent - never take your eyes off them for a second.
When the Opposition was just about to dis-endorse him, Julia Gillard made Peter Slipper an offer he couldn't refuse. She enticed him to become a conservative turncoat with the lure of the Speaker's chair and all the prestige that went with it. It was too much, he couldn't resist.
He immediately changed the rules and insisted on bringing back the ancient ceremonial procession with the Sergeant-at-Arms ahead of him carrying the mace into and out of the House and wearing the traditional black gown. But unfortunately, the respect he craved wasn't forthcoming and instead, he appeared pompous and ridiculous.
So it was no surprise when Mr Slipper, a former Barrister, parted company with his lawyers and decided to represent himself. James Ashby accuses him of "using his position to pursue relationships of a sexual nature with young male employees", sending lewd text messages to a male staff member and urinating out a window.
When John Howard was Prime Minister, Ashby claims that Slipper had a sexual relationship with another younger male member of his staff and that the Commonwealth "failed to take reasonable and effective steps to prevent him from utilizing his office to foster sexual relationships with young male staff members." When Ashby made it clear to Slipper that he wasn't interested, he alleges that he made his life a misery and started victimizing him.
Slipper told the court he believed that Ashby "was placed" in his office or "contrived a situation where he was able to come to my office" as part of an elaborate plot by the LNP to ruin his career and his marriage as pay back for accepting the job of Speaker. But Justice Rares didn't agree and said these allegations were not supported by the evidence before him.
So why did Slipper ask staffers James Ashby and Karen Doane "Can I kiss you both?" He said he considered Ashby a "friend" because he had given him strawberries as a gift and he "may well have" asked if he could kiss them both, it was just part of the convivial atmosphere in their office.
James Ashby
In a teary plea to the judge that lasted several minutes, he was visibly distraught as he recounted how Ashby had "ingratiated himself" into his life which made his betrayed very painful. Both he and his wife Inge had made him welcome in their home many times and James was happy to accompany them to gala balls and other social events.
"I'm beside myself, I love the position of Speaker of Parliament" he said. "I'm sorry if I'm getting upset and worked up, I apologise if I'm expressing emotion that one should not express in court, sir, I really, I apologise your honour, I feel very strongly about this matter."
Mr Ashby's lawyer, Michael Lee SC, said the suggestion that his client was "a Manchurian Candidate" sent in by political "conspirators" to ruin Mr Slipper's career was baseless. He added that if Mr Ashby was successful, he would be seeking damages because he would never be able to work in the advisory industry again.
Justice Rares wanted to know how Mr Ashby's allegation that he had witnessed his boss handing over taxi vouchers amounted to anything improper or illegal as there could be a "perfectly innocent explanation." He also thought it was "very, very troubling" that Mr Ashby put forward these allegations in his Federal Court sexual harassment case, but later withdrew them.
The hearing continues.
The only way I can think of to review Brynne's new television show is to ask the question "Would I watch it again?" and the answer is yes.
But it's not only Brynne who is interesting, it's her entrepreneurial, taciturn husband, Geoffrey. They are a truly odd couple - the photo of the beautiful girl on the arm of an older man in flamboyant suits and dyed hair, just doesn't seem to fit.
Back in the 80s, Dr Geoffrey Edelsten was a high flyer who owned the Sydney Swans and transformed medical centres by keeping them open 24/7. At one point he employed almost 250 GPs. He put grand pianos and chandeliers in the foyers and covered examination tables with mink.
But in the 90s, it all fell apart, and Edelsten spent a year in prison for arranging underworld figure Christopher Dale Flannery to beat up a former patient and he was de-registered.
You can't help feeling a bit sorry for Brynne being so far away from her family and friends in Phoenix, Arizona and being married to Geoffrey doesn't help. He gets up at 3.30am and works all day and sometimes into the evening, and she is left alone with her little dog.
In the first episode Brynne works up courage to approach her husband about her desperate wish to have a baby and his response is hardly encouraging. We get to see her beautiful designer gowns, some never worn with the tags still attached, and it's clear that Brynne is a girl who loves to shop.
She sets out on shopping expedition and deliberately leaves her credit cards at home so she won't overspend but when it comes time to pay the sales assistant, she hands over a wad of $100 bills that would knock your eye out.
Brynne won the hearts of the general public when she appeared in Dancing With The Stars, and it will be interesting to see if she can again capture an audience big enough for the producers to make a second series.
Passengers at Brisbane airport last night looked on in horror as a dozen Federal Police carried out a court order to return four sisters to their father in Italy. It was no easy job getting them onto the plane, they were literally kicking and screaming and had to be carried and dragged on board. An official from the Italian embassy was with them.
Earlier, their distraught mother clung to the back of the unmarked police car as it drove away with three of her daughters and she collapsed in the road sobbing. Later, all four girls were taken in two cars to a private entrance of Brisbane International Airport. One of the girls had to be restrained as she tried to escape through the rear of the car and banged on the window as it drove away, begging to speak to a journalist.
The judge hoped the distraught mother would go to Italy after her ex-husband agreed not to lay criminal charges against her.
The court ruled that they should have gone back in May but their mother's family decided to take the girls into hiding. They were eventually tracked down by the AFP.
This mother needs to acknowledge that she did the wrong thing. She married an Italian and made a home in Italy with him and their four daughters. Two years ago, she decided she wanted to come back to Australia for good but she didn't tell her husband. Instead, she told him she wanted to take them home for a holiday and he agreed.
But she had no intention of taking them back and that's where it all comes unstuck. The courts were never going to allow her to keep the girls here, they must go back to Italy, where they were born, and allow their courts to sort it out.
It seems unfair that the court can't grant the wishes of the girls, who desperately want to stay in Australia with their mother, but the father's rights can't be ignored. She has caused unnecessary stress for her children by giving them false hope. A wise mother would not have persisted with the defiant plan to thwart the court's authority and take them into hiding, she must have known it would all ends in tears.
Imagine the outcry if the shoe were on the other foot and the Italian husband refused to allow the girls to come back to Australia. The mother needs to return to Italy where the judges will hopefully find a fair and just solution for everyone.
The father's lawyer, Paul Donnelly said the father of the girls is a broken man, especially after the media reported that he was abusive towards his daughters. "They are blatant lies" he said. The cost of travelling between countries has left him completely broke. Mr Donnelly took on the case pro bono and said "He has no money left, I haven't received a cent from him and nor shall I."
Sponsors continue to abandon the Alan Jones morning 2GB radio show and his apologies have fallen on deaf ears. There is a growing petition currently circulating with over 101,000 signatures, calling on management to sack him, which seems unlikely, as he is a major shareholder in the company.
If we look behind the arrogant facade and huge ego, he is a passionate supporter of Australian farmers and has thrown his support behind them as they are overwhelmed by the manic search for coal seam gas. And when lobby group Lock the Gate Alliance cancelled an invitation for him to speak at one of their rallies later this month, it must have hurt.
Jones says he didn't know his comments were being recorded as if it somehow matters. It doesn't. "This was a throwaway thing at a private function" he said "A bit of a smart Alec remark and if I've got to be belted up over it, well so be it."
A 30 second ad on the Alan Jones show costs between $700-$750 and a "live read" by him is around $1,000. Under commercial radio rules, a station can broadcast up to 18 minutes in one hour which works out at around $80,000 per day.
Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said Jones has gone too far and his employer should be looking at his pattern of behaviour. However, she did not rule out whether she will accept invitations to appear on his show in the future. "I will consider those requests when they come in" she said.
So will the advertisers come back? Probably. They will go with the station who has the biggest audience and the Alan Jones show rates its head off. Most sponsors have a 12 month contract and it's likely they will fulfill them when we, the fickle public, forget and move on.
