Tuesday, June 2, 2015
‘Team Australia’ ‘Captain’ wants your passport – has the wrong one himself
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Australia Invasion Day Shame - Peter Costello honoured
He thanked Australians for giving him the opportunity to serve as treasurer for 12 years.
"I've tried to make our country a better place and make a contribution to it," he told ABC News 24.
"We all do that in our own little ways, and to - along with other Australians - be recognised for that, is a deeply humbling experience."
"I think anyone who's recognised in the Order of Australia feels immensely privileged and honoured by it," he added."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/26/3121808.htm
I was appalled that the smirking fascist, Peter Costello; whose alleged economic reforms were designed to shift the tax burden away from corporate mates and onto the shoulders of the most vulnerable low income people; whose manipulation of the housing market (kept secret from journalists) helped to create an unsustainable housing bubble; and whose exhortations to have another baby for the country was one of the most irresponsible political ploys in history.
It must not be forgotten that Peter Costello stood by John Howard throughout the implementation of 98% of Pauline Hanson's racist agenda, the vilification of Muslims (Costello joined in), the Anti Terrorism legislation, the making of aggressive war and the intentional psychiatric harm of asylum seekers locked away in the desert behind razor wire, a collective punishment that should be named as a crime against humanity.
Watch out! This attempt to honour Peter Costello, HR Nicholls Society extremist, is the thin end of the wedge for the rehabilitation of the discredited Howard Ministry. Next you will see Phillip Ruddock given something or other and finally a knighthood for the villain himself. Don't let them!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
NO JUNK MAIL means local governments must prosecute business litterers
Dear Councillors
I am very upset when I see that there is practically no visible progress in ending the unsustainable practice of allowing deliveries of huge volumes of junk mail to our homes.
I live in a block of flats on Montague Road, West End. Every mailbox has a sign saying "NO JUNK MAIL", yet the periodicals space next to our mailboxes receives enough for a small army. Furthermore, it blows all over the garden and down the street. I am fed up with having to pick it up. Everywhere I look I see this stuff littering the streets. Montague Road sometimes looks like somewhere in the Third World.
In some streets there is so much junk in the actual mailbox Australia Post cannot deliver the mail the box was designed for, unless they throw the soggy mess onto the ground. Some unoccupied houses have a decade of advertising material scattered in the garden.
Advertisers need to realise that very little of this material is being read and that they are contributing to a socially inequitable situation where the whole community is paying for someone to remove this rubbish that is foisted upon us. Many Body Corporates could decide to form a class action and sue the deliverers of junk mail to stop them from littering the properties they represent. But why should we have to do this when we elect a local authority to do things like this for us?
If you are a business that advertises this way, the name of your company on a piece of paper that litters the street could be working against you. The message to the public will be that you don't care about the trashing of our environment, the obscene waste of paper or the resultant wastes. We could decide to organise boycotts against your company if you persist.
I rang Brisbane City Council. They were not sure whether litter was really their legal responsibility (who else?). The Council does employ some litter inspectors, I am waiting with baited breath to know how many, what their powers are and how many major prosecutions they have launched. Obviously, if they need to actually see someone dropping the paper on the street (our private properties do not count), then they will never prosecute anyone.
It is time for an improvement in the way we do things. We are way past the time when this type of practice should end. There must be some really effective legislation in The Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Denmark - or, if you don't like public servants going on junkets - try Singapore. Business as usual is simply unacceptable.
This is a problem in all parts of Australia. There were 8.2 billion articles of advertising material delivered in 2005. This will have grown to over 9 billion in 2007. In 2005 the Sydney Morning Herald bemoaned the lack of action by government in this country. It is so obvious that this needs to be dealt with, one can only ask why there is no political will. Two years later we are running the same arguments:
Of course, the ideologues say we should have small (ineffectual) governance and industry self-regulation. This is not working and was never intended to work. The people running that argument have had their chance and shown what a hollow promise that is. There is an industry-based ‘opt-out’ scheme, which does nothing and is ignored by its own industry members. If you ring the Distribution Standards Board you will find no one at the office till after 28 January 2008:
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/tips/2007/12/13/opt_out_of_receiving_junk_mail.html
What to do about junk mail? There are some tips for householders:
http://www.cleanup.org.au/au/LivingGreener/junk-mail.html
The Mayor of Mossman, NSW, says she is "over it" with junk mail. Where are Campbell Newman and Greg Rowell, Labor Candidate for Brisbane Lord Mayor on this issue?
http://www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/news/mayor/2007/10/04/junk-mail
There is just enough time before the Brisbane City Council elections for the BCC to announce their really effective legislation has been passed and here are the key performance indicators (KPI’s) and the whopping fines for non-compliance, and the complaints hot line for the public to express their views.
Every single Alderman and candidate will be asked to give a public undertaking to end this 'free-ride' that the junk mail industry has enjoyed for far too long. We can stop wasting water. Brisbane is getting there. We can stop wasting electricity. We still have to educate a large number of people. We can stop wasting fuel, ride bicycles and use public transport, likewise. We can stop wasting paper. I will store this electronically and email it to hundreds of people.
Legitimate free newspapers and periodicals need to review their delivery regimes too.
Regards
Willy Bach
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Queensland Transport sending advertising material for Citibank
Dear Anna Bligh
You may recall that early in 2007 I delivered to your electorate office some advertising material from Citibank that had been sent to me by Queensland Transport together with my Vehicle Registration Renewal. I understood from your electorate office staff that some inquiries were made to Queensland Transport at that time and that I was informed that the practise was to be discontinued.
This week I received another Renewal Notice and discovered that the practise of sending out Citibank advertising material continues till the present time. Now that you are the Premier of Queensland you will be in a position to end this practise.
I will set out for you what I find objectionable about the practise:
1. It is not the business of government to be selling products or services for the profit of private corporations. Government services should remain discreet from the profit imperative of private business. Similarly, government should not be favouring one business over any other.
2. This current practise implies that the Queensland government is accepting payment from Citibank for delivery of their advertising material, privileging Citibank over other business corporations, which compromises the integrity of government and could lead to perceptions of conflicts of interest.
3. Many members of the electorate have signs on our letterboxes saying "No Junk Mail" - so we should not expect private corporations to sneak their sales material into our homes on the back of government renewal notices or information.
4. The inclusion of advertising material with government renewal notices implies that Citibank has some kind of endorsement from government that would be quite improper and inappropriate and could provide considerable embarrassment for government.
5. Household indebtedness is a major problem in Australia which could drive the economy into recession. At this time it is particularly inappropriate for the government to be associated with any attempts to lure members of the public into credit deals that are beyond their means to repay. Quoting from the Citibank material: "Save money now by paying only 4.9% pa on outstanding credit card balances you transfer". By any interpretation this is an invitation to easier finance and higher indebtedness.
6. The US Sub-Prime Mortgage crisis has already led to thousands of American low-income earners to lose their homes. The crisis in the finance sector makes the association or perceived endorsement of the Queensland government with any bank or finance companies not just improper but also unsafe and a threat to the integrity of democratic and accountable governance.
I hope you will now act to cease this practise.
Yours faithfully
Willy Bach
Thursday, November 22, 2007
A 'Compassionate' Kevin Rudd will turn boats around ... and worse
Digital portraits by Michael Agzarian show the Prime Minister and senior ministers with their lips sewn together.
Dear Kevin Rudd
I was not surprised but nevertheless disgusted by the Liberal Party’s clumsy attempt to steal Saturday’s election with their divisive and insulting bogus flyers in the NSW seat of Lindsay. Many of us will suspect that the plan was hatched in a higher office with the device of ‘plausible deniability’ to cover him in righteous indignation. We will expect the inquiry to have suitably wide terms of reference.
My attention was recently drawn to your article in the Monthly, entitled ‘Howard’s Brutopia, The battle of ideas in Australian politics’. http://www.themonthly.com.au/tm/?q=node/312
I thought your description of what John Howard’s government has made of Australia was correct and welcome this analysis. I note with some satisfaction that you intend to use the word ‘compassion’ to describe the direction of your government, if elected tomorrow.
Yet, even in your announcement yesterday on Higher Education you did not promise to undo the dismantling of the School of Humanities at QUT, and several other similar cases of rampant managerialism at its ideological worst. Rudd focuses on higher education costs http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/22/2098499.htm
I was even more dismayed to find that you have deceived the refugee advocacy lobby into an expectation that ‘compassion’ will apply to asylum seekers too. One day out from the election you reveal that ‘Brutopia’ continues to rule: Rudd takes tough stance on boat people, November 23, 2007,
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22807653-29277,00.html and, Rudd to turn back boatpeople, Paul Kelly and Dennis Shanahan | November 23, 2007,
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22806913-11949,00.html
I hope you understand the outcomes we can expect from this policy.
One day out from the election - I don't think this will please anyone who was hoping for more enlightened policies, though you concealed these till now.
I hope you will succeed in winning this election, but with much of your support in the form of preferences from the Greens. Is there no other way to get Australia to become a good global citizen that practices the generosity of spirit we claim as our birthright?
Willy Bach
Greens candidate for Griffith
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
We really must have people in public life who meet higher standards of conduct than this
Senior Libs involved in flyer scandal: Albanese http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/22/2097666.htm
This is not a "prank", it is not like anything that The Chaser would do as a joke. It is an attempt to steal the federal election and it is entirely appropriate that the Australian Electoral Commission investigates the matter rigorously.
I will be wearing my 'dog whistle' for the remainder of the election campaign in case I see any Liberals trying to sow division and exploit race, ethnicity or fear to their advantage.
Willy Bach
Greens candidate for Griffith
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
NO to attacks on Iran - only one response so far: from the Greens
The Australian Greens have a strong Human Rights policy that emphasises
our commitment to ensuring that universal human rights must be respected and protected in all countries. If you wish to refer to the policy in full, you can do so at http://greens.org.au/election/policy.php?policy=39
Greens' Senator for NSW Kerry Nettle has addressed the issue of Iran in
the Senate (on the 27 Feb 2007), by asking the Senate to note the
following:
(i)
the growing tension between the United States of America (US) and Iran,
including the military build-up in the Persian Gulf,
(ii)
the indication by US Vice President Dick Cheney, while in Sydney from 22
February to 25 February 2007, that a military strike on Iran is an
option, and
(iii)
that US intelligence bases in Australia are likely to be used in any
military strike on Iran; and
(b)
calls on the Government to:
(i)
support a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, and
(ii)
rule out Australian support for a military strike on Iran. Question put.
Bob and the Australian Greens are working tirelessly for a fairer,
positive and environmentally sustainable future for Australia. This
election represents an opportunity to achieve a progressive and
independent Senate; for campaign updates, go to
http://greens.org.au/Election/.
You can keep up to date with Bob's latest campaigning work by visiting
I have not yet heard from the major parties. They owe it to us to tell the truth.