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Friday 22nd August 1997
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Australia is becoming a one-stop junket for Asian crime according to Channel 7's Today Tonight last night. Now if Pauline Hanson had had to say that she would be branded a racist...
Here is an extract from that story:
Reporter: "With the formation of the Asia squad police major steps have been made here in combating Asian crime on Melbourne streets but with more and more migrants bringing brutal new criminal methods into the country each year local Asian leaders say that they are fighting a losing battle."
On the issue of Hanson's influence on our relations with Asia the elite Asia squad we referred to last week has now been established. Her media-inspired impact is so "bad" in fact that the taskforce will comprise of just one person sitting behind a desk in Canberra.
The taskforce called "The Images of Australia" is the work of Alexander Downer's Foreign Affairs Department and is nothing more than an avenue for the Coalition Party to establish another media outlet trying to dig up dirt on Pauline Hanson's One Nation.
The person taking up this task is Chris De Cure a career diplomat (bureaucrat). He is described as a senior officer grade B directorate level officer - meaning that he can call on the resources across the department.
The information was revealed by Foreign Affairs Department First Secretary John Dauth yesterday when he was questioned Labor Senator Chris Schacht during an estimates committee session.
Mr Dauth said amongst other things, "I really wouldn't want to point the finger at anyone specific but there are plenty of people in the education industry and for that matter in the tourism industry who have seen it as a matter of interest to highlight this debate (Pauline Hanson's effect on Asian relations).
"To give it a run as a way of focusing a need, for
example, for better government resources in this area...
"If they (the industry people talking the issue up) persist in highlighting
in an artificial way the impact of this factor on their industries then
that will get played back into the markets and have a self-fulfilling prophecy
impact,"
Figures just released on student visas show a 13% increase from Asia during 1996/97.
Here is a new web page worth taking some time to peruse... the goals:
The goal of Whistleblowers Australia (WBA) is to help promote a society in which it is possible to speak out without reprisal about corruption, dangers to the public and other vital social issues, and to help those who speak out in this way to help themselves.
WBA uses two main approaches to achieve this goal. The first is to encourage self-help and mutual help among whistleblowers and the second is to support campaigns on specific issues.
We already know how hard it is to bring political corruption to the attention of the media.
So Singapore (an Asian country) hates Australia because of Pauline Hanson, what a load of codswallop.. below is an exact transcript of the Singapore Times article on Singaporean's emigration preferences (15th August 1997)... - what now Sixty Minutes?
The who, where and why of emigration
Survey on Singaporeans who want to emigrate
Reports by Leong Ching Ching - From the Singapore Strait Times, 14th August 1997.
"LIFE in Singapore is too expensive and stressful, said Singaporeans who had considered emigrating.
"About 85 per cent said the cost of living was too high, and 78 per cent complained that life was too stressful. More than 70 per cent said housing and cars were expensive, while 68 per cent said there were too many rules and regulations here.
"About six in 10 said they thought of moving elsewhere for their children's sake, because the education system here was too stressful.
"But only 44 per cent said that they wanted to leave because business opportunities in Singapore were limited and 15 per cent said it was because they had no confidence in the economy.
"Significantly, more than half, or 53 per cent, of those who considered emigrating said they would stop thinking about it if the cost of living here was lower.
"The next factor which would cause those thinking of leaving to change their minds was having a less stressful education system here, at 8 per cent.
"Other attributes often cited for people wanting to leave appeared to matter much less to those thinking of emigrating.
Only 6 per cent of this group said they would drop plans to move elsewhere if there were fewer rules here, while having more freedom of speech or a more gracious society mattered to just 4 per cent.
Where they want to go:
AUSTRALIA was the top choice, with 35 per cent of those who thought of emigrating saying they would head there. Malaysia was second, with 13 per cent.
These two top destinations remained the same as those cited by Singaporeans in a similar survey by the Institute of Policy Studies eight years ago.
Other popular destinations are the United States (11 per cent) and Canada (8 per cent).
Not surprisingly, Malay Singaporeans tended to head for Malaysia, while the Chinese preferred Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US.
Of the Malays who had considered migration, 38 per cent signalled Malaysia as their destination, with Australia trailing behind with 25 per cent of the votes.
For Indians, 55 per cent said they wanted to go to Australia, and 18 per cent to Canada.
For Chinese, the top destination was also Australia (34 per cent), followed by the United States and New Zealand. Nine per cent of Chinese voted for Malaysia.
Who's thinking of going:
THE survey showed nearly three-quarters of those who had thought of emigration had at least O levels, with 33 per cent having higher qualifications. Also, about two-thirds of this group were white-collar workers and earned more than $2,000, with the largest group (36 per cent) earning between $2,001 and $4,000.
Eight per cent earned $4,000 and above.
Also, 70 per cent of this group lived in four-room flats or bigger, including 15 per cent in private housing.
Who's staying and why:
SINGAPORE is a safe place to live in, said nine in 10 of the people who had never thought of emigrating. They say that they are used to the life here (97 per cent). It is economically and politically stable (94 per cent), and their friends and family are here (93 per cent). They are happy to be living here (93 per cent).
Other reasons cited were that Singapore has racial harmony (94 per cent), a wide variety of food (88 per cent), and a good education system (88 per cent).
Fifty-six per cent said the cost of living here is reasonable.
One can only wonder where or how the media inspired Hanson factor has effected prospective emigrants from Singapore... or what about "The Images of Australia" taskforce... maybe they will have the result in creating a Hanson factor - then shift the blame. or maybe, just maybe, prospective immigrants haven't heard of the out of control Asian-inspired drug problem that is eating away at Australia's heart.
Making the
news.
Both sides of Federal politics joined forces yesterday in rejecting an international push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Labor's acting environment spokesman, Duncan Kerr, said, "We do have some particcular, unique Australian circumstances which require us to articulate and put forward specific exceptions."
Federal Environment Minister Senator Hill confounded the greens last week when he revealed that the nation's carbon dioxide output is expected to rise by some 28% on 1990 levels by the year 2002.
A leaked confidential government draft report by The Commonwealth Energy Projections Working Group revealed that Australia's carbon output could increase by as much as 65% under present reduction methods.
Senator Hill said of the Kyoto agreement on greenhouse emissions, "So overly ambitious targets and timetables are a recipe for non-compliance and failure."
Subject: Comments on Australian News of the Day
Dear Sir/Madam,
The comments reported in this site yesterday (21/8/97) by Malcom Fraser reinforce what I have believed for some time, politicians and their associated entourage (press secretaries, principal secretaries, principal private secretaries, et al) have very little regard for the opinions of the general public. He says to "wipe Pauline Hanson.... off the parliamentary handbook". Then he goes on to say he fears"... a Senate significantly influenced by three or four One Nation representatives..."
To me that says he thinks the party will (or could) gain that many seats, this is determined by the voters of this country. Yet he wishes to destroy this, therefore the wishes of those who choose to vote for this party. That he believes his opinions are more correct than any other shows the contempt with which the few view the masses. The strength of feeling to show a consistent 6% or so in the polls justified the ridicule, the scorn the party was treated with. This did not succeed, then came the slanted reporting, the biased views and the rent a crowd.
Will the voters wishes be respected? I think it is more likely the self serving wishes of the current crop of politicians whose wishes will hold sway. If we lose any person or party with the courage to say what they REALLY think, no matter what the content is, we will all be worse off. The Lib's and the ALP (in my opinion Australian Left-wing People) are running scared and do not know what to do, but a few in the Senate will hold more power than a few in the Representatives.
Even if 6% of all seats there do go to One Nation, it will be a weakened force who run the risk of fading to obscurity (like the Nats). Realistically, the Lib's will win the next Federal election, the current majority will be slashed. Bravo to Reith and Vanstone! One Nation should target the Senate, where, at the moment a few votes either way can wield great political power.
Paul Janes
New Zealand based Brierley Investments Limited (BIL) are now taking legal action against the Australian Securities Commission (ASC) rejecting its claims that BIL engaged in "unacceptable conduct" when buying shares in Fairfax Limited.
BIL chief Paul Collins said yesterday that the company, "categorically rejects the ASC's allegations and intends to defend its position vigorously".
The ASC asked the Corporations and Security Panel to declare BILs trading with Merrill Lynch in Fairfax shares as "unacceptable conduct".
"BIL has sought undertakings from the panel that it will not proceed until the court's ruling has been obtained," Collins said, "In the event undertakings are not received, BIL will seek an injunction."
Another perfect day in paradise, sunny skies and singing parrots... oh it is a hard life.
Have a good one.
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