=== Todays Toon ===
Sir Charles Henry Darling KCB (born 19 February 1809 – died 25 January 1870) was a British colonial governor.He was born at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, the son of Major-General Henry Darling and nephew of General Sir Ralph Darling.
He was educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and served in the military in Barbados, the Windward Islands, and Jamaica with the 57th Foot. He started his colonial service while in Jamaica and became Lieutenant-Governor of St. Lucia in 1847. He became Lieutenant-Governor of the Cape Colony in South Africa in 1851. He became Governor of Newfoundland in 1855.
Darling supported the British suggestions granting the French more fishing rights in waters of Newfoundland between Cape St. John and Cape Ray to the total disagreement of the Newfoundland government which ultimately lead to the end of his term in office.
Darling became governor and captain-chief of Jamaica in 1857 then governor of Victoria, Australia from 1863 to 1866.
=== Bible Quote ===
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,”- Ephesians 1:18=== Headlines ===
1 DAY TO DECIDE: Alaska Senate Race Front-and-Center
'The Last Frontier' will most likely be the last state to decide who will represent it in the Senate, as polls show a roller coaster race between Tea Party favorite Joe Miller, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Dem Scott McAdams.New Hot-Button Issues For 2011 Congress
Freshmen lawmakers will face renewed debates over stimulus spending and the health care overhaul, but also Social Security and offshore drilling
Election's X Factor: Mother Nature
With so many close races across the country, many pundits on both sides of the aisle will be closely watching the weather reports as one study suggests storms keep some voters at home
Iran Plans to Execute Woman for Adultery
Iranian woman who garnered international attention after being sentenced to death by stoning will reportedly be executed soon, according to human rights group
Hinch 'not sorry' for naming sex offenders
BROADCASTER Derryn Hinch says he is not at all sorry for publicly naming a pair of sex offenders in breach of a court order.
New baby elephant born at Taronga Zoo
TARONGA Zoo has welcomed a rather big bundle of joy into the world with its third Asian Elephant calf born at 1.12am this morning.
Democrats brace for US election rout
US President Barack Obama's Democrats braced today for an elections rout, fuelled by deep voter anger at the sour economy.
Two women found dead in Gold Coast home
TWO elderly women have been found dead in their Gold Coast home overnight, Channel 7 reports.
Bauer out of Melbourne Cup
ENGLISH stayer Bauer has been ruled out of the Melbourne Cup due to a foot problem.
Cheeky the monkey found safe and well
CHEEKY the cross-eyed marmoset monkey has been found by police in a bedroom of a Koonawarra house.
Backflip on speed camera bonus
CASH incentives for mobile speed camera operators will continue to be paid despite an embarrassing Government backflip.
Centrelink prosecutes dodgy welfare
THIS Centrelink employee has allegedly cost taxpayers almost $1 million by helping his customers claim dodgy welfare payments.
Vibrancy of dance transmits via video
HUNDREDS of hands went up in unison across NSW as country students danced in time with city students via a video link-up.
Son faces questions on death
THE son of a woman stabbed to death in Sydney's southwest was last night being questioned by police over the incident. Read more.
Heroin hidden in fake doors
SYDNEY mother, son have been charged over one of Australia's largest heroin importations, with a potential street value of $410m.
Tragic ending to search for teen
A BODY believed to be that of missing teenager Matthew Appleby was found late yesterday, washed ashore.
GPs nursing fears about new clinics
DOCTORS have warned that people who turn to nurse practitioners could be at risk of renal failure.
Conned by kids in prison
TWO female youth workers under investigation over inappropriate relationships with juvenile detainees were "groomed by inmates", sources claim.
Prosthetic leg is Zahra's, say cops
A PROSTHETIC leg found in western North Carolina belongs to a missing 10-year-old Australian girl, police say.
Two women dead in home
AN elderly woman and her daughter, aged in her 60s, have been found dead in their Gold Coast home.
Bogged truck shuts highway
LIGHT rain has been blamed for bogging a prime mover in roadworks on the Leichardt Highway in south-west Queensland.
Antique cars destroyed in blaze
ANTIQUE sports cars have been destroyed in a huge factory fire on the Gold Coast.
Aussie surfer denies exposing genitals
AUSTRALIAN professional surfer Mitch Coleborn has entered a not guilty plea to an indecent act charge in Canada.
Cops say it's a double standard, mate
A MAGISTRATE'S decision to briefly jail a man for calling him "mate" has angered police who say the move smacks of double standards.
Our rush hour is a go-slow
MOTORISTS using southeast Queensland's largest arterial roads and highways barely reach an average speed of 40km/h during rush hour, a survey shows.
Slipper worst offender on perks
PETER Slipper has been forced to repay taxpayer-funded entitlements each year for the past decade – likely making him Parliament's worst expenses offender.
Drivers stalled on their L-plates
THOUSANDS of Queenslanders are stuck on their L-plates as they struggle to amass the 100 hours of supervised driving experience required to get a licence.
Our wettest month in 38 years
QUEENSLAND'S wet October has busted rainfall records from Coolangatta to Cairns and it was the wettest month in Brisbane in 38 years.
Motorcyclists road toll record
MOTORCYCLISTS are being killed on Victoria's roads in record numbers.
Pro-life group's controversial video
AN abortion survivor features in a controversial Pro-Life Victoria video released for the state election campaign.
Acid attack on mum and son
A 25-year-old and her six-year-old son are in hospital after liquid believed to be acid was thrown on their faces.
Teen shoots mate in head
A TEEN has been killed by his mate in a tragic hunting accident sparking calls for tougher gun training programs.
Backers get behind Bart
SO You Think is the hottest favourite in 40 years going into the 150th Cup - and Bart Cummings wouldn't miss it for the world.
Teen slanging match turns violent
A 15-YEAR-OLD boy was shot last night after a verbal slanging match with another group, police say.
Brumby tax take up to $4.4b
VICTORIA'S Labor Government is reaping $4.4 billion a year more in taxes and fines than when it took power, an investigation reveals.
Mums breastfeeding each other's bubs
MELBOURNE mums are becoming bitterly divided over a return to mothers breastfeeding each other's babies, advocates have revealed.
Children at risk in new estates
A HEALTH crisis has hit Melbourne's new housing estates, as poor services make it hard to raise children, a report reveals.
Flaws in drug-driving tests
DOZENS of motorists have been wrongly accused of drug-driving since Victoria Police introduced a testing system.
Nothing new
Unley councillors walk out in protest
UNLEY councillors have walked out of their final meeting before the election in protest at mayor Richard Thorne’s endorsement of their opponents.
Parents stunned by resignation
ANNESLEY College parents stunned by the resignation of its new principal are already looking for new schools, as Pulteney Grammar again invites a merger .
Long wait for Burnside Council report
THE $1.1 million Burnside Council investigation may not be finalised until mid-2012, legal advice sought by Messenger Newspapers says.
Crash, traffic snarl on Port Expressway
EMERGENCY workers are responding to a four-car and truck smash on the Port River Expressway and the accident will cause traffic problems.
Forget MasterChef, turn on to Rann TV
IT'S The Mike Rann Show - all good news and not a journalist or dissenting voice in sight, giving new meaning to his moniker Media Mike.
Murray Mouth dredging reduced
DREDGING operations to keep the Murray Mouth clear will be cut back significantly for the first time in more than eight years.
Tunnel traffic restrictions
THE Heysen Tunnels will be partially closed later this week because the electrical systems require safety maintenance.
Science course opens to more
STUDENTS will no longer have to study maths or science in Year 12 to be accepted into a Bachelor of Science at the University of Adelaide from 2012.
Job that's nothing to sniff at
FEW jobs have a keen sense of smell as a prerequisite, but for staff at one government agency being able to distinguish between one odour and another is essential.
$100m subsidies 'untested'
MORE than $100 million in State Government assistance to a raft of companies has gone unchecked by Parliament for five years
Getting tougher 'won't stop boats'
ADOPTING tough measures on asylum-seekers does not deter refugees from illegally entering the country, Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said yesterday.
Man dies after neighbours fight
A MAN died in hospital last night after being stabbed in a violent confrontation at Bassendean yesterday.
Cruelty ads 'too in your face'
WA is one of only two states to veto ads on public transport exposing the cruelty of factory farming, on the grounds that they are too "in your face".
Anderson loses assault appeal
PROPERTY tycoon Warren Anderson's attempt to appeal a conviction of assaulting his wife has failed.
Extended trading begins in WA
EXTENDED trading hours to 9pm on weeknights have come into effect in Perth shops.
Suicide prompts Stirling 'tell-all'
THE suicide of a witness in a city council misconduct inquiry makes it even more important that the facts of the case are revealed, the CCC says.
Community footy drug test fears
DRUG testing could become part of community football after a Swan Districts premiership player reportedly returned a positive drug test.
Mining boom shuts out WA's poor
WELFARE groups warn the spike in homelessness experienced during Western Australia's last mining boom is likely to be eclipsed this time.
Halloween prank ends in crash
POLICE are calling for witnesses to a Halloween prank which resulted in a man crashing his car into a house yesterday.
Nothing new
=== Journalists Corner ===
The Latest From FNC on the Midterm ElectionsWith control of Capitol Hill and America's political agenda at stake, Fox News Channel breaks down every critical race.
• Countdown to the midterms: Get LIVE updates as we on the election!
• Insider Exclusive - Bill Hemmer shows us the magic of the politics map!
===
The 'Factor' Before the Election...
On the eve of the election, O'Reilly welcomes a powerful political lineup: Brit Hume, Juan Williams, Bernie Goldberg and Mary Katharine Ham!
===
Fox and Friends - Early Start!
The crew kicks off election day a little early! Brian, Gretchen and Steve have reports and analysis on the midterm elections.
===
November 2 is Finally Here
Only Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and the most powerful political team have fair and balanced coverage!
Plus, get insight from Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susteren.
On Fox News Insider
Giuliani Takes to the Campaign TrailRepublican Candidate Linda McMahon Shares Her Plan for Senate
161 Ballot Questions in 37 States Up for Vote
Video - Insider Exclusive: Jack and Suzy Welch on Their Economic Solutions for America
=== Comments ===
Election News Continues to Be Very Bad for DemocratsBY BILL O'REILLY
First of all, this Florida story about Bill Clinton trying to get Kendrick Meek to drop out of the race is much ado about nothing.
Mr. Meek, the Democratic candidate for Senate, is not going to win. Republican Marco Rubio is. The latest poll out Friday says Rubio is up 20 points. So Democrats can huff and puff all day long, but it is pretty much over in Florida.
As for the other important races across the country, in Washington state it is a dead-heat between Patty Murray and Dino Rossi, according to Survey USA.
In Pennsylvania, Republican Pat Toomey has pulled ahead of Democrat Joe Sestak for the Senate. Rasmussen now has Toomey up by four.
In California, it looks like Jerry Brown will win, although according to Rasmussen, Meg Whitman is closing the gap. So that gubernatorial race is still in play.
As far as Sen. Barbara Boxer is concerned, a field poll has her up eight points over Carly Fiorina, so that's good news for her.
Now let's take a look at Nevada, the big one for the Democrats since Sen. Harry Reid is the majority leader. The latest Mason Dixon poll has Sharon Angle up by four points over Reid, and I believe Ms. Angle will win that race. There is simply too much anger and unemployment in Nevada for Reid to survive.
In Wisconsin, say goodbye to the very liberal senator, Russ Feingold. He is currently nine points behind Republican Ron Johnson.
In Massachusetts, one of Barack Obama's close friends, Governor Deval Patrick, is just two points up on his challenger, Charles Baker, according to Rasmussen. But a Suffolk News poll has the governor up by seven.
In Kentucky, it looks like Rand Paul has put it away. He is up 12 points over Jack Conway, according to Rasmussen.
In the Delaware Senate race, which has received massive public attention because of Christine O'Donnell, a new Monmouth University poll shows she has closed the gap to 10 points.
Other tight races for the Senate are in Colorado, Illinois, West Virginia and Alaska, but we have no new polling on those.
Summing up, almost every pundit is now predicting that the Republicans will take back the House and come very close in the Senate, especially if Ms. O'Donnell can win. So there you have it.
===
Why Hockey is right
Andrew Bolt
A leading private banker (who has asked for anonymity) explains why Opposition Treasurery spokesman Joe Hockey’s nine-point plan for the banking reform is not just important, but grotesquely misrepresented by Labor, which sneered at its alleged “economic Hansonism”. And the commentators who bought the Labor line - and the whiteanting of Hockey from lazier Liberals - should be ashamed:
I thought your contribution to Insiders today was excellent. I wanted to clarify a few matters for you…===
1. Joe has canvassed some very substantive policy issues regarding the unique role banks play in our economy, which, while largely absent from the debate in Australia due to our providence in skirting the crisis, are front-of-mind for conservatives in the northern hemisphere. Centre-right economists such as the Bank of England Governor, Mervyn King, John Cochrane at the University of Chicago, and the former head of the US Federal Reserve, Paul Volcker, have argued similar things. Indeed, what Joe has said is pretty much close to the centre-right consensus in the northern hemisphere—we have just not had a crisis to learn the same lessons, but our time will inevitably come. This is why smart business commentators, like Terry McCrann, described Joe’ speech as ‘substantive, thoughtful, nuanced’ and ‘complementary’ to Glenn Stevens’ speech on the same day;
Joe’s position on interest rates is crystal clear: he has stated that both the RBA and Treasury have now independently concluded that any further expansion of the major banks’ net interest margins, and, more specifically, rate increases above RBA cash rate changes, does not appear to be justified. To quote Jim Murphy from the Treasury last week, “The Reserve Bank and the Treasury do not believe the view being put by the banks that they still need to put up mortgage rates higher than the base rate to recover funds.”
The RBA and Treasury have presented analysis showing that the major banks’ net interest margins are actually higher than they were before the GFC emerged. To quote the RBA’s October Board Minutes, “Members noted staff estimates that banks’ funding costs had been relatively flat over recent months…the spread between lending rates and funding costs…remained well above its pre-crisis level.” One policy question is, therefore, whether the banks are using their newfound market power to extract monopolistic profits that are only enabled by the fact that the taxpayer (via the Treasury and the RBA) has underpinned their existence and served as both the implicit and explicit insurer/lender of last resort to these institutions. To be clear, the normally very bank-friendly RBA and Treasury have put this issue on the table, not Joe;
From a policy perspective, Joe canvassed a range of specific solutions (not all of which are well understood) to address two key things: first, ‘moral hazard’; and second, the dramatic decline in competition (ie, the disappearance of St George, BankWest, RAMS, Wizard, Challenger, and Aussie, which is now wholly funded by CBA). I thought it would be worthwhile shedding some light on the logic underpinning these issues:
Do Western women really want Iran to guard their rights?
Andrew Bolt
Surely this shames and discredits the United Nations even in the eyes of the Left:
Iran, where a woman convicted of adultery has been sentenced to death by stoning, is poised to become a board member of the new United Nations agency to promote equality for women.UPDATE
The move has sparked outrage from the US and human rights groups. Some rights groups are also upset that Saudi Arabia, where women are not allowed to drive and are barred from many facilities used by men, is also trying to join the governing body of UN Women…
The Asian group has put forward an uncontested 10-nation list that includes Iran, UN diplomats said, and Saudi Arabia has been selected for one of two slots for emerging donor nations.
And Muslim extremists get another win from UNESCO:
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voted recently to officially declare Rachel’s Tomb to be a mosque…And why record the protests of Jews?
The vote called for Rachel’s Tomb and the Tomb of the Patriarchs – the burial site of the other Biblical Patriarchs and Matriarchs – to be removed from Israel’s National Heritage list.
The Palestinian Authority has claimed that Rachel’s Tomb is holy to Muslims as the site of a mosque called the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque…
Journalist Nadav Shragai, writing for Yisrael Hayom, noted that Muslims living in the land of Israel have historically referred to Rachel’s Tomb as “Kubat Rahel,” the Arabic term for “Rachel’s Tomb.” Under Ottoman rule, Rachel’s Tomb was a Jewish site. Only in 1996 did the PA begin to call the site the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque, he said.
UNESCO erased from the protocol at which the resolution was voted on the remarks of protestation by Israeli representative Nimrod Barkan. UNESCO claimed that his words were “too aggressive.”(Thanks to readers Marcus and David.)
===
77 per cent male would not be diverse
Andrew Bolt
The Australian Human Rights Commission demonstrates its commitment to workplace diversity in its annual report:
Measures we have taken to achieve a diverse workforce under our Workplace Diversity Program included supporting a range of diversity events (including International Women’s Day, NAIDOC Week, Harmony Day and International Day of People with a Disability), developing supportive workplace policies such as our Reasonable Adjustment policy and engaging an Indigenous graduate and cadet through the Australian Public Service Commission’s Indigenous Pathways program.That’s the seeming. But as for actually achieving workplace diversity itself....
We have a diverse representation of staff which includes: 77% women
(Thanks to reader Jerome.)
===
Rudd faked budget meetings to freeze out “leaker” Tanner
Andrew Bolt
Wow, that’s some sick level of distrust:
KEVIN RUDD and his senior ministers were so suspicious of Lindsay Tanner that they used to hold fake pre-budget meetings to ensure their plans did not leak.So the gang of four was really the gang of three.
According to accounts of the meetings of the now abandoned Strategic Priorities and Budget Committee, nicknamed the gang of four, some meetings with Mr Tanner would deliberately be light on detail. After the meeting concluded and the then finance minister had left, the other three members of the committee - Mr Rudd, Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan - would reconvene and discuss their budget plans in detail.
Departmental sources said the tactic was motivated by a suspicion that Mr Tanner was behind the leaking of budget stories early in the first term of the Rudd government.
This puts into context those other rumors about Tanner leaking during the election campaign:
On the ABC he three times refuses to deny he has leaked against Julia Gillard.(Only later did Tanner categorically deny being a leaker.)
===
Obama’s heck of a problem
Andrew Bolt
George W. Bush used to joke that people “misunderestimated” him. Barack Obama lacks that ability to laugh at himself, which is a sign of what is probably his greatest personal failure - an arrogant refusal to take advice.
Obama supporter Kathleen Parker is confronted with the evidence during Obama’s interview with Jon Stewart last week:
Stewart had just asked Obama how he could square his campaign mantra of “change” with hiring economic advisers such as Larry Summers, who looks the same as those who had served in previous administrations.===
In response, Obama said that Summers had done a “heck of a job.” Whereupon, Stewart said, “You don’t want to use that phrase, dude.”
Everyone got the joke. George W. Bush used the same words to commend Michael “Brownie” Brown after his disastrous performance as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency following Hurricane Katrina. Translation: You’re fired.
Everyone got the joke, except for Obama. He got it eventually, after seeing the “oops” expression on Stewart’s face, but he couldn’t take the joke. There’s a world of difference. Instead of laughing at himself, he turned to the audience - a beat too late - and said, “Pun intended”.
No, it wasn’t. Anyone watching could see that. He slipped. Obama is a nice guy and he was trying to say something nice about Summers, and “heck of a job” tumbled out. No big deal. We get it. Stuff happens. But Obama couldn’t roll with the gut punch.
In that, among other moments, Obama revealed his fatal flaw. He has no sense of humour. He might be able to laugh at a joke. He can even tell one.
But what Obama revealed was that he has no sense of humour about himself. This is huge.
Windsor questioned
Andrew Bolt
Tamworth’s Leader newspaper has a question for its “independent” local MP:
WE humbly suggest the time has come for Tony Windsor to tell the people of New England why a pledge by Julia Gillard to increase the size of Chaffey Dam is bulletproof, while an almost identical promise – made on September 3, 2007 by (the Nationals’) Mark Vaile – was an “election stunt"…(Thanks to reader Callum.)
Those critical of his decision to back the formation of a minority Labor government will see Mr Windsor’s willingness to take an ALP pledge at face value as a clear sign he favours one party over the other.
===
But shouldn’t we ask who let them in?
Andrew Bolt
First we admit them out of kindness, then we monitor them out of fear:
COUNTER-TERRORISM investigators are sharpening their focus on Australians with known links to Yemeni militants.If we’d been less “kind” we’d be less scared.
This is in the wake of the weekend discovery in Britain and Dubai of parcel bombs posted from Yemen and bound for the US.
Australian authorities have been monitoring telephone and email communications between Australia and Yemen since at least the beginning of this year, targeting links between the Yemeni militant group led by wanted cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and his followers in Australia…
Several Australian Muslim clerics are known to subscribe to the teachings of Awlaki, the American-born imam accused by the US of inspiring the Fort Hood military base shooting in November last year, the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner last Christmas Day and the foiled car-bombing in New York’s Times Square in May this year.
Suspicion over the weekend plot fell immediately on the group al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula and its two key figures: Awlaki, said to be a key spiritual and possibly operation leader, and Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, the organisation’s chief bomb-maker…
Controversial Sydney cleric Feiz Mohammad recently had some of Awlaki’s teachings posted on his website until complaints led to them being removed…
Another Sydney cleric, Shady Alsuleiman, arranged a telephone sermon delivered by Awlaki at the Lakemba mosque in February last year…
The Australian makes no suggestion that Sheik Feiz or Sheik Shady is in any way linked to any terrorist activity or that either is the subject of any investigation by counter-terrorism authorities.
UPDATE
Meanwhile in Britain, a Labour MP describes a meeting with one of his newer constituents, keen to discuss politics:
A woman stabbed Stephen Timms, the Labour MP, twice in the stomach during a constituency surgery in revenge for his vote for the war in Iraq, a court heard today.(Thanks to reader Alan RM Jones,)
Mr Timms told the Old Bailey he thought Roshonara Choudhry, 21, was coming to shake hands, and she smiled before lunging at him on May 14 this year…
Choudhry told detectives she was trying to kill Mr Timms for ‘’punishment’’ and ‘’to get revenge for the people of Iraq’’, prosecutor William Boyce QC, said…
The MP said: “She didn’t go and sit down as she continued to come towards me where I was standing to greet her at that point.
“I thought she must have been coming to shake my hand. She made as if she was coming to do that. She looked friendly. She was smiling, if I remember rightly.
“I was a little puzzled because a Muslim woman dressed in that way wouldn’t normally be willing to shake a man’s hand, still less to take the initiative to do so, but that is what she was doing.
===
Danby: the whole Age is now a Green Guide
Andrew Bolt
Well, yes:
Victorian federal Labor MP Michael Danby accused The Age of campaigning for the Greens…(Thanks to reader rich.)
He said The Age had shown that it was ‘‘written by and for a narrow demographic increasingly restricted to the inner city suburbs north of the Yarra’’.
===
The official guide to arresting a witch
Andrew Bolt
Britain’s Metropolitan Police has issued officers with advice on how to arrest the country’s growing coven of witches:
They are advised to avoid touching a witch’s Book of Shadows, or spellbook, and handling the ceremonial dagger known as an athame.Advice not needed until recently.
Police are also advised not necessarily to panic if they encounter a person in the nude with hands tied together. The guide states: ‘Some ceremonies include a blindfolded, naked participant, whose hands may be bound.
‘This is in accordance with ritual and has the full consent of the participant.’
(Thanks to reader Albert.)
===
A magistrate is not the policeman’s mate, either
Andrew Bolt
Magistrates don’t mind if you call some policeman a “c..t”, “prick” or “f..ing poofter”. Swear all you like at them:
A QUEENSLAND magistrate has ruled that it is acceptable for people to tell police officers to “f--- off”.But you’ll go to jail if you call another Queensland magistrate “mate”.
Thomas John Collins was sent to the cells after twice calling Magistrate Matthew McLaughlin “mate’’ during a hearing last week.And it’s jail again if you blow bubbles in his court.
(Thanks to reader Brett.)
===
Our racism isn’t the cause of black poverty
Andrew Bolt
As I said week, it does little good to ask bosses to give more jobs to Aborigines if there aren’t the trained and willing Aborigines to fill them:
MINING magnate Andrew Forrest’s scheme to find 50,000 jobs for indigenous Australians has filled just 2800 places to date, a new report suggests.We will go sour with frustrated good intentions if we keep refusing out of misguided politeness to address the real causes of Aboriginal poverty, which have far less to do with white racism than with the dysfunction of Aboriginal culture.
Mr Forrest and then prime minister Kevin Rudd launched the Australian Employment Covenant (AEC) on October 30, 2008, with the goal of creating 50,000 jobs within two years.
The Fortescue Metals boss has since backed away from that ambitious target, and a report from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) at the Australian National University reveals that’s just as well....
The CAEPR report notes the AEC has been “very effective” in securing job pledges.
“More than 20,000 jobs have been pledged under the scheme,” it states.
UPDATE
The CAEPR report makes the same point, but more gently than I do and without the same urgent insistence that Aboriginal culture is in fact dysfunctional and must change:
Certainly, the insistence of Forrest and colleagues that Indigenous Australians can be just as keen and able workers as other Australians can not be debated. However, unless the size of the AEC’s original job creation target was simply a strategy to secure attention and resources, its dramatic over-estimation of its short-term potential does suggest that its proponents overlooked some notable obstacles that should have been quite clear. There is long-standing evidence that many Indigenous people face major barriers to employment (such as low levels of English literacy, minimal work experience and locational disadvantage) that cannot be overcome with short-term pre-employment training. An additional concern is the compatibility of certain types of work with Indigenous cultures and aspirations…From this you can see how useless, even deceptive, it was to spend more than $4 million on prime time ads which implicitly suggested that if white Australians just gave Aborigines a go, many more would get jobs,
Gibson (2006), Austin-Broos (2006) and Tonkinson (2007) have all conducted ethnographic research that identifies cultural attitudes to work among some Indigenous Australians that are incompatible with mainstream Western work practices. One example is where the maintenance of important family relationships and cultural obligations is considered the real work of day-to-day life and is more important in conferring social status, esteem and meaning than a regular paid job…
However, concerns about Indigenous aspirations acknowledge that Indigenous cultures and priorities have intrinsic value irrespective of their compatibility with notions of regimented work. They also problematise elements of the AEC rhetoric that cast paid employment as the ‘correct choice’ (AEC n.d.-a) and raise questions over Forrest’s comments that seem to at best conflate alternative cultural schemas with ‘unhelpful habits’ (Forrest, in AEC n.d.-b: 3). The second objective of GenOne—to ‘change the aspirations of Indigenous Australians’—suggests a similar oversimplification that fails to recognise either the value of Indigenous cultural preferences or the current desire of many Indigenous people to work.
(Thanks to reader Burchell.)
===
And all this while, Nauru says “pick us”
Andrew Bolt
Julia Gillard’s plan for a detention centre in East Timor hasn’t yet passed even the smell test in Malaysia, four months later, as the Prime Minister found on her visit yesterday:
After a one-on-one meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said he was reserving his judgment on the proposal until more information was provided, particularly on funding.UPDATE
“We need more information because there’s a lot of implications,” he told reporters.
“A lot more needs to be done.
“We need to see how this mechanism will work and if respective parties involved will need to be contributing in any way to the cost of the centre.”
The Australian’s Amanda Hodge discovers Labor’s new boat people laws are studied closely in Pakistan:
ON Tuesday last week, 17-year-old Zabih received the phone call he has been dreaming of from his cousin in Australia.UPDATE 2
“He told me that Afghans have suffered a lot but finally things are getting better for them now that your government is allowing asylum-seekers and families to live in the community,” the affable young Afghan refugee told The Australian at his family’s restaurant in suburban Islamabad.
Zabih’s family had already applied unsuccessfully for legal refugee status in Australia. Now he believes the asylum-seeker route is their best option…
(A) high-ranking Pakistani official, also involved in anti-people-smuggling operations, denied the numbers were in decline and said the Gillard government’s recent family-friendly announcement would only encourage more movement.
“It’s increasing and the reason is very simple: you’re not doing anything positive to stop it,” the official said.
“You’re sending all the wrong signals. You’ve set up new centres in Adelaide and one near Perth to accommodate the child issues. If you’re going to be so friendly then of course you’re going to get more people...”
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen may add free private schooling to the lure - available only to the children of boat people living at the new Inverbrackie detention centre and not to children born right here:
Mr Bowen said a wide range of options were available to the community, including asking independent schools to accept students or bringing teachers to the site to set up a “mini-school”.(Thanks to readers Clare and Spin Baby, Spin.)
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