===
December 21: December solstice (11:12 UTC, 2012); Yule and otherwinter solstice festivals (Northern Hemisphere, 2012)
- 1844 – The Rochdale Pioneers, usually considered the first successful co-operativeenterprise, opened their store (pictured) inRochdale, England, and formed the basis for the modern co-operative movement.
- 1879 – A Doll's House, a controversial play by Henrik Ibsen that challenged 19th century marriage norms, premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- 1910 – In the second worst mining accident in England, an underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pitkilled 344 people.
- 1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length cel-animated feature in film history, premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles.
- 1969 – The United Nations adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which 86 member nations have since signed.
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Events
- 69 – The Roman Senate declares Vespasian as Roman emperor, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors.
- 1140 – Conrad III of Germany besieged Weinsberg.
- 1598 – Battle of Curalaba: The revolting Mapuche, led by cacique Pelentaru, inflict a major defeat on Spanish troops in southernChile.
- 1620 – Plymouth Colony: William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
- 1826 – American settlers in Nacogdoches, Mexican Texas, declare their independence, starting the Fredonian Rebellion.
- 1832 – Egyptian–Ottoman War: Egyptian forces decisively defeat Ottoman troops at the Battle of Konya.
- 1844 – The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers commence business at their cooperative in Rochdale, England, United Kingdom starting the Cooperative movement.
- 1861 – Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by PresidentAbraham Lincoln.
- 1872 – Challenger expedition: HMS Challenger, commanded by Captain George Nares, sails from Portsmouth, England.
- 1879 – World première of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- 1883 – The first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army are formed: The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment.
- 1907 – The Chilean Army commits a massacre of at least 2,000 striking saltpeter miners in Iquique, Chile.
- 1910 – An underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pit in Over Hulton, Westhoughton, England, kills 344 miners.
- 1913 – Arthur Wynne's "word-cross", the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World.
- 1919 – American anarchist Emma Goldman is deported to Russia.
- 1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world's first full-length animated feature, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theater.
- 1941 – World War II: A formal treaty of alliance between Thailand and Japan is signed in the presence of the Emerald Buddha in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.
- 1946 – An 8.1 Mw earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Nankaidō, Japan, kill over 1,300 people and destroy over 38,000 homes.
- 1962 – Rondane National Park is established as Norway's first national park.
- 1967 – Louis Washkansky, the first man to undergo a heart transplant, dies in Cape Town, South Africa, after living for 18 days after the transplant.
- 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans.
- 1969 – The United Nations adopts the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
- 1973 – The Geneva Conference on the Arab–Israeli conflict opens.
- 1979 – Lancaster House Agreement: An independence agreement for Rhodesia is signed in London, England, United Kingdom by Lord Peter Carrington, Sir Ian Gilmour, Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and S.C. Mundawarara.
- 1988 – A bomb explodes on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, UK killing 270.
- 1992 – A Dutch DC-10, flight Martinair MP 495, crashes at Faro Airport, killing 56 people.
- 1994 – Mexican volcano Popocatépetl, dormant for 47 years, erupts gases and ash.
- 1995 – The city of Bethlehem passes from Israeli to Palestinian control.
- 1999 – The Spanish Civil Guard intercepts a van loaded with 950 kg of explosives that ETA intended to use to blow up Torre Picasso in Madrid, Spain.
- 2004 – Iraq War: A suicide bomber killed 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul, Iraq, the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers.
[edit]Births
- 1118 – Thomas Becket, Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1170)
- 1401 – Tommaso Masaccio, Italian painter (d. 1428)
- 1596 – Peter Mogila, Moldovan religious figure (d. 1646)
- 1603 – Roger Williams, English theologian and founder of the American colony Providence Plantations (d. 1684)
- 1672 – Benjamin Schmolck, German Lutheran composer of hymns (d. 1737)
- 1682 – Calico Jack, English pirate (d. 1720)
- 1714 – John Bradstreet, Canadian-born soldier (d. 1774)
- 1728 – Hermann Raupach, German composer (d. 1778)
- 1778 – Anders Sandøe Ørsted, Danish politician (d. 1860)
- 1795 – Leopold von Ranke, German historian (d. 1886)
- 1795 – John Russell, English parson and dog breeder (d. 1883)
- 1804 – Benjamin Disraeli, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1881)
- 1805 – Thomas Graham, British chemist (d. 1869)
- 1811 – Archibald Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1882)
- 1815 – Thomas Couture, French painter and teacher (d. 1879)
- 1818 – Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece (d. 1875)
- 1832 – John H. Ketcham, American politician (d. 1906)
- 1840 – Namık Kemal, Turkish nationalist poet (d. 1888)
- 1843 – Thomas Bracken, Irish-born New Zealand poet (d. 1898)
- 1850 – Zdeněk Fibich, Bohemian composer (d. 1900)
- 1850 – William Wallace Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln (d. 1862)
- 1851 – Thomas Chipman McRae, American politician (d. 1929)
- 1859 – Gustave Kahn, French poet (d. 1936)
- 1866 – Maud Gonne, Irish activist (d. 1953)
- 1868 – George W. Fuller: American sanitary engineer (d. 1934)
- 1872 – Sidney Ainsworth, British actor (d. 1922)
- 1872 – Don Lorenzo Perosi, Italian composer (d. 1956)
- 1872 – Albert Payson Terhune, American author (d. 1942)
- 1873 – Blagoje Bersa, Croatian composer (d. 1934)
- 1876 – Jack Lang, Australian politician (d. 1975)
- 1878 – Jan Łukasiewicz, Polish philosopher and mathematician (d. 1956)
- 1885 – Frank Patrick, Canadian hockey player (d. 1960)
- 1889 – Sewall Wright, American biologist (d. 1988)
- 1890 – Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist and Nobel laureate (d. 1967)
- 1891 – John William McCormack, American politician (d. 1980)
- 1892 – Amy Clarke, English mystical poet (d. 1980)
- 1892 – Walter Hagen, American golfer (d. 1969)
- 1892 – Rebecca West, British writer (d. 1983)
- 1896 – Leroy Robertson, American composer (d. 1971)
- 1905 – Anthony Powell, British author (d. 2000)
- 1908 – Herbert Hutner, American banker and attorney (d. 2008)
- 1909 – Seichō Matsumoto, Japanese mystery writer and journalist (d. 1992)
- 1911 – Josh Gibson, American baseball player (d. 1947)
- 1913 – Arnold Friberg, American illustrator (d. 2010)
- 1914 – Frank Fenner, Australian microbiologist (d. 2010)
- 1914 – Ivan Generalić, Austro-Hungarian-born Croatian painter (d. 1992)
- 1915 – Joe Mantell, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1915 – Werner von Trapp, member of the Trapp Family Singers (d. 2007)
- 1917 – Heinrich Böll, German writer and Nobel laureate (d. 1985)
- 1917 – Sophie Masloff, American politician
- 1918 – Donald Regan, American civil servant (d. 2003)
- 1918 – Kurt Waldheim, Austrian politician and diplomat (d. 2007)
- 1920 – Alicia Alonso, Cuban ballerina
- 1920 – Bob Bindig, American cartoonist (d. 2006)
- 1920 – Jean Gascon, Canadian actor (d. 1988)
- 1921 – Robert Lipshutz, American attorney and counsel to the Carter Adminisrtation (d. 2010)
- 1921 – John Severin, American comics artist
- 1922 – Itubwa Amram, Nauruan pastor and politician (d. 1989)
- 1922 – Paul Winchell, American ventriloquist (d. 2005)
- 1923 – Intizar Hussain, Urdu writer and columnist
- 1924 – Rita Reys, Dutch jazzsinger
- 1926 – Arnošt Lustig, Czech author
- 1926 – Joe Paterno, American football coach (d. 2012)
- 1928 – Ed Nelson, American actor
- 1931 – David Baker, American symphonic jazz composer
- 1932 – Edward Hoagland, American essayist
- 1933 – Denis E. Dillon, American politician (d. 2010)
- 1935 – John G. Avildsen, American film director
- 1935 – Lorenzo Bandini, Italian racecar driver (d. 1967)
- 1935 – Yusuf Bey, American activist (d. 2003)
- 1935 – Phil Donahue, American talk show host
- 1935 – Edward Schreyer, Canadian politician, Premier of Manitoba
- 1937 – Jane Fonda, American actress
- 1937 – Donald F. Munson, American politician
- 1938 – Larry Bryggman, American actor
- 1938 – Frank Moorhouse, Australian author
- 1939 – Lloyd Axworthy, Canadian politician
- 1940 – Arvi Lind, Finnish news broadcaster
- 1940 – Ray Hildebrand, American singer (Paul & Paula)
- 1940 – Frank Zappa, American musician (d. 1993)
- 1942 – Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, President of the People's Republic of China
- 1942 – Reinhard Mey, German singer
- 1942 – Carla Thomas, American singer
- 1943 – André Arthur. Canadian radio host
- 1943 – Albert Lee, English guitarist
- 1943 – Jack Nance, American actor (d. 1996)
- 1944 – Bill Atkinson, English footballer
- 1944 – Michael Tilson Thomas, American conductor
- 1944 – Zheng Xiaoyu, Chinese bureaucrat (d. 2007)
- 1946 – Christopher Keene, American conductor (d. 1995)
- 1946 – Carl Wilson, American musician (The Beach Boys) (d. 1998)
- 1947 – Bryan Hamilton, Northern Irish footballer
- 1947 – Paco de Lucía, Spanish musician
- 1948 – Samuel L. Jackson, American actor
- 1948 – Dave Kingman, American baseball player
- 1948 – Willi Resetarits, Austrian musician
- 1949 – Thomas Sankara, Burkinabé military figure (d. 1987)
- 1949 – Nikolaos Sifounakis, Greek politician
- 1950 – Jeffrey Katzenberg, American film producer
- 1950 – Lillebjørn Nilsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter
- 1951 – Nick Gilder, English musician (Sweeney Todd)
- 1952 – Joaquín Andújar, Dominican baseball player
- 1953 – Betty Wright, American singer
- 1954 – Chris Evert, American tennis player
- 1955 – Jane Kaczmarek, American actress
- 1955 – Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, Japanese musician
- 1957 – Tom Henke, American baseball player
- 1957 – Rolf Kanies, German actor
- 1957 – Ray Romano, Italian-American comedian
- 1959 – Florence Griffith-Joyner, American sprinter (d. 1998)
- 1960 – Louis Demetrius Alvanis, British pianist
- 1960 – Roger McDowell, American baseball player
- 1960 – Sherry Rehman, Pakistani politician
- 1960 – Andy Van Slyke, American baseball player
- 1961 – Francis Ng, Hong Kong actor
- 1961 – Ryuji Sasai, Japanese video game composer
- 1961 – Del Wilkes, American pro wrestler
- 1963 – Govinda Ahuja, Indian actor and politician
- 1964 – Rob Kelly, English football manager
- 1964 – Fabiana Udenio, Argentine actress
- 1964 – Joe Kocur, Canadian hockey player
- 1965 – Andy Dick, American actor and comedian
- 1965 – Anke Engelke, German comedian
- 1965 – Stuart Mitchell, Scottish Composer
- 1966 – Adam Schefter, American sports journalist
- 1966 – Kiefer Sutherland, British-born Canadian actor
- 1966 – Karri Turner, American actress
- 1967 – Ervin Johnson, American basketball player
- 1967 – Fritz Karl, Austrian actor
- 1967 – Terry Mills, American basketball player
- 1967 – Mikheil Saakashvili, Soviet-born President of Georgia
- 1969 – Julie Delpy, French actress
- 1969 – Jack Noseworthy, American actor
- 1969 – Mihails Zemļinskis, Latvian footballer
- 1971 – Matthieu Chedid, French musician
- 1971 – Fenton Keogh, Australian celebrity chef
- 1971 – Brett Scallions, American singer (Fuel)
- 1972 – Gloria De Piero, English journalist
- 1972 – LaTroy Hawkins, American baseball player
- 1972 – Dustin Hermanson, American baseball player
- 1972 – Claudia Poll, Costa Rican swimmer
- 1972 – Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Indian politician
- 1972 – Erwin Schrott, Uruguayan opera singer
- 1973 – Irakli Alasania, Georgian politician and diplomat
- 1973 – Mike Alstott, American football player
- 1973 – Karmen Stavec, German-Slovenian singer
- 1974 – Karrie Webb, Australian golfer
- 1975 – Paloma Herrera, Argentine ballet dancer
- 1976 – Mirela Manjani, Greek javelin thrower
- 1976 – Lukas Rossi, Canadian singer (Rock Star Supernova)
- 1977 – A. J. Bowen, American actor
- 1977 – Toby Rand, Australian singer (Juke Kartel)
- 1978 – Emiliano Brembilla, Italian swimmer
- 1978 – Mike Vitar, American actor
- 1979 – Tuva Novotny, Swedish actress and singer
- 1980 – Royce Ring, American baseball player
- 1980 – Michele Di Piedi, Italian footballer
- 1981 – Frankie Abernathy, American actress (d. 2007)
- 1981 – Mohammed Jabarah, Kuwaiti convicted terrorist
- 1981 – Sanita Pušpure, Latvian and Irish rower
- 1981 – Lynda Thomas, Mexican singer
- 1981 – Cristian Zaccardo, Italian football player
- 1982 – Eddie Colón, Puerto Rican wrestler
- 1982 – Mike Gansey, American basketball player
- 1982 – Erica Hayden, American journalist and radio personality
- 1982 – Philip Humber, American baseball player
- 1982 – Iljo Keisse, Belgian cyclist
- 1982 – Tom Payne, British actor
- 1984 – Darren Potter, Irish football player
- 1985 – James Stewart, Jr., American motorcycle racer
- 1985 – Tom Sturridge, British actor
- 1987 – Valerie Concepcion, Filipino actress
- 1987 – Brad Howard, Australian rules footballer
- 1988 – Alexa Goddard, British R&B singer
- 1988 – Yasmin, British DJ and Singer
- 1989 – Mark Ingram, Jr., American football player
- 1989 – Tamannaah, Indian actress
[edit]Deaths
- 72 – Thomas the Apostle
- 882 – Hincmar, French bishop (b. 806)
- 1295 – Margaret of Provence, wife of Louis IX of France (b. c.1221)
- 1308 – Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse (b. 1244)
- 1375 – Giovanni Boccaccio, Italian writer (b. 1313)
- 1504 – Bertold von Henneberg-Römhild, German archbishop and elector (b. 1442)
- 1549 – Marguerite de Navarre, wife of Henry II of Navarre (b. 1492)
- 1579 – Vicente Masip, Spanish painter
- 1597 – Peter Canisius, Dutch Jesuit (b. 1521)
- 1799 – Philip Affleck, British Admiral and First Lord of the Admiralty (b. 1726)
- 1807 – John Newton, English cleric and hymnist (b. 1725)
- 1824 – James Parkinson, English physician and paleontologist (b. 1755)
- 1869 – Friedrich Ernst Scheller, German jurist and politician (b. 1791)
- 1873 – Francis Garnier, French explorer (b. 1839)
- 1889 – Friedrich August von Quenstedt, German geologist (b. 1809)
- 1900 – Roger Wolcott, American politician (b. 1847)
- 1920 – Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, Somalian nationalist leader (b. 1856)
- 1933 – Knud Rasmussen, Greenlandic polar explorer and anthropologist (b. 1879)
- 1935 – Kurt Tucholsky, German journalist and satirist (b. 1890)
- 1937 – Frank B. Kellogg, American diplomat, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1856)
- 1940 – F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer (b. 1896)
- 1945 – George S. Patton, American military commander (b. 1885)
- 1952 – Kenneth Edwards, American golfer (b. 1886)
- 1957 – Eric Coates, English-born American composer (b. 1886)
- 1958 – Lion Feuchtwanger, German writer (b. 1884)
- 1959 – Rosanjin, Japanese calligrapher, restaurateur and ceramicist (b. 1883)
- 1964 – Carl Van Vechten, American writer and photographer (b. 1880)
- 1963 – Jack Hobbs, English cricketer (b. 1882)
- 1965 – Claude Champagne, Canadian composer (b. 1891)
- 1967 – Stuart Erwin, American actor (b. 1903)
- 1968 – Vittorio Pozzo, Italian football coach (b. 1886)
- 1974 – James Henry Govier, British artist (b. 1910)
- 1974 – Richard Long, American actor (b. 1927)
- 1982 – Hafeez Jullundhri, Pakistani writer, poet composer of the National Anthem of Pakistan (b. 1900)
- 1983 – Paul de Man, Belgian-born literary critic (b. 1919)
- 1986 – Bill Simpson, Scottish actor (b. 1931)
- 1987 – John Spence, American musician (No Doubt) (b. 1969)
- 1988 – Nikolaas Tinbergen, Dutch ornithologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1907)
- 1989 – Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Nigerian-born British photographer (b.1955)
- 1990 – Clarence Johnson, American aeronautical engineer (b. 1910)
- 1992 – Albert King, American blues musician (b. 1924)
- 1992 – Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian violinist (b. 1903)
- 1997 – Amie Comeaux, American country music singer (b. 1976)
- 1998 – Roger Avon, Durham actor (b. 1914)
- 1998 – Karl Denver, Scottish singer (b. 1931)
- 1998 – Ernst-Günther Schenck, German physician (b. 1904)
- 2001 – Dick Schaap, American sports journalist (b. 1934)
- 2003 – Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Spanish businessman (b. 1924)
- 2004 – Autar Singh Paintal, Indian medical scientist (b. 1925)
- 2005 – Elrod Hendricks, American baseball player and coach (b. 1940)
- 2006 – Scobie Breasley, Australian jockey (b. 1914)
- 2006 – Saparmurat Niyazov, President of Turkmenistan (b. 1940)
- 2007 – Ken Hendricks, American businessman (b. 1941)
- 2009 – Edwin G. Krebs, American biochemist (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Enzo Bearzot, Italian football player and manager (b. 1927)
[edit]Holidays and observances
- Christian Feast Day:
- O Oriens
- Petrus Canisius
- Thomas the Apostle (pre-1970 Roman Calendar), (Anglicanism)
- December 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Divalia, in honour of Angerona (Roman Empire)
- Earliest date for the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, and its related observances:
- Earliest date for Yule in the Northern Hemisphere, and Midsummer in the Southern Hemisphere. (Neopagan Wheel of the Year)
- Sanghamitta Day
- Ziemassvētki (ancient Latvia)
- Forefathers' Day (Plymouth, Massachusetts)
- São Tomé Day (São Tomé and Príncipe)
- The first day of Pancha Ganapati, celebrated until December 25 (India)
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FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION
Tim Blair – Friday, December 21, 2012 (3:04pm)
Julia Gillard in conversation with David Speers prior to the last election:
SPEERS: If you don’t get the budget back into surplus in three years, what happens? Do you sack the Treasurer, do you take personal responsibility?PM: It’s happening, David. Failure is not an option.SPEERS: If it doesn’t? If it doesn’t?PM: Well, failure is not an option here and we won’t fail.
Via the Realist, who notes: “Gillard was right. Failure is not an option. It’s standard operating procedure for Labor.” According to Joe Hockey, this might be the most promised promise since promising was invented:
The government had said more than 200 times it would return the budget to surplus …
The government’s budget site has now been re-written to abolish the s-word. Brilliantly, Wayne Swan blames a single $3.9 billion revenue slump – a sum equivalent to just 0.28 per cent of our entire economy – for the destruction of his surplus dream. It’s similar to Labor’s magical belief that an Australian carbon tax might change the planet’s climate.
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LET THEM EAT WORMS
Tim Blair – Friday, December 21, 2012 (2:54pm)
The wriggly beetle larvae known as mealworms could one day dominate supermarket shelves as a more sustainable alternative to chicken, beef, pork and milk, researchers in the Netherlands say …“Since the population of our planet keeps growing, and the amount of land on this Earth is limited, a more efficient, and more sustainable system of food production is needed,” [researcher Dennis] Oonincx said in a statement.“Now, for the first time it has been shown that mealworms, and possibly other edible insects can aid in achieving such a system.”
Our bug-sucking Dutch pal has been talking up insect diets for some time:
Oonincx says that mealworms are great in a quiche, but he prefers house crickets: “The structure and flavor are best.”
(Via Simon G.)
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A PROMISE MADE AND IT WILL BE HONOURED
Tim Blair – Friday, December 21, 2012 (4:08am)
Wayne Swan, May 2010:
We now expect a surplus in three years, three years ahead of schedule.
Julia Gillard, August 2010:
The Budget will be back in surplus in 2013 if I’m re-elected.
Wayne Swan, August 2010 :
Well, we’re getting back into surplus in three years. Come hell or high water.
Julia Gillard, August 2010:
The Budget is coming back to surplus, no ifs no buts it will happen.
Julia Gillard, November 2010:
The budget will be back in the black, back in surplus in 2012-13 ... as promised.
Wayne Swan, April 2011 :
We see the surplus in 12-13 as being absolutely fundamental.
Julia Gillard, April 2011:
My commitment to a surplus in 2012-13 was a promise made and it will be honoured.
Wayne Swan, May 2011:
We’ll be back in the black by 2012/13, as promised.
Julia Gillard, May 2011:
We’ll bring the budget to surplus in 2012-13, exactly as promised.
Wayne Swan, August 2011:
I believe we will attain those forecasts, coming back to surplus in 2012/13.
Wayne Swan, August 2011:
The government remains absolutely committed to delivering our return to surplus as we planned.
Wayne Swan, February 2012:
I am determined to produce a surplus in 2012-2013. We have got our colours nailed to the mast.
Wayne Swan, March 2012:
Despite the tough global conditions, we remain determined to return the budget to surplus in 2012/13, and we will get there.
Julia Gillard, November 2012:
We stand by the predictions, the entries in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook. We stand by the figures and we’re on track to deliver a budget surplus.
Wayne Swan, December 2012:
It’s appropriate that we return to surplus.
Wayne Swan, December 2012:
It’s unlikely that there will be a surplus in 2012/13.
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NSW ALP stonewalled on corruption .. public servants still working - ed
Whistleblower Allan Kessing 'vindicated' by airport Customs raidA WHISTLEBLOWER convicted of leaking reports about Customs operations at Sydney airport is questioning why it has taken years to act on security flaws.
Allan Kessing, who in 2007 was convicted of leaking reports about security at Sydney Airport to the Australian newspaper, told reporters on Friday that it was widely known the airport had problems with security.
"It is not possible, it is simply not credible to say that nobody knew there was this extent of corruption," he said.
"Anybody who has the slightest experience of this area knew there were problems.
"The fact that they haven't been acted on until now begs the question, why?"
Mr Kessing - a former Australian Customs officer - wrote two damning reports on Sydney airport security in 2003.
He was convicted four years later of having leaked the reports to media. He had faced a maximum two years jail but was instead handed a nine-month suspended sentence.
Speaking alongside Mr Kessing, Independent senator Nick Xenophon urged the federal government to release Mr Kessing's suppressed reports.
"The two reports prepared by Mr Kessing 10 years ago, nine years ago, need to be released as a matter of urgency," Senator Xenophon said.
"It's important that Justice James Woods is given access to those reports."
Mr Kessing said the reports advocated a range of measures to boost security, including stricter background checks for airport staff and more scrutiny of customs officers by their superiors.
It emerged on Thursday that two customs officers and five members of the public have been charged following a joint investigation by law enforcement agencies into corruption and drug smuggling at Sydney airport.
The investigation on Thursday prompted the establishment of a reform board, headed by Justice James Wood, to ensure customs is clean.
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Somebody wanted to sue me for the rights to this !! - ed
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I caught a train today too and from the city. It ran on time. Some people were filthy but the trains seemed clean. The driver announced each stop, and some in advance. The most unpleasant thing was a raucous party of toddlers and mums .. bogan in Islamic cultural dress. Well done SRA - ed
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How the world ended - ed
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Wyatt Roy asks a valid question ..
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I have no problem with gun ownership. I just think assault rifles and hidden weapons aren't necessary for legal business - ed
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