SIMON OVERLAND FACES FIGHT FOR MORE CONTROL TO POLICE THE POLICE

Carly Crawford, Amelia Harris From: Herald Sun May 18, 2011

Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland wants to expand his powers. Herald Sun

UPDATE 9.30am: THE Police Association says Simon Overland's proposed law changes to expand his powers while scaling back external oversight of the police force would be a "recipe for disaster".

The commissioner wants the office of the chief empowered to promote or dismiss rogue officers, and to determine police employment conditions including pay.

He has also asked that only the Office of Police Integrity handle serious misconduct complaints about the chief, the Herald Sun has learnt.

Now, the Police Regulation Act says whistleblowers may take such complaints to the Ombudsman.

Mr Overland has claimed the dual structure is confusing.

Police Association boss Snr-Sgt Greg Davies said the union opposed the proposal.

"We opposed the push for these sorts of powers last time. We would oppose for them this time," Snr-Sgt Davies said this morning.

Mr Overland faces resistance from the Baillieu Government, which said his proposals were doomed."We have no problem with external contractors being held accountable for security breaches but that’s the end of it. We certainly don't support the abolition of the Police Appeals Board. We don’t support the centralising of this completely unfettered power in any one person anywhere."

Setting the scene for a potential showdown between Mr Overland and the Government, Mr Overland wants the law amended to:

GIVE the chief more power to sack or discipline police, particularly those suspected of corruption.

ABOLISH the Police Appeals Board, preferring instead to have police challenge promotion and transfer decisions in-house.

BAN contractors to Victoria Police disclosing sensitive police information to which they might have access.

The changes reflect those proposed by former chief Christine Nixon in 2008. The Coalition refused to back the Nixon changes while in opposition.

Victoria Police last night confirmed it had again raised the changes with the Government.

But a spokeswoman for Police Minister Peter Ryan said: "Consistent with that (previous) stance we will not pursue these amendments in Government."

The Ombudsman is investigating a claim Mr Overland released crime statistics favourable to Labor before the election.

Mr Overland this month complained to the OPI his former deputy Sir Ken Jones had been leaking information to the media.

In doing so, he reportedly met former AFP officer Paul Jevtovic, who is the OPI's deputy director. Mr Overland served two decades with the AFP.

The Baillieu Government's plan to replace the OPI with a wide-ranging anti-corruption body has been delayed with no start date.

crawfordc@newsltd.com.au

MELBOURNE AND AVALON AIRPORT THREATENED, POLICE AND AFP ON THE SCENE

Amelia Harris From: Herald Sun & Michael Byers Editor-In-Chief, The Mikiverse May 18, 2011

UPDATE 12.05pm: POLICE have swarmed Melbourne and Avalon airports after receiving a warning of an extremist threat. What is an "extremist threat"? Is it because the Feral Bum wants to capitalise on a ho-hum situation by fuelling people's fears. Fears which they stoke with monotonous regularity.

A police spokeswoman said the force was "assessing the threat and working closely with Australian Federal Police and airport security to ensure community safety’’. Airport security are really going to help against an "extremist threat"

Letter warning of a threat to Avalon and Tullamarine airports were sent to the Herald Sun and other Melbourne media outlets this morning.

The threat was explicit and talked about the exact weapons that would be used.

The Herald Sun has chosen not to reveal the full contents of the letter after a request from Victoria Police. WOW. Sounds serious. Or like a tabloid beat up.

Police have visited the offices of the Herald Sun and took both the letter and the envelope it was sent in for fingerprinting.

Avalon CEO Justin Giddings said police advised the airport of a "non-specific’’ threat against it about 9am.

He said he didn’t believe the scare was a bomb threat.

"It’s extremely rare. It’s business as usual,’’ Mr Giddings said.

"We have increased security. There have been no cancellations, no delays, terminal evacuations or road closures.’’

Either the airport is deliberately endangering life, or, The Feral Bum is milking this situation for all they are worth. Tabloids tend to do that sort thing, and the foreign-owned Herald Sun is well known for media beat ups.

A short time ago, a Channel 9 helicopter pilot hovering over the scene at Avalon said it did not appear to be affecting airport operations, despite at least six police cars at the scene.

“It doesn’t appear the roads are blocked, but there is a heavy police presence,” the Channel Nine pilot Ross Barker told his network.

Jetstar and Qantas maintenance facilities are based at the airport.

MORE THAN 1000 CHILDREN IN LOCKED UP IN IMMIGRATION FACILITIES

Samantha Maiden From: Sunday Herald Sun January 30, 2011
JULIA Gillard is locking up more than 1000 children in immigration facilities, beating the Howard Government's "cruel" record.
And rising numbers of boatpeople turning to people smugglers to fast-track their claims are locking out thousands of asylum seekers waiting in overseas refugee camps.

The Coalition will move to guarantee places for asylum seekers who are languishing in overseas refugee camps when Parliament resumes, accusing the Prime Minister of allowing people smugglers to run Australia's refugee intake.

Despite vowing to release women and children from detention when Labor was elected, new figures obtained by the Sunday Herald Sun confirm 1046 minors are being held in detention.The previous high-water mark was nearly 10 years ago when 842 children where held in detention in September, 2001, according to the Human Rights Commission.

After seizing the top job last year, the Prime Minister vowed to adopt a humane approach to asylum seekers, noting her own background as a child migrant.

"Australia's basic decency does not accept the idea of punishing women and children by locking them up behind razor wire," Ms Gillard said in a speech to the Lowy Institute last year.

But Opposition spokesman Scott Morrison said the hypocrisy of Labor's failed border protection policies were exposed by yet another record broken on children in detention.

"There's nothing compassionate about a policy that encourages people to get on boats, especially children," he said.

Refugee advocate Pamela Curr said the Gillard government was "no better than the last".

"The PM announced last year that children will be released from detention. I can tell you I understand four unaccompanied minors have been released," she said.

"I want to know when it starts."

Ms Curr said the Government had suggested 700 women and children would be released by June, but to date she believed only about 20 women who were about to give birth or had very young babies had also been released into community detention.

While the number of refugees Australia accepts has remained static, at about 13,000, the number of applicants who apply from offshore refugee camps has plunged from 7668 six years ago to 3233 people last year, as the number of boatpeople arriving exploded.

Mr Morrison said: "The cruel fact of Labor's failed border protection and immigration policies is to reward asylum seekers who can afford to get on boats at the expense of those who can't.

"The minister's own figures confirm this cruel outcome for the thousands waiting off shore for Australia's protection.

"The Coalition has put forward a motion to quarantine 10,000 places in our refugee and humanitarian program for offshore applicants.

"These places would go to the most deserving cases, as decided by the Australian Government, not people smugglers."

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said visas granted for asylum seekers arriving by boat had always been taken from the capped Humanitarian Program category, including under the previous government.

He said that, bizarrely, the Opposition would prefer a first-in, best-dressed system, with a cap of 3750 claims for offshore protection in Australia that would create a scramble to make the cut, leaving the rest to go into arbitrary and indefinite detention.

AIRPORT ID RISK PROMPTS ELECTRONIC TICKETS AND AUTOMATIC BAGGAGE CHECK-IN RETHINK

Brittany Stack From: Sunday Herald Sun January 09, 2011

Police believe criminals are slipping through the security net at airports. Picture: John Grainger Source: HWT Image Library

ELECTRONIC tickets and automatic baggage check-ins could be banned and non-passengers barred from entering terminals under an airport security crackdown.

A raft of strict new security measures are being thrashed out by federal authorities worried about the ease at which criminal gangs and drug smugglers move through airports undetected.

Among the changes being considered for domestic airports are compulsory passenger identity checks, and even a national ID card.

Police told a federal parliamentary committee that drug-runners are exploiting lax airport security, using fake IDs to buy air tickets and smuggle drugs from Sydney to Melbourne.

Authorities believe criminals are slipping under the radar because airlines do not conduct compulsory identification checks.

Committee chairman Senator Steve Hutchins said there was concern over the growth of e-ticketing and the lack of scrutiny once tickets were issued. "We were surprised at the rapid development of this innovation in air travel and the misuse of it by organised crime figures," Senator Hutchins said.

Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.

End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.

On the issue of introducing a national ID card, Senator Hutchins said it was important to know the identity of each passenger - which currently was largely not happening.

"There will be no national identity system without the full support of the Coalition, and on every occasion when that has been presented to them they have refused to co-operate," he said.

"We are talking about identification of the passenger who purchased the ticket being the bum on the seat and that is what the police force, law-enforcement agencies and other bodies have highlighted as a gap in our domestic airport security."

Any opportunity that may close that loophole must be investigated by any federal agency that has the power to do so."

Electronic check-in machines allow passengers to bypass scrutiny as it is possible to check in from a computer or smartphone, print your own boarding pass and check-in your baggage without being asked for official identification. The Australian Federal Police Association is critical of electronic check-in and recommends the Federal Government close this security loophole immediately.

AMERICAN OWNED, AUSTRALIAN PUBLISHED TABLOID LAUNCHES OUTRAGEOUS ATTACK ON ALEX JONES

Special Edition by Michael Byers Editor-In-Chief, The Mikiverse.
Former Australian,Canadian,Brit, and current American, Rupert Murdoch's Corporate Victorian, tabloid newspaper, The Herald Sun, has launched an extraordinary attack on Radio host and documaentary film maker, Alex Jones, Paul Watson and Prison Planet.com.
This attack, by Helen Davidson, is contained in an article about the spate of animal deaths that have happened in America,Brazil, England and New Zealand recently.
Davidson, wrote that;
"One example is from conspiracy theorists Joseph Watson and Alex Jones of prisonplanet.com who blame it on "the government". According to the site authorities have “routinely engaged in secret testing of biological and electromagnetic weapons that have detrimentally impacted both humans and animals many times in the past”."
As per usual, the Herald Sun has declined to undertake a sober, rational and logical appraisal of the situation that they are writing about.
Nor, do they seek to write in any type of depth, choosing, instead to launch an ad hominim attack on Alex Jones, who is but one, of a growing trend of independent reporters -such as this journalist- committed to freedom of speech and the promulgation of truth throughout our communities.
As more and more people consume their news on-line from independent, truth sources such as the mikiverse, prison planet.com, the crowhouse and various other independent agencies, the less relevant, these archaic, corporate monoliths become, selling less copy, raising less advertising revenue and generally becoming more and more irrelavant to the general community.
Maybe this is why they are all-too-happy to distort facts given to them by the VICTORIA POLICE corporation about Drink driving in an all-too obvious attempt to propagate fear in the community about the intrusions and havoc that booze busses cause in our community in their pathetic attempts at money grabbing.
As the Mikiverse exclucisely revealed in 2009 & 2010, these traffic jam creating "operations" have revealed that only 0.3-0.8% of tested travellers are actually in contravention of their drink driving policies.
Yet, the flimsy excuse offered by Victoria Police is lapped up by the Herald Sun without question and presented to their readers as some type of "truth".
That they then have the temerity to label Alex Jones a 'conspiracy theorist' because he and his staff offers opinions on the strange culling of animals in different corners of the globe, which raises the appearanceof being a rather effective illustration of the fear that alternative news sites are instilling in corporate news boardrooms the world over.
We would do well to remember that the issue of writing a truthful article appears to have nothing to do with this outrageous Herald Sun attack on Jones & co. The LAST thing that Corporate Media Tycoons such as Rupert Murdoch, their editorial, and journalistic staff want is for you to explore the contents of truth sites such as the Mikiverse, Info Wars, Elijah's Challenge, OSTF, ae911truth.org, the World Freemen Society and other alternative sites. It is in places like these that real truth is being shared, whether it be your common law right to travel, 9/11, 7/7, Bali and other events being false flag operations, the manipulation of the economy and currency, 2012, wikileaks and a whole lot more. Learning the truth about events like 9/11 simultaneously expose the hypocrisy and lies that have been served up by the corporate press about these events in their "coverage". This is why they attack like a pack of dogs when someone like Kevin Bracken talks about 9/11 truth, or they refer to 9/11, or Alex Jones - they don't want their lies to be exposed.
In fact, 2012 receives the Herald Sun serves up a tittilating, teenage style of emotive fare when they find time to glibly include 2012 in the same article, when it intones; "And let’s not even get started on the 2012 end of the world predictions."
As far as I am aware, this is the first article that has directly mentioned Alex Jones in any capacity. Am I being unfair in predicting that the Herald Sun will not be rushing to write any fair and balanced articles about Alex and other members of the truth community in the near future?
And we wonder why they are losing readers every day ham over fist....

140 NABBED IN CITY BOOZE BLITZ

Brigid O'Connell From: Herald Sun December 18, 2010
THE first night of the nation-wide crackdown on drunken violence netted 140 arrests including 28 for drink driving in police blitzes across the state.

Police flooded streets, trains and clubs in Melbourne's CBD over the past two nights as part of the third staging of Operation Unite.

Regional centres including Latrobe, Ballarat and Geelong were also targeted.

The 48-hour Australian and New Zealand operation - aiming at deterring public drunkenness and violence - involved visits to 446 licensed premises across the state where 35 venues were caught breaking liquor licensing regulations.
The last operation in September saw 132 arrested and 43 liquor license breaches.

Last year's pre-Christmas crackdown resulted in almost 400 people arrested for drunkenness and 83 venues flouting liquor licensing laws.

In Melbourne, 65 people were arrested for drunkenness and eight for assault on Friday night.

Of the 185 pubs and clubs visited, 22 were slapped with liquor licensing offences.

Geelong boasted the highest number of drink drivers, with nine blowing over the limit, while 12 people were arrested for drunkenness and three for assault.

Twenty arrests for drunkenness were made in Ballarat, where four liquor licensing breaches were picked up and five drink drivers nabbed.

The operation, which continued last night and centred on King St nightclubs, has drawn on officers from the water branch, transit safety, highway patrol, the mounted branch and other specialist units.

SECRET SANTAS DOLE OUT $US100 HANDSHAKES

AP DECEMBER 5 2010
SECRET Santas are roaming the streets of North Carolina, handing out $US100 ($A102.68) handshakes.

The Charlotte Observer reported that the crew of donors, who insist on anonymity, handed out the $US100 bills to anyone who looked like they could use it.

Felicia Adams was handed $US100 while she was working at a Goodwill outlet store. She said the money will help her get to New York to visit her father who is dying of cancer.

The donors take thousands of dollars from their own bank accounts to hand out. It's the fourth year the random acts of kindness have been done in Charlotte.

This year, a half-dozen volunteers from the Charlotte police and fire departments tagged along, guiding the group through the city and suggesting people they could help.

INDEPENDENTS BACK GREENS' BANK BILL

By Paul Osborne From: AAP November 24, 2010 2:14PM

CROSSBENCHERS have thrown their weight behind an Australian Greens' bill to reform the banking sector.

Independents Andrew Wilkie, Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Bob Katter and WA Nationals MP Tony Crook have backed a bill by Greens MP Adam Bandt to overhaul the banks.

The bill followed weeks of debate over the size of bank chiefs' pay packets, interest rate hikes, high fees and the power of the big four banks.

The crossbenchers said both the Government and Opposition had failed to produce any significant policies in the area and it was time to take action.

Mr Bandt's bill before the Lower House includes the abolition of $2 ATM fees and mortgage exit fees, and a requirement for banks to offer a basic fee-free account and mortgage products with interest rates that go up and down based on the real cost of lending.

The Opposition also has a private member's bill before the Lower House and the Government has promised a reform package will be released in December.

"If they want either of their packages to get through, they are going to need to talk to us," Mr Bandt said in Canberra today.

"There will be support from the crossbench for the Greens' banking bill."

Mr Crook said the Greens had been "on the front foot" with their banking reforms.

"There is a real opportunity over the summer break for both the Government and Opposition to put forward some serious amendments, along with the Greens' bill.

"There's a real opportunity to deliver some real benefit to those people stung by bank."

Mr Wilkie said the Coalition had proposed "one reasonably small reform" and the Government had been "totally flat-footed" on banks.

"At the moment the big four banks are acting absolutely outrageously ... and the public interest has been lost in this," he said.

Mr Oakeshott said he hoped the final bank reform package included greater consumer education on how to swap banks, as well as put pressure on banks to protect savings and not indulge in risky investment strategies.

He urged the Ggovernment and Opposition to work over the parliamentary break.

"It is not a Christmas break, but a time for some genuine substantial reform," he said.

Mr Katter, a conservative Independent from north Queensland, said the final reform package also needed to deal with banks chiefs' salary packages and the process of foreclosure, which was driving some farmers to suicide.

"It needs to be pretty serious stuff when Adam (Bandt) and I are on the same side of the fence together," he said of his Greens colleague.

COALITION WOULD KEEP SPEED CAMERA NETWORK AMID BRUMBY FOI BLOCKADE

Keith Moor, Amelia Harris From: Herald Sun November 24, 2010
UPDATE 12.12pm: THE Coalition wouldn't cut speed cameras numbers despite accepting most people think they're revenue raisers.

Speaking in an exclusive heraldsun.com.au debate recorded live today for the Lunchtime Q&A series, Mr Ryan said the Coalition would instead seek to create “greater transparency” on their use.

While admitting many Victorians saw them as revenue raisers, and although the Coalition has previously attacked the proliferation of speed cameras, Mr Ryan said the policy was to ensure they were used responsibly.

But asked if he would cut the numbers, he said: “I think the cameras have a useful purpose in making sure that we contribute to cutting and controlling the road toll, but we have to use them fairly".

Mr Ryan said Coalition policy, if elected, would include an annual report on complaints and faults to Parliament.

His comments came soon after Police Minister James Merlino shifted blame to the Department of Justice after revelations the Brumby Government blocked a bid to reveal how many faulty speed cameras have been discovered in Victoria.

A whistleblower today accused the Brumby Government of intervening in the Herald Sun investigation.

"They don't want anything negative about speed cameras to come out before Saturday's election," the insider said.

Late yesterday the Department of Justice said it was unable to find out how many faulty cameras had been identified in the past five years.

It claimed it couldn't do so because the "relevant electronic information is stored in a combination of searchable and non-searchable data".

Are speed cameras revenue raisers or life savers? Join the debate below

In an online law and order debate with Police Minister James Merlino and Opposition police spokesman Peter Ryan, being recorded live this morning and to be aired on heraldsun.com.au this afternoon, Mr Merlino said freedom of information requests were not decided by ministers.

When asked by senior reporter John Ferguson about the fact the Herald Sun had been blocked from revealing how many faulty speed cameras had been discovered in Victoria, Mr Merlino said the release of information was a decision for departmental bureaucrats not the government.

“The decisions in terms of what documents are released, the timing of when those documents are released, is not a decision that the minister makes, or the minister’s office makes," Mr Merlino said.

"These are decisions within the (Justice) department, or Victoria Police, or whatever agency the FoI (Freedom of Information) request comes through to."

He said ministers were only given details of Freedom of Information documents to be released five days before the act.

But Opposition roads spokesman Terry Mulder has called on the Brumby Government to release information about faulty speed cameras ahead of Saturday’s election.

Mr Mulder said the refusal to release information showed a culture of secrecy.

"I think it’s imperative that this information is released prior to Saturday’s election," he said.

"You would have thought that if they had nothing to hide that all the information would have been laid out in front of the public."

Mr Mulder said the cover-up could set a dangerous precedent.

"If you are going to have a justice system that penalises innocent people then the fabric of your democracy is in tatters," he said.

"If they are going to do this with speed cameras, what are they going to with other forms of justice in the state?"

It took the State Opposition about a year to retrieve the documents under Freedom of Information showing the logs for EastLink cameras for the four months to June last year.

The logs, revealed in the Herald Sun in September, showed one camera at the Wellington Rd site had to be replaced after taking rogue images, and others contained corrupt data and had communication blackouts.

Mr Mulder said the contents of some documents sought, but not released, remained a mystery.

He said cameras served an important purpose, but must be used fairly.

The revelation comes as a Herald Sun investigation has found Victorian motorists pay vastly more per head in traffic camera fines than drivers in any other state.

The investigation discovered:

VICTORIA'S 3.5 million driving licence holders paid an average of $113 a year in speeding fines in 2008-09, compared with $63 in South Australia, $60 in NSW, $30 in the Northern Territory, $25 in Western Australia and $15 a head in Queensland in the same year.

VICTORIAN drivers have paid $4.9 billion in fines since 1989.

MORE than $3.7 billion of that has been paid by motorists since Labor came to power 11 years ago.

VICTORIA has 308 fixed and mobile speed cameras, compared with 178 in NSW, 90 in South Australia, 49 in Queensland and 36 in Western Australia.

DESPITE Victoria having many more speed cameras than any other state in Australia, the latest figures reveal its fatal road toll in the 12 months to July increased, while most other states recorded declines.

VICTORIA is the only state in Australia that does not put up signs to warn motorists they are approaching a fixed speed camera.

MOBILE speed cameras in some Australian states also have warning signs. But Victorian motorists are not warned they are approaching a mobile speed camera.

VICTORIA has by far the highest cash penalties in Australia for speeding at less than 10km/h over the limit and Victorian motorists also pay the most for exceeding the speed limit by more than 10km/h but less than 15km/h.

MOBILE speed cameras in Victoria have to be tested only once a year for accuracy. Fixed speed cameras are
tested every three months.

The Herald Sun lodged a Freedom of Information application in June seeking detailed information about speed cameras and their accuracy.

It got a response from the Department of Justice late yesterday and that was only to say six of the nine questions would not be answered.

A Government insider contacted the Herald Sun last week and claimed the FoI request was being deliberately stalled until after the November 27 election.

"The Government is very sensitive about the speed camera issue and doubts about their accuracy. They know it can influence voters and that's why you are not getting your stuff," the insider claimed.

A State Government spokesman yesterday denied the Government or any minister had played a role in stalling or rejecting the Herald Sun's FoI request.

He also defended the high number of speed cameras in use in Victoria.

"Speed remains the biggest killer on our roads and speed cameras save lives," the spokesman said.

"In 1989, 776 Victorians lost their lives on the roads. In the 20 years of speed camera operation, the road toll has more than halved. Last year our road toll was 290.

"We would gladly receive no money from speeding fines, because that would mean motorists were not speeding and the biggest killer on our roads had been eliminated.

"Our Government has taken the tough decision to back police and the road safety experts to do all we can to change the culture around speeding, in order to save lives."

Deputy Commissioner Ken Lay said he did not think the point-to-point cameras would be turned on before Christmas.

The cameras were turned off after nine of the 68,000 motorists caught by the cameras between Craigieburn and Wallan on the Hume Highway since 2007 were incorrectly fined.

Mr Lay said the cameras hadn’t been turned back on because he "(couldn’t) afford to run the risk of another of my members turning up and trying to seize a car that shouldn’t have been seized’’.

"I don’t trust the fact that we may not have a very, very small number of off readings," Mr Lay said.

"We need to make sure that will not occur.

"The last thing I need going into the most critical time of the year on our roads is for someone to be ringing up and saying, 'I've been inappropriately or incorrectly booked again'. We just can’t take that risk."

The Police Association is funding a legal challenge by a female officer contesting a fine generated by a camera on EastLink.

Secretary Sen-Sgt Greg Davies said it was crucial private speed camera operators and the State Government turned off cameras when they became aware they were faulty and immediately organised to get them fixed.

"If there are faulty cameras out there, and we contend that at least one of them was faulty on at least two days, if there's more, then the public aren't going to have much faith in the system and could be excused for saying, 'Well, if there's a number of faulty cameras and they won't tell us where they are and they're still operating them, you know, how do you have any confidence in the system?'," Sen-Sgt Davies said.

He said the union and its members' were primary concerned about how the cameras could help save lives.

"What other people use them for is a matter for them and, therefore, a matter for the public to judge."

Mr Lay said he remained confident only nine people were incorrectly booked.

He said there were human and technology-related issues every now and then.

"I think the community has got a perception out there that this technically is absolutely 100 per cent foolproof," Mr Lay said.

"The fact is from time-to-time ... there will be mistakes."

moork@heraldsun.com.au

FIRST COMMERCIAL SPACECRAFT LICENSED TO LAND

AAP November 24, 2010
TECHNOLOGY entrepreneur Elon Musk's California-based space launch firm has become the first commercial company to receive a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) licence to allow an orbiting spacecraft to return to Earth.

Hawthorne-based SpaceX says the FAA issued the licence on Monday.

SpaceX plans a December launch of one of its Falcon 9 rockets carrying a capsule dubbed Dragon. The mission calls for the capsule to go into low-earth orbit, then re-enter the atmosphere and land in the ocean.

So far, only six nations or governmental agencies have performed the feat.

The SpaceX mission will be performed under a NASA program to develop commercial supply service to the international space station.

SpaceX hopes to one day carry astronauts aboard its Dragon capsules.

GEELONG BOOZE BLITZ NABS 27 DRINK-DRIVERS

Aleks Devic From: Herald Sun November 20, 2010
GEELONG remains one of the state's worst drink drive hot-spots, after a police operation in the city nabbed 27 boozed drivers, two drug drivers and impounded a hoon's car.

More than 100 police and six booze buses swamped Geelong last night and breath tested 4130 motorists as part of a targeting alcohol and drug affected drivers. (sic) The stated purpose of this 'operation' was to target dring and drug drivers. They inconvenienced a bare minimum of 4130 people -based on the implausible notion that there were no extra people in any car- to catch an incredibly low 0.702179% of people. That is LESS THAN 3/4 0F 1%, or it means that 99.29782% of innocent people were inconvenienced for no other reason than the desire of Victoria Police to reap extra revenue for the Roads Corporation, which many of you know as its trading name; VIC ROADS. VICTORIA POLICE is a corporation as well, and any corporation has to run at a profit in order to satisfy the requirements of the Corporations Act. This is why you are being hasled and harrassed by these booze busses. The safety angle is a marketing ploy-nothing more.

But the operation also caught 19 speeding drivers, 21 unregistered drivers, 12 unlicensed/suspended drivers, 41 mobile phone offences, 19 seat belt offences and 56 defective vehicles. This is further proof that this is about revenue raising. The corporate marketing officers at the American-owned-tabloid-the-Herald Sun informs us that the focus was on drink and drug drivers, yet, the VICTORIA POLICE Corporate Officers were more than happy to line their pockets with an extra 168 income earning opportunities!!!

Are you buying into the corporate marketing line about safety being more important than profit?

Operation Commander, Road Policing Superintendent Neville Taylor said the results left police dumbfounded.

"Geelong has been identified as in the state's top 10 at-risk areas for road trauma,'' he said.

"This (Geelong's results) is very disappointing. -Why would he be disappointed with a result of over 99% of motorists not being effected by alcohol or drugs? Was he hoping for more positive readings to reap in higher revenue? To justify the inconvenience they are causing to the overwhelming amount of innocent people who have their time wasted by these detestable arevnue raising activities. And the corporate media, be it the radio, the newspapers or tv support this unlawful behaviour through their reusal to point out the obvious facts of this disgraceful situation. Am I really in posession of some type of fantasticly clever brain that alows me to point out to you something that has escaped ALL OF THE CORPORATE MEDIA'S ATTENTION? Of course not, they all know, or ought to know. They choose not to cover this reality, they choose to keep you in the dark, to helpthe charade that ancourages you to think that these actions are about safety- We will continue our strong presence across the wider area and will continue to breath test and drug test motorists to remove these people from our roads.''

Police also set up a number of satellite breath-testing sites along back roads, with a focus around licensed premises.

One male driver had a blood alcohol reading of .097 while a 32-year-old St Albans man was nabbed zooming at 135km/h in an 80km/h road works zone -which would be safe in many places in the world that actually have a focus on safety, rather than on profit- on the Western Ring Road in Gowanbrae.

His car was impounded for 48 hours, he lost his licence for 12 months and a received a $597 fine plus towing costs.SO MUCH FOR INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN ACOURT OF LAW.

YEMENI POLICE ARREST WOMAN SUSPECTED OF MAILING PRINTER BOMBS

A SUSPECTED al-Qaeda parcel bomb found on a US-bound cargo jet was designed to blow up the plane, British premier David Cameron said, as Yemeni authorities arrested a suspect in the plot.

The discovery of two packages containing explosives on aircraft in Dubai and Britain on Friday sparked an international security alert, with US officials saying the parcels were addressed to synagogues in Chicago.

But Cameron said that after examination of the device found at East Midlands airport in central England, British authorities "believe that the device was designed to go off on the airplane."

"There is no early evidence it was designed to take place over British soil but of course we cannot rule that out," the prime minister told BBC television from Chequers, his country residence near London.

US President Barack Obama has pointed the finger for the plot at al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemen-based branch of Osama bin Laden's extremist network.

In Yemen, security forces on Saturday arrested a woman "suspected of sending two parcel bombs," after surrounding her house in the capital Sanaa, the defence ministry said, without providing further details.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh - who also announced that the suspect's house had been surrounded - said his country was "determined to fight terror but will not allow anyone to intervene in its affairs."

News of the arrest came shortly after Cameron and Obama's top countererrorism adviser both called Saleh to urge his "close" counterterrorism cooperation following the bomb plot.

Obama also called King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Riyadh provided the tip-off for the discovery of the bombs.

In Dubai, police said that the bomb found there contained the powerful high explosive PETN - the same substance used by would-be 2009 Christmas Day bomber Farouk Abdulmutallab and 2001 attempted shoe-bomber Richard Reid.

Dubai police chief General Dahi Khalfan told AFP: "This was a parcel bomb and a terrorist act could have occurred," adding that the device could have "exploded" on board the airplane had it not been intercepted in time.

The device consisted of a computer printer whose ink contained explosive material, connected to a mobile phone SIM card and a circuit board, a police statement said.

The statement said it "bears the hallmarks of those used by terrorist organisations like al-Qaeda."

The parcel was flown in from the Yemeni capital Sanaa via Doha in Qatar on a Federal Express aircraft, an Emirati aviation official later said.

Yemeni authorities also announced the seizure of 26 other parcels on Saturday and said they were being examined.

The cargo scare offered a new twist as Western authorities have usually focused on dangers posed to passenger planes following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when al-Qaeda hijacked jets and struck targets in New York and Washington.

Cameron highlighted the new dangers, saying: "A package that started in Yemen, that landed in Germany, that landed in Britain en route to America, it just shows how united and determined we have to be to defeat terrorism."

Police in Britain said the package intercepted there was flown in from Yemen via Cologne, Germany.

The White House said Obama had telephoned Cameron on Saturday to thank him for his country's "close cooperation" in helping disrupt the plot.

Top officials said the threat level to the United States was unchanged, but the Department of Homeland Security announced it had boosted security measures.

Britain said there were no plans to change a threat level already at its second-highest point, suggesting an attack is highly likely, but added that it had banned all unaccompanied cargo from Yemen.

French aviation authorities on Saturday also suspended air freight from Yemen.

Obama has said the bombs represented a "credible terrorist threat," and his Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the plot bore the "hallmarks of al-Qaeda."

Yemen, the ancestral homeland of bin Laden, has become a haven for violent extremists over the past decade.

It is the headquarters of AQAP and the hiding place for US-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who has been linked to high-profile terror plots in the United States.

BA BOSS MARTIN BROUGHTON ATTACKS US OVER REDUNDANT AIRPORT SECURITY

AP HERALD SUN OCTOBER 29 2010
EXCESSIVE passenger screening at airports is a step too far and is only adding to passenger misery, a major airline boss has said.

BA chairman Martin Broughton said measures such as forcing passengers to take off shoes and separate checks of laptop bags were redundant and unnecessary.

His comments come as the United States is making excessive demands for the screening of airline passengers, including measures it doesn't require on US domestic flights, the Financial Times reported.

Mr Broughton aired his complaint at the annual conference of the UK Airport Operators Association where he said it was time other countries, such as Britain, stopped kowtowing to America's beefed-up security demands.

Australian passengers flying domestically and internationally are forced to remove laptops from bags and in some cases shoes.

British Airways said the report was accurate, but it did not have a text of the chairman's remarks.

"America does not do internally a lot of the things they demand that we do," Mr Broughton was quoted as saying.

"We shouldn't stand for that. We should say, 'We'll only do things which we consider to be essential and that you Americans also consider essential.'"

Mr Broughton added that British authorities should not "kowtow to the Americans every time they wanted something done."

"We all know there's quite a number of elements in the security program which are completely redundant and they should be sorted out," he was quoted as saying.

"Take the iPad. They still haven't decided if it is a laptop or it isn't a laptop. So some airports think you should take it out and some think you shouldn't."

Colin Matthews, chief executive of BAA PLC, which owns Heathrow airport, says security is subject to regulations set by US, European and domestic authorities.

"There are some aspects which have been frustrating to everyone, but equally everyone understands we have to keep the passenger safe," Mr Matthews told the BBC.

But Alan West, the security minister in the previous British government, supported Mr Broughton's complaint and said a multinational agreement could make the checks "much less onerous".

"We have had requirement on requirement laid on top of each other, and certainly I need to be convinced about all these various layers," Mr West told the BBC.

"I do think it does need to be rationalised, because I think we have gone too far. There are too many layers, too much inconsistency."

America's Transportation Security Administration did not directly respond to Mr Broughton's demands to scrap excessive measures.

But a statement by the organisation said it worked with all international airlines to ensure passenger safety.

McDONALD'S FINED FOR OBESE EMPLOYEE

HERALD SUN OCTOBER 29 2010
A BRAZILIAN court has ordered McDonald's to pay a former franchise manager $US17,500 ($18,000) because he gained 29kg while working there 12 years.

The 32-year-old man says he was forced to sample food products each day to ensure that quality standards remained high because McDonald's hired "mystery clients" to randomly visit restaurants and report on the food, service and cleanliness.

The man also says McDonald's offered free lunches to employees, adding to his caloric intake while on the job.

His identity was not released.

The ruling against McDonald's was signed on Wednesday by judge Joao Filho in Porto Alegre.

McDonald's can appeal the case. A local company spokesman did not immediately return calls today.

COPS TOP DRUG TEST FAIL RATE

Peter Mickelburough October 27, 2010 Herald Sun
POLICE are failing drug tests more often than motorists or AFL footballers.

Shock new figures reveal three officers tested positive to illicit drugs in the past 10 weeks, with two facing possible criminal charges.

Hundreds more police will be checked in the next few months as the force accelerates its drug and alcohol testing.

Testing program head Acting Insp John Felton told the Herald Sun officers would soon face a better than one in 10 chance of being tested each year.

"To have three (positives) in such a short space of time is disappointing but it also tells me that our approach in intelligence lead testing is sound," he said.

"I have got a focus to undertake as much testing as I can and I have put changes in place to ensure that happens. We've done 200 tests in the past 10 weeks and my focus is to continue driving those sorts of numbers."

In August the Herald Sun revealed the force had conducted just 699 tests in 23 months - at which rate it would have taken 41 years to test all 14,400 police.

The latest officers to fail drug tests were among 200 police tested between July 1 and October 19 - a failure rate of one in 67 tests.

Police have said one in 69 motorists failing roadside drug tests in the first six months of the year was a high strike rate because they had focused on hot spots such as nightclubs, rave parties and truck routes.

The AFL tests all listed players at least once a year, and last year conducted more than 1500 tests, with 14, or one in 112, positive.

Acting Insp Felton said most of the latest tests were random workplace checks but the officers who failed were each chosen because of specific information.

Seven police have now failed drug and alcohol tests, with 899 checks conducted since the force began testing in August 2008.

Acting Insp Felton would not say if any of the seven had worked in units involved in drug investigations or other "high risk" areas, citing privacy.

"The Police Regulation Act forbids me to identify any individuals," he said.

He encouraged officers who had drug or alcohol problems to come forward and get help before they were tested.

The officers who failed the most recent tests were yet to face disciplinary hearings.

Of the officers to fail earlier tests, two have resigned and the other two were disciplined.

DEFENCE TO ASSESS IRAQ WIKILEAKS PAPERS

AAP AFP HERALD SUN OCTOBER 24 2010
UPDATE 2:26pm: A DEFENCE taskforce will investigate the implications for Australia resulting from some 400,000 US military documents on Iraq leaked by Wikileaks.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith said a taskforce set up in July by his predecessor John Faulkner would look at the documents to see if their leaking presented a risk for Australian interests.

He said the taskforce, which handed over its report on the Afghanistan documents on Friday, had concluded the leaking of those some 77,000 US military files, a few mentioning Australian operations, had caused no damage.

Mr Smith said the taskforce would now be tasked with going through the latest leaked documents.

"The taskforce that we charged to look at the earlier unauthorised leak of classified documentation will now be given the task to painstakingly go through this large volume of documents," he told the Nine Network today.

UPDATE 2:26pm: A DEFENCE taskforce will investigate the implications for Australia resulting from some 400,000 US military documents on Iraq leaked by Wikileaks.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith said a taskforce set up in July by his predecessor John Faulkner would look at the documents to see if their leaking presented a risk for Australian interests.

He said the taskforce, which handed over its report on the Afghanistan documents on Friday, had concluded the leaking of those some 77,000 US military files, a few mentioning Australian operations, had caused no damage.

Mr Smith said the taskforce would now be tasked with going through the latest leaked documents.

"The taskforce that we charged to look at the earlier unauthorised leak of classified documentation will now be given the task to painstakingly go through this large volume of documents," he told the Nine Network today.

GAVIN SILBERT'S LETTER TO JEREMY RAPKE

SUNDAY HERALD SUN OCTOBER 24 2010

Gavin Silbert wrote a confidential letter to Jeremy Rapke in July. Source: Herald Sun

THIS is the confidential letter Gavin Silbert sent his boss, Jeremy Rapke, on July 19.

Dear Jeremy

Your letter of 29 June has caused me great concern, as it fails to deal with any of the history of the matters which you have raised in that correspondence.

I have no choice but to respond and make clear both the background and the circumstances that have led to this most unfortunate exchange of correspondence.

You have reproached me in your letter for being grossly disloyal and attempting to undermine your standing. I emphatically deny any disloyalty and deny that it was my intention then or at any time in the past to undermine your standing.

As you will undoubtedly recall, I have previously approached you on a private and personal level and indicated to you the concerns that were being expressed by various solicitors in the office of Public Prosecutions, members of the Victorian Bar and the judiciary about your relationship with Ms. Diana Karamicov, particularly considering your then relative positions, you as Director of Public Prosecutions, and she as a junior solicitor. At the time I first spoke to you I was unaware of her name.

I did not enquire of you then the nature of your relationship, but cautioned you as to the general perceptions of that relationship. You continued to associate and spend time with Ms Karamicov in a manner that was markedly different from every other solicitor in the Office of Public Prosecutions. The concerns of the groups of people to whom I previously referred continued unabated and increased, with the passing of time, as stories were then circulated about you attempting to interfere in her career by seeking to have her promoted within the Office of Public Prosecutions, and interfering in an area in which you had no statutory role, attempting consistently to advance her career well beyond that of a solicitor of her experience.

The position of Associate Crown Prosecutor is a public position funded by public monies, and I am, pursuant to s14 of the Public Prosecutions Act charged with managing the Crown Prosecutors and Associate Crown Prosecutors to ensure they function in an effective and efficient manner. I became aware that there was a possibility that you were considering appointing a number of Associate Crown Prosecutors and accordingly I enquired of you on two occasions who you were considering recommending for the position. You refused to tell me. Prior to these three appointments we had always discussed persons you were considering recommending for appointment in Prosecutor's Chambers.

I was concerned that the persons being recommended may have been persons who were unsuitable for the positions, which is what has in fact transpired.

In terms of the position of Associate Crown Prosecutor, the concept is generally speaking that they will be capable lawyers who have demonstrated some skill in the running of criminal trials at a more minor level and who will be given exposure and experience in more complex trials. Neither Ms. Karamicov nor Ms (aifthe Sunday Herald Sun has removed the name of the second lawyer for legal reasons) aifhave ever conducted a criminal trial in the role of counsel or advocate, and there has been nothing demonstrated by either to indicate that they are capable of so doing. The appointment of Mr (aifaifthe Sunday Herald Sun has removed the name of the third lawyer and the rest of this sentence for legal reasons).

There are many talented solicitors within the Office of Public Prosecutions who would make excellent Associate Crown Prosecutors, but they were not afforded the opportunity to apply for these positions.

I was concerned that at some stage your relationship with Ms. Karamicov would become a matter of public knowledge and cause the appointment to be regarded with significant disquiet. The office of Crown Prosecutor is an important office, in which the integrity of the office holders is of the utmost importance, as is the manner of their appointment. Because of my concerns that the appointment of Ms. Karamicov, and indeed the other two appointees, may have damaged that position, I tried to raise the matter with you but you would not speak to me and I had no alternative but to seek information about who was being recommended by your from other sources.

At no stage in my dealing with the Government, the Victorian Government Solicitor, the Solicitor for Public Prosecutions or any of his staff have I commented adversely on your standing, authority or reputation. Your standing and reputation with the solicitors of the Office of Public Prosecutions, Crown Prosecutors, members of the criminal bar and the Judiciary have been undermined by your own persistent actions and behaviour, which have continued and increased over the last two years, despite my warnings.

I was concerned as to whether you had disclosed to the Attorney-General the fact of your relationship and the nature of that relationship with Ms. Karamicov, but did not consider it my role to bring that relationship to his attention.

I reject unequivocally your assertion that there was anything improper in my approaches to John Cain and to the Attorney General. As a statutory appointee charged with specified duties, I maintain my right to approach the Attorney at any time and without reference to you. In each case I expressed my concerns at the proposed appointments based on the lack of qualifications and experience of the appointees. The need for me to make these approaches arose as a direct result of your conduct and your refusal to tell me the names of the three persons you had submitted to the Attorney-General.

Yours sincerely

Gavin Silbert.

DPP JEREMY RAPKE LASHES LEAKERS

HERALD SUN OCTOBER 24 2010

Jeremy Rapke has called for unity in the Office of Public Prosecutions. Source: Herald Sun

THIS is the full text of an internal memo DPP Jeremy Rapke sent to staff on Friday afternoon.

Mr Rapke has declined several requests from the Sunday Herald Sun to be interviewed over this controversy

I HAVE today become aware that the Sunday Herald Sun intends to publish on Sunday a letter written to me in July 2010 by Gavin Silbert SC, Chief Crown Prosecutor.

It was a personal letter in which Mr Silbert expressed his personal views about my recommendation of three solicitor-advocates as Associate Crown Prosecutors.

There has been a lot of discussion in the media recently about these appointments and I now wish to deal with the reasons that motivated me to make my recommendations to the Attorney-General.

In April 2010 I wrote to the Attorney-General, the Honourable Rob Hulls MP, recommending the appointment of seven persons as Senior Crown Prosecutors, Crown Prosecutors and Associate Crown Prosecutors.

In that letter I provided reasons to the Attorney for my recommendations.

I advised the Attorney that my recommendation that the three solicitors be appointed Associate Crown Prosecutors was part of my commitment to enhance and develop in-house advocacy in the OPP and to provide a recognised career path for solicitors who chose advocacy as a specialisation and excelled in it.

I informed the Attorney that the appointment of the three Associate Crown Prosecutors would significantly augment the ability of Crown Prosecutors Chambers to service my briefing needs, particularly in the Court of Appeal and in the area of specialist sexual offence prosecution.

It was in those two areas that I had experienced briefing pressures.

I was concerned to ensure that I was represented in higher court appeals and sex offence prosecutions by the most skilled and experienced specialist advocates.

I observed that the demands made by the Court of Appeal for ever more detailed and complex data and submissions had stretched my resources to the point that I was then having great difficulty in servicing the Court.

I advised the Attorney that I intended to use two of the three Associate Crown Prosecutors as specialist Court of Appeal advocates whilst also giving them appropriate opportunities to develop their general advocacy skills.

It was my stated intention that, initially, the Associate Crown Prosecutors would work in those areas of specialisation which I identified for the Attorney before developing the skills necessary to conduct trials and more complex criminal litigation.

Suggestions that any or all of the three solicitors lacked the necessary qualifications, skill or expertise to carry out the functions I designated for them are completely without foundation and are malicious.

A panel appointed by the Attorney-General to assess independently my recommendations confirmed the suitability of those three solicitors for appointment as Associate Crown Prosecutors.

The continued public denigration of these three prosecutors is a disgrace and reflects poorly on all who have been involved in the public campaign to undermine their standing and careers.

Further, the personal cost to these three people of their public vilification cannot be underestimated and is so frequently ignored.

One needs little imagination to appreciate how hurtful it must be to them to read in the newspapers of their supposed incompetence and lack of suitability for the positions to which they have been appointed.

The three Associate Crown Prosecutors have my full confidence and support.

Each of them is a fine criminal lawyer and advocate and deserved their appointments.

I call upon all prosecutors and staff of the OPP to rally behind these three prosecutors and to stop immediately the despicable and unwarranted campaign which is calculated to cause so much personal hurt and embarrassment as well as significant damage to the prosecution service of this state.

OPP LAWYERS SAY THEY WILL TESTIFY AGAINST JEREMY RAPKE

JAMES CAMPBELL SUNDAY HERALD SUN OCTOBER 24th 2010

Jeremy Rapke meets the press to refute claims about his relationship with a junior lawyer. Source: Herald Sun

FOUR Office of Public Prosecutions lawyers have said they will testify about the relationship between their boss, Jeremy Rapke, and a junior lawyer - if an inquiry is ordered.

The staff, furious over the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions to promote solicitor Diana Karamicov, have independently confirmed their intentions to the Sunday Herald Sun.

The OPP has been in turmoil since July over Mr Rapke's appointment of three solicitors as associate crown prosecutors - a job that pays $140,000 a year.

"People would be lining up to give evidence," one of the lawyers said.

On Friday, Mr Rapke, QC, issued an internal memo to hundreds of staff accusing some lawyers of running a "despicable" campaign against Ms Karamicov and two other solicitors appointed alongside her.

Mr Rapke took the dramatic step after the Sunday Herald Sun told his office the newspaper had obtained a confidential letter from Gavin Silbert, SC, to Mr Rapke written in July.

It appeared yesterday that Mr Rapke's plea to staff and prosecutors to rally behind, instead of calming the situation, had inflamed matters.

"How dare he blame us for what he has done," one OPP lawyer said.

"We're the ones who are suffering because of this," one source said.

"He's the one who has embarrassed the office, not us."

In his letter, dated July 19, Mr Silbert, the Chief Crown Prosecutor, repeatedly accuses his boss of having a relationship with Ms Karamicov.

Mr Silbert also writes that Mr Rapke is interfering in Ms Karamicov's career by seeking to advance her beyond her experience and skills.

He also makes clear his belief that nothing in the three solicitors' previous careers had indicated they were capable of running criminal trials.

Today's publication of Mr Silbert's letter is set to reignite the fight within the OPP, which Attorney-General Rob Hulls is desperately claiming has been defused.

The four OPP lawyers have told the Sunday Herald Sun they believe Mr Silbert's assertion that Mr Rapke spent time with Ms Karamicov in a manner "markedly different from every other solicitor in the Office of Public Prosecutions" is correct.

They have said that, if called on, they could testify:

THAT Mr Rapke and Ms Karamicov were frequently alone together in his office late at night.

SOLICITORS who briefed Ms Karamicov complained they were afraid to criticise her because they feared she would complain about them to Mr Rapke.

THE relationship between Mr Rapke and Ms Karamicov was one of the reasons why the previous solicitor for public prosecutions left her job in May 2008.

The Brumby Government has ruled out an inquiry.

This month, Mr Rapke told broadcaster Jon Faine that he did not have a sexual relationship with Ms Karamicov, but refused to answer on Friday when asked if he had had a sexual relationship with her in the past.

The conflict inside the OPP has been the subject of rumour and innuendo in the legal district for months.

"He (Mr Rapke) is acting as though this is just something inside the office - it's not, it's the talk of Lonsdale St," one source said.

Victorian Government Solicitor John Cain, who interviewed the solicitors after concerns about their appointments as associate crown prosecutors were raised with Attorney-General Hulls, declined to answer questions about Mr Silbert's letter.

Mr Hulls also declined to answer questions.

Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu called on Mr Hulls to order an inquiry.

"There must now be an investigation extending not only to what has gone on in the DPP's office, but also to what Rob Hulls knew and when, and what his role has been in attempting to cover up this crisis," he said.

campbelljam@heraldsun.com.au

AUSTRALIAN SPIES HAVE LAUNCHED 'HUNDREDS' OF INVESTIGATIONS

BEN PACKHAM HERALD SUN OCTOBER 21

AUSTRALIAN spy agencies are investigating hundreds of potential terrorist threats almost a decade after the World Trade Centre attacks, the nation's top spymaster has warned.

Australia has narrowly avoided many terrorist attacks, former prime minister Kevin Rudd has revealed.

"There have been many near misses," the Foreign Minister said during a parliamentary debate on Australia's military role in Afghanistan. "In fact, many more than the general public is ever likely to know."

ASIO chief David Irvine explained yesterday that the threat against Australia had not faded.

"Al-Qaida and those who share its distorted ideology continue to see Australia as a legitimate target for mass casualty attacks," he said.

"I can tell you that ASIO and its partners at this very time are investigating hundreds of ... counter-terrorism-related matters, which could impact directly on the security of Australia."

The spy chief opened a new counter-terrorism centre in Canberra with Prime Minister Julia Gillard yesterday.

IS IT APPROPRIATE TO OPEN A COUNTER-TERRORISM CENTRE WHEN THE AUSTRALIA GOVERNMENT MAY HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN TERRORIST ACTIVITIES? POST YOUR OPINION BELOW

He said the centre would better co-ordinate counter-terrorism efforts between government agencies, enabling swifter response to deadly threats.

Ms Gillard said terrorism remained the "prime threat" to Australian security.

"We are under no illusions that we live in a dangerous time," she said.

Mr Rudd said there had been an estimated 18,000 post-September 11 terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists - many of them trained in Afghanistan.

"Nine years into this hard war, and six years of continuous Australian military engagement, what is our national mission in Afghanistan today?" he said.

WHY DO AUSTRALIAN POLITICIANS AND MEDIA OUTLETS REFER TO THE AFGHANI INVASION AS A WAR WHILST THEIR AMERICAN COUNTERPARTS CALL IT AN INVASION? POST YOUR OPINIONS BELOW

"Put simply, it is to help protect innocent people, including innocent Australians, from being murdered by terrorists."

Labor and the Coalition have both expressed strong support for the military deployment during this week's Afghanistan debate.

ARE LABOR AND LIBERAL RISKING INNOCENT AUSTRALIAN LIFE BY PANDERING TO AMERICA? IS AMERICA THE WORLD'S LARGEST TERRORIST ORGANISATION? POST YOUR OPINIONS BELOW

But one Labor backbencher broke ranks yesterday, backing a Greens proposal for Parliament to decide when Australian troops were sent to war.

Victorian MP Kelvin Thomson said that the government of the day should have to seek permission from the Parliament before deploying troops.

"It's something the Parliament should have control of, other than in the case of direct attack," he said.

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop urged the Government not to set an artificial timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan.

DO YOU WISH TO DISCUSS THIS AND OTHER "ARTICLES" WITH THE HERALD SUN'S BEN PACKHAM? THEN WHY NOT SEND HIM AN EMAIL?

packhamb@heraldsun.com.au