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Mullet's evidence Refreshing his memory, a "thanks for your efforts" to Mullett from Peter Lalor who was being investigated for leaking the address of a suspect who was later murdered.
Some Police union members have had enough of the rabble rouser, turning up the heat on Mullett who has been damaging the reputation of Victorian Police for years, not just a few months.
Former assistant commissioner Mr Ashby claimed last week that Sen-Sgt Mullett is about to drop explosive material, which will devastate Victoria Police - and possibly the State Government.
Mullett in early 2008 announced his retirement and he might face criminal prosecution, he is a much more dangerous man to the Victorian Labor party, "his union has compiled four years of evidence of corrupt behaviour within the top circles of police and government and is prepared to "name names".
Mullett has always protected his mates in the police union, Ashby solicited the support of Mullett and leaked details to him of investigations into police who may have been involved in the murder of a suspect. Mullett then told another Police union member Rix, who warned Detective Peter Lalor, a person of interest, thereby sabotaging the investigation.
Paul Mullett was suspended from Victoria Police by the Chief Commissioner Nixon on 15th November, he continues to act as the police union representative but has been banned from entering any Victoria Police buildings. He may face criminal charges. Former Premier Bracks made secret deals with "Fish" Mullett, totally violating the Westminster doctrine of the separation of powers.
Premier Brumby has now banned police speaking with Mullett, another breach of the westminster doctrine, but former Premier Bracks made secret deals with Mullett that Brumby refuses to release!
The Liberal Party leader, Mr Ted Baillieu has been denied applications under FOI laws to get information on the "secret deals" and said of recent FOI changes by Premier Brumby, "If this a genuine attempt to reform FoI then they can release the 27 documents, and now we understand a further three documents, associated with the pre-election deal with the police union"
One Premier makes secret deals and his successor bans any police speaking with the person favoured by the former Premier. What is going on in Brumby's Cabinet? He says one thing in public, but behind everyone's back his staff were doing the opposite consulting disgraced police.
Has Brumby asked police to raid the homes of any of his political opponents and critics, he may be linked to a police raid last week on a long standing critic seeking compensation for past wrong-doing by police. This man's equipment, text documentation of his complaint and his computers were illegally taken by police from a country home in Victoria last week, but no charges were laid against this Brumby critic. In another case Brumby immediately leaked confidential details of a complainant about police corruption to police.
The Victorian labor party have trashed the Victorian democracy as far as the Westminster separation of powers is concerned. Secret deals were made between parties who should have nothing to do with other. Mullett demanded apologies from the former Liberal Opposition leader Mr Doyle, he made secret pay deals with former Premier Bracks and the disgraced Assistant Commissioner Noel Ashby stated that he had "direct access to Mr Brumby's office". Disgraced Mr Ashby also had the Premier's support to seize private property for minor traffic offences and error prone saliva drug testing of drivers.
The former police media director Stephen Linnell (resigned) has leaked information to Mr Brumby's adviser Sharon McCrohan about Office of Police Integrity hearings. The former Assistant Commissioner Noel Ashby passed on information from former media director Steven Linnell to the Police Union Secretary, who passed it on to another policeman, who warned Detective Sergeant Peter Lalor "Kit Walker" that he was being investigated for murder. Both Ashby and Linnell have resigned in disgrace, as soon as they resigned, they are no longer able to be investigated by OPI. Criminal charges should be laid against both these men as leaks of confidential information by them may have helped Detective Peter Lalor to evade detection and circumvent an investigation into his possibly criminal activities.
What would you do if you had a complaint about criminal police who had committed assaults and battery? Writing to the Victorian Premier John Brumby, could endanger your life as he has already passed on the private information from a complainant to the police minister! Despite being asked to keep a complaint confidential, Premier Brumby, immediately passed on confidential information to police who were the subject of the complaint, endangering the life of the complainant with arrogant abandon. The person who made the complaint (whose confidentiality we will respect) then complained about the breach of his privacy by the Premier and received the reply below.
GRAHAM HILL the Director of the Premier's Legal Branch tried to justify the breach of privacy by Premier Brumby's Office which has potentially placed a complainant's life in danger, writing to him stating:
"An organisation must not use or disclose personal information". Privacy Principle 2.1. (C) specifically refers to releasing information on matters "not sensitive information". Clearly complaints against criminal police are of a sensitive nature, especially in the Victorian context when witnesses against alleged criminal police have been murdered! The complainant requested that Premier Brumby keep such information confidential, which he did not do.
Premier Brumby seems to consider that personal information and privacy laws do not apply to him, he refuses to investigate police and political corruption with a Royal commission, he has placed this complainant's life in danger by informing police who are the subject of the complaint of the complainant's personal details. Victorians have been murdered by police for giving evidence against them, the Hodsons and many others even 18 years later Victorians rightly fear giving evidence against criminals in Victoria Police who bashed suspects. You cannot trust Premier Brumby to keep personal information private or to protect the lives of complainants against Police in Victoria.
The Federal Privacy Commissioner would probably say that it is a state matter not in their jurisdiction, but it would be with their powers under the Telecommunications Act 1977 Division 3 for passing on a confidential email. What point is there in making complaints about criminal police to a Premier's Office which has made secret deals with police?
It has happened before, critics of Victoria Police corruption like Raymond Hoser have had their books removed from Victorian bookshops by Victoria Police. The Victoria police culture is so corrupt, they prevent critics exposing the corruption.
The police media propaganda unit has more staff (101) than the Office of Police Integrity (97). Unlike every other media outlet they have no mention of the two most senior members forced to resign and a third suspended for leaking information that may have facilitated a murder and let the possibly criminal police involved know they were being investigated. The labor government and Victoria Police are more concerned with releasing propaganda based positive stories on police, than they are with the truth and dealing with ubiquitous Victorian police corruption. The Victorian government and Victoria police are more concerned with presenting false appearances than they are with ensuring the force is honest. The former police propaganda merchant Steven Linnell who was forced to resign. Inspector Glenn Weir who was in charge of the police media unit has been suspended.
Why does the police media unit have so many staff and it's own completely biased media reporters? Some other major world papers invite real reporters to media conferences or even to take up space in thier headquarters. Some of the biased police propaganda released in the last few years, Media spin, propaganda and lies to the public of Victoria.
Today Monday 5th November 2007, this website's editorial received hits from search engines by Victoria Police searching for Raymond Hoser.
203.25.230.150 - - [04/Nov/2007:23:03:42 -0600] "GET /Editorial04.html HTTP/1.1" 200 117604 "http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=raymond+hosier&btnG=Search&meta=" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)"
Raymond no longer lives in Victoria, he wrote books published in other states which detail corruption in Victorian Police, Victoria Police physically removed Raymond's books from some Victorian bookshops. They try and stifle all criticism no matter how well founded it is. It is no surprise to see that the contemporaneous relevance of searches for Raymond Hoser, Victoria Police have a new attempt to stifle another critic and police corruption whistle blower Andrew Fraser.
Andrew Fraser was a well know and respected Melbourne criminal defence barrister before he became involved in a heavy cocaine habit. Police bugs in his legal chambers revealed involvement with drug importers. Andrew served four years jail in maximum security. the disbanded drug squad, who investigated Andrew have been convicted for corruption but received shorter sentences. Apart from his addiction Andrew still retained many ethical values and a concern that a group of Victoria Police officers were corruptly involved in the drug trade. Fearing reporting his complaint to Victoria Police, he informed the National Crime Authority who promptly informed Victoria Police even through they were asked not to reveal the information to the corrupt force involved.
Upon his release Andrew has written a book which details some of the drugs and corruption of the police and judiciary. Will he be allowed to publish it? Other barristers like National Crime Authority chairman Peter Faris QC have been ostracized by the legal profession for claims of drug taking solicitors. Reporting on corruption in the courts or solicitors is not tolerated in Victoria, it is a crime Bringing the courts or solicitors into disrepute. Raymond Hoser scandalizing the courts. The more substantial the abuse, the more likely you can be convicted for scandalizing the courts.
Premier Brumby has resisted attempts to gain information under weak freedon of Information Laws. The Victorian State government has been involved in secret deals and cover-ups. They have been hiding information from the public but were on December 5th ordered to release documents in the public interest. Louise Asher who made an FOI application for the Major Projects Quarterly Performance" reports said. "This Government's behaviour with regard to FoI applications shows that we in fact live in a secret state". The secrets go beyond protecting mismanagement of public resources into criminal corruption of a Westminster democracy.
Former Police Minister Andre Haermeyer, is accused with the digraced former Commissioner Ashby of having charges dropped against a female friend. Where does it end the corruption of this former democracy? Charges against political friends are dropped, what is yet to be revealed about false charges being made against critics of the Bracks/Brumby labor government? Even the police union in a an extraordinary backflip is calling for a corruption investigation which does not end at the door of Victorian labor politicians.
The only reason that Victorian Premier Brumby refuses to hold a Royal Commission into corruption is because he and his predecessor are both implicated as being involved in hidden economic mismanagement as well as political and police corruption in Victoria. Premier Brumby in public consulted the disgraced Mr Ashby for his advice on road laws and what else in private? Did Ashby drop any charges against other labor friends or manufacture charges against Labor critics? Mr Ashby was secretly bugged bragging about his close relationship with Labor political heavyweight Colin Radford, Ashby claimed Mr Radford was one of his sources and that he had an informer in Brumby's office who had previously worked for the Former Labor police minister Andre Haermeyer who was advancing Noel Ashby for the most senior position of Chief Commissioner of Police, he would wouldn't he, while Ashby was protecting his friends from criminal charges.
Mr Radford has a close relationship with Premier John Brumby. He is the chief of staff to the current Finance Minister Tim Holding "Twinkle Twinkle", as in little star, is Mr Holding's nickname, Twinkle Twinkle was formally the police minister. In another bugged conversation, Mr Ashby said that Deputy Commissioner Simon Overland had "got something" over Victoria's top public servant. Mr Ashby said that Mr Radford stated he had a promise from Brumby that he was going to be appointed to a plum job.
Why did Bracks resign? What else is Premier Brumby hiding? What other promises and secret deals has Brumby made?
The corrupt Victorian police state is supported and maintained by Premier Brumby who refuses to investigate corruption and will not release details of the secret deal made with the police union leader Paul Mullett by his predecessor Premier Bracks.
A senior judicial figure should lead the OPI. Mr Jones has called for the next watchdog chief to be a senior judicial figure with "the necessary legal and forensic skills and experience" and to broaden the scope of the state's anti-corruption framework to include public servants and politicians
The Victorian Premier John Brumby is still refusing to establish an anti-corruption commission with broad powers to investigate other public office holders, including members of Parliament. The Changes to Office of Police Integrity are cosmetic changes splitting the roles of the Director of Police Integrity and the Ombudsman, now performed by the same person, George Brouwer. Victoria should set up a permanent and broadly based commission, such as those in NSW, Queensland and Western Australia.
Steven Bracks was a slightly embarrased Premier with some of the guests early in his term, some well known persons like Mick Gatto paid $1,000 a head to have dinner with Bracks at a labor party fundraising evening. What access did the poor have to government? They could not pay the bill for a Bite with Bracks. Towards the end of his term as Premier, Bracks raised the price of a ticket to have dinner with him to $7,000 per person!
Victoria Police command (Christine Nixon and Simon Overland) were not surprised by claims corrupt officers had formed syndicates with links to organised crime. But Nixon and Overland have both denied levels of corruption for years and Overland wanted the public to give up their rights so his job would be easier, Simon stated in 2004 that "Tackling crime will mean a sacrifice of some civil liberties" What a rotten joke on Victorians, former Premier Bracks abolished civil liberties at the request of police command, yet some of the state's worst criminals are former and serving police. Victoria police have always demanded more powers, but they have never been accountable for crimes by dishonest police. Some of the crime syndicates, are "intergenerational" and date back decades, they are being run from outside the force by corrupt former officers. The Office of Police Integrity has no powers to investigate crooked police if they are no longer serving members of the force, another sudden resignation!
At least a few of the worst thugs who get leaks (there should be no leaks) about pending investigations and suddenly resign will be out of the public's way, but the crime they are running from outside the force continues on... A Royal Commission is vital to properly tackle police corruption in Victoria.
The current deficient structure of the OPI is the responsibility of Victorian Premiers Bracks and Brumby. The director of the Office of Police Integrity, OPI Mr Brouwer has had to wear two hats he is also the ombudsman, an admirable man of the highest integrity trying to cope with two jobs. He and his brave OPI crew continue to do a great job working against a very difficult and obstructive police culture which vilifies police internal affairs investigators as "rats". A good police force culture should welcome Mr Brouwer and his crew, but George has never reveived the full support of or been properly resourced by the state government. George Brouwer said "some police had acted as judge and jury, determining guilt and meting out punishment." "OPI investigators found repeated instances of force used to extract confessions and of officers lying on oath to get convictions". If you want to experience extreme peer group pressure including intimidation from bullies and criminals with guns who call themselves police, try working with George in the OPI!
Victorians should all admire the psychological courage and fortitude of OPI police! Simon Illingworth's accounts are chilling reading. A small minority of individuals can stand up to this level of peer group pressure, more is the pity that such men are not supported in their efforts to clean up Victoria police by a state government whose former leader made secret deals with bullies in the police union behind everyone's back. Secret deals with a bully calling for the OPI to be disbanded, deals that involved promises of unlimited legal funds to protect police from prosecution by the OPI, even if police are convicted of a crime well outside their official duties, they pay no legal fees, guilty police pay no legal fees. That must have been very disheartening for the OPI. Everyone is with good reason scared to give evidence against dishonest criminal police, they can kill you and claim it was self defence (hidden guns found in station roofs), they are experienced in court procedures and presenting evidence and they have unlimited legal funds. It is a testament to some fine "policemen" that OPI have had some success in some cases.
The OPI are metaphorically and literally stabbed in the back by both sides, vilified by police they are investigating and deceived by the state labor government who made secret deals with the "rabble rousing" bullies. A two-faced labor government under-resourcing the best police and making secret deals with the bullies which perpetuates the current culture.
Politicians like Premiers Bracks and Brumby have refused to investigate criminal police with an Royal commission that could also consider political corruption, former Premier Bracks secretly sought the support of police and has given Victoria Police the broadest powers of any force in Australia. All civil liberties have been thrown out the window to support demands of a rotten police force culture and the Bracks/Brumby government not only stands by indolently after witnesses against dishonest police, the Hodsons are murdered in their beds, they secretly solicit the support of the "rabble rousing" police and capitualate their electoral responsibilities to the people by asking police "What new laws would you like, what new weapons do you need, how much of a pay increase would you accept?"
In Victoria, the biggest illicit drug dealers are working with the support of serving and former police, they cannot be prosecuted, citizens cannot complain about the dealers or the police who protect them, labor politicians seek support from and protect themselves and Victoria police. Any Westminster notions of democracy or a separation of Parliament from the police has been completely abandoned. Even in the public media the ignorance of Premier Brumby on democratic principles is evident when he was asking former Traffic Commissioner Noel Ashby what new laws he wanted.
In the commercial media the farce is presented that Victoria is tough on drugs, the reality is that it is very tough on recreational individual drug users, illicit drug dealers who pay police are immune from prosecution.
Politicians supporting these criminal syndicates are exempt from scrutiny. Kelvin Thompson's reference for Tony Mockbell was a public mistake in paperwork that could not be hidden, the tip of an iceberg as far as the entire labor party goes.
What secret deal did Brumby make with former Premier Bracks? That no investigation will cover gangland links with current and former labor politicians?
Bracks abused democratic processes to seek support from the Police union for his electoral ambitions. He was only caught out by leaks from one honest policeman John Noonan who exposed his secret deals. What other corruption of our democracy has former Premier Bracks been involved in apart from setting himself up in a highly paid one day a week job with a company KPMG who he awarded contracts to worth $60 million to when he was Premier?
Bracks did not resign "just ahead of the posse" as some dishonest police have been doing, Premier Brumby looks to have promised former Premier Bracks that there will be no posse investigating political corruption. The current Premier Brumby is perpetuating the culture of political corruption which ensures his political friends will never be investigated! Brumby would not release the details of the former Premier's secret deals with Victoria Police.
The changes made by Brumby to the Office of Police Integrity are mere window dressing. They fall short of protecting the state from corruption said Federal Labor MP and former frontbencher Gavan O'Connor. Mr O'Connor accused Mr Brumby of "tinkering at the edges" of corruption. Brumby looks to have made secret deals with former Premier Bracks. The same old labor villains. Brumby, a Bull in a China shop.
Bob Falconer, former chief commissioner of Western Australia and deputy commissioner of Victoria, said police officers who resigned "just ahead of the posse" were beyond the legal reach of Victoria's Office of Police Integrity, he said Brumby's changes were "a half-way measure". Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu said "This simply reflects that we do not have a body in Victoria which can adequately examine issues of corruption across the public sector on a broad basis". Mr Brumby said a Royal Commission would cost $300 million, but that is a small price to pay for justice, smaller than the labor government's advertising budget. Premier Brumby is protecting labor party politicians who may have links to corrupt police and gangland killers.
Too many people have witnessed the ubiquitous corruption in Victorian Police and the labor parliamentarians. It is not just a few isolated dishonest individuals, the entire force culture is wrong for any democracy, they act as if they were the elected government and all they have to do is request new laws and more power and they get it. How long can Police Command, Christine Nixon and Simon Overland keep the blinkers on like Blind Freddy and remain in such a rotten dishonest Victorian police culture? The best thing Nixon and Overland could do for law and order in Victoria would be to resign and support public calls for a Royal Commission to investigate all levels of corruption in Victoria, including serving and former labor politicians like Steven Bracks and also investigate leaks of sensitive information from Premier Brumby's office to police.
The new labor Rudd government seems to have no idea what internet filtering will do to slow down internet connection speeds or any scruples about suppressing free speech. Labor has been warned about becoming defacto internet censors. "It is a gimmick being sold to the public as protecting children". Labor are blindly following the former liberal government proposals becoming internet censors like China or closer to home Fiji's military censorship.
While the former Australian liberal Prime Minister Howard spent public money to have his staff edit Wicki entries on the internet and as well as spending $2 Billion of the public's money on government advertising campaigns, the former communications minister Helen Coonan overnight, with no debate introduced without notice a technologically inept and moronic new censorship bill for the internet, the Communications Amendment Bill 2007. An archive of this Bill for the record before the luddite like Menzies era liberals are expelled from power. Will labor abandon such a Bill? Will there be enough Green Senators to stop such a Bill being passed in the Senate if labor supports such a Bill?
So far Kevin Rudd and labor have shown themselves to have a much higher integrity and concern for social justice than the mean spirited former Howard liberal government. Thanks be to Rudd that Keelty will not be able to impose his narrow minded media censorship on us. Unfortunately the main stream media never mentions Keelty's role in having the Bali nine face death sentences in Bali. Keelty should be sacked, he has no interest in democracy or the rule of law, he wants to control what we can all see and read, he wants to edit material to promote himself in the best light and to silence all, "armchair critics"
Rudd's Kevin 07 website used validated html. Rudd seems to have higher standards but some censorship proposals though well meaning could slow down connection speeds for the entire country. A Howard liberal staf member thanked me for my web reviews but took no action. Rudd's site was much better than Howard's. A review of the Howard government's ministerial sites.
The former liberal Prime Minister John Howard meet with religious sects for electorial support! To fund such religious schools which teach "creation science" is in my opionion an abuse of children to deliberately or ignorantly impoverish children's education. What a shame for Australian education. One recent study sets a benchmark for labour to improve on in communication and education. Only 3% of Primary school children's time in school is spent on science! Voila. What improvement will we see on this figure under labour?
Rudd has in a few short weeks changed mean spirited detention laws and committed Australia to greenhouse gas emission reductions. It appears that under Rudd, Australia is becomming a more ethical and upstanding international citizen.
Rudd has many good points and good responsive ministers and quickly implemented a code of conduct. Other less worthy state Premiers sought to borrow a false credibility supporting a code they have breached on a daily basis. Religious vilification.
One thing important for the future of education and communication technology they need to do is to not financially support religion. A secular "real" education supports scientific method, evolutionary discoveries as a means of discovering facts about biology, anatomy and that all phyla of animals are related. Faith and beliefs of any religion cannot be supported by the state if we are to promote rational argument as a means of providing an education of international standing in the modern scientific world. To allow religion into education is the death of knowledge and scientific discovery of facts about the world. Russian beliefs in a "Lamarkian" version of evolution where strong crops were thought to hand down genes for growth. Evolution does not work like that, by a type of parental striving.
Broadband & Digital economy. Using validated code.
The UK have more validated and accessible websites than Australia. The UK has higher IT standards than Australia, something I proved after months of study prompted statements by the former Minister of State Gary Nairn that Australia was a world leader in e-governance. Gary was wrong, Australia does not" as Gary Nairn claimed "lead the world in e-governnance. The benchmark to beat would be UK government sites, but also consider the highest Australian university standards like Griffith University, Melbourne and Monash and other Universities who understand web publishing.
To achieve international excellence religious influences need to give unto science, what is due to science.
Helen Coonan and now the new Labor Minister Conroy both plan to introduce draconian new Censorship laws. Coonan at the 12th hour of the Howard government's term was acting with no consultation to try and stop Australians seeing content not in line with Howard's spin doctors. Now the new Labor government are doing the same thing to suppress free speech. The former liberal government said the bill was intended to block phishing and terrorism websites along with other online criminal activity, but there are already Terrorism laws to cover that, this bill goes much further and allows the Police Commission to block any site he "believes" is crime related. There is no stipulation even that it must be a reasonable belief. What Keelty believes is hardly relevant to reporting so that the populace can discover what is really going on in Australian governments.
From the Communist Party Website "This turns ISPs and phone companies into accessories to Howard's attack on democratic rights. If they do not comply they could be shut down as some web pages have already been closed. The laws will also allow authorities to track internet conversations and will officially be able to do their spying for up to three months without obtaining a warrant. Just before the three month period is up they can drop the spying and then resume for another three months of spying after a short recess".
One Australian website Indymedia was threatened in 2005, that it would be closed down if it did not remove a Swastika like parody of the Centrelink logo used by a social commentator Jason Pickett. Jason was not threatened by federal police for running a crime related website, but by Joe Hockey when he was the Human Services minister. Centreflunk is run as a free service for aggrieved Centrelink clients, Jason made a artistic parody of the Centrelink logo into a swastika Centreflunk. Centreflunk provides a one stop commentary on everything bad about the corrupted democratic ties between the Federal government and the social security system. Centreflunk reports on many under-reported and hidden social topics, for example that Centrelink had requested that Federal Police be given powers to raid the homes of Centrelink clients! The Federal Police could not cope with the work, so their request was denied, but Centrelink have no right to even request such ultra vires actions in the Australian democracy. Is this sort of information liable to be censored by Bill Keelty with his new powers? In conjunction with Victoria Police, Centrelink have also been setting up road blocks stopping commercial drivers to interrogate them on their income to try and make sure they were not illegally receiving Centrelink benefits. Joe Hockey bragged about this as being a good thing. It is fine to catch welfare cheats, but not at the cost to democracy of abandoning the Westminster system of the separation of powers.
The same type of political corruption is happening in the Northern Territory, police are acting with Centrelink to abuse Australians, but only black Australians, whites abusing their children are exempt from scrutiny and the Racial Discrimination Act was circumvented to perpetrate this abuse on black Australians. The only parliamentary voice against it was the Green's Bob Brown, labor capitulated with the liberal's injustice.
In an Australian democracy, police should be investigating fraud reported to them by Centrelink, not acting with them in cahoots. Centrelink really are out of control, they behave more like a Nazi style police force wanting to raid suspects homes, rather than being providers of a welfare system in a democracy.
Joe Hockey's Centrelink staff threatened to close Indymedia down if they did not remove the Centreflunk page which Indymedia was forced to do, thankfully for Australia, Centreflunk has re-surfaced on another server. Aggrieved clients and critics of the government's social security system and it's administration by Centrelink, can still have a public voice. Thanks to Centreflunk.
Hockey has also been attacking Sydney University's John Buchanan for his research on the impact of workchoices policies.
Hockey also threatened Heretic Press with a defamation action for naming Centrelink staff involved in retrospective child care assessments. If Hockey would do this to valid criticism of Howard's unjust social policies enacted though Centrelink, what sort of sites will the Police Commissioner be placing on a blacklist, very reminiscent of the McCarthy era in America of banning anyone with different political viewpoints. In Australia we are moving towards a similar situation where Only Federal Police approved websites will be allowed to be viewed by Australians.
This censorship by police and ACMA is another corruption of the Westminster doctrine of the separation of powers for ACMA and the Federal Police Commissioner to have the powers of a court? Police are supposed to bring law breakers before a court, but in this case with ACMA, they are the court and no appeal is possible to any other authority. Another corruption of democracy and the rule of a just law in Australia.
Federal Police will inform the ACMA of websites to be blocked. Can we trust Federal Police to make judgements about what we can all see. How about comments on the Bali nine who federal police had arrested in Bali Denpasar International Airport on April 17 just prior to boarding a flight to Sydney, some of them are on death row?
ISPs will be required to "take reasonable steps" to block such sites. It does not appear that there is any provision for a website owner to appeal against an order by ACMA or Federal Police black-listing them. There is no appeals process at all! Sites can change overnight and many different sites can be hosted on one IP address. Many innocent webpages could be black-listed in this manner.
While ISPs check requests for every webpage against the black-list, all internet service to Australians will be slowed down. The larger the black-list gets, the slower internet access will be. Australians could have cable and broadband internet connections which are slower than a dialup phone line, because every request for a page must be checked by groaning ISP servers wading through a list of black-banned sites which could have millions of entries. Coonan and Conroy are not conversant with the technological limitations of their censorship plan for Australians. Those poor ISPs will all need to invest in major hardware updates to have any hope of compliance and still provide a reasonable service. Coonan and Conroy's censorship plans will impede faster internet connections for every Australian and a 10 year old child could circumvent any effort to block certain content "deemed" to be offensive.
Major search engines will still have cached versions of such black-listed pages which is well beyond the control of the repressive luddite like Australian government, unless they demand search engines cooperate with them like Rupert Murdoch or Google have pandered to the Chinese government to remove content they do not like. Yahoo Jerry Yang, chief executive of Yahoo, was told that he was a "moral pygmy" for supplying China with information to jail a dissident for ten years. Yahoo will now pay damages having had a change of heart. There were many more dissidents in Chinese jails because of American companies' co-operation with the Chinese government. Most of these internet commercial interest have no ethical values at all, not a moral fibre between them, they will capitulate with any government authority, no matter how harsh and brutal it is.
You could always try using a proxy server to access such sites. It demonstrates how little Communications ministers Coonan and Conroy understand the internet and how domineering they are to try and control the flow of free information. A ludicrous joke on all Australian internet users. Senator Coonan has also wasted $150 Million of public money trying to instill fear into parents of who their children may be communicating with online. A fear campaign with a colour brochure sent to every home in Australia.
Ironically for all the emphasis they have on internet censorship they will not comply with the 1992 Disability Discrimination Act concerning making government websites accessible for blind Australians using a screen reader who can only use a keyboard to access the internet. The former Liberal Special Minister of State Gary Nairn incorrectly stated that, "Australia leads the world in e-governance, but I proved that was incorrect with an international audit comparing government websites in the UK, USA and Australia. The peak government body responsible for government internet sites AGIMO have no idea what internet publishing legal standards are or what quality web publishing is all about, they gave awards for excellence to many sites which have broken html code and are totally inaccessible for the blind.
For less than the cost of a parliamentary lunch I offered to made Howard's website and the Centrelink website conform with the 1992 Disability discrimination Act to allow blind Australians keyboard access. Howard's site also fails to comply with discrimination laws, is that sort of information also due to be censored as well as unfounded defamation actions being made against aggrieved Centrelink clients. Instead of complying with federal laws, Howard and others now all have inaccessible MySpace profiles.
In Victoria, we already have the Racial and Religious Vilification laws of Hymie the robot Bracks to contend with, which prevents free speech on race or religion despite the false comfort and assertions of VHEOC to me. What hope will ISP's have of filtering content and what a genius the Federal Police Commissioner will have to be to decide what is good for us to see and what will be blocked?
OH NO, the Federal Police Commissioner is Mick Keelty, an ex-Victorian policeman who misused a tip-off from the father of one of nine drug smugglers to allow Bali police to arrest nine drug smuggling Australians at a Bali airport bound for Australia. Instead of arresting them in Australia where we do not have the death penalty, the "Bali nine" were arrested in Bali at the airport when they were bound for Australia and some of them are facing a death sentence. Keelty seemed too pre-occupied with Bali friends investigating murders as being more important than Australian lives. He dismissed criticism of his actions as being from "armchair critics". Will he blacklist and silence "armchair critics" with his proposed new powers from Senator Coonan?
Federal police could have arrested the Bali nine in Australia, but Mick Keelty was too interested in other matters and crimes against Australians to be protecting stupid young criminal Australians from a death penalty in Bali. Keelty has also repeatedly denied there is any Federal police corruption. Mr Keelty is not a judge and jury, he should not be given powers to be the defacto internet censor.
Internet Legal Forum For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
Senator Coonan with Joe Hockey has been spending public money to threaten unfounded defamation and breach of copyright actions against websites for internet reporting by aggrieved Centrelink clients like Centreflunk and a Heretic Press author. AT least $15,000 of taxpayers money spent by Centrelink against websites with the vague instructions of "Draft and send letter". FOI request to find out what other sums have been spent to threaten websites have been refused by the FOI officer Kerry Terry.
Do we need to quote Voltaire yet again in this compromised democracy. "I disagree with what you say, but defend to the death your right to say it" A Human Rights Act also has legal force in Victoria, see Page 15 on Freedom of Expression.
The Australian Privacy Foundation chair Roger Clarke expressed disbelief. Green Senator Kerry Nettle said the Bill would give the Police Commissioner "enormous power over what political content Australians can look at" on the web. Federal Senator Nettle said, "Environmental organisations such as Greenpeace had been accused of crime or terrorism-related actions". "Will the Police Commissioner call for Greenpeace's website to be shut down?" possibly hereticpress.com as well as we have published critical comment on the Howard government's IT luddite like policies, published educational material on evolution which may breach ridiculous Victorian Vilification laws, corrected historical information on the Eureka Stockade and critised ubiquitous police corruption in Victoria which is supported by the Victorian Brumby labor government. The Federal labor party have been silent and mute in opposing this censorship! If it were not for the Greens, there would no opposition at all. Vote Greens in the 2007 election, they are the only real alternative.
Police have a difficult job already, but no matter how hard they may be trying to combat terrorism, I do not want Mick Keelty telling me what I can and cannot read or what I cannot publish. We already have anti-terrorism and sedition laws making it illegal to incite a rebellion or to praise terrorist acts. One man's terrorist may later be someone else's Nobel peace prize winner like Nelson Mandella.
Victoria Police on the 13th September 2007, for the first time acknowledged what Blind Freddie has known for years, they have know it themselves for at least the last five years, that corrupt police are linked with underworld murders. Sergeant Peter Lalor and ex-detective David Waters are both being investigated for links to gangland murders. Detective Sergeant Peter Lalor, is a prominent police union delegate who has campaigned against the state's ineffective police watchdog is under investigation. The Office of Police Integrity (OPI), was created by the Government in late 2004 and many rabble rousing police have campaigned against it, like the Union Secretary Paul Mullett.
Sergeant Peter Lalor was at the 2004 Eureka anniversary celebrations perhaps in a misguided historically incorrect belief in the reflected glory of his Eureka Stockade ancestor and name-sake Peter Lalor who was really a bit of a scoundrel, certainly he was "no democrat" and much worse if the testimony of James and Catherine Bentley is taken into account. Sergeant Lalor know as "Kit Walker" by Mullett was also being investigated for writing emails to denigrate an opponent of Mullett attacking one of Mr Mullett's rivals on the union board, Janet Mitchell.
Victoria Police have always campaigned against being investigated by OPI or anyone else, they always have since the Eureka Stockade and after that the police strike of 1923 was because they refused to be supervised by plain clothed "spooks", that is why a Royal Commission is needed into corruption, the blokey bully culture does not allow them to self censure themselves they cannot and will not investigate themselves and they will not cooperate with OPI. A Royal Commission is also needed to reach beyond police corruption into gangland criminal connections with serving and former labor politicians. Police demands for more weapons and greater numbers has made Victoria, the over-policed-state with more police per kilometre than any other Australian state. Why did former Premier Bracks resign again?
Police should not be given more powers as the Law reform Commission is recommending, giving sergeants the powers of a judge. More powers should only be given with more accountability and only within the context of a Westminster separation of powers. It seems that the Brumby government approves of this bias from the Law Reform Commission. Attorney-General Rob Hulls also announced the appointment of prominent lawyer Iain Ross as a judge of the County Court. Dr Ross, a partner with Corrs Chambers Westgarth, has been a part-time commissioner at the Victorian Law Reform Commission since 2003.
Premier Brumby dismissed calls for a Royal Commission demanded by many Victorians from the Liberal Party, the Nationals, Greens, the DLP, Victoria's major newspapers and "almost every expert commentator".
Bracks and Brumby have both been informed of police corruption many times before by brave Victorian police like Karl Konrad, Simon Illingworth, Bill Patten, or Lauchlan McCulloch to name just a few who the public have heard about. These men are brave whistleblowers who have all had to stand alone against dishonest police. They all had inside knowledge and should not have been ignored. It must have been extremely difficult for these good people to behave so ethically under extreme pressure from accomplished bullies. Sergeants "X" and "Z". The men standing against men such as sergeants "X" and "Z" are the real heroes and there is no place for honest men in a dishonest Victorian police force. They all stood alone vilified by criminals in Victoria Police, Simon Illingworth was bashed and vilified as a "Filthy Rat" for all his efforts. These men all stood alone. One man Standing with no support from the Bracks/Brumby government. Another former police union member turned whistleblower, Mr Kos needed 24 Hour protection from members of the police union!
A Former Victorian deputy police commissioner Mr Newnham has renewed his attack on the Victorian Police force for refusing to thoroughly investigate his allegations that his son was framed by corrupt officers. Noel Newnham said it was "manifestly plain that several serious criminal offences have been committed" by police officers. Mr Newnham like so many others is calling for an independent corruption commission to hold Victoria Police accountable. Mr Newnham, retired as Victoria's deputy commissioner in 1989 to become Queensland's police commissioner and help clean up that state's force after the Fitzgerald inquiry. Brumby will not do the right thing by Victorians.
A few suggestions for the recruitment process. Work colleagues can easily corrupt many if not most individuals. Good people doing bad acts, the Lucifer Effect. Victorian guards bashing prisioners and "that's coming from a woman". The bravest and most honest police are vilified by a culture of corruption by the majority of corrupt Victorian Police. "I am happy that someone has finally acknowledged these issues of ostracism and resentment faced by a number of Ceja investigators", said Bill Patten.
It appears that the negative attitudes of police to corruption investigators is a learned behaviour that could be managed better with some contingent reinforcement schedules. A deterrant for bad behaviour is missing, there is no swiftness and certainty of detection which is needed"Absent Sir, even at the training academy, there is no negative reinforcement for criminal behaviour by police. Bullying in police training at the Academy. They rarely arrest themselves, they have been know at the highest level of Assistant Commissioner to have (Ashby Mullett Rix) sabotagged investigations into possibly criminal behavious by their colleagues. They almost never "dob" (turn whistelblower) on each other. Dobbing is often considered "un-Australian" whatever that is, recruits needs to be rewarded for "dobbing" and they should receive some negative reinforcement or punishment for allowing corrupt collegaues to go unchallenged. A possible exercise for the academy:
The compliant weak personality types who are easily controlled by their colleagues should be weeded out in the early stages. At the Police training academy among the fresh faced recruits, plant half-a-dozen trusted graduates to stay on from the previous graduated class, have them behave as if they are also new recruits. Give them a special certificate from the Chief Commissioner to allow the possession of a small quantity of drugs for training purposes. Let them mingle with the new recruits and be seen to be consuming drugs. Let them encourage others to participate with them in illegal activity. Find out which new recruits will go along with the crime or cover up for other recruits. Earnestly question all the recruits, they have seen anything illegal going on since joining the academy? How many will tell the truth? How many have the courage of a Karl Konrad to struggle aginst an entrenched culture of cover-ups and denial of wrongdoing by colleagues?
This indoctrination into the culture of corruption and the vilification of anti-corruption investigators seems to start very early at the Victoria Police training academy. ostracism of anti-corruption investigators working as instructors at the Victoria Police academy. Some suggestions for the recruitment process.
Many honest and brave police with inside knowledge acknowledge the deep-seated corruption in Victoria Police, it must extend to politicians. Why else would an honest state Premier let Victorian witnesses against police like Hodson be murdered, possibly by criminals linked to Victoria Police, but Premier Brumby refuses to do anything about it.
What political dishonesty is Brumby hiding? A Royal Commission would only cost about $100 million, only about 20% of the Victorian government's $500 million waste of taxpayer's money spent on government advertising. Are Gangland murderers linked to corrupt police and state Labor Politicians? Why did Bracks resign?
Has Brumby made any secret deals with police like his predecessor Bracks?
Former West Australian chief commissioner and Deputy Victorian commissioner Bob Falconer said the revelations were evidence of the need for an independent corruption commission. He said, a body similar to the Western Australia Corruption and Crime Commission would be able to investigate not just police but also the broader public sector, including politicians. Only a dishonest politician with something to hide would resist such an investigation.
Bob Falconer said that:
"You have to ask yourself: what does this Government have to hide?" Mr Baillieu the opposition leader said. Time to unleash a crime watchdog. A notorious Melbourne criminal like Tony Mockbell appears to have had political friends like Kelvin Thompson.
Eleven years ago, Mr Brumby when he was a more principled man he also supported a Royal Commission into police corruption. In 1997 Brumby wrote to the civil liberties Union:
It is Brumby's responsibility to make sure the murders of Victorians are properly investigated and not by police who may be involved. He cannot preserve the status quo of deep-seated corruption and claim any honour in his position while he refuses to do anything about the murder of Victorians! Victorians have everything to fear from a Premier like Brumby, a man who has lost all his former ethical values. He has been aided and abetted by former Premier Bracks and the Attorney General Rob Hulls, they have removed many of the people's fundamental legal and democratic rights; the Westminster doctrine of the separation of powers, free speech, the right to cross-examine witnesses, freedom of movement around the state, error prone saliva testing, academic corruption paid for by police and even the right to own private property.
There is no right to exist in peace in the Police State of Victoria. A complaint against police can be a death warrant for any Victorian even internal affairs police trying to combat the corruption.
The Victorian police disciplinary system is inefficient, archaic and favours officers who misbehave, the police integrity watchdog has found. "Misbehave" is a mild mannered way of talking about police bashing Victorians, planting evidence and perjury. "At the same time, the removal of corrupt or incompetent members is far too difficult" Mr Brouwer report stated. Whatever the problems are you cannot blame the OPI head Mr Brower, his honesty and integrity is appreciated by most Victorians except the state government which made secret deals with the biggest police bully in the state, the Police Union Secretary "Fish" Mullett.
Guilty police are not even chastised for bashing Victorians and police acting outside their legal duty manage to get away Scott free without paying any damages in compensation. An external whistle blower like solicitor Mark Morgan wishes he'd kept his mouth shut in court in 2002 concerning police who bashed his client Corina Horvath. "Victims remain uncompensated for their dreadful injuries and the pain and suffering caused to them. And the police remain undisciplined and still employed by Victoria Police".
Some witness are reluctant to give evident or were intimidated to change their evidencea gainst criminals in Victoria Police, some fear giving evidence even 18 years later after witnessing extreme police brutality.
Mark is grateful that his barrister, Dyson Hore-Lacy, last week paid back $100,000 of the fees he received and has promised to pay another $100,000. Well done Dyson Hore-Lacy.
Ms Horvath, Mr Love and two other people successfully sued four officers in 2001. Police and the state were ordered to pay damages of $315,000 for assault, unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution.
But the Court of Appeal set aside the judgement that held the state liable, ruling that under the Police Regulation Act, officers who acted outside reasonable procedures were individually responsible.
The effect of this ruling is that Victorian Police generally own nothing, all their property and assets are in the names of other family members so they are never held accountable financially for anything and they also use this method to hide the proceeds of graft and corruption, kickbacks from drug dealers generally. Show me a Victorian cop who owns their own house and has money in the bank and I will show you an honest cop. What is the percentage of police who own houses compared with any other profession?
Victims of police brutality who do manage to win a case against such brutal police receive nothing.
The Victorian state takes no responsibility for police bashing or killing Victorians.
Ms Horvath has seen none of her awarded damages because one officer is bankrupt and the others claim they have no assets. Three are still in the force. But last Tuesday week, Mr Morgan the solicitor was sentenced after being found guilty of contempt as he could not pay fees he had guaranteed as Mr Horvath did not have the funds to run the case. A generous solicitor is in jail because of these brutal police who go home to the mansions owned by their wives.
Brumby has just promised the Police Union a 13.25% pay increase over the next four years with a promise to cut crime. There will no investigation of how they reach such targets, what they will be prepared to do to set up Victorians to achieve conviction rates. Bashings, planting evidence and threats to take private property under deeming laws have been all been used to gain false conviction rates. The best police have been forced to resign after secret deals were made between Paul Mullett and former Premier Bracks. Other good police like Bill Patten, warned in 2006 that senior police were not properly investigated by Simon Overland's Seja taskforce, but Bill Patten was ignored. He had to resign to even give his story to the media.
Police must be investigated by an external body with wide powers not by an apologists for corruption like Simon Overland and Premier John Brumby, who has failed for years to properly investigate senior corrupt police. A Royal Commission is required as Don Stewart and many others have been calling for, for many years.
A rotten and corrupt element still existed in Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Simon Overland said today. Why does Simon use the past tense of the verb exist? He has denied police are corrupt for years, corruption "exists" today, right now and can only be investigated by an external body, not by serving police officers who have always denied corruption allegations until forced to admit it many years later. A Royal commission could have saved many lives and protected Victorians from corruption, if Bracks had any courage in 2004, Brumby is no better in 2007, Brumby is prepared to sit back and see Victorians murdered by police. A Premier abrogating all responsibility for the lack of integrity of law and order in Victoria Australia. "Would you like to make another call, STOP bleeding all over the place".
With the Federal Liberal Howard government spending almost 2 Billion dollars on advertising and the Bracks/Brumby Victorian State government spending around 600 million, Australian federal and state governments are feasting in an orgy of self indulgence at the taxpayer's expense. The Howard liberal government's Wicki editors work to edit all public broadcasting to conform to their propaganda and spin. Why upset them with real media stories on government and police corruption when they are among the media's largest source of income? The FOURTH estate in a democracy, SOLD OUT for a few hundred million in advertising dollars. The Victorian Labor government trashes all democratic principles and legal rights with complete ignorance and a wild knee-jerk reactionary abandon.
Now that he is in power, Mr Brumby has abandoned all his former ethical values and he now allows gangland murders of Victorians and ubiquitous dishonesty in the Victoria Police force to go unchecked. Two legal standards exist in Victoria, one for members of the Police Union and another more harsh regime exists for all other Victorians. The Police Union stated that police will agree to a "welfare based" drug test trial over the next year. Paul Mullett had said random drug testing was too heavy-handed, "a sledgehammer to crack a nut", but that is what other Victorians must submit too.
Instead of error prone zero tolerance random testing which all Victorian drivers must endure, which requires drivers to give police a blood sample, police will be able to "come forward" for testing. What a nasty joke and fraud this police voluntary welfare testing is.
A double standard. No drug addicted police will "come forward" and even if they do, legislation was to be introduced to amend the Police Regulation Act (1958) to ensure police drug/health records remained confidential". No other Victorians have voluntary welfare testing, no other Victorian have their confidentiality protected.
The most corrupt police force in the country, the Victorian police union is supported by the Brumby labor government again to evade all responsibility. The capitulating media make no mention of the inequities, that the public do not have welfare testing with confidentiality, they must submit to random zero tolerance testing, the sledgehammer Mullett refers to is used on other Victorians but not on police. The Age report makes no reference to what the public must put up with, no mention at all. Some journalists are in bed with the government and the police media unit cannot be trusted at all.
If the commercial media go against the police media unit or question media briefings from Simon Overland, they might not receive police media reports which some lazy network hacks rely on. The police media unit takes no responsibility for disgusting abuses on Victorians, January 2007, not informing patrons at the tennis about a child molester. Some Victorian media have even supported the police bashing of suspects and corruption. A Melbourne radio announcer, Neil Mitchel supported police caught bashing suspects on video. Neil seems to have a more balanced view recently on the hypocrisy of police randomly drug testing drivers but not themselves.
I would rather be doing and writing other things, but if the commercial media will not offer a truthful critical comment on ubiquitous dishonesty and the degradation of democracy in Victoria, I will. Even the ABC is sometimes remiss. The ABC 774 Radio announcer, John Faine attacked the Green's candidate Janet Rice for her comment that Bracks was dishonest. There is plenty of evidence that he was dishonest Mr Fein, his secret deal with the police union is just one shining beacon of his dishonesty. Thankfully many other ABC staff have more courage.
The ABC on 19th February 2007 revealed that the Bracks' secret deal with Union Secretary Paul Mullett also involved promises by the Bracks' government (behind Chief Commissioner Nixon's back) to reimburse the legal fees of police investigated for corruption, no matter whether they are found guilty or innocent. No other Victorian has their legal fees paid by the government, if they are found guilty. More public money given by the corrupt Bracks/Brumby government to defend a rotten dishonest Victorian police force. Guilty Victorian police pay no legal fees.
Police critical incidence testing will test police involved in police shootings or high-speed chases that result in injuries. This move comes years after random testing of drivers and will only involve testing police involved in injuring someone. It is not the same as random drug testing at all and is being introduced after NSW introduced drug testing for police, it should be random drug testing of all police. Some senior police say they believe up to 10 per cent of young officers have used illicit substances. Under the welfare section of the new law, police health records will be protected as confidential to ensure they cannot be used against police who have or are receiving treatment for abuse problems. Other Victorian do not have the same rights to protection and confidentiality.
Given the corruption in the Victorian labor party, it is important to ask if federal labor are any different, if they have any intention of distancing themselves from the Victorian La