http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/were-dudded-on-water-but-no-one-rebels-20091220-l7e2.html

It is tempting for governments to reward most the people who can keep them in power. They do it with tax cuts and subsidies. It is clear that this has increasingly become the modus operandi of the Brumby Government.

The public-private partnership game depends on secrecy, embellished by complexity, which turns away all but the most curious and most obsessed about protecting the public interest. Complexity, which reinforces public apathy, is the favoured tool of rent-seekers of all types.

I can't believe the scale on which Victorians are being dudded.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/rumours-of-singing-jailbird-set-legal-tongues-wagging-20091227-lg95.html

In bars, and behind them, word is that a Mr Big is set to sing to avoid a monster jail sentence.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has long claimed he can identify up to 50 corrupt police he has bribed. He brags his "insurance policy" is a list of their names locked in his lawyer's safe.

The criminal, the story goes, was moved from his maximum-security division to a more comfortable and isolated facility far from prying eyes, wagging tongues and former associates.

In the new prison, the story goes, a makeshift hessian screen was draped around an exercise area to hide the figure's identity. But one man who should know said from within the facility: "He's singing like a bird."

Now who might some of the state government and local government officials involved in corrupt activity be? And what sort of activity might it include - maybe the old chestnut "planning approvals"?

And what about the crooked politicians?



http://www.theage.com.au/national/rumours-of-singing-jailbird-set-legal-tongues-wagging-20091227-lg95.html

Investigators say that if the man opens up (and it remains a big if), he could also implicate state and local government officials, lawyers, bank managers and financial advisers who protected him outside.

Perhaps it was just a preliminary discussion - more an afternoon tea than a hot date - but the story has raced through the criminal justice system. One criminal lawyer suggests the man has named 200 police - but lawyers can rarely be accused of understatement.

I came across this while surfing on the issue of the bankruptcy of two party systems. The whole political system worldwide is rancid and corrupt, politicians are just there the manage dissent on behalf of big business. Here is the intro on this site, you could just replace U.S. with Australia or name your state. It's at least good to see people fighting back. This whole mood against politics is growing worldwide, people have had it with the 'masters of the universe' crap.
http://goooh.com/Home.aspx

"Mission

GOOOH stands for 'Get Out of Our House' and is pronounced like the word 'go'. It is a NON-PARTISAN plan to evict the 435 career politicians in the U.S. House of Representatives and replace them with everyday Americans just like you.

If you are tired of career politicians, GOOOH is for you. If you believe money has corrupted Washington, GOOOH is for you. If you believe politicians have too much power, GOOOH is for you. If you are weary of the death grip the two parties have on our government, and are ready to return control of our government to the people, then GOOOH is for you.

GOOOH is NOT just another political party. It is a system that will allow you and your neighbors to choose, among yourselves, the person who can best represent your district.

GOOOH is an evolving system and your input is requested. The questions are changing based on the feedback of members just like you. Participate in the forums, take the survey, and send us your thoughts. This is YOUR system. We will perfect it with your input.

GOOOH is a new system that will allow "we the people" to select true representatives, not choose between a Democrat and a Republican. If we continue to elect career politicians who represent their party, the special interests that fund them, and themselves, nothing will change. GOOOH is a non-partisan process that will allow us to effect the change we all know we need.

That sounds like our western subs.We had no say on who our rebs are going to be.Stuff the vic branchstacking party.

what a load of horse poo!
Everyone knows that no matter who you elect a politician always wins. There's no such thing as just getting rid of one lot and replacing them with "ordinary" people. "Ordinary people" don't exist.
Sadly, democracy is just the least bad method of government.

horse p;oo wrote:
what a load of horse poo!
Everyone knows that no matter who you elect a politician always wins. There's no such thing as just getting rid of one lot and replacing them with "ordinary" people. "Ordinary people" don't exist.
Sadly, democracy is just the least bad method of government.

Totally disagree, 'ordinary people' do exist, they may over time become co-opted into the existing system but that is is a good reason to not go on supporting parties, political systems that no longer support your community. Don't just weld yourself onto parties like the ALP; or any party for that matter. A politician who knows that their tenure could be very limited is likely to be a lot more honest and a lot more responsive to the community, instead of slavishy managing dissent on behalf of a cynical party. I have the misfortune of seeing close up a youngish 'master of the universe' who is in waiting for a federal seat. He thinks it is his right to be awarded the prize. His life experience consists of student politics at Uni where he learned some branch stacking ways and 'fundraising'. Out of uni with the obligatory Arts degree, into work for a pollie as an ' electorate officer read lots of lattes with property developers and collecting brown paper bags. Then onto a high paid job as a 'media adviser/spokesperson' for a government owned corporation. Then dropped into a union (against the wishes of members and many officials) for his stint as the National Organiser. All of these jobs allow him to go on working very few hours while making sure everyone who needs to be bought is bought and all the money that needs to be rounded up is in the brown paper bags. If you have a good look at federal and state labour most of the losers have a similar history; they are far from ordinary, and they have no real life experience. Their are exceptions such as Senator Gavin Marshall who worked as a sparkie, then actually stood in a hard fought election to get into the ETU leadership and then got selected on merit for the senate. He also has real life, honest to god personal, work, union, community, political experience. Unlike the dickheads I previously described. Anything that even attempts to change the system as it has become gets a tick from me. At least it indicates that political change is afoot, it may take a long time but people have had it with career politicians, and thirty somethings out of university who have never had an honest job in their lives and they don't intend to. I mean, think about someone like Mark Arbib, really, do you think that dishonest branch stacking clown could possibly get to where he has got through hard work and putting himself on the line?

Eventually the corrupt and criminal will pay for their sins, provided people hold them accountable.

Look at the Israeli foreign minister Lipi Schitzy, who cancelled a trip to London recently when she found out there was an arrest warrant waiting for her for war crimes.

Where there's a will there's a way.

http://www.theage.com.au/business/corruption-costs-china-us35bn-20091230-ljwq.html


Corruption costs China $US35bn

DAVID BARBOZA, SHANGHAI
December 31, 2009

Chinese officials misused or embezzled about $US35 billion in government money in 2009, according to an audit.

Chinese officials misused or embezzled about $US35 billion in government money in 2009, according to an audit. Photo: Simon Bosch

CHINESE officials misused or embezzled about $US35 billion in government money in the first 11 months of the year, according to a national audit released this week.

The announcement is the latest indication of how widespread corruption has become among government agencies and how difficult it will be for Beijing to root it out.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/state-transport-ads-bill-55m-20100104-lq5z.html

A DELUGE of television, radio and print ads and outdoor billboards promoting the State Government's recent transport announcements will have cost Victorians $5.5 million by June.

And a musician whose song was a key element of the Government's TV campaign is concerned over how his music has been used.

"I believe in the public transport system and am happy to have my music associated with its promotion, but I don't want my music to be associated with a propaganda campaign," he said.

Oppression in Victoria has been ramped up a notch with the introduction of new police search powers that breach Victoria's Charter of Human Rights.

A Mickey Mouse charter is not a charter at all, and shows that this government has completely lost the plot.

Welcome to Victoria, the corrupt state of oppression!

not just victoria, it's a world trend... money buying politics
going to be an interesting few years coming when we lose everything and end up hiding, slaves or dead... at the hands of government ofcouse

http://www.theage.com.au/national/gatto-denies-bashing-rivals-20100109-m00d.html

The building industry in Victoria has a history of bullying, corruption and stand-over tactics —more than half of all investigations by the industry watchdog, the Australian Building and Construction Commission, relate to incidents in this state.

Eltrax used its own imported Chinese mobile cranes during construction of the 28-storey tower at 670 Chapel Street, which is understood to have breached a five-year contract, recently renewed, between LU Simon and Mr Gatto that Elite Cranes would be used exclusively.

At the Lygon Street cafe, Mr Gatto is said to have made his displeasure clear and demanded compensation for lost revenue: Mr Moschoyiannis and Mr Cicerale would come up with $1 million each. They had a month to hand over the cash.

The demand was "blatant extortion", said one source.

The latest allegations of violence raise concerns about attempts by law enforcement to clamp down on Victoria’s building industry. Despite frequent allegations of corruption and intimidation, the Australian Building and Construction Commission and the $66 million Cole royal commission in 2001 failed to penetrate the industry, with only a few minor prosecutions
over the past decade.

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/selfserving-advertisements-a-shameful-exploitation-of-power-20100110-m0l7.html

ONE of the primary qualifications for being a successful politician in Australia must be to have no shame. You could form such a view just by watching Parliament's question time any day of the week. But for a truly outstanding example, try the Brumby Government's recent use of taxpayers' money for blatantly self-serving advertising under the guise of keeping Victorians informed.

The willingness of politicians to misuse our money in these ways is astounding, partly for the fact that they do it so brazenly in front of us

It is unfortunate for our democracy, such as it is, that politicians do not get more grief than they do for this sort of rank behaviour. For as long as governments can get away with abusing their access to taxpayers' money to increase their PR advantage over Opposition parties, the democratic system is corrupted.

More secret money business from Mr Brumby and his gang.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/myki-trial-one-in-10-overcharged-20100113-m6ze.html

ONE in 10 travellers using myki in regional Victoria last year was charged higher fares than he or she was entitled to, new figures obtained by the State Opposition show.

Users in the six towns paid $1.153 million in fares during the first nine months of operation. Of this, $129,000 came from users who failed to get the lowest fare by not scanning their card as they left a bus.

The Government last night refused to release figures on how many people in Melbourne had been charged the higher "provisional" fare.

A briefing note on last year's regional trial run, written for Transport Minister Lynne Kosky by a top departmental officer, said myki fares were confusing for passengers.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/failed-perjury-case-shows-need-for-an-icac/story-e6frg6nf-1225828503560

PRESSURE is mounting on the Brumby government to replace its powerful police watchdog with a broader anti-corruption authority after an embarrassing legal blunder resulted in the collapse of a perjury prosecution against former police assistant commissioner Noel Ashby.

The introduction of an ICAC is likely to become an election issue, with the opposition spearheading a push for such a body at its anti-corruption summit to be held later this month.

Former West Australian police commissioner Bob Falconer, a staunch supporter of that state's broad-based Crime and Corruption Commisison, said Victoria needed a single, independent watchdog with the ability to investigate "all public officeholders".

ICAC needed NOW wrote:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/failed-perjury-case-shows-need-for-an-icac/story-e6frg6nf-1225828503560

PRESSURE is mounting on the Brumby government to replace its powerful police watchdog with a broader anti-corruption authority after an embarrassing legal blunder resulted in the collapse of a perjury prosecution against former police assistant commissioner Noel Ashby.


ICAC now, but Ashby got off on a technicality and should stop acting like he has been set-up

Boris wrote:
ICAC needed NOW wrote:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/failed-perjury-case-shows-need-for-an-icac/story-e6frg6nf-1225828503560

PRESSURE is mounting on the Brumby government to replace its powerful police watchdog with a broader anti-corruption authority after an embarrassing legal blunder resulted in the collapse of a perjury prosecution against former police assistant commissioner Noel Ashby.


ICAC now, but Ashby got off on a technicality and should stop acting like he has been set-up

The Police Association has managed to manipulate itself into a very powerful position and the government is quite beholden to them. If the police ramp up against a government they can make it very, very hard. So what is Brumby to do? I believe the government is genuine in wanting to weed out corruption in the Vic Pol, but it is made very difficult when politicians are involved in that corruption. I think many people will feel very uneasy about the aquittals of both Mullett & Ashby. These two are bullies who had an interest in maintaining the old thuggish, sexist, homophobic ways of the police force. Perhaps, as painful and expensive as this exercise has been the actual aim of removing Mullett and Ashby has been achieved and that has to be good for all Victorians.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/former-top-cop-noel-ashby-claims-office-of-police-integrity-tapped-telephone-destroyed-documents/story-e6frf7jo-1225828490201

Ashby accused the Office of Police Integrity of shredding a sensitive file for political reasons because it detailed his involvement with Labor MP Martin Foley. "The Foley file would have contained all sorts of confidential material as I spoke to him regularly about all manner of things during the time my phone was bugged, including the road accident of then premier Steve Bracks' son Nick,"

Mr Ashby also claimed Labor powerbroker Greg Sword told him unionists paid part of Roads Minister Tim Pallas' salary during the time he was running Mr Bracks' office.

Opposition police spokesman Peter Ryan backed Mr Ashby's call for a judicial inquiry to investigate the claims against Mr Pallas and others, saying they went to the heart of the Brumby Government's integrity.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/editorials/ashby-finding-sounds-alarm/story-e6frfhqo-1225828480296

Mr Ashby's accusations are at the high end of manipulation and wrongdoing and threaten Labor's chances of retaining government at the election later this year.

None of Mr Ashby's allegations can be resolved without a judicial inquiry and only the foundation of a standing anti-corruption commission can restore the public's shattered confidence.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/letters/no-publicity-no-time-no-real-use-20100210-nsaz.html

Fight corruption

TRANSPARENCY International Australia has long advocated the establishment of an independent anti-corruption agency in Victoria.

Victoria's present integrity and anti-corruption efforts are not coherent. Apart from establishing the Office of Police Integrity, the government has grafted anti-corruption functions piecemeal on to bodies that exist to do other things.

Victoria's watchdog institutions don't effectively cover today's complex anti-corruption landscape. The most glaring omissions are that members of parliament and ministers pretty much investigate themselves and that the recently established Local Government Inspectorate isn't independent or transparent in its investigations. The government's review of Victoria's integrity and anti-corruption system is a welcome initiative in the continuing debate about how best to fight corruption, promote integrity and improve transparency in the public sector.

Establishing an independent anti-corruption agency with broad jurisdiction and strong investigative powers is absolutely essential.

Greg Thompson, deputy chairman, Transparency International Australia, Malvern East