What would be the effect if the government were to remove all the naval patrol vessels, the surveillance aircraft and the other surface and air assets from the northwest and leave the area devoid of rescuers, welcoming committees etc?
My guess is after several boats of illegals simply vanished, or fetched up as wrecks on the Cocos or Christmas Island with great loss of life (and no entry to Australia, merely prompt repatriation to their port of departure as befitting shipwrecked mariners for any survivors), the flood would slow to a trickle. It might even stop altogether.
Australia is acting like a victim and going out of its way to find and "rescue" these people. If none of the rescuers were there in the first place, the problem might solve itself - and the relatives of the deceased might decide to wreak vengeance on the people-smugglers and their agents, middle-men etc.
Looking at the current situation it is hard not to come to conclude Federal Labor is receiving a financial kickback from the people-smugglers. I wonder if their accounts would withstand a forensic audit?
Had to laugh yesterday listening to the ABC's "Thank God It's Friday"... Oz comedian telling a story about entertaining Yank troops in Afghanistan and having to introduce a very good looking Australian female who followed his act. He told the Yanks that they should come on down to Australia "because all Australian women as as good looking as XXX," (whatever the name of the Aussie girl coming onstage).
A big Yank at the back of the audience yelled out "Oh no they're not. I've met your Prime Minister."
Even on the ABC, that got a politically incorrect laugh.
It is a slow day in a little Greek Village. The rain is beating down and the streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.
On this particular day a rich German tourist is driving through the village, stops at the local hotel and lays a €100 note on the desk, telling the hotel owner he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night.
The owner gives him some keys and, as soon as the visitor has walked upstairs, the hotelier grabs the €100 note and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher. The butcher takes the €100 note and runs down the street to repay his debt to the pig farmer. The pig farmer takes the €100 note and heads off to pay his bill at the supplier of feed and fuel. The guy at the Farmers' Co-op takes the €100 note and runs to pay his drinks bill at the taverna. The publican slips the money along to the local prostitute drinking at the bar, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer him 'services' on credit. The hooker then rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill to the hotel owner with the €100 note.
The hotel proprietor then places the €100 note back on the counter so the rich German traveller will not suspect anything.
At that moment the traveller comes down the stairs, picks up the €100 note, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves town.
No one produced anything. No one earned anything. However, the whole village is now out of debt and looking to the future with a lot more optimism.
Getting back to the issue of what Angus Houston might put in his report, it really doesn't matter if he writes the truth or what the government wants him to write. A government lacking any sense of morality will simply re-write the conclusion before the report is released anyway - or not release it under various blanket security classifications which governments keep up their sleeves precisely for such events.
Under the present Labor federal shambles, any enquiry is already doomed to be a waste of time, taxpayers money, and intellectual effort.
Which brings me back to my question: with my first paragraph in mind, is there anyone out there who thinks Angus will deliver a recommendation or recommendations that will in any way clash with Julia Gillard's current (for want of a better word) "policies"?
Nope. On the rare chance it does, I think criticalmass is on the money.
We won't hear anything they don't want us to hear, because Gillard and friends are incapable of admitting that they cocked the whole thing up. Meanwhile there'll be more arrivals, more capsizing boats, more risk to our own Navy and Customs personnel and more deaths at sea.
Hope the pollies all enjoy their six week holiday.
"Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry economics director Greg Evans said the carbon tax had already disrupted the investment plans of many companies, "particularly energy-reliant processors and manufacturers ... We are going to continue to see more compensation arrangements put in place as the carbon tax impact is realised and it becomes clearer which jobs are at greater risk.
"We now have a ridiculous situation where the government is compensating businesses for the deliberate handicapping of their competitiveness," he added.
Earlier on there was a debate about the impact of the Carbon tax. In true ABC style it featured one person speaking on behalf of NSW mining, and two from the Conservation Council. And guess who got the last word?
Julia is oft quoted as saying that there would be no Carbon tax under a government she leads. Well she was right wasn’t she – she doesn’t lead the government.
Just watching that muppet Swan outside a shopping centre in Brisbane holding up various food items saying that it's all good coz the prices have not increased overnight. Let's see what he has to say on the subject in six months time. Going for a walk because if I stay I may throw my telly out the window.
Just watching that muppet Swan outside a shopping centre in Brisbane holding up various food items saying that it's all good coz the prices have not increased overnight.
Well, they wouldn't, would they. It's Sunday and there aren't many deliveries, so that would be all the stuff that was already in the store.
Swanny should save the gloating until the transport and logistics companies start copping increased costs, passing them on to Wesfarmers/Woolies who'll pass them on to us. He knows that as well as we do.
What do pollies earn again? What would he know about grocery price pressure anyway...
Popped into my favourite coffee shop this morning for a cuppa with the wife - lo and behold the price of a cup has gone up .50c. Now one of our few extravagances is a cup of coffee for each of us most days of the week. Pleasant to enjoy and discuss the day's events. By my mathematics .50c x 2 x 7 = $7.00 ie $2.00 short of the $9.00 the lobster promised my cost of living would go up per week as a result of the co2 tax. Labor has hooked most of the apathetic voters of Oz and is now reeling them in. You poor sods!! GAGS E86
I do know that I will be copping an extra 5c a litre "excise" on avgas as of today.
Remember when we had an excise of around 3c a litre (mid 90s) and that paid for the CAA (before they broke it up) Then we were told it would be taken away completely and replaced by Location Specific Charging and privatised airports.
As of today we have all of those costs PLUS a total 8.556c a litre excise!
Of course things didn't go up overnight, what a stupid stunt and what a pathetic, puerile little man Swan is; cost increases will be insiduous, like their Avgas levy/excise or whatever this tax is called.
Of course things didn't go up overnight, what a stupid stunt and what a pathetic, puerile little man Swan is; cost increases will be insiduous, like their Avgas levy/excise or whatever this tax is called.
And for Wayne Duck er..sorry, Swan to even hint that anyone, ie the Opposition, thought they would shows IMHO just how ridiculous the man really is.
It will be interesting however, to see just what happens in the six weeks of the winter Parliamentary recess re some prices etc. But even thinking about how many boats may arrive really does terrify me.
What I really find disturbing though is hearing in the streets well dressed, seemingly educated people, most of whom one would expect to have reasonably 'average' views on politics and politicians in general, speak in terms that I really cannot post here.
Not even in the days of the Whitlam disaster did I ever encounter such angry, visceral feelings toward a Government, with special venom reserved for the Watermelon Party.
I really fear for 'Poor bugger my Country'
Last edited by Pinky the pilot; 1st Jul 2012 at 05:05.
Reason: punctuation
I hope the Navy are exempt from the carbon tax...otherwise, there'd be nobody able to afford going to sea to rescue the new ALP members...sorry...refugees.
Fantastic surprise on opening Fridays mail today. House & contents premium rises by 104% Stamp duty up 104% GST up 104% I understand the insurance companies have to balance the books but the tax increase on it all is a bit rich. Last year it all went up 30%.
