Friday 30 May 2008

The sinking of HMAS Sydney, The Australian, 30 May, 2008

30 MAY 2008:
John Stapleton
FOR 66 years conspiracy theories have surrounded the sinking of the HMAS Sydney II and the death of all 645 servicemen on board during the Second World War.
Now relatives and historians might just get the answers they have sought for so long.
A multi-million dollar inquiry into the loss of the ship, headed by Terrence Cole, best known for running the inquiry into the Australian Wheat Board's payment of bribes to the Iraqi regime, began in Sydney yesterday.
Cole said the need for the investigation had been questioned. There had already been a parliamentary inquiry and numerous books. But the discovery of the wrecks of the HMAS Sydney and the German raider HSK Kormoran off the West Australian coast in March meant empirical evidence and expert assessment could now be brought to bear.
``One third of all sailors lost by Australia in World War II were lost in this single sinking,'' he said. ``Yet the circumstances of the military engagement, and the reasons for the tragic loss of life suffered, remain uncertain. No country which is respectful of its military personnel or military traditions or of its national history can allow such a loss to remain unexplained.''
Cole will interview elderly Kormoran suvivors in Germany next month. Thousands of photographs and documents will be examined.Archives in Australia, the UK and Germany are also to be searched.
Some believe the ship was in fact sunk by a Japanese submarine and the men machine gunned in a war time atrocity which preceded Pearl Harbour and would require the history of World War II to be rewritten. Others claim they can prove that the men were buried in mass graves on the WA coast by the military.
Judith Bennett, 72, who was only six-years-old when her father George died, said the family had never known any peace.
``They have found the ship, now we want the answers,'' she said. ``It has been a long wait. We owe it to our mom. She never gave up hope of him coming home. She said, just before she died, I can't wait any longer, I am going to meet him. One day you will find the truth.''
John Samuels, author of Somewhere Below: The Sydney Scandal Exposed, said the cost of the inquiry was irrelevant. Stupidity and arrogance had characterised government secrecy and official cover-up. ``It is going to disturb the relatives greatly that this whole mess has been kept under wraps for so long,'' he said.


ORIGINAL COPY:

John Stapleton
THE opening in Sydney yesterday of the multi-million dollar inquiry into the fate of the 645 men who died on the HMAS Sydney II during the Second World War lasted barely half an hour. But it promised to be the beginning of an enormously complex and expensive inquiry into Australia's worst maritime disaster, 66 years after the ship sank without single survivor.
President of the Commission of Inquiry Terrence Cole, best known for running the inquiry into the Australian Wheat Board's payment of bribes to the Iraqi regime, said the need for the inquiry had been questioned. There had already been a parliamentary inquiry and numerous books on the incident.
But the discovery of the wrecks of the HMAS Sydney and the German raider HSK Kormoran off the West Australian coast in March meant empirical evidence and expert assessment could now be brought to bear. He said more servicement were lost in the sinking than in the Korean or Vietnam wars.
``One third of all sailors lost by Australia in World War II were lost in this single sinking,'' he said. ``Yet the circumstances of the military engagement, and the reasons for the tragic loss of life suffered, remain uncertain. No country which is respectful of its military personnel or military traditions or of its national history can allow such a loss to remain unexplained when circumstances have occurred which may allow, for the first time, an explanation of the circumstances of their deaths.''
Cole will interview Kormoran suvivors in Germany next month. The inquiry team will also travel around Australia holding public hearings. Thousands of photographs and documents will be examined. Archives in Australia, the UK and Germany will also be searched. Material will be placed on the defence department website as it is uncovered.
To this day mystery and conspiracy theories surround the sinking of the HMAS Sydney. While more than 300 men off the Kormoran survived, there was not a single survivor off the Sydney II. The fate of the 645 men has obsessed historians and relatives for the past 66 years. Some believe the ship was in fact sunk by a Japanese submarine and the men machine gunned in a shocking war time atrocity which preceded Pearl Harbour and would require the history of World War II to be rewritten.
Others claim they can prove that the many of the men off the Sydney were buried in mass graves on the WA coast by the military and the soldiers involved were sworn to secrecy.
Some nervous relatives believe Mr Cole should suspend the Crimes Act in relation to the Sydney II so that the secrets can be revealed without fear of punishment.
President Cole said relatives were entitled to assume their country would do all it could to establish the circumstances in which the deaths occurred.
``There has been much speculation and conjecture,'' he said. ``It is my objective to provide an independent, reasoned, fact based account.''
Judith Bennett, 72, who was only six years old when her father George died aboard the HMAS Sydney, said the family had never known any peace as a result. She said her mother Eva never remarried and had always waited for her husband to return.
``They have found the ship, now we want the answers,'' she said. ``It has been a long wait. We owe it to our mom. She never gave up hope of him coming home. She said, just before she died, I can't wait any longer, I am going to meet him. One day you will find the truth. What hurt the most was that after the war ended, there was never any inquiry.''
John Samuels, author of Somewhere Below: The Sydney Scandal Exposed, said the cost of the inquiry was irrelevant. Stupidity and arrogance had characterised the government secrecy and official cover-up of what happened. ``It is going to disturb the relatives greatly that this whole mess has been kept under wraps for so long,'' he said.

The Defence Department could not answer questions on the cost or number of people involved in th inquiry. 

Deadlock in Qantas engineers' salary discussions The Australian 30 May 2008

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/deadlock-in-salary-discussions/story-e6frg95x-1111116482970

Deadlock in Qantas engineers' salary discussions

THE ACTU has called on Qantas to return to the negotiating table after it backed out of wage negotiations with its engineers.
The company cancelled meetings over the wage claims scheduled for this week, prompting stopwork meetings in three states.
One hundred engineers held a four-hour stopwork meeting in Sydney yesterday morning, while another 100 stopped work from 6pm to 10pm last night. About 120 engineers are expected to stop work in Melbourne this morning. Management personnel and retirees were used to replace the engineers.
ACTU head Sharan Burrow said the airline engineers union, ALAEA, did not want to continue industrial action. "We are asking Qantas to come to the bargaining table, they have refused," she said. "They cancelled the meeting. It is incredible. There can be no negotiation with a company that is showing no respect for workers by refusing to sit at the bargaining table."
The engineers are calling for a 5 per cent wage increase, while the company is offering 3 per cent. Ms Burrow was cheered as she condemned the company's senior executives for their exploitation of the engineers' talent while granting themselves multi-million-dollar pay deals at a time of record profits. She said the company's profits had been increasing at twice the rate ofwages.
Union officials said the company offer was below inflation, represented a pay cut and would reduce their living standards.
Ms Burrow said Qantas profits were expected to increase by 40 per cent this year to about $1.5billion. Granting the engineers' claim would add an extra $2 million to the company's costs. "It is shameful," she said. "The wages claim is as affordable as anything Qantas has ever done."
Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon had given himself a 22 per cent pay rise last year, bringing his salary to almost $7 million, she said. "There is a simple principle at stake here: the engineers and other staff that are essential to keeping planes in the air and providing a high-quality service should not have to suffer a real wage cut while Qantas executives get big bonuses and the company heads for a record profit.
"Qantas management also need to be reminded that cuts to wages and costs would not attract more customers and could put at risk services and standards at the airline. Qantas engineers are highly skilled, highly professional people who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect." ALAEA federal secretary Steve Purvinas distributed a flyer to the engineers saying Qantas managers were expecting them to sign off on a 3 per cent wages policy they did not apply to themselves.
"Due to taxing shift work, most Qantas engineers are the sole income providers to their families and work extensive overtime to pay their bills," he said. "Outdoor shift work through the night takes its toll. Most will have been divorced at least once and life expectancy is seven years less than the Australian average."
On an average day, the engineers certified and were responsible for the safety of thousands of people. "During their careers the average union engineer is required to pass more than 150 examinations, many of which required extensive study in the engineers' own time", he said.
One engineer who spoke to The Australian said his base salary of $63,000 made bringing up his children and paying a mortgage in Sydney almost impossible. It was difficult for his wife to get a job because of the "extreme" shift work he was asked to do. "At any moment there are 5000 people cruising at high altitude and their lives depend on my work," he said.
His job had once been considered a highly skilled occupation deserving of a healthy salary, but he was now paid little more than the average wage.
Shortly after speaking to The Australian, the engineer was phoned by management and warned off talking to the media, he said.
Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon accused the union of being "loose with the truth" and said he would not negotiate while strikes were ongoing.
"Their claim is out of order and we're not going to entertain it," he said. "We're prepared to wait this one out. We are not going to change our view on this. We've got the long-term future of the company in mind more than anything else and if it means that some of our passengers have some discomfort for a while, that will be the case. These people must know that whatever they do won't be enough for us to change our minds."
Qantas has refused to reveal exactly how many flights were disrupted or cancelled yesterday as a result of the industrial action. Industry sources estimate about six flights were cancelled.
The airline said the vast majority of passengers were re-accommodated within 30 minutes of their original flight time.

Monday 26 May 2008

Auction rates plumb new lows, The Australian, 26 May, 2008.

Auction rates plumb new lows

Stapleton, JohnThe Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 26 May 2008: 2.
Show highlighting
Sydney sales were down $60 million from $172million recorded on the same weekend last year, while both Adelaide and Brisbane auction sales were less than a third of last year's.
"What's needed is major reform," he said. "We believe a broad-impact mortgage relief plan is crucial. Every Australian has the right to secure affordable housing and home ownership should be more achievable."
"The average first home buyer nationally has a mortgage repayment of $2799 a month," he said.

All hands on deck for police at World Youth Day, The Australian, 26 May, 2008.

All hands on deck for police at World Youth Day

Stapleton, JohnThe Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 26 May 2008: 7.
"Sydney during World Youth Day will not be Sydney during APEC," she said. "What we have is a celebration of youth." She said one of the clear messages to come from the Pope's recent US visit was that Australia should expect an atmosphere of celebration, festivity and happiness from the crowds.
"The Sydney crowds will be well in excess of those experienced in the US, but many aspects of the NSW police World Youth Day security command plans mirror the arrangements the US Secret Service had in place for the visit of His Holiness," he said.
He praised the security preparations. "I have no significant concerns at all," he said. Cardinal Pell said the Pope was looking forward to visiting Australia, and he believed Australians would quickly warm to the pontiff.

Full Text

Friday 23 May 2008

ADF says sorry for naming Zaetta, The Australian, 23 May, 2008.

ADF says sorry for naming Zaetta

Stapleton, JohnThe Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 23 May 2008: 5.
Show highlighting
THE Australian Defence Force has issued an "unreserved apology" to entertainer Tania Zaetta after naming her in a ministerial briefing document detailing an investigation into allegations she had sex with soldiers while in Afghanistan.
Zaetta told the Nine Network's A Current Affair the allegations that she had sex with soldiers while on a 17-day entertainment tour were "immensely hurtful" and could damage her reputation and career.
The veteran rocker told Sydney radio station WSFM he doubted "very, very, very much" that Zaetta had had sex with Australiansoldiers.

Monday 19 May 2008

Big majority of parents want junk food ads banned, The Australian, 19 May, 2008.

Big majority of parents want junk food ads banned

Stapleton, JohnThe Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 19 May 2008: 5.
Show highlighting
The findings coincided with Choice's release of an illustrated storybook called Fed Up: A Tale of Junk Food Marketing. Thepublication, utilising the Newspoll research, documents the "pester power" of children. The Newspoll survey also found 82 per cent of parents had experienced their child asking for food or drink because they had seen it advertised.
"Parents are in favour of increased government regulation over the way high sugar and fat foods are marketed to children," he said. "It's time for governments to act."
"This is not about promoting a nanny state," she said. "Banning junk food advertising is about helping parents by not actively working against what they are trying to do and not undermining the healthy messages they are trying to give their kids."