Wednesday, 12 April 2006

Chinese protestors Villawood Amanda Vanstone The Australian 12 April 2006

TUESDAY 12 APRIL 2006
John Stapleton
The government was yesterday forced to issue reassurances to a group of Chinese protestors resisting attempts to move them from the Villawood Detention Centre in south-west Sydney. An asbestos scare has prompted Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone to close the centre for at least a month.
The closing of the infamous centre and the movement of 260 detainees has come just days ahead of planned Easter protests by refugee advocates. The closure came after NSW Police objected to sending hundreds of officers to cover expected protests at the weekend because of fears over asbestos found on the site.
A total of 98 detainees were moved yesterday and the remainder are expected to be moved today. Amongst those being moved 14 detainees deemed to be ``high-risk'' were taken to Long Bay Jail, 69 were flown to Baxter in South Australia and 12 were given residential detention, including short-term motel accommodation under guard. The remainder are expected to be moved to Holdsworthy Army Barracks today.
The government claims that only three of the detainees at Villawood and the rest were people who have over-stayed their visa who had been found to be working illegally.
Refugee advocates claimed that up to 60 Chinese detainees held a sitdown protest throughout the day. Spokesman for the Refugee Action Coalition Ian Rintoul said detainees refusing to leave Villawood were concerned that they would be cut off from family and local supporters.
``Villawood should be closed and if the government was seriously concerned about their welfare they would release them into the community,'' he said.
A protestor outside the Centre, Joanne Ball, said the way the Department had gone about the relocation was ``despicable''. ``They haven't consulted refugees inside the centre or their families. They may have no visiting rights for the next fortnight at least.''
Department of Immigration spokesman Sandy Login said he totally rejected the descriptions being fed the media by refugee advocates of a large sit-in protest inside the centre. ``There were a handful who were resisting the move,'' he said. ``Their main anxiety was that they wanted to be reassured they would be returned to Villawood. We negotiated, we consulted, we brought in commmunity representatives as well as representatives from the government appointed body the Immigration Detention Advisory Group.
``They met with the anxious detainees and we have provided them with a letter from the Minister's office which gave them an undertaking would be returned to Villawood and the relocation was only temporary.''
The letter assuring Chinese detainees they will be returned to Villawood was signed by two members of the Advisory Group.
Refugee advocates have claimed that the government is closing down the centre to deflect attention away from the planned protests. The Department of Immigration claims their principal concern is the safety of the detainees, their staff, the local community, police and the protestors themselves.

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Tuesday, 11 April 2006

Digger's body on way home from Iraq, The Australian, 24 April, 2006

Digger's body on way home from Iraq: [2 All-round First Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 24 Apr 2006: 3.
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Private Kovco, a highly trained sniper, was a member of the 110- strong, Baghdad-based security detachment protecting Australianofficials.
Private Kovco died in hospital "surrounded by his mates, draped in an Australian flag and with a paratrooper's beret on his chest as his mates said the Lord's Prayer", a statement issued by the Department of Defence said yesterday.
Private Kovco was a member of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), Australia's only parachute infantry battalion.

MILITARY officials were bringing home the body of Australia's first Iraq war casualty last night as an inquiry was announced into his death.
Private Jake Kovco, a 25-year-old father of two, died from an accidental shot while cleaning his pistol in Baghdad on Friday.
Private Kovco, a highly trained sniper, was a member of the 110- strong, Baghdad-based security detachment protecting Australianofficials.
Private Kovco died in hospital "surrounded by his mates, draped in an Australian flag and with a paratrooper's beret on his chest as his mates said the Lord's Prayer", a statement issued by the Department of Defence said yesterday.
"During his time in Baghdad he demonstrated a high level of devotion to duty and professionalism," it said.
"He was a valued member of his team and is sorely missed, not only for his skills and professionalism but also as a mate and a comrade in arms."
Private Kovco is thought to have accidentally shot himself in the head while cleaning his gun. Comrades immediately rushed to his aid and he was taken to the nearby US Army combat surgical hospital, where he died several hours later.
Private Kovco was a member of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), Australia's only parachute infantry battalion.
During his time in the army Private Kovco served as a rifleman and heavy weapons operator. He grew up in Briagalong in Victoria and was the father of two young children, Tyrie and Alana.
His wife, Shelley, was too distressed to speak publicly yesterday. His distraught father, Martin Kovco, could only say: "He was a lovely bloke."
Sister Elizabeth Kovco said the family was "very upset".
His cousin Bobby Kovco said he remembered playing with Private Kovco as a kid.
"He used to look up at me and say, `I'm going to be big like you one day'," he said. "Jacob was like that. He was a happy bloke. He was all fun, an outdoor kid."
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said he had spoken to Private Kovco's widow and invited her to help draft the terms of reference for a military inquiry into her husband's death.
He told ABC television that Ms Kovco had told him Private Kovco loved his work.
Dr Nelson said yesterday he understood there were two other soldiers in the room at the time of the shot.
"I should inform Australians there was no evidence there was anything other than the accidental firing of the weapon that he was handling," Dr Nelson said.
Chief of Army Lieutenant-General Peter Leahy has launched an inquiry into the death, which will also be investigated by a coroner.
Army officials are also working on new rules to minimise gun accidents.
He was the first Australian soldier to die in Iraq, although other Australians have been injured in insurgent bombing attacks and in vehicle accidents.
In January last year, Flight Lieutenant Paul Pardoel, an RAAF- trained C-130 navigator on contract to the RAF, died when his aircraft was shot down north of Baghdad.
In March 2003, ABC cameraman Paul Moran was killed in a suicide car bombing in northern Iraq.

SECOND EDITION:

Iraq soldier died with flag and among mates: [1 All-round Country Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 24 Apr 2006: 5.
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Private Kovco died in hospital "surrounded by his mates, draped in an Australian flag and with a paratrooper's beret on his chest as his mates said the Lord's Prayer", a Defence Department statement said yesterday.
He was working in Baghdad as part of the Operation Catalyst Security Detachment (SECDET), which provides protection forAustralian defence and government personnel. During his time in the army, Private Kovco served as a rifleman and heavy weapons operator.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said he had spoken to Private Kovco's widow and invited her to help draft the terms of reference for a military inquiry into her husband's death. He said on ABC television that Ms Kovco had told him Private Kovco loved his work.
FOUR years ago, Private Jacob "Jake" Kovco realised a lifelong ambition when he joined the army.
Yesterday, the 25-year-old father of two from regional Victoria was named as Australia's first military casualty in the Iraq war after a shooting accident in his barracks in Baghdad, just one month into his deployment.
Private Kovco died in hospital "surrounded by his mates, draped in an Australian flag and with a paratrooper's beret on his chest as his mates said the Lord's Prayer", a Defence Department statement said yesterday.
"During his time in Baghdad he demonstrated a high level of devotion to duty and professionalism.
"He was a valued member of his team and is sorely missed, not only for his skills and professionalism but also as a mate and a comrade in arms."
Private Kovco is thought to have accidentally shot himself in the head while cleaning his gun on Friday afternoon. Comrades immediately rushed to his aid and he was taken to the nearby US Army combat surgical hospital, where he died several hours later.
An ADF spokesman confirmed last night that Private Kovco's body had left Baghdad and was on its way home.
The highly trained sniper was a member of the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), Australia's only parachute infantry battalion.
He was working in Baghdad as part of the Operation Catalyst Security Detachment (SECDET), which provides protection forAustralian defence and government personnel. During his time in the army, Private Kovco served as a rifleman and heavy weapons operator.
He grew up in Briagolong in Victoria and was the father of two young children, Tyrie and Alana. His wife, Shelley, was too distressed to speak publicly yesterday. His distraught father, Martin Kovco, could only say: "He was a lovely bloke".
Sister Elizabeth Kovco said the family was "very upset". His cousin Bobby Kovco said he remembered playing with Jacob as a kid. "He used to look up at me and say, `I'm going to be big like you one day'," he said. "Jacob was like that. He was a happy bloke. He was all fun, an outdoor kid."
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said he had spoken to Private Kovco's widow and invited her to help draft the terms of reference for a military inquiry into her husband's death. He said on ABC television that Ms Kovco had told him Private Kovco loved his work.
Dr Nelson dismissed any speculation the case might have been a suicide. "I should inform Australians there was no evidence there was anything other than the accidental firing of the weapon that he was handling," he said.

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Crime hub emerges amid murder hunt, The Australian, 11 April, 2006.

Crime hub emerges amid murder hunt: [1 All-round Country Edition]

John Stapleton, Nick Leys. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 11 Apr 2006: 8.
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In Canterbury-Bankstown, however, robbery without a weapon rose 22 per cent and robbery with a weapon other than a firearm jumped by 47.9per cent. Bankstown had a huge jump of 61.3 per cent in robberies with weapons other than firearms.
Police said the Greenfield Park man, a nightclub DJ who was Iraqi- born and of Assyrian descent, had been unknown to authorities. No drugs were found on Mr Audisho. His background and his association with an Assyrian club he visited during the day are being examined.
Police are investigating potential links to the Babylon Cafe murder and the Assyrian crime syndicate known as "dlasthr". Task Force Gain investigates ethnic gangland murders in southwest Sydney. The Babylon Cafe was sprayed with bullets on October 31 last year, killing bystander Raymond Khananyah, 29, and wounding three men.
THE Canterbury-Bankstown area in Sydney's southwest has been singled out as a crime hotspot by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics.
Figures for 2003-05, released yesterday, show a significant drop in many types of serious crime -- including robbery with a firearm, down 26.7per cent -- while murder and sexual assault remained stable across the state.
In Canterbury-Bankstown, however, robbery without a weapon rose 22 per cent and robbery with a weapon other than a firearm jumped by 47.9per cent. Bankstown had a huge jump of 61.3 per cent in robberies with weapons other than firearms.
The statistics came as detectives from Task Force Gain widened the investigation into the shooting death of Ashoor Audisho, 21, at nearby Fairfield on Sunday night to examine links with a shooting at the suburb's Babylon Cafe last year.
Police said the Greenfield Park man, a nightclub DJ who was Iraqi- born and of Assyrian descent, had been unknown to authorities. No drugs were found on Mr Audisho. His background and his association with an Assyrian club he visited during the day are being examined.
Police are investigating potential links to the Babylon Cafe murder and the Assyrian crime syndicate known as "dlasthr". Task Force Gain investigates ethnic gangland murders in southwest Sydney. The Babylon Cafe was sprayed with bullets on October 31 last year, killing bystander Raymond Khananyah, 29, and wounding three men.
Task Force Gain Commander Detective Superintendent Mark Henney said witnesses confirmed three men had been involved in Sunday's murder. Mr Audisho was seen arguing with the men before shots were fired.
The three men drove off in a black 1999 Jeep Cherokee, which was impounded from a house in Edensor Park, southwest Sydney.
Crime bureau director Don Weatherburn said the recent shootings were not counted in the new figures. But he said incidents involving shooting with intent to murder or inflicting grievous bodily harm had declined 43per cent across NSW between 2001 and last year.
"It's too soon to say whether that trend is going to reverse itself," he said. "January was a terrible month for murder but the February and March figures were right on the average."
PROBLEM AREA
Rate of crime per 100,000 people in Canterbury-Bankstown, NSW
....................................................... 2003 .... 2004 .... 2005
Assault .......................................... 697.4 ... 650 ...... 661.6
Domestic violence ........................... 277.5 ... 255.4 ... 276.7
Robbery without weapon .................. 139.1 ... 104 ...... 126.9
Robbery with weapon not a firearm ... 96.5 ..... 61.2 ..... 90.5
Source: BOCSAR
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Monday, 10 April 2006

Low brings some highs, The Australian, 10 April, 2006.

Low brings some highs: [1 All-round Country Edition]

Kevin Meade, John Stapleton. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 10 Apr 2006: 3.
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A severe low-pressure trough in the Tasman Sea sent huge swells to southern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania, as the monsoonal trough that inundated the Northern Territory town dumped as much as 250mm in 24 hours on some properties near Aramac, 920km northwest of Brisbane.
HUGE waves yesterday pounded beaches in southeastern Australia, as graziers in central Queensland celebrated after the weather system that brought floods and misery to Katherine drenched many of their properties with drought-breaking rain.
A severe low-pressure trough in the Tasman Sea sent huge swells to southern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania, as the monsoonal trough that inundated the Northern Territory town dumped as much as 250mm in 24 hours on some properties near Aramac, 920km northwest of Brisbane.
Businesses in Katherine were due to reopen today after floods receded and major roads into the town reopened over the weekend.
In Sydney, the only beach to stay open was a small section of Manly, which faces north and so was protected by Sydney Heads. At Bondi, only a few swimmers waded into the shallows, but none dared venture out into the surf.
A spokesman for Surf Lifesaving Sydney, Stephen Leahy, described conditions as "exceptionally dangerous".
Fifteen people were rescued off Cronulla beach by lifesavers on jetskis. Mr Leahy said about 200 people left the water at several Sydney beaches after they were warned of the dangerous conditions by lifesavers.
On Saturday, when 16 Sydney beaches were closed, there were more than 30 rescues.
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Monday, 3 April 2006

Losing battle on firearms, The Australian, 3 April, 2006

Losing battle on firearms: [2 All-round First Edition]

D.D. McNicoll, John Stapleton. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 03 Apr 2006: 3.
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Don Weatherburn, the chief of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics, said the pattern of firearms had made a "horrendous change" for the worse with handguns now responsible for between 50 and 60 per cent of annual gun deaths.
"Handguns are a real worry. They have become saleable commodities on the black market," Dr Weatherburn said. "There may be fewer gun homicides but handguns make up a larger proportion of those homicides than they used to.
Ms [Samara McPhedran] said policies on gun control should be based on evidence and that homicide rates overall had remained relatively static since the Port Arthur massacre despite the gun buyback, while suicide rates have actually gone up.

DESPITE the hundreds of thousands of semi-automatic rifles and shotguns surrendered since John Howard announced the gun buyback after the Port Arthur massacre 10 years ago this month, the public remains well armed with more than 2.5million firearms registered across the country.
There are now more than 750,000 individual gun licence-holders and each has an average of three weapons.
The greater concern, however, is for the unknown number of unregistered handguns in the community.
Don Weatherburn, the chief of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics, said the pattern of firearms had made a "horrendous change" for the worse with handguns now responsible for between 50 and 60 per cent of annual gun deaths.
"Handguns are a real worry. They have become saleable commodities on the black market," Dr Weatherburn said. "There may be fewer gun homicides but handguns make up a larger proportion of those homicides than they used to.
"Handguns are not being used as long arms were in the context of dreadful domestic homicides or by deranged murderers killing lots of people. They are being used in the context of turf wars between rival gangs and by organised criminals."
He said firearm theft was now a nationwide problem with handguns stolen in one state turning up in another.
Dr Weatherburn said that while many of the handguns were illegally imported, there was a disturbing trend of holding up security vehicles not to get the money but to get the guards' handguns.
Samara McPhedran, 28, who founded the International Coalition for Women in Shooting and Hunting to help dispel myths surrounding women and guns, said one of the tragedies of the emphasis on gun control had been the focus away from the cause of broader social problems such as suicide and domestic violence.
"It is very easy to blame firearms for violence, but very hard to engage in constructive action that can address the causes of violence," she said.
Ms McPhedran said policies on gun control should be based on evidence and that homicide rates overall had remained relatively static since the Port Arthur massacre despite the gun buyback, while suicide rates have actually gone up.
"Appalling events like Port Arthur make headlines around the world, but there are victims of violence every day that go unrecognised," she said.

Also published in The Sunday Mail as Australia stays well armed.

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Saturday, 1 April 2006

Child Support Agency contributes to Suicide, The Australian 2006

Not sure of date

John Stapleton

KATE Stanton admits she cries a lot.
Next month is the anniversary of her son Gary's suicide - she believes as a direct result of the conduct of the Child Support Agency.
Gary Stanton was 34 and working at a hotel in Goulburn when he shot himself, leaving a note which read in part: ``Why?? I owe too much debt to banks and government will never have a good quality of life.''
Mrs Stanton, a registered nurse who lives on the southern tablelands of NSW, says: ``I have very firm views that the Child Support Agency was involved with his death. Anything I can do to help people understand the problems with the CSA I will do.''
Perhaps the only good thing to come out of the tragedy is that she has frequent contact with her grandson, Blaine, who is now eight and she says is the spitting image of his dad.
``Everytime we speak to him on the phone he wants to know something about his dad's life,'' his grandmother says.
The boy was born as the result of a brief liaison.
Mrs Stanton says her son had no idea he was a father until the child's mother applied for child support some years later after the breakdown of her marriage. DNA tests proved the boy was Gary's child.
Although he had not known he was a father, child support payments were backdated to the boy's birth.
``He was paying huge amounts to the CSA,'' Mrs Stanton says. The Agency is now pursuing his estate for $25,228.84 in back debt, the amount owed in the final month of his life.
``My youngest son spoke with someone at the Agency prior to Gary's funeral to ask why this debt was so incredibly large. They could not even offer condolences. They said, well, we'll just take anything he had to pay his debt. That made me realise that the Child Support Agency really don't care.''
The final month of his life, although not on a high salary, Gary Stanton paid $594.96 in child support while accumulating a further $185.06 in overdue penalties.
``He was very heavily in debt, he owed money to finance companies, he came to his father and I to help him out financially, which we did, of course. He died because he believed he would never maintain a new relationship, because of the money he owed to the CSA and because he had a son he had never seen.''
Although he made repeated attempts to see his son, he never had anything but photographs of him.
``He wrote a letter to the CSA asking that they pass on a letter to his son's mother. What they did was open that letter, date stamp it as received by them and sent it back to him.
``He really wanted to see his son, he really wanted to know his son. All he ever wanted to be was a dad and have a family.
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