Thursday, 22 January 2009

Long live Gough, political legend, The Australian, 22 January, 2009. Picture Alan Pryke.

Long live Gough, political legend

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 22 Jan 2009: 10.

Abstract

Mr [GOUGH Whitlam] was happy to celebrate yesterday's milestone with Kevin Rudd, who dropped by the Labor stalwart's Sydney office for morning tea.

They chatted happily about their favourite restaurants -- Mr Whitlam celebrated his 90th birthday at Sydney's legendary eatery Machiavelli's -- and the establishment of the Bernie Banton Centre for research into asbestos diseases.

Special Minister of State John Faulkner also paid tribute to the Labor hero's longevity. "This is an exceptional achievement by Gough, who remains an inspiration for so many of us in the Australian Labor Party," Senator Faulkner said.

Full Text

GOUGH Whitlam, in his 93rd year, yesterday became Australia's longest-living former prime minister.

He has surpassed the lifespan of the little known -- and shortest serving -- former prime minister Frank Forde, who lived for 92 years, six months and 10days.

Mr Whitlam and his wife, Margaret, have maintained a healthy presence at social and political functions over the past decade, but have rarely been seen in public life since the former prime minister's birthday in July.

But Mr Whitlam was happy to celebrate yesterday's milestone with Kevin Rudd, who dropped by the Labor stalwart's Sydney office for morning tea.

They chatted happily about their favourite restaurants -- Mr Whitlam celebrated his 90th birthday at Sydney's legendary eatery Machiavelli's -- andtheestablishment oftheBernie Banton Centre for research into asbestos diseases.

And on the day of the inauguration of the 44th US President, Mr Whitlam showed he had lost none of his interest in politics, proudly sporting an Obama badge.

"Time has passed, however Gough Whitlam remains an inspiration to so many Australians," the Prime Minister said.

"It is because of Gough that many Australians for the first time were given the opportunity to have a university education.

"He is a legendary figure in Australian politics.

"This is an outstanding achievement by Gough."

Special Minister of StateJohnFaulkner also paid tribute totheLabor hero's longevity. "This is an exceptional achievement by Gough, who remains an inspiration for so many of us intheAustralianLabor Party," Senator Faulkner said.

Mr Whitlam, the country's 21st prime minister, entered parliament in 1952. He held the seat of Werriwa in southwestern Sydney, later held by another ALP leader, Mark Latham.

He was prime minister from December 1972 until he was dismissed by governor-general John Kerr on November 11, 1975.

Mr Whitlam's creation of the foundations of the modern welfare state, his promotion of multiculturalism, his establishment of theFamily Court and Medicare are all still intensely debated in Australia today. His abolition of conscription, withdrawal from the Vietnam War and promotion of a university education for all who sought it made him a hero to many baby boomers.

After Mr Whitlam and Forde, next on the list of Australia's longest-living prime ministers is John Gorton -- Liberal prime minister from 1968 to 1971 -- who lived for 90 years and eight months.

Labor's Billy Hughes, who held office from 1915 to 1923, lived for 90 years and one month.

Forde served as prime minister for only eight days after the death of John Curtin and before Ben Chifley was elected Labor leader in July 1945.

Credit: John Stapleton

Monday, 19 January 2009

Uni defies jobs trend with plan to hire 330 By: John Stapleton, Australian, The, 19 January, 2009

John Stapleton
THE University of Sydney is bucking the economic trend with an announcement that it is to increase its total staff numbers by 10 per cent.
In a rare optimistic note in a crumbling employment market, the university said yesterday it was to take on an extra 330 workers. The staff are to be employed at a $385 million Centre for Obesity, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, with the federal Government contributing $95 million. The centre is to be completed by 2013.
After years of financial belt-tightening in the sector, academics have greeted the initiative as a welcome return to public sector investment in employment.
It has been described as exactly the type of job investment required to fend off a full-scale depression. ``This is the largest ever single recruitment drive
the university has undertaken for a major project,'' deputy Vice-Chancellor Don Nutbeam said.
The centre represents the first phase of plans to create a major international biomedical research precinct ultimately accommodating 5000 researchers and postgraduate students.
The director of the Centre of Full Employment and Equity at the University of Newcastle, Bill Mitchell, said the project was a welcome change. ``This shows the power of the public sector to create sustainable employment opportunities for skilled workers, a capacity we lost,'' he said.

Sunday, 18 January 2009

It's a Scorcher, but 70-year record stands, The Australian, 18 January, 2009.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/news/its-a-scorcher-but-70-year-record-stands/story-e6frg6o6-1111118566607

It's a scorcher, but 70-year record stands

JOHN STAPLETON, GAVIN LOWER, LEX HALL
THE AUSTRALIAN
JANUARY 15, 2009 12:00AM

MUCH of inland Australia sweltered as towns from Ivanhoe and Pooncarie in far-western NSW to Onslow in the Pilbara, Kerang in Victoria and Marree in South Australia hit 45C yesterday.

But even those temperatures can't beat the searing conditions of 70 years ago, when records were broken over a period of four days through NSW, Victoria, the ACT and South Australia.

State record highs of 49.7C in Menindee in NSW and 47.2C in Mildura in Victoria, set in January 1939, still stand today, as do capital marks of 46.1C in Adelaide, 45.6C in Melbourne, 45.3C in Sydney and 42.8C in Canberra.

Through that January 70 years ago, 438 deaths were attributed to the heat and a further 71 people died in Victorian bushfires on "Black Friday", the 13th.

The 70th anniversary of these maximum temperatures has provided the opportunity for sceptics to again question the theory of man-made global warming: if large increases in greenhouse gases are making the planet warmer, why have the records of 70 years ago not been overtaken?

David Evans, a former adviser to the Australian Greenhouse Office, the precursor to the Department of Climate Change, said that although events such as those of January 1939 were too localised to draw implications on global warming, the 70 years since these maximums were reached was enough to "make you sceptical".

"The debate has changed," he said. He predicted that by 2010, the only people who would believe in global warming would be "those who have a financial interest in it, the politically correct and those who believe in big government. Everyone else will think it's a load of rubbish."

Many climate scientists disagree. National Climate Centre head David Jones said the fact the maximum temperatures were set so long ago in no way disproved global warming. He said 1939 was a freak once-in-a-century event.

In the Mallee town of Swan Hill, Victoria, one of the hottest places in the nation yesterday at 44C, people did not care about the cause of the hot weather -- they just tried to cool off.

For 18-year-old Allen Roberts, a Melbourne boarding school student home for the summer, there was only one thing for it: a splash in the waters of the Murray River with his brother Marcus and cousin Leeroy Charles. "We cooked today," he said in the afternoon. "It feels like an oven out there. The wind seems to pick up the heat and just blow it in your face."

Despite the soaring temperatures across much of Australia, firefighters yesterday brought bushfires near Port Lincoln on the South Australian coast and in Sydney's north under control.

Families and businesses in Port Lincoln were left counting the cost of destroyed homes and infrastructure.

A Country Fire Service spokeswoman said firefighters worked overnight carrying out back burning. A southerly change during the night helped by pushing the blaze into control lines established by the CFS.

The fire was declared under control just after 9am yesterday, having burnt through 281ha, destroying three homes, a dog boarding kennel, numerous sheds and fishing industry property.

Betty Burner, 74, spent yesterday inspecting what was left of her house, dog kennels and cattery after the fire hit.

The blaze came down the hill and missed her property before a change sent it back to her house.

"It's just down to the rocks at the bottom," she said of her 90-year-old home.

Left with only the clothes on her back, Ms Burner said only eight dogs and two cats were able to be saved after she was told to evacuate. One dog died, one was missing and 23 cats, which she had bred, were burnt to death.

At Killara, in Sydney's north, firefighters managed to contain a bushfire that came dangerously close to homes.

As temperatures reached the high 30s yesterday, and faced with further hot weather expected today, about 100 firefighters from the Rural Fire Service, the NSW Fire Brigades and National Parks and Wildlife Service continued their efforts to fireproof parts of the Garigal National Park, about 23ha of which has so far been burnt out.

Saturday, 17 January 2009

Firefighters stretched by arsonists The Australian 17 January 2009 Additional Reporting

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/firefighters-stretched-by-arsonists/story-e6frg6pf-1111118586413

Firefighters stretched by arsonists

NICOLAS PERPITCH, ANGUS HOHENBOKEN
THE AUSTRALIAN
JANUARY 17, 2009 12:00AM

ARSONISTS have caused chaos for firefighters across the nation, with a deliberately lit blaze in Perth's Kings Park yesterday burning up much-needed firefighting resources as it threatened a block of luxury apartments.

Fire crews battling two other major blazes across the city were stretched to the limit as the temperature neared 42C.

On the other side of the country, two alleged arsonists faced court for triggering a bushfire in the Wollemi National Park in NSW after burning a stolen car. Fire officials warn that the state will face dangerous conditions next week.

In Western Australia, the arson squad said a suspect had been seen running from the area where the Kings Park fire had been lit at about 6.30am yesterday.

Fire and Emergency Service Authority incident controller Bruce Jones said the arsonist had picked a day when strong shifting winds had made the firefighters' task even tougher. "It's madness," he said. "It's a bad day for a fire at any time, especially when we've got the conditions we've got today. We've had two other serious incidents in the metropolitan area. It's stretched our resources to capacity."

More than 15ha of Kings Park, on the fringe of the CBD, were burnt out, with the flames at one point threatening luxury homes along Park Avenue.

The fire was contained at about 11am, but flared again and headed towards the Old Swan Brewery on the Swan River. Staff were evacuated and the fire reached within 200m of the building before firefighters, helped by three helicopter water bombers, managed to stop the blaze.

A bushfire was also burning out of control in the Yanchep National Park, on Perth's northern outskirts. The fire, which started in the coastal town of Two Rocks, had burnt more than 5000ha of bushland and pine plantation last night. FESA spokesman Mike Venn said it was likely to take up to three days to bring the blaze under control. "We've got no way of stopping it for many, many hours," he said.

Firefighters were also battling a large bushfire that burnt a house at Bridgetown, 270km south of Perth. The fire, which blackened 1500ha of land, hit a home at Highland housing estate on the outskirts of the town. The extent of the damage was unknown. After the fire came within 5km of the town, a wind change pushed it away from homes and towards the South West Highway.

In NSW, one of the two men charged yesterday over the Wollemi National Park blaze northwest of Sydney was revealed to be a former Rural Fire Service volunteer. The men allegedly set fire to a Holden Commodore near Kurrajong at about 3pm on Wednesday before the fire spread to surrounding bushland. A 19-year-old man was arrested at a home in North Richmond on Thursday night, and a 20-year-old man was arrested at Richmond.

Additional reporting: John Stapleton

Friday, 16 January 2009

Scorching day sets off walls of flame, The Australian, 16 January, 2009. Picture Amos Aikman.

Scorching day sets off walls of flame

Overington, Caroline. John Stapleton. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 16 Jan 2009: 3.

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Flames were fanned by hot, gusty winds. In the west of Sydney, the temperature reached 43C, hot enough for a late-model Lexus to catch fire on the M4 freeway, setting off a blaze that raced down a hill, taking out 3ha of grassland, threatening houses, two other cars and a shed.

"All of a sudden the wind died down, it went quiet and then, whoosh, the black smoke suddenly came flying this way and then the flames followed," Ms [Felicity Blackhall] said, with tears in her eyes. "I had a little bag with my (photo) negatives ready, but it came up so fast there was no time to evacuate."

Earlier in the day, another fire broke out in a gully at Mount Kuring-gai in Sydney's northern suburbs, burning behind factories near Gundah Road in the Berowra Valley. Workers from 15 factories were evacuated.

Full Text

IT was a day of searing temperatures and raging bush fires, of residents trapped in their homes by walls of flames that leaped higher than 10m trees outside.

Rural fire services were called into action across NSW yesterday, battling alongside residents trying desperately to save their homes.

The startled driver, who leaped from the vehicle, was unhurt.

The incident occurred just after 1pm, shortly before residents of Londonderry, also in Sydney's west, were trapped by the speed of an advancing fire. Some wanted to flee but were told to stay indoors rather than try to outrun the fires that were approaching the township.

Three sheds, two vehicles and some farm machinery were burned in the blaze that engulfed 110ha. Three people were taken to hospital suffering the effects of smoke inhalation, while 110 firefighters were called in to bring the fire under control.

Mother of two Felicity Blackhall, who lives on Londonderry Road, thought she would lose everything.

"All of a sudden the wind died down, it went quiet and then, whoosh, the black smoke suddenly came flying this way and then the flames followed," Ms Blackhall said, with tears in her eyes. "I had a little bag with my (photo) negatives ready, but it came up so fast there was no time to evacuate."

She said she turned to her sons, aged four and 13, and told them to stay indoors and sit on the kitchen floor, and then went outside to battle the wall of flames armed with a garden hose.

"By the time I got outside, the fireys were coming down the street," she said.

"They did such an incredible job. I'm just so relieved."

Firefighters yesterday described seeing walls of flame stretching 30m high.

Firefighters were also battling two bushfires on military sites elsewhere in the state. A fire at a Singleton army firing range had burnt through 400ha, while another at a Richmond Valley bombing range had ravaged 10ha.

NSW was not alone in feeling the heat yesterday. Western Australia also endured sweltering conditions, with temperatures in Perth nudging 40C, while Canberra hit 38C.

Perth is expected to be hot again today, while a cool change was forecast to keep temperatures in Sydney down to 27C. Canberra is expecting 32C.

Credit: Caroline Overington, John Stapleton, Addition reporting: Lauren Wilson

Tuesday, 13 January 2009

Get Off the Bench, Dads On The Air, 13 January, 2009.

Get Off the Bench

TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2009 AT 10:30AM

With special guests:

Bob Norton
Larry Holland
Peter Van de Voorde
Mark Sutton and
Angelo Lobo.

This week on Dads on the Air we present excerpts from two popular US radio programs that deal with men’s and fathers’ issues. First up, Dads on the Air recently joined the discussion on popular weekly American radio program Get Off The Bench. Our own Peter van de Voorde together with the co-hosts of the program, Bob Norton and Larry Holland, discuss many of the Family Law issues that are presently faced in so many countries around the world.

This is followed by an excellent interview with filmmaker Angelo Lobo on Liberal Arts Radio. Liberal Arts is a radio show that explores the arts from an unapologetically political perspective. Host Mark Sutton (NPR, Air America, XM Satellite Radio) is joined by politically-opinionated guests from the world of music, art, political cartoons, film and more. The Family Court system is on trial in Angelo Lobo’s documentary film Support System Down, which looks at ways in which people have been trapped in divorce proceeding that can last for years, cost into the millions of dollars, and separate parents from kids.

Listen Now (MP3)

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Child Support,

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Non-Custodial Fathers,

Suicide

Monday, 12 January 2009

All's quiet in Rosemeadow, The Australian, 12 January, 2009.

All's quiet in Rosemeadow

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 12 Jan 2009: 2.

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The women, aged 19 and 40 respectively, were charged with affray. The 19-year-old was also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.

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A HEAVY police presence has prevented a repeat of last week's mob violence in the troubled Rosemeadow housing estate in southwestern Sydney, but two women were charged over a brawl that left one of them with a broken nose.

Despite fears among police and community elders that there could be further rioting in the area, the confrontation between the two women on Macbeth Way late on Saturday evening was the only violent incident over the weekend.

The women, aged 19 and 40 respectively, were charged with affray. The 19-year-old was also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault. Police said the older woman was walking past a party being held at a neighbour's house on Macbeth Way when she was confronted by the younger woman.

Editorial -- Page 13

Credit: John Stapleton

Basic questions of life thrown up for kids, The Australian, 12 January, 2009.

Basic questions of life thrown up for kids

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 12 Jan 2009: 4.

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"We are most interested in creating an experience of wonder," he said. "It's about being positive and imagining we can achieve anything."

"We're very pleased with the response so far. Most kids are familiar with concerts from The Wiggles, but it's important to show them theatre can be many things, including music, storytelling and dancing."

The spokeswoman said there were six events specifically for children in this year's festival, including Dan Zanes, an old rocker now making his living creating "kiddie moshpits" and a play about lost toys called Fluff.

Full Text

THEATRE producer Andy Packer wants to challenge his audience to think about some of the big questions of art and life: "What it is to be human ... basic desire and need."

But instead of aiming the questions at university students or drama devotees, he is targeting an entirely new generation of theatregoers -- children aged eight and above.

The production of the children's play The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy, which began its run at the Sydney Festival yesterday, is part of a new focus on productions for young people.

This is the first time the festival has incorporated a program of music and theatre targeted specifically at children.

The play's plot is simple -- Cheeseboy lives with his parents on a planet of cheese until one tragic night when his home is reduced to a bubbling fondue.

Cheeseboy struggles to survive the collapse of his planet and to cope on his own afterwards.

The production, by Adelaide company Slingsby, uses puppetry, light projections, models and oldfashioned story-telling to create a feeling of enchantment.

"What is exciting is the conversation on the way home in the car between the children and the parents, who have both had a really rich experience watching the play together," Packer says.

"Audience development is part of it, but theatre is important for children for the same reasons art is important for all of us, to reflect on what it is to be human. It is a basic need and desire.

"Cheeseboy is a story about what it is like to be separated from your parents, in the way that we all go from being protected by our parents to being individuals in the world."

Mr Packer said the aim was to fill children's heads with life-expanding possibilities of their own imagination.

"We are most interested in creating an experience of wonder," he said. "It's about being positive and imagining we can achieve anything."

After the festival, the production will embark on an international tour, including cities in Europe and the US.

A spokeswoman for the Sydney Festival said the focus on children's productions this year, with plays and concerts continuing until the end of the month, was partly driven by the desire to reach out and create new audiences.

"The other side is to showcase the breadth of children's theatre and music being created in Australia," she said.

Credit: John Stapleton

THE JOURNALISM OF JOHN STAPLETON

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Thursday, 22 January 2009