Thursday, June 7, 2012
TEEN SLEEPING ROUGH ON AFFLUENT STREETS ‘DEEPLY WRONG'
Jason Dowling Published: June 7, 2012
Having a tough day at work? Worried about the utility bills or what to do this weekend?
Spare a thought for a moment about others who have bigger struggles to deal with, like where to find a blanket and a safe place to shelter for the night.
Teenagers are among the more than 100 people sleeping rough on Melbourne's cold and bleak winter streets.
A new count of homeless people organised by Melbourne City Council on Wednesday morning between 4.30am and 8.30am detected 101 people sleeping in places such as park benches and doorways.
Volunteers surveyed 54 of those sleeping rough, almost two thirds had been homeless for more than two years and 16 people had been homeless for more than five years.
"It is deeply wrong that in a society as affluent as ours that anyone should have to sleep rough, particularly at this time of year as the weather becomes increasingly cold," Carolyn Atkins from the Victorian Council of Social Service said.
"This survey is helpful in highlighting the worst results of a society where people still cannot get affordable and secure housing that meet their needs. We know surveys such as this do not capture all those who are homeless," she said.
She said emergency relief agencies around the state were reporting an increase in the number of people accessing their services who are homeless.
"The recent state budget cut to homelessness support services are likely to exacerbate these problems," she said.
For the first time since the count began, a pair of young people who gave their age as under 18 were detected sleeping rough in a Melbourne train station — it was their third night out in the cold.
During the count volunteers visited parks and streets in the CBD, North and West Melbourne and Flagstaff and Fitzroy Gardens.
Of the 101 people detected sleeping rough, 87 were male.
More than 80 per cent of those counted were aged between 25 and 60.
"People who sleep rough are those most in need of help. By collecting data on how many people sleep rough we get an idea of who the most vulnerable people are and can target our efforts towards them," Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said.
In 2011 volunteers counted 105 people sleeping rough, in 2010 it was 101, 2009 - 75 and in 2008 112.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/teens-sleeping-rough-on-affluent-streets-deeply-wrong-20120607-1zxow.html
CASUAL WORKERS FORCED TO WEAR BARCODES
Clay Lucas
Published: June 8, 2012
CASUAL workers at a warehouse in Melbourne's west are being required to wear - and pay for - armbands identifying them as non-permanent staff. The armbands contain employee numbers on barcodes and must be used to obtain scanning equipment needed for their work.
Permanent workers at the Sunshine warehouse do not have to wear the armbands. The case has come to light as unions raise concerns over the increased casualisation of labour. Five per cent of Australia's workforce, or about 605,000 people, are now employed by labour hire firms, according to the Bureau of Statistics.
Labour-hire casual workers are concentrated in warehousing, manufacturing, property and business services, and health and community services. About 15 workers at the Sunshine warehouse must have the barcoded armbands. The workers are employed by labour hire company Manpower and the warehouse is run by logistics firm DB Schenker to ship equipment for Fuji Xerox. While the armbands do not need to be worn at all times, the casuals must scan themselves in before starting work and carry the armbands at all times.
They also have to pay for the bands.
An official with the National Union of Workers, which discovered the Sunshine armband case, said all employees should be treated with dignity, and questioned whether there was enough regulation of labour hire firms.
''The unregulated use of agency casual labour is creating an underclass that threatens our way of life,'' said the union's assistant national secretary, Paul Richardson. ''Every worker should have the right to a job they can count on and be treated with dignity at work.’’
The general manager of Manpower Australia and New Zealand, Chris Riley, said the wearing of armbands was sought by the warehouse operator. ''Many of our clients require people that we place on site to wear ID badges,'' he said.
He said it was Manpower's responsibility to ensure its workers were ''not worse off in any way … We have to ensure that the work practices are appropriate for our people. But in terms of how they are identified, [that] is really another thing'’.
The Recruitment and Consulting Services Association, which has many labour hire firms among its members, recently put out a report on benefits of the agencies to manage skills shortages. ''For the majority of employers, it's not a choice of 'hire permanent staff or hire temporary staff'. It is in fact 'hire temporary staff or don't hire at all','' the report said.
The ACTU has run a campaign on what it says are the growing effects of job insecurity. It has singled out the practices of labour hire firms as an issue. Unions say insecure jobs - those providing little economic security for workers and little control over their working lives - now account for almost 40 per cent of the workforce.
But critics say the ACTU is exaggerating. John Lloyd, former head of the construction watchdog and now at the Institute of Public Affairs, said the 40 per cent figure did ''not stand up to a lot scrutiny''. Many business operators - about 9 per cent of the workforce - were very happy to work for themselves. ''The ACTU calls them anxious workers,'' Mr Lloyd said. ''Most business operators are quite happy with what they are doing, using their own skills to create their own wealth and independence and very few of them would be running around being anxious.’’
He said the same applied for many independent contractors, who also make up about 9 per cent of the workforce.
clucas@theage.com.au
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/casual-workers-forced-to-wear-barcodes-20120607-1zz2c.html
CASUAL workers at a warehouse in Melbourne's west are being required to wear - and pay for - armbands identifying them as non-permanent staff. The armbands contain employee numbers on barcodes and must be used to obtain scanning equipment needed for their work.
Permanent workers at the Sunshine warehouse do not have to wear the armbands. The case has come to light as unions raise concerns over the increased casualisation of labour. Five per cent of Australia's workforce, or about 605,000 people, are now employed by labour hire firms, according to the Bureau of Statistics.
Labour-hire casual workers are concentrated in warehousing, manufacturing, property and business services, and health and community services. About 15 workers at the Sunshine warehouse must have the barcoded armbands. The workers are employed by labour hire company Manpower and the warehouse is run by logistics firm DB Schenker to ship equipment for Fuji Xerox. While the armbands do not need to be worn at all times, the casuals must scan themselves in before starting work and carry the armbands at all times.
They also have to pay for the bands.
An official with the National Union of Workers, which discovered the Sunshine armband case, said all employees should be treated with dignity, and questioned whether there was enough regulation of labour hire firms.
''The unregulated use of agency casual labour is creating an underclass that threatens our way of life,'' said the union's assistant national secretary, Paul Richardson. ''Every worker should have the right to a job they can count on and be treated with dignity at work.’’
The general manager of Manpower Australia and New Zealand, Chris Riley, said the wearing of armbands was sought by the warehouse operator. ''Many of our clients require people that we place on site to wear ID badges,'' he said.
He said it was Manpower's responsibility to ensure its workers were ''not worse off in any way … We have to ensure that the work practices are appropriate for our people. But in terms of how they are identified, [that] is really another thing'’.
The Recruitment and Consulting Services Association, which has many labour hire firms among its members, recently put out a report on benefits of the agencies to manage skills shortages. ''For the majority of employers, it's not a choice of 'hire permanent staff or hire temporary staff'. It is in fact 'hire temporary staff or don't hire at all','' the report said.
The ACTU has run a campaign on what it says are the growing effects of job insecurity. It has singled out the practices of labour hire firms as an issue. Unions say insecure jobs - those providing little economic security for workers and little control over their working lives - now account for almost 40 per cent of the workforce.
But critics say the ACTU is exaggerating. John Lloyd, former head of the construction watchdog and now at the Institute of Public Affairs, said the 40 per cent figure did ''not stand up to a lot scrutiny''. Many business operators - about 9 per cent of the workforce - were very happy to work for themselves. ''The ACTU calls them anxious workers,'' Mr Lloyd said. ''Most business operators are quite happy with what they are doing, using their own skills to create their own wealth and independence and very few of them would be running around being anxious.’’
He said the same applied for many independent contractors, who also make up about 9 per cent of the workforce.
clucas@theage.com.au
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/casual-workers-forced-to-wear-barcodes-20120607-1zz2c.html
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
TEEN DREAM NOW POLICE NIGHTMARE
EXCLUSIVE Ronan O'Connell, Luke Eliot and Gabrielle Knowles, The West Australian June 7 2012
Action man: Chris Bergroth on Facebook
He's the former boy scout who is accused of making a mockery of security at key police buildings across Perth.
His Facebook page lists his employer as the nation's top secret spy organisation ASIO and says he completed studies in counter-terrorism and state security at the prestigious Australian Defence Force Academy.
And at the age of 18, Chris Bergroth is facing more than 30 charges related to a month allegedly filled with visits to the Perth Watch House, Curtin House and police headquarters.
It is a case that has senior police red-faced, veteran officers scratching their heads and the public legitimately concerned over the ease with which the Seville Grove teenager got access to critical infrastructure.
Mr Bergroth told The West Australian yesterday that he was "very, very sorry" for his actions, which he described as the "biggest mistake of my life".
As he sat in a bedroom of his mother's home, the softly spoken teenager fidgeted nervously while he explained himself. He said he had been fascinated by policing since he was a child and had dreamt of becoming a police officer.
A four-week work experience stint with the Armadale police two years ago had cemented his plans to apply to join the force, something he had intended to do this year.
"I love helping people," Mr Bergroth said. "You see police out and about doing an awesome job helping people in so many different ways. It makes me feel good helping people out and I wanted that to be my job."
He conceded that his keen interest in becoming an officer had morphed into obsession and clouded his judgment. Early last month he had gone to the imposing police headquarters in East Perth dressed in business attire and asked at security if he could go inside to use the bathroom.
When he was waved through, Mr Bergroth claimed he walked past the bathroom, which he did not notice, and then spotted two large bins marked "police clothes".
He dug through the pile of official police attire and selected a full uniform, along with a jacket, jumper and reflective vest, which all bore WA Police markings. He then strolled out a side door, rather than returning past the security booth and walked through the carpark and through a security gate as a police vehicle was leaving.
Mr Bergroth admitted he then used the clothing he had stolen to help him repeatedly get access to secure facilities.
To make himself look more convincing, he had paired the police uniform with items he had previously bought over the internet - a police-style utility belt, a gun holster and a Taser holster.
Police allege he was also in possession of a baton and a stolen security swipe card. Mr Bergroth allegedly used his outfit to scam his way into the Perth Watch House six times and Curtin House twice.
He claimed he had spent "maybe two minutes" inside the secure section of Curtin House - home to specialist investigative units such as the homicide, drug and anti-bikie squads - after being allowed in when he asked to get some plastic gloves. He took the gloves and left.
He had spent longer inside the Perth Watch House, where he allegedly visited a close friend - a 25-year-old custody officer who has been stood down from duty while internal affairs detectives investigate the links between the men.
He said he had mixed freely with police officers and staff during those visits and had not been caught out until last Friday when a custody officer became suspicious and questioned him over his reasons for being at the secure facility.
Mr Bergroth said he did not want to comment on his friend and whether he had played a role in the security breaches. He had already damaged his own future and traumatised his loved ones.
"I feel like an idiot," Mr Bergroth said. "I know what I did was wrong. I have disgraced police, I have disgraced my family and I have lied to my friends and family. This is going to haunt me for years to come and my family, too. I just wanted my family and friends to be proud of me. It was crazy I know but at the time it didn't seem like a big deal.
"I never meant to cause any harm. I never messed with computers or tried to get guns or anything. I was just messing about. I didn't even think how serious it was at the time."
The West Australian understands the custody officer who worked at the watch house and knew Mr Bergroth through the boy scouts suggested the teenager come for a tour.
Within days he allegedly made his first visit to the watch house, where alleged criminals are processed after being arrested.
Internal investigators are scanning more than a month's footage from dozens of security cameras at the watch house, police headquarters and Curtin House to determine when and for how long Mr Bergroth was in the police premises.
On May 30, Mr Bergroth allegedly visited his friend at the watch house. He was allowed into a secure parking area and, while his mate ducked off for a moment, noticed an unlocked police car. It is alleged he took a security swipe card from the car and used it to enter the watch house the next night.
A senior officer prefaced a news conference on the matter by Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan yesterday with a saying known in law enforcement and security circles. "We have to be lucky every time, they have to be lucky only once," the inspector said.
But to balance that, an insight from the other side of the thin blue line - a quote from a senior bikie: “If
you want something bad enough, you can always find a way to get it.”
GOP ESTABLISHMENT TRIES TO PREVENT RON PAUL SUPPORTERS FROM COMING TO REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
Published: 6 June, 2012, 19:36
Edited: 6 June, 2012, 19:36
Edited: 6 June, 2012, 19:36
Supporters of presidential hopeful Ron Paul plan to hold a massive rally in Tampa, Florida on the eve of the upcoming Republican National Convention, but festival organizers say the state GOP is generating problems for the proposed event.
As it stands now, PaulFest is scheduled for August 24-26 at the Florida State Fairgrounds. With only a little more than two months until then, though, organizers are up in arms over an alleged lack of cooperation on the part of state officials in charge of issuing a permit.
PaulFest spokesman Bryan Siemon tells reporters that backers of the candidate hope to have bands, comedians and speakers booked for the upcoming event, but will be left with little time to put things together if they aren’t authorized to host the rally in time.
"We have a timeline," says Siemon. "If we can't get this date secured, it will make it impossible to put on a festival of this large size."
"By delaying the release," PaulFest organizer Deborah Robinet pleads in a press release, "the Republican leadership is actually denying conference organizers sufficient time to plan the event.”
Estimates for attendance at PaulFest range from a modest 10,000 to as many as 100,000, which Robinet says could be likely. Given the amount of those expected to make the trip then, Robinet says she can’t help but question why the RNC is waiting so long to make a decision.
“They’ve been fighting us all along,” Robinet adds to The Tampa Bay Times. “We’re Republicans. Do they want to alienate us, or do they want to bring us into the fold?”
PaulFest planners say it’s no coincidence that they are be giving the run around, though: organizers of the Republican National Convention are in charge of deciding on who can use the fairgrounds during the week of the RNC. Following the bowing out of GOP candidates Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) is the only Republican Party candidate standing in the way of the GOP’s presumptive nominee, Mitt Romney.
In recent weeks, a rift between sects of the Republican Party has only widened and tensions are high between supporters of both candidates. During this past weekend’s state GOP convention in Louisiana, a disagreement between delegates aligned with Rep. Paul and the rest of the party ended with both arrests and injuries.
"There isn't another event that has been requested (for the fairgrounds), and we've been negotiating since early March, so it does seem as if our plans are being stalled to make it more difficult for us to hold the festival we want to hold in Tampa," fellow festival organizer Susan Wolfe tells The Tampa Tribune.
Members of the RNC say it isn’t so black and white, though. According to convention organizers, they will consider issuing a permit for PaulFest when the time is right and dismiss claims that the rally for the libertarian lawmaker is the only event they have to deal with right now.
“We do have the request," RNC spokesman James Davis tells the Associated Press. "We have an extraordinary amount for requests for the venues we do have. We're going through and making assignments and no one has turned down any assignment yet."
"We're still in the process of going through and making those assignments on a rolling basis," Davis adds. "We have not turned anyone down at this point. We're trying to make all the accommodations we can."
https://rt.com/usa/news/paul-gop-paulfest-rnc-174/
LA GOP SPIRALS INTO CHAOS...PAUL DELEGATES ARRESTED
You are free. If you choose one of our elitist candidates for the maintenance of your ‘freedom'......
ISRAEL ’SUPER-READY TO ATTACK IRAN – DEFENCE CHIEF
Edited: 5 June, 2012
Israel is fully prepared to attack Iran if needed, declared Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, saying the military threat is one convincing method of forcing Tehran to give up its nuclear ambitions.
According to the military chief, “the vectors of international diplomatic isolation, economic pressure and sanctions, disturbances to the [nuclear] project… and a credible military threat” make the list of factors that can influence the direction of Iran's nuclear program.
“In order to be a credible military threat, we must be super-ready, and as far as I’m concerned, we’re super-ready,”Gantz was cited by Israeli media as saying to the country’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
The military official also explained that Tehran has yet to determine whether to use its nuclear capabilities for weapons, but the IDF is prepared for either scenario.
Israel has repeatedly declared that it does not rule out the military option as a tool to curb the Iranian nuclear program.
A close ally of Israel, the US has also assured Tel Aviv that it will do everything to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Tehran insists that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful, and despite a lack of any evidence pointing to weapons development, the West is reluctant to believe the assurances.
In the recent rounds of nuclear talks in Baghdad on May 23-24 Tehran refused to suspend its 20 per cent uranium enrichment program, raising more controversy regarding its eventual goals.
The next round of talks will take place this month in Moscow.
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