Myki swipes $12 million from commuters

The Transport Ticketing Authority is reaping hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest from money stored on passenger's myki cards, a windfall set to balloon as Metcards are phased out.

As commuter frustration mounts over smartcard barrier crushes at train stations, myki millions are flowing smoothly into the authority's operating budget - but how the money will be spent remains a mystery.

About $12 million of myki money is currently stored on the smartcards - more than double the amount held on the cards nine months ago, and 10 times that stored in myki accounts three years ago.

Last financial year the Transport Ticketing Authority earned $150,000 in interest from money stored on commuters' cards, and current figures show just 46 per cent of ticket validations are conducted with myki.

"Any interest earned will be used by the TTA to support the cost of myki operations," the authority's chief executive Bernie Carolan said.

But so far, the authority has provided no breakdown of the expenditure. A spokesman said it was "not possible to specify exactly what [myki operations] it pays for".

Myki money is held in a Transport Ticketing Authority bank account, which collected an interest rate of 4.57 per cent last financial year.

The authority has not responded to questions about where the account is held and why the interest rate appears so low. Banks are currently offering about 5.5% interest on one-year term deposits.

Mr Carolan said the situation was not that different from Metcards.

"For example, people may purchase a 5 x daily ticket and cash is immediately paid, even though the trips may not be made for some weeks or months."

But as people have moved away from carrying coins and notes to storing value on their myki card, passenger money held in the authority's bank account has increased.

When a passenger touches on with myki money, it triggers a transfer and the cash is split between the various companies involved in public transport provision, as well as the Department of Transport.

Myki pass top-ups are immediately distributed to public transport providers in the same way as weekly and monthly Metcards.

In the 2009-10 financial year $1.1 million of myki cardholder funds were held in the authority's bank account.

As at June 30 last year there was $4.8 million of cardholder funds stored in their account.

The Transport Ticketing Authority is the state body responsible for managing the myki ticket system and the phasing out of Metcards.

It works with public transport operators, including the Department of Transport and private operator Metro, to ensure "a smooth introduction" of the myki ticket system.

Kamco is the private company that was contracted by the former Brumby government in 2005 to create myki.

theage.com.au 5 Apr 2012

Another money for mates scam that should have has the people involved in the project sacked.

Taxpayer funds wasted on a faulty non operational system that is behind the rest of the world.

Australia is truly an over governed backwards country .

Marathon Thomson inquiry turns into a farce

THE inquiry into allegations that embattled Labor MP Craig Thomson misused Health Services Union funds was derailed last night.

The Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions said it had no power to investigate whether Mr Thomson had committed a crime.

After a three-year probe, Fair Work Australia this week referred to the CDPP a report on what it said were 181 breaches of the Workplace Relations Act, including 76 potential criminal charges, which it wanted the office to consider.

But the CDPP said it was not an investigation agency.

"It does not have investigative powers and is not able to conduct a criminal investigation," the CDPP said in a statement.

"In order for a matter to be assessed as to whether a prosecution should be commenced, a criminal investigation is conducted and a brief of evidence prepared and referred to the CDPP."

Mr Thomson has been accused of misusing $100,000 on his HSU credit card, including paying for prostitutes - allegations he has continually denied.

A Fair Work Australia spokesman said yesterday it was not releasing the report publicly, on legal advice.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said it was up to Fair Work Australia to release the report and the Government would not seek its own copy.

"I don't have anything before me which would cause me to alter from my previous statements of confidence in Mr Thomson," she said.

Mr Thomson said he had not seen the Fair Work Australia report and was "obviously incredibly frustrated" with the delays and the uncertainty about what happens next.

heraldsun.com.au 5 Apr 2012

Watch this criminal walk free.

Another example to the masses that if you're in with the right crowd you are above the law and untouchable.

Julia Gillard needs him in order to stay in office, so there will be no expellsion of this criminal.

Taxpayer funds paying for criminals in office.

Hinch defies court again, names pedophile

Shock jock Derryn Hinch has once again defied a court order and named a convicted pedophile, a move which could see him sent to jail.

Speaking on Melbourne radio station 3AW yesterday Hinch named a Sydney property developer who was convicted of sexually assaulting his 11-year old daughter, the Herald Sun reports.

The man was sentenced to 18 months jail last week and his barrister succeeded in having his client's name suppressed, arguing his sentence would impact his ability to earn income in the future.

The victim, who is now aged in her 30s, told Hinch she was disgusted that her abuser's name could not be published while the details of the abuse she suffered were not suppressed.

"His identify was protected, yet these intimate details about me are not protected at all. How can, on the one hand, they protect this man’s identity, and on the other hand, deny the victim’s right and the rights of society to know he is a convicted pedophile?"

Hinch published the man's name on his humanheadline.com.au website, which has crashed under the enormous traffic generated in the wake of the controversy.

The radio host tweeted confirmation that his site had not been taken down by himself or the authorities.

"It has not been hacked, it has not been taken down by the Justice Department it has crashed because of an overload of traffic," Hinch wrote.

In the 1980s Hinch was imprisoned for identifying a pedophile Melbourne priest.

Last year he was banned from broadcasting for five months for naming convicted sex offenders.

3 Apr 2012

The law is designed to protect the criminal and not the victim.

This fact has been confirmed to corpau by lawyers that wish to remain anonymous.

There is no justice for the victim, as mentioned in this case.

Millions suffer telco ‘bill shock', report finds

AUSTRALIA'S telcos pocketed more than $557 million from mobile phone users breaking their caps last year.

The telcos have also been accused of overcharging customers for plans they weren't using.

The "bill shock'' was shared by more than 10 million people. Some were $3000 out of pocket for 12 months, while most were charged about $80 in excess costs.

The State of the Mobile Nation report from Macquarie University found two-thirds of Australians were paying for inclusions in their mobile plan they did not use.

Dr David Gray, from Macquarie University in Queensland, said the report showed households were wasting hundreds of dollars on unused features each year.

"The research shows that bill shock is consistently experienced by consumers signing up to traditional plans,'' he said.

"They are being offered lots of choice, but it's not translating into value.''

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network criticised the telcos for taking "two bites of the cherry''.

"With people regularly not using all their so-called included value within their plans, while at the same time paying more for services that aren't included,'' said spokeswoman Elissa Freeman.

"This problem exists because of the way Australian telcos structure their plans, which are unnecessarily complex and lock people into 24-month contracts that sometimes don't suit their needs.''

Frankston man Tony Wiber, 67, was slugged with an unexpected $1100 bill after he suffered a cardiac problem in a Frankston Telstra store a little over a year ago.

He needed open-heart surgery and wanted to keep in touch with his wife, who was travelling in London, but didn't realise how expensive the international calls would be.

"I was a bit out of it, still suffering from anaesthetic, but I was a bit surprised,'' he said.

Amaysim, a low-cost mobile operator, supported the Macquarie University research and argued consumers needed to play more of a role in finding plans that didn't carry unwanted extras to drive prices down among the bigger telcos.

heraldsun.com.au 29 Mar 2012

Corporate Fraud at its finest.

Laws and the exectution of them, together with the legal system working for the corporates to the financial detriment of the masses produces outcomes like this.

One can easily hide behind the banner of 'It is written in the Terms and Conditions document', but there is deliberate misinformation concerning this.

Another win for the 'system'.

Apple accused of exploiting students

See article:

http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/apple-is-accused-of-exploiting-students-20120402-1w8rx.html?skin=text-only

theage.com.au 3 Apr 2012.

The wonders of globalisation are at play, where the exploitation of the weak and vulnerable is taken advantage of by the multinational giants.

Slave labour camps at their best.

Lavish gifts flow to Baillieu and state politicians

FOREIGN trips, golf clubs, fancy dinners and tickets to the hottest shows in town are among hundreds of gifts given to Premier Ted Baillieu and senior state government staff.

Previously secret gift registers from major government departments show hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of presents have been lavished on Mr Baillieu and senior public servants from sporting groups and the corporate world.

AFL Grand Final tickets, private art show viewings, fine food and wine and a $10,000 trip to London are among items on the registers, obtained after a seven-month Freedom of Information battle.

Mr Baillieu's register shows that while in office he has been given everything from Romanian cake from the Catholic Education Office to a mounted artillery shell from Gallipoli.

Some gifts - such as framed sports shirts, books, DVDs and an Akubra - have taken pride of place in Mr Baillieu's private office.

Others were put to use in the Premier's general office, but many have simply been put into storage boxes and are unlikely to ever see the light of day.

Among the most trivial gifts given to Mr Baillieu was a pair of "novelty item women's breasts". Posted to the Premier by an anonymous donor, they were deemed "offensive" and destroyed.

Gifts given to the Premier during state visits included a model ship from the Chinese Consul-General, a table cloth and silver plate from the President of Cyprus, a silver bowl and box from the Indian Minister for External Affairs, a silver dish from from the Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs and silk ties, a stamp album and a resin plate from Chinese trade officials.

The artillery shell - given to Mr Baillieu by the Turkish Business Council - was accepted but set aside until it was "confirmed as safe, awaiting further advice".

Senior public servants shared in the spoils. A spokesman for Mr Baillieu said the gifts were carefully recorded and accepted only in line with public service protocols.

heraldsun.com.au 1 Apr 2012

Accepting bribes whilst in office is illegal, but since you are part of a ruling elite, you are untouchable and above the law.

More fraud and corrpution to follow and get swept under the carpet.

There are more crooked politicians than honest ones.

AFL fans have had a gutful of the price of food at the MCG

FOOTY fans have hit out at high food prices at the MCG as gourmet pizza costing almost $10 a slice went on sale over the weekend.

Supporters, who are used to having to pay almost $5 for a bottle of water and $5.30 for hot chips, say the ground's excessive food prices are hitting them hard in the pocket.

This weekend fans saw five new Crust Gourmet Pizza bars opened in the stadium as the AFL season got underway in Melbourne.

With the gourmet pizza costing $9.90 a slice, supporters have been quick to criticise the MCG for its food pricing policy.

Angry fans said they would bring their own tucker to cheer on their teams this season.

Geelong Tigers president Tamara Doheney said MCG food prices hit families most of all.

"The food at the ground could be much cheaper," she said.

"I tend to take my own food but I have young ones and if you buy a couple of buckets of chips and drinks, then you are looking at anywhere around 50 bucks.

"It all adds up and, for those fans who have to travel to the ground, it can get very expensive. I know they need to make money but it's going to get to the stage where nobody will buy it."

Fans have long had to contend with above-average prices at the ground, even before the introduction of pizza.

Crust will sell four types of pizza, which is handmade on site, from its new outlets. It has forecast it will use about 3 1/2 tonnes of fresh ingredients at the MCG during Melbourne's first footy weekend.

Geelong fan Ben Jensen gave food at the MCG the thumbs down.

"Some of the stuff is a rip-off but the variety of food, or lack of it, is also a big problem," he said.

"It's all pizza, chips, pies, nuggets. The AFL should go to America to see what they serve to fans at the baseball and football over there.

"We could do with having healthier food at the MCG."

heraldsun.com.au 1 Apr 2012

Who really cares? Not the Authorities nor the corporates, blatantly ripping of the herd.

Junk food for Junk people, not like it's a quality class of people.

AFL (nee VFL) was created by the authorities in the working class suburbs to keep the uneducated masses amused on the weekends.

Man beaten, robbed by three men

A MAN was robbed and bashed by three bandits as he walked home in Melbourne's west.

Investigators have been told three men approached the 32-year-old as he walked along Sydney Rd, Albion, near Gunnedah St, just before midnight.

He had left Albion train station and was heading home.

The men demanded the victim hand over his mobile phone and threatened to produce a knife.

The victim handed over his phone before being pushed to the ground where he was kicked and punched.

The bandits then stole his backpack containing a wallet and fled the scene.

The men, who were perceived to be of African appearance, were last seen running west on Gunnedah St.

The Sunshine man received minor bruising.

Anyone with information is urged contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit: www.crimestoppers.com.au.

heraldsun.com.au 2 Apr 2012

Many ethnic gangs operate in pockets in which (white) Australian citizens are terrorised.

This information is generally withheld from the general populous as not to draw attention to the huge problem at hand, which the government has created, by importing these criminals in the first place.

Deportation laws are deliberately lax in oder for these criminals to keep operating.