Whistleblower Allan Kessing 'vindicated' by airport Customs raid

A WHISTLEBLOWER convicted of leaking reports about Customs operations at Sydney airport is questioning why it has taken years to act on security flaws. 
 
Allan Kessing, who in 2007 was convicted of leaking reports about security at Sydney Airport to the Australian newspaper, told reporters on Friday that it was widely known the airport had problems with security.

"It is not possible, it is simply not credible to say that nobody knew there was this extent of corruption," he said.

"Anybody who has the slightest experience of this area knew there were problems.
"The fact that they haven't been acted on until now begs the question, why?"

Mr Kessing - a former Australian Customs officer - wrote two damning reports on Sydney airport security in 2003.

He was convicted four years later of having leaked the reports to media. He had faced a maximum two years jail but was instead handed a nine-month suspended sentence.

Speaking alongside Mr Kessing, Independent senator Nick Xenophon urged the federal government to release Mr Kessing's suppressed reports.

 

"The two reports prepared by Mr Kessing 10 years ago, nine years ago, need to be released as a matter of urgency," Senator Xenophon said.

"It's important that Justice James Woods is given access to those reports."

Mr Kessing said the reports advocated a range of measures to boost security, including stricter background checks for airport staff and more scrutiny of customs officers by their superiors.

It emerged on Thursday that two customs officers and five members of the public have been charged following a joint investigation by law enforcement agencies into corruption and drug smuggling at Sydney airport.

The investigation on Thursday prompted the establishment of a reform board, headed by Justice James Wood, to ensure customs is clean.

heraldsun.com.au 21 Dec 2012

The reporting of crime is allegedly supported by the authorities (including the law enforcers - the police) which is promoted through the corporate media via advertisements encouraging the masses to report crime to 'Crimestoppers',  a police hotline.

When people report crime from the corporate political or legal arenas, or other positions of authority or governance, the story is very different.

The person or persons are then accused, and they are the ones persecuted by authority and summoned by the courts, and not the people the allegations are made against.

Schapelle Corby is a classic case of a victim of crime in the corrupt drug smuggling campaign.

Corby had the be the sacrificial lamb, as there would be too many high ranking officials implicated.

The corrupt legal system is testimony to this.

Model life of Krystle (Meth) Hill, alleged narcotics importer

THREE weeks ago make-up artist and public relations consultant Krystle Hill returned from the Philippines where she had been working for Sydney businessman Jim Byrnes, promoting his limousine company. 

 
Yesterday, the 27-year-old, who previously lived in Port Lincoln in South Australia, found herself in the dock of a Sydney court, accused of being a drug mule. She is charged with conspiring to import a commercial quantity of pseudoephedrine from Thailand.

Ms Hill, who spends six months of the year working in Cannes, was arrested at her grandmother’s house in Adelaide on Monday night.

She is now the centre of a case in which eight people, including Customs officers and quarantine inspectors, were arrested over the alleged importation of narcotics into Australia.

Ms Hill’s Facebook page said she graduated from Port Lincoln High School.

The court heard Hill was working as a waitress in a Five Dock hotel when she and another woman were recruited by two men - Joseph Harb and a Customs officer who cannot be named for legal reasons - and offered $10,000 to go to Thailand and bring the drug back in their luggage.

The Customs officer allegedly told the two women "everything would be ok" and assured them their suitcases would not be searched, as he would be working on the planned day of their return.

He also advised them not to get "too dressed up" as they would draw too much attention to themselves, facts tendered to the court alleged.

The court was told Harb left for Thailand on June 10, 2009 and bought 10kg of pseudoephedrine from a chemist in Phuket.

Hill and her accomplice allegedly arrived three days later and - after a six-day stay - arrived home with the drugs hidden in their suitcases.

Another Customs officer, Paul Katralias, who was charged last August with drug offences, was allegedly also recruited and paid $5000 cash and human growth hormone worth about $1800 to turn a blind eye and not search the women at the airport.

But Katralias was allegedly diverted to other duties on the day the women returned and did not facilitate their passage through the customs area.

The court heard the Customs officer, who was later to become Hill's boyfriend, was arrested on Monday and charged over his role in the drug importation. Hill, who spends six months of the year working in Cannes, was arrested at her grandmother's Adelaide home on Monday night.

She was extradited to Sydney to face the charges yesterday. Defence barrister Wayne Baffsky told the court there was no proof the pseudoephedrine was intended to be used in the manufacture of drugs.

"It's a weak case at one end, and hopeless at the other," Mr Baffsky said.

He said the drugs had not been seized by police and had allegedly been onsold by Harb, due to be sentenced on January 16 for his role in the alleged importation.

Wearing a leather jacket and looking pale faced, Hill sobbed in the dock as magistrate Beverley Schurr agreed the prosecution did not have a strong case, and granted her conditional bail.

Byrnes, an acquaintance of Hill, sat in the back of the court during the bail application. He attempted to pay Hill's bail with $20,000 cash but was told by court staff he needed a cheque.

"I think everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty," Byrnes said after being asked why he had posted Hill's bail.

"She is one of those very holistic, natural, very honest people. A kind and gentle person. To suggest she has anything to do with this is completely out of character for the person I have come to know."

In the end, Byrnes could not post bail for Hill after the prosecution objected to his involvement, saying his criminal history did not make him an acceptable person.

Hill's friend Shani Moffatt, who heads a PR firm, was able to post the surety and bail was granted.

Hill emerged from the holding cells and said she was grateful to the good friends who were supporting her.
"I'll definitely be fighting the charges," she said. Hill will reappear in court on February 27.

news.com.au 21 Dec 2012

Drugs are rampant in entertainment, music, and sport, just to name a few industries.

 

Famous rock 'gurus' are drugged out of their minds, interviewing music legends, who are also drugged, but that is not only acceptable by the corporate media, and police but is rather promoted as a high point once one is in the industry.

The police (or authorities) do not convict or jail offenders of this caliber, as they are the role models for the children of the cannon fodder.

It is deliberate politics not to do 'drug busts' on the entertainment industry.

Police allegedly campaign against drugs, but some people are untouchable by the law, the same law that applies to commoners as well as others.

The nickname known among peers Krystle (Meth) Hill, indicating the use of crystal methylone otherwise known as moon rock.

Sydney custom officers suspected: reports

A NETWORK of custom officers at Sydney Airport has allegedly been working with organised crime figures to import drugs, according to media reports. 
 
The group of up to 20 officials are suspected to be involved in either serious misconduct or corrupt dealings, Fairfax media reported on Thursday.

The activity ranges from criminal association and leaking information to drug trafficking and bribery.
According to the report, airport baggage handlers are also involved, with the group operating since at least 2009.

The are suspected to have imported pseudoephedrine, cocaine, steroids and possibly even weapons.
When media reports surfaced on Wednesday of allegations that up to 30 custom officials were involved in drug importations, a spokesman for the Australian Federal Police (AFP) refused to comment.

He told AAP that a press conference was set to be held in Sydney on Thursday.

An Australian Customs spokesman would also make no comment on Wednesday's reports.

According to Fairfax, customs documents from dating back to 2007 outlined numerous warnings that the body lacked the resources to detect corruption and that its anti-corruption framework was "outdated".
Acting customs CEO Mike Pezzullo told Fairfax that "more needs to be done".

news.com.au 20 Dec 2012

It is not only Sydney Airport where the organised crime syndicate operates from.

Australia's major airports are monitored by the drug syndicate, which has been operational for decades.

The corporate media give the impression that is is only just been happening recently.

Corrupt personnel inform their interstate counterparts of incoming goods which are then distributed via the appropriate channels.

The drug airport smuggling network, which also includes police as well as high ranking officials, numbers staff in the hundreds and not tens.

Another blind eye turned by the corrupt authorities.

Vodafone lies in order to obtain sales

Australia’s telecommunications industry is technically a monopoly held to ransom by Telstra.

Even though other companies are allowed to enter the market, e.g. SingTel (Optus), Vodafone, etc their operations are ultimately stifled by (the previously government owned Telecom), Telstra, which still functions on the old government mentality.

As Telstra’s profits soar over $6 billion dollars annually, telecommunications service decreases across the board by blame put on the public for using, for example wireless broadband services.

Companies are rather reluctant to reinvest into the infrastructure, as this takes away the dollars from profits, but rather are on the road to oversubscribing customers, resulting in severe degradation of services.

Vodafone is no stranger to this kind of business model. Rather than investing in tower structure upgrades and expansion Vodafone neglected much essential upgrades which resulted in customers in the hundreds leaving every day.

In disaster recovery mode, Vodafone then embarked on an aggressive marketing campaign to inform the masses that there is a huge upgrade  in place, in order to win back customers.

The road to recovery is a slow process, as Australia’s two largest telecommunications companies Telstra and Optus are significantly ahead of tower placement and population coverage.

Companies are just about willing to do anything in order to obtain sales, which includes breaking the law.

Misleading customers or false advertising or incorrect product placement or specification claims are against Australian laws, which can result in (steep?) fines.

Prior to the expiry of a contract, a sales team is given the heads up to call the customer in order to obtain another locked in contract, usually for two years. The sales team then offers the customer a deal that will entice them to continue with the service provider. These deals may not be available to the ‘off the street’ customer.

Vodafone have been caught out providing false information in order to obtain a sale. 

The manner in which it is done is as follows. 

In order to keep the customer locked into another contract (for 2 years), the hot ticket item currently is the iPhone 5, Vodafone stated that they will be able to provide the handset to customers for $7 per month. This was confirmed by Vodafone staff on two separate occasions. Once the customer decided to take the offer, which was still valid and proceeded to realise the agreement, Vodafone then falsely stated that no such offer was given, and no such record was ever taken. Vodafone records all conversations with customers (for quality and assurance purposes only).

The authorities whether it be the Telecoms Industry Ombudsman (TIO) or the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) are biased (some say spineless) government institutions that generally favour corporate enterprise. There may be a win for Mr. Joe Average in terms of annulling a service contract to the telco, for poor service, which incidentally is a miniscule financial transaction, but when it comes the large scale transactions the corruption can be seen from towers away.

Optus was only fined $2 million for providing false information in order to obtain many more dollars in sales. A penalty well worth it.

An example of the Masonic brethren looking after their ‘kind’.

Racing identity accused of involvement in ecstasy ring

A RACING figure has been identified as a key player in a major drug bust that was almost ruined by suspected police corruption.

The drug bust also involved bikies and a notorious crime gang.

Blanket suppression orders mean the man cannot be identified, even though he was named this week on the Supreme Court website as being involved in the multi-million-dollar ecstasy ring.

"Detective Senior Constable Lapham asserted that the investigation had established that (Mohammed) Oueida was supplying chemicals for illicit drug manufacture to (the horse racing identity)," the Court of Appeal heard.

"He further said that Oueida and (the identity) were involved in the joint manufacture of these illicit drugs, which included ecstasy tablets."

The figure - who was once lauded as a champion - was banned in the mid-1990s over horse doping claims.

He was one of a number of people picked up by Taskforce Rossa, a joint AFP, VicPol and Australian Crime Commission probe into a major drug syndicate.

The ring allegedly sourced precursor chemicals imported by a licensed pharmacist, with the ecstasy pills then made in rural Victoria.

Police located and seized a commercial pill press with an M-shaped marking stamp and a large quantity of tablets and powders.

"The pill press, and the location at which it was found, were linked to (the horse racing identity)," the Court of Appeal heard.

Oueida is a known associate of a notorious crime family, and was once charged over a vicious home invasion in which shots were fired.

Taskforce Rossa was compromised after sensitive files on its operation were leaked.

Officials were also concerned that a tip-off from a rogue officer meant Oueida was able to find a hidden surveillance camera.

Oueida has been linked to outlaw bikie gangs.

heraldsun.com.au 17 Dec 2012

More police are involved in criminal activity than the corporate media make out.

From prostitution rings in St. Kilda, to luxury car theft rackets, and drug trade, Victoria Police's criminal activities go unnoticed under the darkness when the masses are asleep, not to exclude daylight trading.

Police constable caught up in bikie net

A police operation targeting members of the Comanchero bikie gang has lead to a Victoria Police constable being charged with serious drug offences.

Two bikies also face drugs and weapons charges over the investigation, which allegedly uncovered steroids, ammunition and body armour.

The ethical standards command and Taskforce Echo, which was formed to crackdown on outlaw motorcycle gangs, were involved in the operation.

Dean Gibbs, a 26-year-old constable from the North West Metro Region, was charged with trafficking and possessing a drug of dependence.

He faced an out of sessions court on December 16 and was bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on March 26 next year.

Gibbs has been suspended from duty without pay. It is believed he had recently graduated from the police academy.

Taskforce Echo detectives also arrested two 34-year-old men who are confirmed members of the Comancheros.

The first bikie, from Cranbourne East, was charged with trafficking a drug of dependence, possessing steroids, possessing ammunition without a licence or permit, possessing body armour and possessing a prohibited weapon.

The second man, from Pakenham, was charged with trafficking a drug of dependence, possessing a drug of dependence and possessing the proceeds of crime.

Both have been bailed by police to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on March 28 next year.

Detectives also arrested a 26-year-old Rowville man who was charged with trafficking and possessing a drug of dependence and bailed by police to appear at Ringwood Magistrates' Court on March 1 next year.
A 25-year-old woman from Rowville was also interviewed in relation to drug offences and released pending further information.

The Comanchero were founded in Sydney, but have club houses in Hallam and Williamstown.
Fairfax Media revealed earlier this year that the Comanchero, Rebels and Finks were looking at expanding their territory, with tattoo parlours also increasingly coming under the control of outlaw motorcycle gangs.

theage.com.au 18 Dec 2012

This is just one of many crooked cops, that 'authorities' are turning a blind eye to.

It is not only the police that are involved with the criminal 'biker' element, but also lawyers anf judges, who rule in favour of the biker drug trade.

Police officers in Melbourne's northern crime precinct, Broadmeadows, are also involved in criminal activities with local Middle Eastern crime families, and have been for years but there is no action there.

Those who are 'uncomfortable' to the authorities are put on display, so that others get the message.

Wife begs for protection as out-of-jail drug trafficker Elie Malkoun eyes return home

A WOMAN who married into a Melbourne major crime family has pleaded with police to save her from her violent husband who is due to return to Australia after serving two years in a US prison for gun offences. 

Convicted heroin trafficker Elie Malkoun was due to be released at the weekend after earlier telling US authorities his wife Manal Malkoun and his five young children were not coping without him.

Malkoun was jailed after being caught buying three illegal pistols - including one with a laser sight - at an Arizona gun show.

He is the brother of Amad "Jay" Malkoun - the Victorian president of the Comanchero motorcycle gang.
The two brothers spent much of the 1990s in prison after being convicted over what was at the time Victoria's largest heroin bust.

The brothers were caught in a National Crime Authority sting, which saw 14 people prosecuted over the $5 million heroin ring.

The brothers, who trafficked the heroin in Melbourne and Perth through a network connected to nightclub scenes, emerged from prison to become regulars on Melbourne's King St nightclub strip.

Manal Malkoun has alleged her husband has regularly assaulted her during their 14-year relationship.

Friends say he punched her in the face shortly after the birth of their first child, dragging her down stairs and humiliating her in front of family members.

On January 31, 2009 - just months before he travelled to the US - Malkoun left his wife with serious injuries after beating her in front of their children.

Police wearing flak jackets were called after his wife managed to escape the house and Malkoun was charged over the incident. But his wife refused to give a statement and no conviction was recorded.
Friends say he has continued to threaten his wife from his Texas prison cell.

Mrs Malkoun last week declined to talk about her husband, but sources say she has asked authorities to help protect her once he returns home.

"I don't want to speak about him. I'm scared of him and fear for my safety. I'm just trying to move on with my life and look after my children," she said.

Malkoun faced up to 37 months in prison, but argued his wife had suffered "many breakdowns" since his arrest and that his children "need (him) home so I can care for them".

Malkoun's associates engaged psychologist Tim Watson-Munro who compiled a report based on interviews with family members.

Dr Watson-Munro said Mrs Malkoun had told him her husband was fascinated by guns. A report compiled by a US psychologist concluded Malkoun suffered borderline Asperger's syndrome and found it hard to make reasoned decisions.

They also found he was suffering long-term damage from injuries incurred during a kickboxing career and prison fights.

But the image of a depressed family man presented to US authorities doesn't tally with those who know the family.

Since doing jail time in the 1990s, Malkoun has managed to build his wealth, moving from Oak Park to a $1.8 million Brighton home, despite working only sporadically.

Malkoun failed to declare his criminal past when he entered the US. He was quizzed by Customs officials for more than an hour, but was allowed entry after telling them he was there to buy boats for export to Australia.
Prosecutors said Malkoun had tried and failed to buy guns at a gun shop in Arizona, but was knocked back when he could not show US identification. He then tried to persuade others to buy a gun for him.

In April, US authorities told the Sunday Herald Sun they were concerned by Malkoun's possible links to Mexican crime gangs.

"It would appear that on face value, it was more than him securing weapons for himself," one source said.
Colby Goodman, a researcher into international arms trafficking, said in April he doubted the guns Malkoun had bought were destined for Australia. "Either he was trying to get the guns into Mexico, or use them in the US. Without knowing, you can guess. He has a history of drug trafficking."

heraldsun.com.au 19 Dec 2012

Authorities have no interest in protecting people from criminals, as stated by a police insider.

Corruption in the Australian Tax Office together with the legal system allows drug lords to keep multimillion dollar properties from the proceeds of criminal activity.

The tax department targets easy customers, whereas criminals and their organisations are left alone. This practice has been going on for decades, to which there is an eerie silence from the corporate media.

What the general populous is not aware of is that the Australian government knowingly imports criminals at an alarming rate, as this is government policy, where corrupt politicians and the legal system and the police also use the drugs supplied.

The United States government also 'deliberately' allowed a criminal to enter its shores, conversely to what the masses are officially told, that being there is strict border security the deals with criminals.

The best time to be a criminal is now in Australia, as the current policy is to support them.

Australia's drug industry is worth approximately $1,200 million per month.

Known drug associates are left alone by the corrupt police and legal system, where only the undesirable new players are weeded out, and shown to the public that there is a fight against crime.

Landmark homelessness report from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

MORE than 230,000 Australians used a homeless service in 2011-12 and 99,000 were children or people aged up to 24. 

 
The first ever report on specialist homeless services by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to be released today shows more than seven million nights of accommodation were provided to the homeless last financial year.

Domestic violence was a key driver for accessing help from a homeless service and was cited by 34 per cent of all clients and one in five children aged under 10.

Financial difficulties was the main reason clients sought help from a homeless centre and was cited by 39 per cent of clients.

One in five clients were identified as having a current mental health issue.

Even though the Gillard Government has pledged to halve the nation's homeless rate by 2020, an estimated 137,647 requests for help from homelessness services were not able to be met, the report says.

This equates to an average of 376 requests for services per day, and more than four-in-ten of those unable to get help were family groups.

As rents and house prices push secure housing out of the reach of many Australians, the report shows an estimated 31,146 families sought help from homeless services in 2011-12.

There were over 56,000 children in these families and 69 percent were aged under 10, and 24 percent were aged 10-14.

A further 42,668 people aged 15-24 were alone when they sought help from a homeless service.
Victoria and NSW were the states that assisted the highest numbers of children and young people presenting alone.

Women aged 18-34 were the group most likely to access specialist homelessness services
The 37 percent of clients who were provided with accommodation by specialist homelessness agencies stayed on average 82 nights.

Just over one-sixth of those helped by an agency were provided with over 180 nights of accommodation.
Homeless agencies provided over $7 million in financial assistance to help people establish or maintain a tenancy.

Clients were also provided with $3.7 million for short-term or emergency accommodation in motels and hotels.

An estimated 69,095 people who sought help were renting or buying privately when they first sought assistance from specialist homelessness agencies and 77 percent were able to get help to stay there.

Eleven percent of (25,457) were without shelter or in inadequate dwellings when they first sought support from homelessness agencies, more than half (53 percent) remained in this situation.

The data used in the report was provided by approximately 1480 agencies from across Australia for the period July 2011 to June 2012.

news.com.au 18 Dec 2012

Australian politicians will spend hundreds of millions of dollars in 2013 on approximately 300,000 (or nearly 100 'boat people' per day) refugee arrivals, but DELIBERATELY overlook the welfare and health of it's citizens.

Overseas business with the importation of slave labour under the refugee banner is financially beneficial to government and supported by the corporate sector

Quite simply put - more people make money from refugees than the homeless.

Paedophile ring 'lent out boys'

BAYSWATER Boys' Home was a paedophiles' paradise, with several unexplained deaths and missing boys, and others lent to outside paedophiles, a leading abuse lawyer said on Monday.

Angela Sdrinis - whose firm has represented more than 1000 wards of state, including 137 from Bayswater - said systemic abuse by Salvation Army staff was so severe that in some cases boys were killed or allowed to die from their injuries.

''I believe that children may well have been killed or at least allowed to die. Children as young as eight were allowed to abscond, with no efforts made to find them or report to the police,'' Ms Sdrinis said.

''Many of these children would have had no family and no one to take an interest in their existence. Society regarded these children as worthless, and these attitudes were mirrored by police.'' The deaths of such children may well not have been investigated, she said.

In other testimony, boys from Victorian orphanages later sent to prison said that was not nearly as bad as the boys' homes, according to the Care Leavers Australia Network.

It was another litany of horror at the inquiry as CLAN told of repeated and systematic rapes over years in many orphanages, physical and psychological abuse amounting to torture, and a callous indifference by police and authorities, whether church or state.

CLAN chief executive Leonie Sheedy said a sample of 18 years showed that 1352 children absconded from religious and non-government homes and 1877 fled state institutions.

''A great number were running way from child rape, and sexual and other criminal assaults. What did the police do? They simply returned them to their abusers. They did not ask why the children were running away or inquire into their wellbeing,'' Ms Sheedy said.

''The boys who ran away from homes and ended up in prison have told me over and over again that prison was much better than the boys' homes.''

Ms Sdrinis said the police searched the former Bayswater Boys' Home in 2009, but no charges were laid. One victim, Rod Braybon, told police in 2009 of reports of two wards of state who died of beatings in the 1950s and were allegedly buried in the Sugarloaf Hill area of the home, while three other boys disappeared in mysterious circumstances.

Ms Sdrinis said there was compelling evidence of the rape of many victims by serial abusers who were allowed to molest children for more than 20 years. ''In the 1970s the Bayswater Boys' Home was staffed by a paedophile ring, and staff not only sexually abused the children in their care but also allowed other paedophiles free access to boys, who were removed from the home and sexually abused at will.''

One such was John Bayer, who was jailed for nine years in 2008 for abusing 12 victims, five of them from the Bayswater home. In 2006, the Salvation Army secretly paid more than $1.5 million in compensation to more than 50 victims who were beaten, raped and tortured from the 1950s to 1970s by Salvation Army officers at the Bayswater home, Box Hill Boys' Home and East Kew Girls' Home, all now closed.

CLAN spokesman Frank Golding said the processes of dealing with child abuse had ''not improved at all'' in the past 100 years.

He said the responses of institutions over thousands of cases followed a similar pattern. This was disbelief (''you can't take the word of a child over the word of an adult''), denial, blaming the victim (''the girl was wicked and used her seductive charms against the priest'') and blaming the parents (''the children come from immoral families, what else could you expect?'').

Law Institute of Victoria president Michael Holcroft told the inquiry that under present Victorian law, there was no obligation to report suspicions of child abuse to police. The mandatory reporting required of some professionals was to the Department of Human Services.

He said failure to report reasonable suspicion to police should be a separate offence under the Crimes Act.

theage.com.au 18 Dec 2012

This is not just a problem of the 'past', as child abuse still occurs in government hands.

Corrupt government departments including the 'justice' system ensure that the real criminals still re-offend.

Corpau has been given names of judges that are/were involved in child paedophilia rings, understands that there will never be justice to the victims.

Another part of government corruption that is shrouded in secrecy.

PUC approves writing rules for smart meter opt-out

Texas' Public Utilities Commission approves development of opt-out rules for smart meters

EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- The Public Utility Commission has decided to develop a set of rules so consumers can opt out of the smart meters installed in millions of Texas homes and businesses. 

Consumers have opposed the new meters, citing possible health hazards and privacy concerns. Some have installed steel cages around their analog meters to prevent utility workers from replacing them with the new digital units and one Houston woman held a gun to impede a utility worker from replacing her meter. 

PUC spokesman Terry Hadley said Friday that an opt-out would leave already-installed smart meters in place but disable the devices' radio frequency capabilities. 

A draft of the new rules will be written and submitted for public comment, Hadley said. After that, the PUC will vote again on whether to adopt them, which means there's still a chance the opt-out will fail. But, he said, "at this point the Commission is leaning toward an opt-out." 

It will take several months until the new proposal is drafted and voted, Hadley said.

Smart meters allow for remote metering via radio frequency and are make the billing process cheaper since there is no need to send utility workers to read them. The meters also provide real-time information on energy consumption and help utilities prevent grid overloads during peak times. They also report to the utility when there is a power outage, making reconnection faster.

In websites and meetings organized by PUC, those against smart meters have spoken of possible government snooping and violations of the Fourth Amendment —unreasonable search and seizure — as well as the chance that hackers could access people's information from the meters. 

On a petition template that's posted on www.bantexassmartmeters.com , meters are called "surveillance devices" because they record the household occupants' activities and can be used to "gain a highly invasive and detailed view" of their lives. Smart meters record consumption in 15-minute intervals. 

Health hazards from the radio frequencies emitted by the meters have also been cited. The Public Utilities Commission says the meters have a lower impact than cellphones and microwave ovens and are well within Federal Communications Commission's standards for radio frequency devices. 

It's likely that consumers who opt out will have to pay to have their meters read. As part of the rule-writing process, the Commission will gather information on how much it costs to send employees to read the meters and what disabling the radio frequency device would cost. 

Users in California and Nevada pay between $75 and $107 to have the devices replaced along with monthly fees ranging from $8 to $10 to have the meters read. Meanwhile, Vermont legislators decided in May that utilities cannot charge users that opt out. 

About 93 percent of the nearly 7 million smart meters in Texas' competitive markets for electricity, mainly in Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, have been deployed, Hadley said. 

news.yahoo.com 14 Dec 2012 

There sure will be no such news for the 'Nanny State' of Australia.

Australia is truly a prison island, where the masses are 'forced' into slavery.

The word democracy is morphed into corporatocracy.

Laws are passed through for the sole benefit of corporations.

Smart meter transmitting meter secrecy

Electricity billing companies are not too generous with proving information to the masses regarding the main ‘mother’ meter. It is all about keeping people in the dark.

One in twenty meters installed is the central hub meter which gathers information from the other meters to transmit back to the electricity billing company.

The ‘mother’ smart meters are difficult to recognise and the electricity companies are not willing to disclose the information that identifies them, but news from within indicates that they are slightly larger than the standard smart meters.

Smart meters are forcibly installed by ‘authorities’, against the wishes of the major population, which in essences are surveillance devices.

The technology used in smart meters is not only having instantaneous ill effects on people’s health, but also similarly like with mobile phone technology, the effects are carcinogenic in the long term.

The health or well being of the general population is not on any government agenda, nor will it ever be, as many an industry is supported by a sickly society.

As an example, tobacco companies have been fully aware of the carcinogenic chemicals added to the products they sell for human consumption for quite some time, yet have hidden this information from the general populous.

Tobacco giant Phillip Morris shredded many truck loads of information pertaining to the carcinogens in their products, and the ill health caused.

Governments still support the sale of carcinogenic tobacco for human consumption only proves that the tax dollar is mightier than the health of the cannon fodder. 

You are only a useful tax generating resource (for the government) until your working days are over.

NZ PM calls football star Beckham thick as

HE played in the country, for a fee admittedly, but does he deserve this? 

New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key has called soccer superstar David Beckham "thick as batsh*t".

According to Radio New Zealand, Key slammed Beckham, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and now Los Angeles Galaxy superstar, for not being too bright.

He told students that his own son had spent 45 minutes with the former England skipper when he played an exhibition match for LA Galaxy in Auckland in 2008, which cost more than $2 million.

Key said Beckham, 37, was good looking and a nice guy to have spent that long with his son, but is said to have joked he was “thick as bat sh*t”.

Key made the stinging remarks about "Golden Balls" in the city of Dunedin yesterday.

The Prime Minister's office said it had no comment to make on the matter.

But this isn't the first time Beckham's brainpower has been called into question.

The Sun reported Beckham as previously saying: "My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about seven."

And when asked another time whether he was a volatile player, he said: "Well, I can play in the centre, on the right, and occasionally on the left side."

Speaking on faith, Beckham said: "We're definitely going to get Brooklyn christened but we don't know into which religion."

His wife Victoria told him in a 2000 telly documentary: "You make yourself sound stupid and you're not."
Beckham and his wife, 38, a former singer in The Spice Girls, have amassed an estimated fortune of $248 million between them.

news.com.au 3 Nov 2012

In certain sporting disciplines (for example football or soccer as known in Australia, Australia's own AFL), it is a well known fact that the sports 'heros' are there for their sporting abilities, and not their mental prowess.

It is not uncommon to pursue a career in sport  if one does not have any academic abilities.

Politicians as well as the business community are aware of the mental limitations of sports stars, and commonly jest at their lack of intelligence, but usually behind closed doors.

Sporting legends are glorified by the corporate media as they are cash cows that rake in millions for the corporate giants.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand grilled for stating one of life's many truths.

Barrister Stephen O'Bryan new IBAC commissioner

A PROMINENT barrister will be Victoria's inaugural anti-corruption commissioner. 

  Stephen O'Bryan, SC, will become the body's first permanent head after nearly 30 years at the bar.
He is a former associate to two High Court judges and is an expert in administrative law.

Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu today announced the appointment, 18 months after the commissioner was due to be appointed.

He also announced that Robin Brett, QC, would be the inaugural head of the new Victorian Inspectorate.
That body will oversee corruption fighting agencies in Victoria.

The $170 million Independent, Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission is the centrepiece of the government's integrity agenda.

The last of the legislation to enable the IBAC to operate is being debated in the Victorian parliament.

The new commissioner will face a daunting task with few staff having been hired and the Office of Police Integrity in the final stages of being wound down.

Many of the remaining OPI investigators are likely to be hired by the new IBAC.

The IBAC has been widely criticised by legal experts as not going far enough to ensure that all corruption is investigated, including misconduct in public office.

But the government has argued that IBAC will deal with the most serious public sector crime, with lesser investigations the domain of the Ombudsman and the Auditor-General.

The announcement of the IBAC commissioner comes two years after the last election and 18 months after the government promised to have a fully functioning investigative body.

The delays have been blamed on the complexity of the legislative task and difficulty getting the right person.
South Australia is also attempting to hire an anti-corruption commissioner.

theaustralian.com.au 11 Dec 2012

In order to give hope to the uneducated masses that justice prevails, another (spineless) so called 'watchdog' is setup.

Another government watchdog [the ACC] works together with the corporate goliaths, supporting collusion, corporate fraud in general working against the masses.

What the average Joe will not be aware of  is that the priority in law is that the masonic brethren look after themselves first, irrespective of the law, or who is right.

The charade is given to the masses that something is being done, while in reality the verdicts have already been sorted out at the lodge level.

So called 'bungles' that the corporate media report are staged so that the ones who are supposed to get away with the crime do.

Another farce in the face of the uneducated masses.