Sheriff Act 2009 (Victoria) - No Hansard

In relation to the Sheriffs of Victoria acting under the Sheriff Act 2009, the documentation obtained under a Freedom of Information request, shows that there is no Hansard pertaining to the Sheriff Act 2009.

The document (pdf) file of 3 pages can be downloaded from:


Credit given to the requester.

Google gets its tax bill slashed despite earning millions in local profits

Google initially received a tax bill of $7.1 million for the year ending December, but only $466,802 will be paid. Photo: Virginia Mayo

Google has cut its taxes in Australia to $466,802 despite almost doubling its local profit to $46.5 million.

The tech company initially received a tax bill of $7.1 million from the Tax Office for the year ending December, but only $466,802 of this amount will be paid by Google following a series of deductions.

A Google spokesman declined to say whether it was one of three multinational tech firms that the Tax Office is auditing on suspicion of shifting profits overseas. The Tax Office cannot name the companies due to confidentiality rules.

However, the move is part of a global push by tax authorities to crack down on corporate tax dodging by major multinational companies, particularly tech giants such as Apple and Google.

The Google spokesman also declined to comment on the tax expense figure but said the company had paid $7.1 million in corporate taxes ''and $15 million in payroll and other taxes in Australia as part of our investment in a local workforce of over 900 people''.

He said Google believed international forums such as the OECD were the right place to decide tax rules for multinational businesses ''because everyone would benefit from a simpler and more transparent system''.

Google Australia subsists on services income from its head office in the US and subsidiaries in Singapore and Ireland. Much of its valuable local ad revenue is collected by the Singapore subsidiary, Google Asia-Pacific.
Estimates of its local ad revenue reach as high as $2 billion. Its profit here rose to $46 million last year from $26 million a year earlier.

Tax Justice Network representative Mark Zirnsak said the accounts showed the need for further action on companies operating in the digital economy to ensure that they paid their fair share of tax. ''Companies will continue to play different governments off against each other and different tax laws off each other to legally get away with paying no tax anywhere,'' he said.

''Australia should be putting as much pressure as possible on the governments that facilitate this tax dodging to stop it, and to the degree that it can, look at reviewing where we have tax treaties that allow this behaviour.''

A Fairfax Media investigation earlier this year revealed Apple had shifted an estimated $8.9 billion in untaxed profits from its Australian operations to Ireland over the past decade. Globally, Google paid $US2.28 billion last year - an effective tax rate of just 15.7 per cent - according to its annual report, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission

The OECD has said it is ''on track'' with its plan to overhaul global tax rules to tackle corporate profit shifting - when companies send taxable revenue through low- or no-tax jurisdictions.

Despite this, companies continue to move their operations to countries with favourable tax rates. Airbnb announced earlier this month it was moving its headquarters from the US to Ireland. In the US, eBay is facing tax charges of $3 billion after it returned billions of dollars in offshore cash in order to access funding.

smh.com.au 2 May 2014

An excellent result for the global giant only to pay 6.57% of the total owed to the Australian  Tax Office.

The general populous can also benefit from this, as individuals do not have to pay tax to the illegal entity known as the ATO.

This fact is well known within certain circles of business / governance and is exploited very often.

 

Matters that appear before the courts regarding the ATO that suddenly / magically disappear or are dismissed, are as a result of the 'tax payer' able to prove the invalidity of the 'tax office'.

 

Police Minister Mike Gallacher steps down after ICAC hears he was in 'corrupt scheme' with Nathan Tinkler

Mike Gallacher, implicated at ICAC today. Photo: Max Mason-Hubers

NSW Police Minister Mike Gallacher has resigned from cabinet after a corruption inquiry heard he hatched a "corrupt scheme" with Nathan Tinkler's property development group to receive illegal donations.

In a development that sent shockwaves through the Baird government, the Independent Commission Against Corruption heard on Friday that Mr Gallacher was intimately involved in setting up a scheme for Buildev to pay tens of thousands of dollars in illegal donations to a Liberal Party slush fund.

Premier Mike Baird said in a statement that he had accepted Mr Gallacher's resignation from the ministry.

Nathan Tinkler. Photo: Bob Homer

"I make no judgement regarding those allegations. However, it could take considerable time for them to be resolved, and this would constitute an unacceptable distraction for my government," Mr Baird said.

"We need to be completely focussed on delivering results for the community."

The inquiry was shown June 2010 emails in which Buildev executives Darren Williams and David Sharpe discussed which company should be used to funnel the illegal donations into the slush fund, a "sham business" called Eightbyfive set up by a staffer to former Liberal minister Chris Hartcher.

Mike Gallacher at a police parade in Goulburn this morning. Photo: Darryl Fernance

"Which entity will I give Mike Gallacher?" Mr Williams asked Mr Sharpe.

Mr Sharpe replied: "Ask Nathan as I think it's best to come through Patnack [Patinack Farm, Mr Tinkler's horse racing business] get right away from property minning [sic] infrastructure."

Property developers have been banned from making political donations since December 2009.

The inquiry heard that Mr Tinkler's Buildev had plans for a coal loader at the old BHP site at Mayfield in Newcastle.

Mr Williams admitted that he had a close relationship with Mr Gallacher and that Mr Hartcher would be useful to Buildev's plans because "he was in government".

Counsel assisting the inquiry, Geoffrey Watson, SC, accused Buildev's Mr Williams of lying during a tense morning in the ICAC witness box.

"You know that you can go to jail for giving false evidence," threatened Mr Watson. "This is your big chance, Mr Williams, to give this an innocent complexion."

When Mr Williams said he "honestly" could not recall the contents of an email about the Eightbyfive scheme, Mr Watson suggested that the ICAC had information which might help him.

He then sensationally put to Mr Williams: "The truth is you had a close, long-standing personal connection with the [then] shadow minister, Mike Gallacher, it was through him that the two of you hatched a corrupt scheme to make donations to the Liberal Party using the Eightbyfive business, correct?"

"No," Mr Williams said.

"By the end of this you are going to regret giving that answer," Mr Watson said.

Mr Watson said the shocking new evidence had come to light at midday on Thursday and an adjournment might be required because the "serious matters" warranted further investigation.

"We don't go off half-cocked. We don't put something as serious to you as this without knowing plenty of stuff," he told Mr Williams.

Operation Spicer, the inquiry into Liberal Party slush funds, started public hearings on Monday and had been slated to run for up to four weeks.

The inquiry has previously heard Mr Hartcher did favours "repeatedly" for Buildev, which paid $66,000 into the Eightbyfive slush fund.

smh.com.au 2 May 2014

Another corrupt politician and police head exposed.

This is realistically the tip of the iceberg.

 

Politicians and Police are allowed to get away with crime / fraud, by judgements from their 'brethren' judges whereas the 'people' are not.

Microwave test – an eye opener

Microwave test – an eye opener

Very interesting!!!! Is it time to act???????

Below is a Science fair project presented by a girl in a secondary school in Sussex.
In it she took filtered water and divided it into two parts.

The first part she heated to boiling in a pan on the stove, and the second part she heated to boiling in a microwave.

Then after cooling she used the water to water two identical plants to see if there would be any difference in the growth between the normal boiled water and the water boiled in a microwave.

She was thinking that the structure or energy of the water may be compromised by microwave.

As it turned out, even she was amazed at the difference, after the experiment which was repeated by her class mates a number of times and had the same result.

It has been known for some years that the problem with microwaved anything is not the radiation people used to worry about, it’s how it corrupts the DNA in the food so the body can not recognize it.

Microwaves don’t work different ways on different substances. Whatever you put into the microwave suffers the same destructive process. Microwaves agitate the molecules to move faster and faster. This movement causes friction which denatures the original make-up of the substance. It results in destroyed vitamins, minerals, proteins and generates the new stuff called radiolytic compounds, things that are not found in nature.

So the body wraps it in fat cells to protect itself from the dead food or it eliminates it fast. Think of all the Mothers heating up milk in these ‘Safe’ appliances. What about the nurse in Canada that warmed up blood for a transfusion patient and accidentally killed him when the blood went in dead. But the makers say it’s safe. But proof is in the pictures of living plants dying!!!

FORENSIC RESEARCH DOCUMENT
Prepared By: William P. Kopp
A. R. E. C. Research Operations
TO61-7R10/10-77F05
RELEASE PRIORITY: CLASS I ROO1a

Ten Reasons to dispose off your Microwave Oven
From the conclusions of the Swiss, Russian and German scientific clinical studies, we can no longer ignore the microwave oven sitting in our kitchens. Based on this research, one can conclude this article with the following:

1). Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term – permanent – brain damage by ‘shorting out’ electrical impulses in the brain [de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue].

2). The human body cannot metabolize [break down] the unknown by-products created in microwaved food.

3). Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.

4). The effects of microwaved food by-products are residual [long term, permanent] within the human body.

5). Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.

6). The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens.

7). Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths [tumours]. This may explain the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in UK and America .

8). The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.

9). Continual ingestion of microwaved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.

10). Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

ref: http://2012indyinfo.com/2012/02/11/microwave-test-an-eye-opener-employee-news/

2012indyinfo.com 11 Feb 2012

Big banks crack down on bikies’ accounts

The big banks are cracking down on bikies’ accounts. Source: News Limited

 

AUSTRALIA’S big banks are shutting down dozens of ­accounts linked to bikie gangs. 

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal that the Westpac, NAB and ANZ banks have been closing the accounts of gangs and of their leading members in ­recent months.

The Victoria Police Echo taskforce, which investigates outlaw bikie gangs, is aware of the banks’ clean-up actions.

The taskforce is believed to be following up on information unearthed by the banks, ­although the terms of the probe are unknown.

The renewed financial ­attack on outlaw bikies follows similar moves by the Commonwealth Bank in 2012.
Security was recently bolstered at a Westpac branch in Melbourne’s southeast as a ­result of potential threats to staff from disgruntled bikies.

A NAB spokesman said: “We are committed to ­maintaining strong risk- ­management processes.”
Senior banking sources confirmed that the closure of ­accounts linked to bikie gangs and their leaders nationwide was ­accelerated after Christmas.

But the money has not been frozen.

Victoria Police has confirmed it did not provide any names or information to bank officials.

Under money ­laundering legislation there is an onus on financial institutions to be proactive.

A spokesman for NAB ­refused to disclose the details.

“But what I can say is that we are committed to maintaining strong risk-management practices and to assessing customers against these,” he said.

A report from the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre warns organised crime is estimated to cost Australia up to $15 billion every year as the proceeds of criminal activity are laundered to make it appear as coming from legitimate sources.

All significant cash transactions above $10,000 must be reported to AUSTRAC by banks, solicitors, casinos and the financial services sector.

There are also reporting ­obligations covering the transfer of money overseas.

The bikie gangs also reportedly take out loans for property transactions as another method to clear their cash as they can pay it back using lump-sum payments.

This latest crackdown on money laundering is among a range of measures against the outlaw gangs’ operations.

Both Crown casino and chief commissioner Ken Lay have been active in banning bikie figures from the gambling venue.

The bans help police reduce money laundering and can extend to racecourses.

Outlaw bikie gangs are considered by the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) as a growing organised crime threat.

The most powerful gangs - the Comancheros, Hells Angels, Rebels, Mongols and Bandidos - have dominated the underworld landscape in Victoria since the gangland wars. All have an international presence.

Key illegal activities they are linked to include drug and arms trafficking, money laundering, vehicle rebirthing, prostitution and extortion.

Members are also involved in outwardly legitimated businesses such as transport, finance, private security, nightspots and construction.

There are more than 40 OMCGs in Australia with about 6000 “patched’’ members, 1200 of them in Victoria.

heraldsun.com.au 19 Apr 2014

Whatever proceeds of 'alleged' crime bikies can deposit into banks, it pales in comparison to the fraud that the banks are committing.

Banks operating in Australia are involved in large scale theft and fraud, but these actions are supported by the authorities.

The proof parking inspectors are heartless

The car in question. Source: NewsComAu

IS THIS confirmation parking inspectors really don’t have a heart? 

As a car owner apparently lay on a hospital bed suffering from a heart attack, the inspectors pounced. Not once, but twice.

This note was photographed on a silver Subaru in Surry Hills, Sydney, begging for compassion. The handwritten plea claims the owner of the car “had a heart attack on Sunday”.

Inspectors decided to leave him a $202 recovery present. Nice.

But the search for the owner of the Subaru and the person who wrote the note is proving difficult.

Say Media, the company whose “old branding” features on the note, closed its Sydney office last year, and told news.com.au it had no record of an Australian employee with the apparent initials written on the note.

A representative for the American company said, “we handed out that notepad at events, it could be anybody that would have come to one”.

DO YOU KNOW THE PERSON WHO WROTE THE NOTE?

TWEET MATT YOUNG VIA @MATTYOUNG

Not one fine, but two fines. Source: NewsComAu

No compassion from the City of Sydney. Source: NewsComAu

 

The note discovered by news.com.au reporter, Matt Young. Source: Supplied

 

City of Sydney Council was contacted for comment and a spokeswoman told news.com.au, “The City is investigating this matter.

“If medical evidence is produced to support the claims made in the note, then the City would consider withdrawing the infringement notice.”

According to the time stamp on the fines, one was issued Tuesday at 10.30am. The other on Monday at 10.26am.

It is not clear when the note was left on the car, but it states the heart attack happened on Sunday, before both fines were issued.

Hopefully the council will decide to let the motorist off when he proves his heart stopped him from moving his car.

news.com.au 30 Apr 2014

What the corporate media is NOT telling the masses is that parking fines are not lawful.

The city councils are aware of this, the magistrates are also aware of this.

Many court cases have been dismissed over validity / lawfulness of this fine, but as a result of the matter being 'dismissed' the public is not aware of the 'technicality'.

Another fraud perpetuated by the business owners.

See article:
 
Ex Victorian Police officer comments on Fines
 

The UK is a foreign power to Australia - Sue v Hill [1999] HCA 30

Just in case anyone has had any questions or is unclear in relation to what Australia's relationship is with its 'parent company' (in the literal sense) the United Kingdom, then the documentation from the High Court of Australia case Sue v Hill [1999] HCA 30, will be able to provide light on the subject.

In particular the following items should be noted:

65. It follows that, at least since 1986 with respect to the exercise of legislative power, the United Kingdom is to be classified as a foreign power.

173. At the very latest, the Commonwealth of Australia was transformed into a sovereign, independent nation with the enactment of the Australia Acts. The consequence of that transformation is that the United Kingdom is now a foreign power for the purposes of s 44(i) of the Constitution

 

248. The question as to whether Mrs Hill was capable of being chosen as a Senator is one for the Senate to determine unless and until the Senate resolves to refer the question to the Court of Disputed Returns. There is no need for me to determine, therefore, whether Pt XXII attempts to confer non-judicial power on this Court or whether, at this stage of Australia's constitutional development, the United Kingdom is a "foreign power" within the meaning of s 44 of the Constitution

289. The petitioners (and the Commonwealth which supports them) acknowledge that at the time of Federation the United Kingdom was unquestionably not a foreign power. One of their primary arguments on the central question whether the United Kingdom is a foreign power is that, as time has passed, circumstances have changed, and the United Kingdom, by a process of evolution has now become a power foreign to Australia (the "evolutionary theory"). It is upon that argument that I wish to comment.

290. The evolutionary theory is, with respect, a theory to be regarded with great caution. In propounding it, neither the petitioners nor the Commonwealth identify a date upon which the evolution became complete, in the sense that, as and from it, the United Kingdom was a foreign power. Nor could they point to any statute, historical occurrence or event which necessarily concluded the process. There were, they asserted, a series of milestones, for example, Federation itself, the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act (Cth), the Royal Style and Titles Act 1973 (Cth) and the Australia Acts[386] but neither the last of these nor any other enactment was said to be the destination marker of the evolution.

291. The great concern about an evolutionary theory of this kind is the doubt to which it gives rise with respect to peoples' rights, status and obligations as this case shows. The truth is that the defining event in practice will, and can only be a decision of this Court ruling that the evolutionary process is complete, and here, as the petitioners and the Commonwealth accept, has been complete for some unascertained and unascertainable time in the past. In reality, a decision of this Court upon that basis would change the law by holding that, notwithstanding that the Constitution did not treat the United Kingdom as a foreign power at Federation and for some time thereafter, it may and should do so now.

293. The Court was not taken to any statutes in which the term "foreign power" is used. However there are statutes which do use that term and whose application might perhaps be different if this Court were to hold that the United Kingdom is a foreign power. One such statute is the Australian Security Intelligence Organization Act 1979 (Cth). Section 4 of that Act defines "foreign power" to mean a foreign government, an entity directed or controlled by a foreign government or a foreign political organization. Section 4 also defines "acts of foreign interference" to mean activities carried on by a "foreign power" that are "clandestine or deceptive", "carried on for intelligence purposes", "carried on for the purpose of affecting political or governmental processes", "otherwise detrimental to the interests of Australia" or "involve a threat to any person". Section 4 also defines "security" to include the protection of the people of Australia from, inter alia, "acts of foreign interference".

296. The potential reach of s 78 of the Crimes Act is very great. It is conceivable that until a decision of this Court that the United Kingdom is a foreign power, (assuming the expression should have the same meaning in the Crimes Act) people might unknowingly have been infringing that section for an indeterminate period of time.

297. I would therefore be inclined to hold that the evolutionary theory which has been advanced in this case, having as it does the defect of uncertainty as to events and conclusion, should not be accepted or applied here. However on neither that nor the other arguments relied on by the parties and the Commonwealth is it necessary for me to express any concluded opinion in view of my agreement with McHugh J on the issue of jurisdiction.

The entire document can be downloaded in a 75 page pdf from:


From the source:

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1999/30.html

Scientists can switch brain cells off: study

US scientists have discovered a technique that uses light to turn off brain neurons, which they say can be used to help understand thinking, emotions and behaviour.

In 2005, Professor Karl Deisseroth from Stanford University developed a technique called "optogenetics", which uses light to turn on particular neurons to study brain, heart and stem cells.

But until now, scientists have been unable to effectively switch certain neurons off.

Now after almost 10 years of research, they have discovered to re-engineer light sensitive proteins to better control cells, and help researchers better understand the brain circuits that control things like behaviour and emotions.

The technique will be used in research into rats and monkeys, and researchers hope will one day be able to be used in treating patients with brain diseases like epilepsy, because it enables parts of the brain to be switched back on with light, which means minimal intrusion into the brain.

"This is something we and others in the field have sought for a very long time,” said Deisseroth, a professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioural sciences.

"We’re excited about this increased light sensitivity of inhibition in part because we think it will greatly enhance work in large-brained organisms like rats and primates."

Thomas Insel, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health, which funded the study, said the study will have great benefits for brain researchers.

“It creates a powerful tool that allows neuroscientists to apply a brake in any specific circuit with millisecond precision, beyond the power of any existing technology,” he said.

The study was published in the journal Science.

Source: The Independent Author: Kimberly Gillan; Approving editor: Lachlan Williams

news.com.au 28 Apr 2014

 

Big banks linked to illegal land grab - report

Some of Australia's biggest banks are reviewing their lending activities in developing countries in the wake of a report linking them to companies accused of illegal land grabs.

Oxfam Australia has accused the big four banks - Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, National Australia Bank and ANZ - of backing companies that have contributed to illegal logging, forced evictions, food shortages and child labour.

"From PNG and Cambodia to Indonesia and Brazil, our banks have backed companies accused of forcing people from their land," Oxfam Australia chief executive Helen Szoke said.

Australian Responsible Investors Association chief executive Simon O'Connor said the report highlighted the risks for Australian companies investing in developing countries.

"These allegations, whether proven or not, contain lessons for corporate Australia as to precisely the nature of this new risk landscape and how challenging these risks are to manage," he said.

The banks would not comment on their relationships with companies mentioned in the report but emphasised their commitment to ethical lending practices.

Westpac said it had severed ties with customers that did not meet its ethical guidelines in the past and would do so again if necessary.

"We would continue that same practice if we felt we were representing companies or people that weren't living up to those standards.

ANZ spokesman Stephen Ries said half of the companies linked to it by the report were not customers of the bank and it had reviewed its relationship with others in light of the allegations.

"We asked our customers for updates and we are satisfied with their responses," he said.

But he said the bank would consider the issues raised by Oxfam in its current policy review.

The Commonwealth Bank also said it would review its practices in response to the report, while a NAB spokesman said the bank assessed social and environmental risks before lending to a customer.

The Oxfam report found NAB had lent more than $200 million to Asian palm oil giant Wilmar, which has been linked to land grabs and was named the world's least environmentally friendly company by Newsweek.

Oxfam Australia also accused Commonwealth of investing in an agribusiness giant whose Brazilian sugar mill is, it says, illegally sourcing sugar from indigenous lands.

ANZ was financing a Cambodian sugar plantation involved in child labour, military backed land grabs and forced evictions, while Westpac has supported a timber company in PNG accused of logging pristine rainforest through an invalid lease arrangement, Oxfam Australia said.

news.com.au 28 Apr 2014

The 'Big 4' Banks are not only involved in land grab, overseas but also here in Australia.

In order to stop this a class action lawsuit needs to be taken, as it has been done with the ANZ bank and 'late' fees.

Two more babies stricken with herpes after ritual ultra-orthodox Jewish oral blood sucking circumcision in New York City

Since 2000 13 known cases of herpes have been contracted from the religious practice

Two deaths and two babies suffering brain damage have resulted

Department of health warns there being no safe way to perform the ritual that dates back more than 5,000 years

Two more infants have been infected with a deadly herpes virus in the last three months after undergoing a controversial religious oral circumcision in New York City.

The latest cases bring the count to 13 infants since 2000, two of which suffered brain damage and two died from the virus which can rapidly spread throughout its body.

The ultra-Orthodox Jewish practice of metzitzah b'peh requires a practitioner to orally suck the baby's penis to 'cleanse' the open wound following its circumcision, making them susceptible to the virus.

+2

Contraction: The ultra-Orthodox practice of metzitzah b'peh requires a practitioner to orally suck the baby's penis to 'cleanse' the open wound following its circumcision, making them susceptible to the virus (file photo)

The department of health says one of the latest infants to contract the virus developed a fever and a lesion on its scrotum, seven days after the procedure. The boy later tested positive for HSV-1. 

That virus differs from HSV-2, the genital herpes, which is contracted during sexual intercourse.

'A herpes infection in a newborn baby has the risk of leading to severe illness and death,' Jay Varma, deputy commissioner for disease control at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene told ABC News.

'The reason is that the baby doesn't have the same fully developed immune system as an adult. Instead of staying in the genital area, it extends throughout different organs in the body,' he explained.

He said it's too soon to tell whether the boys will suffer permanent effects.
The identify of the rabbi who performed the circumcision is being withheld by the boys' parents, preventing the health department to step in, they said.

+2

Dangers: Since 2000 13 known cases of herpes have resulted from the practice, two of which suffered brain damage and two others died.

The religious practice that dates back to more than 5,000 years defies warning by the city's department of health which says there is no safe way to perform the oral suction on an open wound.

More modern Jewish practices use a sterile aspiration device to clean the wound or a pipette opposed to the oral sucking.

But some rabbis stand grounded behind the practice, calling it a religious freedom while noting its long history.

In September the department voted to require parents to sign forms consenting to the risks of the practice after the death of two children who contracted the virus through the practice.

The parents of those newly infected boys are said to have not signed those forms.

According to Rabbi David Zwiebel, executive vice president of the Orthodox Jewish organization Agudath Israel of America, two-thirds of boys born in New York City's Hasidic communities are circumcised in the oral suction matter.

The health department claims they've had complaints in past by parents who say they weren't made aware that the oral practice would be performed on their child.

Read more:

• Herpes Strikes Infants Again After Ritual Circumcision

dailymail.co.uk 5 Apr 2013