Guns, crime a dangerous mix

GUNS outnumber people in 24 Victorian towns a special investigation has revealed, and the anti-gun lobby is horrified.

The East Gippsland hamlet of Swifts Creek has the highest ratio: 774 registered firearms shared by just 278 residents, the Herald Sun reports.

Annual figures show an increase of 62 per cent in robberies involving firearms in Victoria.

Detective Supt Brett Guerin, head of Victoria Police's serious crime division, said those involved in recent lawless behaviour in Melbourne's northwest suburbs had been "shooting up the streets as if it's the wild west". He reinforced the police strategy of "unremitting harassment" to deter the use of firearms.

The 3551 postcode, taking in towns on the outskirts of Bendigo, had the highest number of registered guns - 7179. French Island in Western Port Bay and Harrow, in the Wimmera, rounded out the top three gun hot spots.

Victoria has 642,176, or nearly 23 per cent, of the 2.8 million firearms registered in Australia.

Police are worried after more than 39,000 extra firearms were registered in Victoria in 18 months to June last year, despite an increase of only 5000 in the number of licensed shooters.

They said their biggest concern was the number of pistols in the community and people's willingness to use them to commit crimes.

Senior police said they would blitz gun dealers and licensed shooters to try to stop legal firearms getting on the black market.

It comes as figures show registered guns now outnumber people in 24 Victorian towns.

The highest proportion is in the East Gippsland hamlet of Swifts Creek where 278 residents own 774 firearms.

Other hot spots are French Island in Western Port Bay and Harrow, in the Wimmera.

Police figures also show:

UP to 200 (75 per cent) of all pistols seized from criminals in the past three years had never been registered or could not be identified.

FORTY-ONE of the 273 firearms seized were stolen.

MORE than half the firearms used in "high end" armed robberies last year were pistols.

FIFTEEN per cent of firearms seized from criminals were stolen weapons.

The annual figures showed an increase of 62 per cent in robberies involving guns and a 15 per cent increase in assaults with a firearm.

Detective Supt Brett Guerin, head of the force's serious crime division, reinforced the police strategy of "unremitting harassment" to deter the use of guns, particularly pistols.

Supt Guerin described those involved in recent lawless behaviour in Melbourne's northwest suburbs as "peasants ... acting in a way they would in the foothills of their home country, shooting up the streets as if it's the wild west".

"Instead of farming they rob people, or stand over them or sell dope - and they use firearms to enforce it," he said.

"We can't just wait for these matters to be fully investigated and brought before the courts one or two years down the track. We've got to start making life difficult for these peanuts."

The head of the force's licensing and registration division, Supt Russell Barrett, said shootings in Melbourne had emphasised the issue of illicit gun use.

"I don't think the issues we're seeing are with the licensed shooters. The problem is not with the lawful weapons in the hands of lawful shooters," he said.

"Our focus for the next 12-18 months will be to ensure that not only the right people get licences and access to guns, but to ensure that legal guns don't become illegal."

Supt Barrett said police would be strong on regulating the practices of dealers and ensuring owners were storing firearms safely.

He said he hoped a big drop in the number of firearms stolen - 142 in 2010-11 compared with 316 the previous year - was a reflection of more secure storage.

Only 18 of the 302 guns reported stolen in Victoria in 2008-09 were recovered, the most recent Australia Institute of Criminology firearm theft statistics show.

Pistols registered rose from just over 11,200 in June 2010 to 11,600 a year later.

weeklytimesnow.com.au 9 Jan 2012

An anti gun lobby will be horrified at any other figure than zero guns for the masses.

After the Port Arthur massacre, the government's knee jerk reaction was to implement a gun amnesty, in which honest citizens had to hand in their firearms.

Many people handed in relics, museum pieces and collectables which were then allegedly crushed, whilst criminals still held onto their firearms.

The gun amnesty has done nothing to stop the criminal element from still using illegal and unregistered firearms.

On of the guns used by the Port Arthur gunman Martin Bryant, was obtain from a lock up at Victoria Police from across the waters of Bass Strait.

Another propaganda article misrepresenting the real issue.

ADF hit by new sex abuse claims

Sex and drug claims rock ADF

A freedom of information application has revealed incidents of sexual assault, harrassment, drug abuse and child pornography in the Australian Defence Force.

THE Australian Defence Force has been rocked by an avalanche of fresh allegations of sex crimes and misconduct within its ranks.

About 350 pages of previously classified ADF documents have detailed allegations of rape, child pornography, filming of sexual encounters and inappropriate relationships.

The documents - released to the Seven television network under freedom of information laws - suggest years of adverse publicity about sexual misconduct in the ADF may have failed to have led to the cultural change that many had hoped for.

One of the documents reveals that in April - days after details emerged of the Skype broadcast of a sexual incident involving a female cadet at the Australian Defence Force Academy - a female soldier in Brisbane reported seeing a camera put underneath the screen of her shower cubicle.

A Defence briefing note says the case ''is considered highly sensitive given ongoing media attention to the case of female ADFA cadet. The media are unaware of this incident''.

The latest allegations come nearly two years after the start of an inquiry into into sexual abuse aboard HMAS Success.

As recently as September, an air force member was arrested and charged with seven counts of indecent assault of a minor. The case is still before the courts.

The Defence documents also reveal allegations concerning a soldier who had a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old living in Holsworthy army barracks in Sydney for two weeks.

Defence confirmed in a statement that two of its members had been disciplined over the case.

Also in September, an army member allegedly sexually assaulted a female member of his unit at Holsworthy. The matter was referred to police.

The documents reveal that a year earlier, a female student at the Defence Force School of Signals reported she had been sexually assaulted at a Melbourne hotel by a fellow student. The matter was referred to police.

In one incident on HMAS Success - allegedly four days after the first report into the sexual abuse on board the same

ship in 2009 - a crew member reported an alleged indecent assault. The incident allegedly took place last February, while the ship was in Singapore.

A sailor will face a court martial hearing over the incident, in which he or she allegedly tried to enter the room of a fellow sailor and kiss them and then allegedly grabbed the other crew member inappropriately after being pushed away.

The alleged incidents are detailed in documents labelled ''Hot Issue Briefs'' from the three arms of the forces for the past two years.

They outline incidents and responses and highlight the ''high'' media sensitivity of issues - particularly in relation to ongoing inquiries and adverse publicity about previous incidents.

The documents also detail allegations on other ships, but also in the army and air force. Some involve civilian victims.

Publicity about behaviour on HMAS Success appeared to bring forward some complaints about behaviour that had happened previously.

In one case, a senior navy officer was alleged to have had inappropriate relationships with junior sailors and allegedly had videos of sexual acts. This case is still subject to an investigation by the Defence Force Investigative Service.

In another case, there were allegations of bullying, indecent assault and a ''beer bounty'' for having sex with a victim on HMAS Toowoomba.

In some cases, complainants reactivated complaints they had dropped earlier. However, the briefs also noted that some who complained of inappropriate sexual behaviour did not want police to be notified.

A final report into HMAS Success, several reports into the culture of the Defence Force, and a separate review of more than 1000 allegations of sexual abuse are still to be completed.

In a statement last night, the Australian Defence Force said it had ''no tolerance for misconduct'' and that criminal matters were promptly reported to police.

theage.com.au 12 Jan 2012

Sexual abuse that has been going on within the ADF for decades has been swept under the carpet, by corrupt government officials often threatening the victims with ridicule, expulsion and loss of career.

Only recently by the actions of a cadet by posting his sexual exploits on the internet, that these matters have come to the attention of the masses and the corporate media.

Bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment and drugs are common within the ADF, but are genrally played down by authorities, for the sole purpose of creating the illusion that there is nothing seriuosly wrong within the higher ranks, and that all procedures are followed according to the law, which in reality they are not.

The government again is embarking on a coverup simultaneously treating the victims as criminals, and not for what they are, the real victims.

Even if any information is obtained under the Freedom of Information acts, there is no guarantee that it is given in full and not edited.

Another farce in the face of the general populous.

Criminals on the run after escaping detention centre

THE Melbourne immigration detention centre, which holds killers, drug dealers and failed asylum seekers, has had 25 escapees in three years.

Seventeen fugitives, including drug dealers, are still on the run.

Most were on overstayed or cancelled visas, and are awaiting deportation.

The revolving door at Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre has forced three internal security reviews that recommended significant changes.

Now, red-faced services provider Serco is scrambling to extend electric fences and add what immigration department officials describe as "additional anti-climb measures".

One source said changes to "soften" the centre's image after 2005, which eventually led to an electric fence replacing razor wire, meant easier escape routes.

The source said the centre was not a prison but Serco had not given staff what was needed to manage trouble-makers or felons.

"Some of these people are hard-edged. We are not talking about boat people, we are talking about people who have been in jail," the source said.

Last week the Herald Sun revealed two Vietnamese nationals who had served sentences for drug-related offences had fled the centre through the electric fence.

An Immigration Department spokesman said security improvements were under way.

After escapes between November 2010 and last January, Serco had conducted its own security review, he said.

It was followed by an outside company's assessment, and a third review by another outside company.

The spokesman said a decision was made in November to upgrade the fence, including installing another layer with a special material that makes it difficult to climb, which should be in place next month.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said escapes were investigated by the Immigration Department but local police assisted.

Details are also logged on police databases, so if fugitives are picked up for other crimes or inquiries they can be identified by police.

"There is an offence for detainees escaping under the Immigration Act and members of Victoria Police have power of arrest under this act," she said.

heraldsun.com.au 20 Jan 2012

The government is importing criminals into Australia at an astonishing rate.

The crime figures have been fraudulently represented by Victoria's previous police commissioner Simon Overland, as a result his position was vacated.

In a cost cutting measure, the government is deliberately putting the community at risk with the escape of these criminals.

Many 'trailer park trash' migrants have established criminal networks of which the government is fully aware of, and monitors, but does nothing.

Corrupt officials are on the payroll of many well established drug syndicates.

The ATO (Australian Tax Office) is fully aware of the illegal possesion of fund obtained from criminal activites, BUT instead plans to legalise the crimes by TAXING them.

Yes Australia, we are a racist lot

AUSTRALIANS are too paranoid to admit that racism is a problem in this country, a Young Australian of the Year finalist says.

Samah Hadid, 23, a human rights activist, said Australia would not overcome the issue until it accepted there was a problem.

"I'm bewildered by the reaction when anybody suggests that there is racism in this country," she said.

"It hits a nerve and it triggers a paranoia where people say that there is no existence of racism.

"It's quite annoying, particularly being from a minority group that experiences racism."

Ms Hadid's comments come after the Herald Sun reported yesterday that respected neurosurgeon Dr Charles Teo said racism was "very much alive in Australia".

The story prompted hundreds of comments on the Herald Sun website, in a spirited debate about multiculturalism in Australia.

A Herald Sun poll last night found 83 per cent of readers agreed with Dr Teo's comments. By 5.30pm yesterday 8452 readers had voted.

Is Australia a racist nation? Tell us what you think below

The strong support for Dr Teo's comments comes as the Scanlon Foundation's Mapping Social Cohesion 2011 report says racial discrimination in Australia has grown by more than 50 per cent in the past four years.

The survey of 2000 people across the country found that 14 per cent of people last year had been victims of racial discrimination, compared with 9 per cent in 2007.

Hass Dellal, director of the Australian Multicultural Foundation, said that some people judged others on unfair stereotypes.

He said migrants and people from settled communities should interact with each other more through volunteering.

Premier Ted Baillieu said Victoria had a proud record of promoting its multicultural community, but said there were some problems.

"I don't deny, and I don't think anyone would deny, that there are in any community people with racist attitudes," he said.

Senator Kate Lundy, Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, said the Federal Government had set up an anti-racism partnership with the Human Rights Commission.

heraldsun 20 Jan 2012

Many nationalities have racist qualities about them. It is NOT limited to white Australians.

Other countries from Asia Africa or Europe subscribe to racism, but this is misrepresented by Australia's corporate media.

The migrants that enter Australia are also racist.

With whichever wave of ethnic migration that enters into Australia there is enormous racist prejudice against white Austraians. This fact is aswell deliberately overlooked by the corporate media.

In Australian governance or even many government departments, there is also racism from the Anglo-masonic establishment against the 'wogs' (a derogatorry term currently used to describe Europeans), even though they profess otherwise.

More News Employees working longer to keep jobs

AUSTRALIANS are being asked to work longer hours as bosses delay hiring new staff in the biggest jobs slowdown in two decades.

Almost 30,000 workers were turfed out of their jobs in the lead-up to Christmas, with many who kept their jobs asked to shoulder an ever-increasing burden, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals.

"While there are less jobs around we are also working harder, with the number of hours worked rising by 0.3 per cent in December," Commsec chief economist Craig James said.

"Employers asked staff to work longer hours rather than taking on new workers."

Mr James tipped unemployment could rise to 5.7 per cent this year.

"After holding out for the past six months, Aussie businesses have finally decided to bite the bullet and start culling staff - albeit modestly."

The data came as acting Treasurer Bill Shorten tipped more jobs could be lost if conditions in Europe worsen.

"There is a tough year ahead of us in Australia (with) big challenges in the global economy, which will inevitably impact on our economy," he said.

The fall in employment in December surprised many economists who were forecasting an increase of 10,000 jobs.

Part-time workers were hit hard in the lead-up to Christmas, with 53,700 stripped of employment.

The figures showed full-time employment was up 24,500 last month. The unemployment figure actually remained stable on 5.2 per cent nationally as fewer people looked for work.

Mr James said the dour figures would force the Reserve Bank's hand for a February rate cut from the current 4.25 per cent.

Five thousand jobs were lost in the Victorian economy, although the official rate dropped from 5.5 to 5.2 per cent as fewer people looked for work.

heraldsun 20 Jan 2012

Another blatant exploytation by empoyers both local and multinational.

The end game is to opress the masses and enslave them into their jobs, just like in Japan.

What the mass media are not focusing on is the OH&S issue assocated with the longer working hours.

Many employers are breaking the OH&S laws, but workers are too frightened to come forward as their job will be at risk after an official complaint.

Julia Gillard the great deceiver

From the article:

Wilkie dumps ALP over broken pokies

Anti-pokies MP Andrew Wilkie has torn up his agreement to support the Gillard minority government after the prime minister broke her promise on gambling reforms.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced a watered down pokies reform plan in Melbourne on Saturday.

The decision prompted Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to label Ms Gillard the "great deceiver" for betraying Mr Wilkie and therefore becoming prime minister under false pretences.

"Nothing this prime minister says can be taken seriously ever again," he said.

"All of the promises she makes at the next election will have to be discounted, in the same way all her previous commitments have been dishonoured."

The prime minister's plan will witness a trial of the controversial mandatory pre-commitment technology to start January 1, 2013, possibly in the ACT, and if successful, then expanded.

The technology requires gamblers to preset a limit on what they are prepared to lose on high betting machines.

A decision on its roll out will be deferred until 2016.

The backdown could dent Ms Gillard's credibility but she has denied the move represented another broken promise.

"The circumstances of this parliament are clear ... there is not the support in the House of Representatives for the Andrew Wilkie plan," she said.

A devastated Mr Wilkie told reporters in Hobart he could no longer guarantee supply and confidence for the government.

He will support only motions of no-confidence in the event of serious misconduct and not support politically opportunistic motions and will consider budget measures on their merits.

"I regard the prime minister to be in breach of the written agreement she signed, leaving me no option but to honour my word and end my current relationship with her government," Mr Wilkie said.

He said the backdown was a missed opportunity but indicated he would vote for Ms Gillard's compromise.

"We should be able to trust our politicians to keep their word," he said.

"Frankly a deal is a deal."

The reforms have been the target of heavy attacks by registered clubs, which argue they will cut revenue and be a costly regulatory burden.

Key independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott had indicated publicly they would not support mandatory pre-commitment reforms.

NSW Labor backbenchers in marginal seats were coming under significant political pressure from a cashed-up opposition movement to the reforms.

Speculation was mounting last week the Wilkie promise would be dumped, in light of the government gaining an extra number on the floor of the lower house following the election of former Liberal MP Peter Slipper as Speaker.

His predecessor Harry Jenkins went to the Labor backbench.

The minority government's buffer is now just a single vote.

Mr Wilkie had wanted legislation passed by May and his 2014 deadline upheld.

Fellow anti-gambling campaigner Senator Nick Xenophon said he doubted the Gillard government had ever had its heart in the proposed gambling reforms.

"This is a breach of faith," Senator Xenophon said.

Families Minister Jenny Macklin said she had made a "substantiative offer" to Clubs ACT and had also approached the ACT government about trialling the pre-commitment technology.

She said electronic warnings will be fitted to machines and the government will also move to introduce a $250 daily withdrawal limit from ATMs in gaming venues, excluding casinos.

The Australian Greens have flagged introducing a private members bill for an alternative plan of $1 bet limits.

Greens senator Richard Di Natale told reporters in Melbourne the backdown was a sad day for families shattered by problem gambling.

"It's a spineless announcement and represents a cave in to vested interests," he said.

"It could set back the cause of pokie machine reform for decades to come."

He said the $1 bet limit policy had wider support in parliament and opposition leader Tony Abbott had not ruled out supporting the idea.

A Clubs Australia spokesman told AAP the organisation would not be "dumping" their campaign against the reforms until they examined the details of the legislation.

Anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello said the full roll-out of the pokies reforms hung on a "wing and a prayer".

"We are trusting a future parliament where there won't be a Wilkie with the balance of power," he told ABC TV.

"It's something that disturbs me."

21 Jan 2012

In politics, false information, fraud are common with NO REPERCUSSIONS against the criminal activity.

Another timeless example of how fradulent politicians are.

Julia Gillard should be ousted from her Prime Ministerial position.

Summer deluges leave Port Phillip Bay filthy

UPDATE 8.48am: A LIVE and lethal tiger snake and floundering freshwater turtles have joined dead penguins, a wallaby and fish washed up on Melbourne's beaches after Victoria's dirty big wet.

Summer deluges have been blamed for killing many forms of marine life as well as flushing land-based animals into Port Phillip Bay.

A live tiger snake was plucked from the sand at Williamstown beach, dead penguins have washed up at Altona and Port Melbourne while dead fish are floating off Elwood.

At Sandridge beach, which is closest to the mouth of the Yarra River and has been closed since Christmas, lifesavers have been collecting rubbish.

As well as contaminating and killing animals in and around waterways, the deluges have caused beaches to be closed and summer sporting and recreational events to be scuttled.

SuperSprint Gatorade Triathlon Series organisers said it had been a "major disappointment" they were forced to cancel the swimming leg of their competitions at St Kilda in November and again in December after EPA reports ruled the quality of the water unsafe to swim in.

"It was ridiculously disappointing for 2000 participants at both events who had to complete a running leg instead because of the quality of the water," said event marketing manager, Pierre Meneaud.

Ironically, the Dolphin Research Institute has again had to cancel its "i sea, i care" campaign, its biggest program of the year that highlights the bay's health.

Director Jeff Weir said the type of pollution pouring into the bay - silt, sediment, toxins, and household and garden chemicals - threatened its future.

"The bay is a living breathing biological filter and all the different invertebrates living on the seabed plus the seagrasses are helping keep it clean," Mr Weir said.

"But silt and sediment and toxins and debris are all smothering that natural filtering system."

The Committee for Melbourne and Shadow Environment Minister Greg Hunt have called for a Clean Up the Bay action plan to be implemented.

Mr Hunt said the plan should include a bay infrastructure plan to be delivered over a decade and an Annual Bay Day in which volunteers help clean up the beach.

"The key to Cleaning up the Bay is a Decade of Action with clear targets, actions and responsibilities," he said.

"Just as importantly though is a full community partnership which draws in both the different tiers of Government and the community."

Mr Hunt said the next step was for an initial forum, to bring together potential partners and to help set the vision for the clean-up.

Contaminated rivers and creeks pouring into the bay along with the run-off from hundreds of storm water drains should be a wake-up call to Victorians about the vulnerable state of the jewel in Victoria's crown, he said.

The EPA beach report on 36 bay sites yesterday listed 22 as poor and not suitable for swimming and 14 as fair. Not one was good.

heraldsun.com.au 9 Jan 2012

There can be no denying that in Victoria or rather Melbourne there has been record drought braking rains, even though there still is a Stage 1 water restriction.

The government's policy is always to 'enforce' a stage of water restrictions in order to justify the building of the de-salination plant, for which the public will pay dearly for.

Irrespective of how much water there will be in the reserviors, the government will always opress the public financially, by falsely stating that there is not enough water, and punishing the masses for using an anount of water necessary for daily life.

The government falsifies the water figures to justify its business decision for building the de-salination plant.

More News Push for 40km/h limit in city and shopping strips

THE State Government's road safety agency has called for a 40km/h speed limit in the CBD and busy shopping strips where pedestrians face extra danger from cars.

The Transport Accident Commission push comes after 50 pedestrians were killed in Victoria last year.

John Thompson, senior manager of road safety for the TAC, said reduced speed limits would deliver less casualty crashes in the CBD.

Do you support 40km/h speed limits in the CBD and shopping strips? Tell us below

He said it would also be appropriate to look at speed reductions in some shopping strips.

Eric Howard, a former VicRoads road safety manager, said the state was "dragging its feet" and needed to act.

Slashing speed limits around busy suburban shopping strips and the CBDs of Melbourne, Geelong and Ballarat would save lives, he said.

"We are dragging our feet a bit in Victoria and we could get some easy gains and save some people's lives," said Mr Howard who is now co-chair of the 33,900 Australian Road Safety Collaboration - a reference to the number of people killed and seriously injured across the nation in 2010.

"At 50km/h you will probably be killed by a car, at 40 you probably won't. It must be part of making our urban centres better places."

Dr Bruce Corben, of the Monash University Accident Research Centre, said early indications from research into pedestrian road trauma showed shopping strips were dangerous places.

"Shopping strips especially in the inner-city areas, the likes of Richmond and South Yarra and Collingwood, that's where there seems to be a higher number of pedestrian injury-producing events," he said.

Tram stops, public transport hubs and areas frequented by elderly are also areas he believes "will see increased pedestrian trauma".

The Monash centre is exploring links between location and pedestrian fatalities for the last five years for the Department of Justice, TAC and VicRoads.

A spokeswoman for Roads Minister Terry Mulder said he was considering recommendations from a speed zone review by VicRoads.

The review did not consider blanket speeds of 40km/h for areas where pedestrians and vehicles frequently mix, but a spokesman yesterday indicated more variable speed limits around shopping strips were possible.

Harold Scruby, chairman of the Pedestrian Council, said speed limits should be cut to 30km/h in some spots.

heraldsun.com.au 3 Jan 2012

Another blatant grab for money, which has very little to do with the well being of pedestrians.

There are many shopping strips where there is the 40km/h limit (e.g. Melbournes famous Lygon St.), where the speed limit is constantly being broken by 'hoon' or bikers.

The police do not fine the bikers, but rather issue a fine to a "P" plate driver for not using a turning signal.

There has been no proof provided by any authority that the reduced speed limit will actually save the lives of some pedestrians who break the law whilst crossing.

Another 'business case' put forward by governments to make money, which has nothing to do with saving lives.

Bargain hunters pay dearly at Boxing Day sales

BARGAINS in the Boxing Day sales are not always what they seem with discounted products selling for as much as $220 more than the same item across town.

Some so-called specials are even cheaper at stores where they're not on sale at all.

Prices can also differ at different outlets of the same chain.

A Public Defender post-Christmas investigation at Chadstone, Highpoint and Southland shopping centres has found bargain hunters can pay dearly if they fail to shop around.

The price of a big-screen Sony LCD television yielded the biggest difference.

It cost just $578 at Harvey Norman Chadstone while Big W offered it at the retail price of $798.

Harvey Norman Maribyrnong was $20 dearer than its counterpart on the other side of the city.

Shoppers could save almost $30 if they shopped around for a 20-piece dinner set even though the dearest outlet surveyed was selling it at 30 per cent off.

Similar legwork saved about $20 off an iron, which Kmart had cheaper than some rivals even though it wasn't even on special.

Savingsguide.com.au founder Alex Wilson said shoppers could find themselves paying too much if they failed to check whether a deal was the bargain it claimed to be. Online comparison sites could help cut the groundwork. "It's a few minutes of your time to organise yourself to potentially save hundreds of dollars," Mr Wilson said.

"It's all about planning your shopping."

Choice spokeswoman Ingrid Just said it was easy to get carried away with the Boxing Day sales frenzy.

She warned retailers could also promote the highest price of a product before it was marked down rather than the cost immediately before it was discounted.

"Go in with your eyes wide open," Ms Just said.

"There is that group mentality that can happen. It just points to shopping around, whether it is a sale or not."

heraldsun.com.au 28 Dec 2011

Misleading or false advertising is illegal in Australia.

Every single business that has deliberatley falsely advertised its products as being on sale, whilst inflating their price has committed an offence under the Trade Practices Act.

The consumer has every right to take the business to court, or alternatively the government's overseeing authority has the power to take the business to court.

This is rarely practiced, and businesses know this and are getting away with fraud.

Another government sponsored fraud.

More News Fears of Christmas day petrol spike

FIRST the banks tried to short-change us and now Victoria's petrol stations will play Scrooge on Christmas Day with fuel expected to leap by 14c a litre to $1.45.

Holiday road trips will cost families a whole lot more with the two big supermarket chains blamed for pumping up the price to compensate for the huge fuel discounts - up to 8c they are offering.

Motorists are being urged to fill up on Friday and Saturday when the price will average about $1.31 before a spike that is expected to last several days.

Pump prices averaged $1.37 yesterday, peaking at $1.51 in some areas.

An industry source said fuel prices should only be 3c more than the wholesale price, which sits at $1.27.

"They make it look like you are getting a good deal, but in reality you are not and just paying what the price should be," the insider said.

"There has been an artificial price because of the high discounts offered, and that's not fair."

The RACV's Michael Case said motorists were paying about 5c more for petrol compared with last year.

"The difference with filling up on Christmas Eve compared to Christmas Day or Boxing Day could be 14c," Mr Case said.

"A lot of people are on the move (over Christmas) where they use a lot of fuel so it can get quite expensive."

Mr Case said to avoid pain at the pump, motorists should monitor the fuel cycle and figure out if so-called discounts are actually a bargain.

Coles Express general manager Peter Short denied ripping off drivers.

He said an 8c discount will end on December 31.

"Our double discount fuel promotion is giving customers extra value at Christmas and helping drive their dollars further when household budgets are stretched even more than usual," Mr Short said.

Experts say the big supermarket chains have worked the discounts into their fuel prices.

But the ACCC released a report early this month that cleared the local industry of price gouging and warned the days of cheap fuel were over.

heraldsun.com.au 22 Dec 2011

The story is the same every year, and the consumers have to take it on the chin, with no intervention from the spineless ACCC.

Another rort supported by the government.