Author: Kev

Retired infantry officer. Conservative by nature and politics; Happily married and father and grandfather of eight. Loves V8 powered Range Rovers, Golden Retrievers, good books and technology and think there should be open season on Greenies. Born in the mid forties and overdue for servicing but most parts still work.

Joel Fitzgibbon resigns

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It’s one thing to neglect to mention all his gifts, free tickets and accommodation given him by the Chinese and his brother but this is worse. The resignation comes after it was revealed ministerial staff in the defence portfolio instructed a general to attend meetings with his brother at which defence health contracting was discussed. The General and Doctor, Paul Alexander is the head of Defence Health. We had last served together in a Regiment in the West where we got into the habit of having a Guiness on any Friday afternoon we were in Barracks. I only saw him again at this last ANZAC Day reunion and learned of his appointment. And then this. He is a true professional and it worries me that Generals are being forced into compromising ‘conflict of interest’ scenarios by the current mob in power. One would think a Minister of the Crown would know that this type of meeting simply isn’t on but apparently not. I wont miss him and I’m sure the ADF wont either. And then this;
But then Major-General Paul Alexander, who is in charge of defence health services, told a parliamentary committee that staff members of Defence Personnel Minister Warren Snowdon and defence staff told him to attend the meetings attended by Mark Fitzgibbon. General Alexander said he was at a meeting with officials of US health insurer Humana on August 27 last year. Mark Fitzgibbon was at the meeting and appeared to “sponsor” Humana officials, General Alexander said.
Can we start asking questions about Snowdon’s part in the story after all, it appears his staff had input to demanding a General attend a meeting with another Minister’s brother. Don’t tell me Snowdon doesn’t know the brother and what company he represented in that meeting and he must be aware of Alexander’s appointment. Poor show all round.
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Defence, Politics

ADF Savings

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Whenever the ALP get into power, shortly thereafter we have historically had a Defence shake up that promises cuts, savings and a better bang for the buck and points out in letters writ large how inefficient the system was under the terrible conservatives. The result of all these shake ups, in my 45 years experience with the Army, has always been a loss of troops and general conditions, although they have been good to us in the salary department. It is an ideological given that officers must bear the brunt of conditions lost under ALP regimes. In the prehistoric times, under Whitlam, one of his left wing advisors pointed out that officers retiring after 20 years service to the country were entitled to one rank above their retirement rank as a thank you for long service to the crown. I always suspected that he was also told that said officers received upgraded superannuation as well, which definitely wasn’t the case. Edicts flashed from Canberra that the practice was to cease and did. That was purely ideologically driven, no ifs or buts, and set the stage for the treatment of those who would aspire to higher rank. If you think Officers don’t like dining with the soldiers then I can tell you the soldiers don’t like dining with the officers either. Who can relax sitting alongside the Colonel, or worse, the General, and how can officers discuss a sensitive issue over lunch in the presence of the troops? It’s very possible that Patrick Walters has it all wrong when he talks of this ‘rationalizing mess facilities’ plan.
The planned shake-up could include rationalising mess facilities, requiring officers to eat with other ranks, as well as rethinking travel policies and reducing senior executive entitlements.
I’m reasonably confident that what they are talking about is having a central kitchen with the traditional Officers, Sergeants and Soldiers dining rooms separate but a part of the main complex. This will save money and it has been a long standing program in the military. To say it is an ALP plan, offered with the “forcing officers to dine with their subordinates – that’ll teach ’em to get uppity” line is simply disingenuous and ideological drivel. The Defence Department has appointed one of its own senior officials, Margot McCarthy, to head up the strategic reform program with the rank of deputy secretary.
Dr McCarthy, who holds a DPhil in English literature from Oxford University, previously worked in the office of Defence secretary Nick Warner.
I’m not sure if Dr McCarthy’s ‘English teacher’ CV bodes well for the reform but I can imagine the final report will be very well written.
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Defence

Lift your game, guys!

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THE Liberals were forced into damage control after politics turned physical for the second time in less than a week with two MPs clashing in the party room. I’m not sure ‘damage control’ is quite right but the question remains – how come the press know about it. Come on you guys – a little bit of discipline please. If you have a tiff keep it in-house.
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Politics

Well she would, wouldn’t she?

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JULIA Gillard is ignoring a request by a cleaning company for her to personally explain how the federal Government’s awards modernisation program will not increase business costs. South Australian family-owned Longford Cleaning, which employs about 70 permanent part-time and casual staff, yesterday told The Australian the changes could result in it losing up to half its clients when a 25 per cent spike in wage costs is passed on from January 1 .
… spokeswoman for Ms Gillard last night refused to answer specific questions from The Australian, including whether Ms Gillard was prepared to meet the company, and would only refer to the ABC interview transcript.
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Politics

A long way to go

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HEALTH officials warned yesterday that as many as four million Australians could eventually catch swine flu. Victoria’s acting chief medical officer, Rosemary Lester, said an eventual infection rate of 20 per cent was a “fair estimate”. “Next year, this may well be the predominant (influenza virus),” she said. With 50 confirmed cases so far there is a long way to go. Does anyone else think we are overreacting just a tad?
2
General Musings

Too hard to manage stimulus payments

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FEDERAL Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has rejected Government assertions that making $40 million in stimulus payments to dead people and Australians living overseas was unavoidable. The Australian Tax Office says the cost of the tax bonus payments made to 16,000 dead people is likely to exceed $14 million while another $25 million has been sent to about 25,000 Australians living overseas.
Earlier Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner said it was a “ludicrous proposition” to suggest the Government should have ascertained who was dead and who was living overseas before the payments were made. That data was not available at the time and would have taken months to accumulate, he said.
I simply don’t accept that handing out nearly $40 million to deceased estates or people unable to spend the money on the local economy can be dismissed as “too hard” to manage.
1
Politics

Greenpeace idiots stuff up society

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ENVIRONMETAL activists have shut down a coal digger at an Australian power station that provides eight per cent of the country’s coal-reliant electricity market, to protest against government climate policies.
Greenpeace said today’s dawn protest by around 14 activists at the Hazelwood Power Stationin Victoria was the latest part of an ongoing campaign to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions.
“Australia is digging itself into a hole. By phasing out coal and investing in renewable energy, we can protect our environment and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs,” Greenpeace campaigner Simon Roz said.
Hundreds of thousands of jobs?  How? Laws need to be changed so that Greenpeace can be charged all costs associated with criminal act and the 14 perpetrators should be locked up. People are aware that coal powered electricity is dirty but until we have a reliable alternative we have to keep using it.  
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Uncategorized

It’s raining

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<i>On the way to the bank</i>

On the way to the bank

Something like nearly 300 ml (about 12 inches for metric disadvantage folk) fell on my suburb over the past 24 hours.  Not to be put off I went down to do the banking and had to negotiate some water over the road. I sat for a while and watched other people and their different approaches to the problem.  People with 4WDs didn’t worry and most small sedans turned around to find another way.  One idiot in a Lada sedan (had to be an idiot to buy it) didn’t even slow down…hit the water at about 40 kph, got swamped by the bow wave and then tried to back out. Gee, his motor stalled. I drove on. More at the Courier Mail
General Musings

Aussie woman in trouble in Thailand

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When this story broke yesterday I thought it a bit fishy. People are not normally thrown in a cell for stealing a bar mat, even in Thailand. The Thais, particularly those with any sort of power, have a well developed sense of self, are very quick to take offence and will lock westerners up at the drop of a hat. THE Australian woman arrested in Thailand for allegedly stealing a bar mat denies reports she was abusive towards police.
Annice Smoel’s lawyer Bernard Murphy said his 36-year-old client was upset when police took her into custody but she was not abusive
Rubbish! I was there many years ago and one night on leave events unfolded thus – in a taxi with US and Aussie servicemen…..saw US MP car…gave them a friendly one fingered salute…didn’t notice the Thai Police Lieutenant on board…screech of tyres…come with me…resist arrest (arm through A pillar of cab)..resolved by ramming .38 cal pistol in my belly…arrested…told by smirking US MP (same rank as me) that the Lt had power to lock me up and I’d better rehearse and deliver a sniveling, heart felt apology. I did. Protocol 101 in Asia – don’t put down on the local wallopers. Even Australia’s Chief Clerk  Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd gets involved;
THE Federal Government will spare no efforts or resources to bring a satisfactory conclusion to the case of an Australian woman arrested in Thailand, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says. He said he did not want to underestimate the degree of difficulty involved in the case of Annice Smoel, who has been detained in Thailand for allegedly stealing a bar mat.
I wonder if the PM of the day would have said that about one young Sergeant locked up in Thailand – I doubt it, politicians were more pragmatic then and didn’t say things like “will spare no effort” in saving an Aussie from their own drunk & disorderly behaviour. Deliver a sniveling, heartfelt apology and you might get off, Annice, but then you might have left it a little late. UPDATE: Her ordeal is over – she is free to return home. I trust she has learned her lesson.
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General Musings
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