Australian Daylight saving gone for another 6 months

The annual "Great Divide" between Queensland and the rest of the eastern states will be over at 3.00 am EDST tomorrow.

It continues to be a complete farce for six months every year with live television programming, airline schedules and trade and commerce in Queensland thrown into disarray.

A referendum for daylight saving across the state - or even a split time zone in southeast Queensland - would be overwhelmingly carried.
Anna Bligh's position on daylight saving is well-known but what is the LNP's position on the issue, especially on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts where the old Liberal conservatism and pro-Daylight Saving lobby remains very strong.

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PAUL TULLY: PaulGTully@gmail.com

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EXCLUSIVE: Biggest and most-sensational Australia Post reform in 100 years set to be unveiled Easter Sunday

EXCLUSIVE

The greatest reform by Australia Post in its long history of service to the people of Australia is set to be unveiled tomorrow.

Speculation has been rife for a week over the secret reform package.

Declining mail volumes and rising prices have forced Australia Post to act.

Recently, Australia Post was refused a 9 percent stamp price rise which would have seen the cost of a standard mail item increase from 55c to 60c.

That knockback has now placed intense financial pressure on Australia Post with normal mail usage declining rapidly each year in favour of email and internet financial transactions.

The reforms - which will eventually occur on a national basis - were presented to the Ipswich City Council and Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) in Brisbane on March 17.

Ipswich Planning and Development spokesman Paul Tully said the reforms were wide-ranging and, despite their benefits, were unlikely to gain initial widespread community support.

"This will prove to be a watershed decision in the history of Australia Post which will have pros and cons for all consumers," Cr Tully said.

Brazen attack on Indian man Narendrakumar Patel at Roma St kept quiet by police media

CourierMail.com.au

Brazen attack on Indian man Narendrakumar Patel at Roma St kept quiet by police media

A SERIOUS knife attack at one of Queensland's busiest train stations during the peak afternoon commuter period was kept quite by authorities.

The Courier-Mail has learnt that an Indian man allegedly had his throat slashed while waiting on Platform 9 at Brisbane's Roma Street Station about 4.20pm on March 17.

A 26-year-old man was charged a short time later after handing himself in at police headquarters, across the road.

It is alleged the heinous attack on Narendrakumar Patel, 34, was seen by police monitoring the station on closed-circuit television screens.

But details of the incident were never released by police despite the high-profile location.

Sources have claimed that a decision was taken by authorities not to release details of the assault, which is certain to fuel fears about train station safety.

It also will spark debate about whether Indians are the target of racially motivated attacks in Queensland, an issue which has raised tension between the Australian and Indian governments after a spate of attacks in Victoria.

Police would not comment on the case, or the decision not to release details.

But Deputy Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg said the attack struck "at the heart of confidence of all rail commuters" and the public had a right to know about it.

"I hope that this has not been covered up or hosed down by our authorities because of the nationality of the victim," he said.

Police Minister Neil Roberts said train stations were patrolled by 54 officers in the rail squad and more than 100 full-time transit officers and private security guards.

He said the clear-up rate for crime on the rail system was "very good".

Mr Roberts also said he had been briefed on recent incidents involving people from various ethnic backgrounds.

"Some are obviously racially motivated, however police advise me that in their opinion the majority of incidents involving persons from different ethnic backgrounds are not suspected of being racially motivated," he said.

The man accused of attacking Mr Patel was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and carrying a knife in a public place.

It is believed the bluntness of the knife saved Mr Patel from more serious injuries.

Despite police prosecutors opposing bail, the man was released and is due to face court again on April 15.

The incident never came to the public's attention, until now.

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COMMENT: This cover-up by Queensland Police Media of this serious assault on an Indian
National in Brisbane is an international disgrace.  It amounts to police censorship and whoever in
Queensland Police Media is responsible for this, should be summarily dismissed.

Warning: Wrong Bookstore

If you are travelling overseas, make sure you don't go the wrong bookstore!

Latest internet scam hits Australia

This is the latest internet scam to hit Australia:

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From: ortega@intercable.net

Your Email ID was awarded 1,000,000.00 G.B.P in tobacco promo send details.

Names:
Address:
Tel:

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It's time for the Australian Government to take immediate action against these sorts of spam emails.

Innocent internet users are being constantly defrauded by these Nigerian-type scammers who seek their personal and financial details to completely strip their bank accounts.

As with other objectionable internet material, the Australian Government has the clear constitutional power under section 51 of the Australian Constitution to force ISP's to stop these bogus emails at the border.

Internet users and their families are being hurt financially - sometimes losing their entire life savings to these internet predators.

It's time for the Government to act on behalf of all Australians.
Contact your Federal Member today and call your local state or territory police if you are a victim of these callous fraudsters.

A current list of Members of Federal Parliament is available at -

MP's:
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/memlist.pdf

SENATORS:
http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/senators/contacts/los.pdf

To let the Federal Government know that you want them to ban these scams, email the Federal Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy at:

senator.conroy@aph.gov.au

Warn your friends about these scams, especially new internet users who may not be aware that these sophisticated frauds are operating in Australia.

You can circulate this warning by clicking the Email Post button below to email your family and friends.

Queensland trading hours still in the dark ages

Woolworths in Broken Hill NSW
opens from 8am to 8pm Sundays

If the local Woolies store in downtown Broken Hill can open from 8 till 8 on Sundays, why can't Queensland have more-sensible trading hours.

Most shops close around 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays in southeast Queensland and usually an hour later during the week.

The only good thing is that some supermarkets close around 9pm during the week.

The Queensland Industrial Relations Commission controls these hours with an iron rod.

It's time for all trading hours to be totally deregulated.

If you own a shop, you should be able to open and close it whenever you want.

Why should governments dictate when we can and can't shop?

Let's embrace the hours in Asia and many parts of the United States where shops open a little later and close around 10pm.

24-hour shopping should be encouraged in any precinct where it would be financially viable.

All this, provided workers receive appropriate overtime and penalty rates now that Work Choices has been scrapped.

24 Hours to go for the Apple iPad

The Apple iPad launches in the United States tomorrow.

Will it revolutionise the world or will the absence of a camera and a real keyboard be a turnoff for computer geeks across the globe?

Call for Easter Slow Down

Media Release

Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Emergency Services

The Honourable Neil Roberts

02/04/2010

SLOW DOWN THIS EASTER

Police are appealing for motorists to slow down after the first day of covert speed camera deployments in Queensland delivered concerning results.

"Yesterday the three covert speed camera vehicles operated in Yeppoon, North Rockhampton, Hemmant, Tingalpa, Murarrie, Upper Mount Gravatt and Macgregor," Police Minister Neil Roberts said.

"This resulted in 720 detections for speeding, a significantly higher rate of detection than police would normally see with marked speed cameras.

"It's concerning to see such a high number of motorists are risking their lives and the lives of others."

Covert motorcycles also operated for the first time in Queensland yesterday.

The unmarked motorcycles patrolled the M1 and Gateway Motorway resulting in eight infringements being issued for using a mobile phone while driving, four speeding infringements and one infringement each for an unregistered vehicle and obscured number plate.

Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said Police wanted to see the number of speeders detected by both covert and unmarked speed cameras reduce over the Easter weekend to prevent tragedy on our roads.

"While there were no fatalities in the first 24 hours of the Easter road safety campaign, 34 people were injured in 28 crashes," Commissioner Atkinson said.

"Motorists should slow down, obey the road rules and drive to the conditions to make our roads safer."

The highest speeds detected statewide yesterday were 146kmh in a 100kmh zone at Beaudesert and 116kmh in a 60kmh zone on the Sunshine Coast.

The highest detections by the covert speed cameras were 98kmh in a 60kmh zone at Wynnum and 97kmh in a 60kmh zone at Upper Mount Gravatt.

The highest blood alcohol reading in Queensland yesterday was allegedly 0.368% by a Whitsunday man in Central Region. He will appear in Proserpine Magistrates Court on April 12

Don't be an April Fool in 2010

Media Release

Minister for Tourism and Fair Trading
The Honourable Peter Lawlor

01/04/2010

Don't get April Fooled by scammers

This April Fool's Day, Fair Trading is warning Queenslanders not to be fooled by scammers who send letters promising pots of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Fair Trading Minister Peter Lawlor said chain letters - illegal in Queensland - were a recurring con that gave false guarantees of bucket loads of money for little effort.

"The pot at the end of the rainbow is fool's gold," Mr Lawlor said.

"The reality is you end up paying fraudsters for access to their supposed wisdom or their dodgy get-rich-quick scheme.

"Instead of pocketing tens of thousands of dollars, you could be fined for your involvement because chain letters are a type of illegal pyramid scheme."

Mr Lawlor said one classic chain letter that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) continued to hear about claimed to come from a Perth man called David Rhodes.

"'David Rhodes' tells his story of being down on his luck and in debt before receiving a letter about how to make a huge amount of money, which he dismissed at first but then decided to give a try.

"Lo and behold, after outlaying $190 and posting some letters he received $78,000 in 60 days.

"He goes on to tell how his family went on a cruise, bought a flash car and built a big house and has now earned more than a million dollars."

The letter - which often has a five-cent piece stuck to it - encourages you to get a slice of the wealth by sending $10 to the person at the top of the chain letter list, adding your name and address to the bottom, then resending the letter to 200 people.

Other types of letters also make false promises of wealth.

Mr Lawlor said Queenslanders had received mail from clairvoyant Marie Callas, who claims to have aristocratic heritage and to have started wowing locals in her French village at a young age with her psychic super powers.

"In her long-winded letter, she says she's studied your stars and that you will soon wi n an 'absolutely vast amount of money' and that you must act fast to get 94 days of 'almost uninterrupted luck!'

"Ms Callas guarantees happiness and wealth if you fill out her 'Urgent Answer Form for A Rich and Happy Life' to order her 'Grand Clairvoyant Lucky Reading, Lucky Cycles Law Special' book for $40."

Mr Lawlor said people who got mail like this should bin it.

"You've very little chance of getting any money back if you buy into these letters," Mr Lawlor said.

"Use your common sense and don't get dollar signs in your eyes."

For more information about scams visit

www.SCAMwatch.gov.au or to lodge a complaint visit www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au or call 13 13 04

Golden Circle in a jam - Aussies to boycott US impostor

The once great Golden Circle Company - originally an Australian icon - has been a US owned company since December 2008.

That didn't stop the Yanks from unlawfully continuing to label their products as "Proudly Australian Owned" - until the ACCC caught up with them.

Now, the US owner - H.J. Heinz Company - has been forced to apologise to all Australians for their misleading and deceptive conduct, in a series of national newspapers advertisements.

True blue Aussies will be appalled at this anti-consumer deception and will boycott the US Golden Circle brand for their unlawful conduct in treating Australians as dills.

Media Release: Fire ant prediction comes true after 10 years

Ten years after being condemned as a doomsday prophet that the fire ant menace would never be controlled, Ipswich Councillor Paul Tully may have been vindicated after a fire ant infestation has been discovered near Grandchester 70km west of Brisbane.

At the time, Cr Tully likened fire ants to the rabbit and the cane today saying they would never be stopped in Australia.

In 2001, Cr Tully called for additional state and federal funding to curb the spread of the fire ant.

"Ministers and bureaucrats were quick to claim it was all under control.

"The federal government needs to respond nationally and pump more money into eradicating the fire ant.

"This will soon become a nationwide problem while bureaucrats dither over the issue," Cr Tully said.