Friday, October 20, 2006

More good news about state schools...(parents will be signing their kids up in droves after this week).

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Streets ahead, but not as lucrative for police ministry

Random breast testing?

Education minister asleep on the job?

In a move to restore parental confidence in the state school system, the director general and the head of human resources have fallen on their swords & moved on from their positions with the WA education department.

Let's hope Premier Carpenter's two token sacrifices to 'public confidence' are followed by the terminations of all the questionable teachers & staff that the education department have been happy to leave in their employ, up until the release of the CCC report yesterday attracted the media spotlight.

The department's poor ethical standards, included an instance of a teacher who had incurred sexual misconduct claims being allowed to go on an overseas trip with students, and another case where a convicted child molester was permitted to return to teaching.

Quite rightly the scathing report drew the condemnation of the education minister, however, Ljiljanna Ravlich's lack of awareness of what was being permitted to occur to children under the supervision of her own department, lessens the credibility of her other very publicized achievements & initiatives within the portfolio.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Who's testing who?

WA has introduced a bill to permit police, who currently do not get drug tested themselves, the go-ahead for random roadside drug-testing of drivers.

The proposed legislation will follow moves in
other Australian states, where the drug testing has been implemented regardless of problems with it.

There have been serious questions over the reliability of roadside drug tests and
forensics but there has been little concern on the part of police ministry, who no doubt are seeing huge revenue$$$$$$$$ in their future (which should ensure enough money for police to have their full pay rise awarded).

WA Education Dept permits pervert to teach after being convicted

Ljiljanna Ravlich, WA minister for education and training today revealed Crime and Corruption Commission complaints of a culture of resistance within the state's education department, to changing the way complaints of sexual misconduct are handled.

The minister cites one case where a teacher convicted of indecent dealing with a 13 year old girl, was permitted to return to teaching the same group.

Homeschooling anyone?

Dead protected witness' parents reveal what really happened

The parents of deceased protected witness go on the record about their experiences after their son was put into police protection.

The interview details police confusion over protocols to ensure witness safety, police departments competing for information and family being approached by shady figures at their home -
it's a startling read that you won't see in the mainstream media, by award winning investigative journalist, Bret Christian.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Just a hazard of the job for journalists?

A young Californian journalist, Josh Wolf, recently named Journalist of the Year, has been gaoled for not providing video footage, to be used as evidence of an assault on a police officer.

I can't say I know much about the case, but Wolf's vlog post denying he even captured any footage of the assault is quite compelling viewing. It is also difficult to imagine a plausible argument for someone like Wolf not to have surrendered evidence of the assault, if he did actually have it.

In the video blog he looks at the rights & responsibilities of journalists and it is quite interesting that he has been imprisoned in a state which has conscientious provision made for the rights of journalists to undertake their job.

If you have enough bandwith check out the vlog, if not, read up on yesterday's post about it on MGK and Time.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Witness protection?

The parents of the protected witness who died of a heroin overdose whilst under police protection in Queensland, are seeking compensation.

Andrew Petrelis died in
suspicious circumstances and the 2002 WA Police Royal Commission found a senior officer who had accessed Andrew Petrelis' confidential contact details, also had phone contact with the persons the witness was testifying against. But he was not the only WAPOL officer to gain unauthorized accessed to Petrelis' new identity.

Recent actions by the CCC for unauthorized police computer access would suggest the 2004 formation of the CCC may offer more effective means of monitoring such breaches.

However, the ailing senior officer questioned in relation to the Petrelis matter was allowed to retire, with no comprehensive investigation of the unauthorized access of confidential witness protection information occurring, until the Royal Commission.

Perth couple Nick and Lesley Petrelis are seeking about $500,000, which might almost cover the expenses they've incurred in pursuing action over the death of their son. The Australian, has published a story suggesting that the amount sought is a 'record exgratia payment,' but failed to examine why they termed it as a 'record' payment & at a glance it looks like they're taking sides.

Many questions continue to haunt this case such as the position the body was in when discovered, and the illegal, but still unpunished, accessing of the confidential records of the deceased.

In any event, if the death was self-inflicted as was indicated by the Qld coroner's autopsy and subsequent inquiry, how is it that Petrelis gained access to heroin and a syringe, given the police were responsible for monitoring Petrelis' day to day safety and security, if only for the purposes of having him testify against Perth underworld figures?


It would be a tragedy for the community to discount the worth and potential of the lives of society's young men, simply because they had a history of substance use or a criminal record. This group are considered to be the most likely to commit suicide, and continue to die in custody, alone and in silence. With Indigenous suicides in custody, increasing at a particularly horrifying rate while suicide figures for other groups are declining, it looks like young offenders and/or substance users are falling through current mechanisms for reducing suicides in our communities - or maybe they're just not considered to be a part of the community.

The changing nature of our society and the subsequent changing needs of young men, need to be addressed by police, corrections and the judiciary to provide hope and opportunity that are already freely available and achieveable through rehabilitation and restorative justice.

Such systemic changes are essential to provide some peace and healing for victims of crime and the community as a whole, instead of counterproductive vilification of thieves and drug users as a sub-class.

When 80% of theft-related crime is motivated by poverty, and for the perpetrators of those crimes to simply be launched into the current revolving-door system, trendy pop initiatives raising awareness of 'world' poverty, while consciously overlooking the suffering in our own backyard, border on ludicrous.

For those of you who want to read the official transcript of the Royal Commission hearing into the matter, here's a link from the CCC website(p369) but it is lengthy(!), so make sure you have a cup of tea and a box of tissues handy.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Who?

For all those who avidly watch Dr Who, series in-series out, you'll know we've been left twiddling our thumbs with only meagre speculation of a fourth series to keep us going.

I'm finding David Tennant's portrayal of the 10th Doctor a little disconcerting, with the very serious Scottish actor telling Who fans he is testing the boundaries of the character to see if a supposedly emotionless character can also be a party to emotion via the warm, fuzzy nonsense with Rose Tyler, the most dominating of his assistants.

I have to admit to having reservations about Tennant taking the role, unable to imagine him as the Dr after his role in Blackpool, but while the two characterizations are worryingly similar the new Doctor has grown on me, most likely through the warm, fuzzy nonsense (mentioned above) which helped to endear him to the audience after the disastrous departure of the fantastic! Christopher Ecclestone.

It would appear that producers of the show have been scripting Billie Piper for some time with a view to a 'spin-off series' in the style of Sarah-Jane Investigates, based on another of the Dr's assistants, Sarah-Jane Smith who appeared in an episode(School Reunion) of the recent series with K9. Sarah-Jane was an assistant to the 3rd and 4th Doctors, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, and appeared in the series from 1973-'76. On the Dr Who Online website there is also a very interesting story giving insight into Britain's PM, who said Number Ten Downing St is like the tardis...

More recent episodes have seen Rose Tyler becoming quite the little protagonist, saving the Doctor's Timelord bacon on a number of occasions and a general move towards the '05-'06 series 'human' characters, Mickey and the dopey dad, Pete, empowering themselves and taking over the role of guardians over the planet. How else can the audience explain the reinstating of Rose's family unit, in the final episode of series three?

Never one to cool his heels for too long, in the next series the Doctor takes up with Freema Agyeman, who had her brains replaced with spaghetti by the cybermen, in the last episode. But, after the script writers demanded from the audience such a huge emotional investment in Rose Tyler, the Doctor with his two hearts & his luv'em & leav'em attitude may be ready to give away his other one, but will the audience be ready to give the girl with the rice noodles coming out of her ears a fair hearing?

Those of you on broadband with chronic Who sickness, may wish to mix it up on the Who Radiophonatron while you wait for the Christmas specials.

For those who need extra help, the Dr Who Support Group blog.