Safe rates may split National Party. After a long wait, the federal government will legislate a so-called “safe rates” scheme for truck drivers — as Crikey reported in July — to protect subcontractors from customers screwing down rates. Legislation will come before Parliament later this week, but Nationals leader Warren Truss has already ruled out opposition support. But does Truss speak for all his party? We’re told at least one Nats MP is in favour of the scheme, which will help small trucking operators particularly in the bush. Stay tuned.
Charity steps out of moustache war. The Fauxvember charity drive splintered from Movember because of that group’s links to beyondblue and homophobic comments from its leader Jeff Kennett. It was going to donate funds to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia but they don’t want the cash, as this email to participants stated today:
From: adrian@fauxvember.org
Subject: Change in Fauxvember beneficiaries
Date: 22 November 2011 10:46:22 AM AEDTDear friends,
Thanks so much for the support you’ve provided to Fauxvember so far.
I have some unexpected news that I need to share with you.
Unfortunately, the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia has decided to refuse future donations from Fauxvember.
Accordingly, future donations via the Fauxvember donation web site will be split evenly between the two remaining causes: The Black Dog Institute, and the National LGBTI Health Alliance.
This change does not effect past donations. If the Prostate Cancer Foundation is mentioned on a donation receipt, they will retain their share of that donation.
The Foundation has not yet explained to me the reasons for their decision. I am seeking further information, and will pass this on as it comes to hand.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, you can e-mail me at adrian@fauxvember.org.
Best Regards,
Adrian Hempel
Fauxvember
We asked the Prostate Cancer Foundation why they wouldn’t accept the generous donation and was told by a spokesperson they have a long-standing relationship with Movember and wanted to respect that. The boss of the foundation was due to make a statement later today.
Playing outrage card on tabloid TV. The Herald Sun turned its outrage dial to 10 for this report today: “A Melbourne play that defends a Norwegian mass murderer as being ‘no madder than John Howard and Peter Costello’ has been slammed as ‘extraordinary’.” Today Tonight and A Current Affair apparently believe it’s extraordinary, too — we’re told both programs are working on a follow-up.
Oh hell, more confected outrage from the Herald Sun and its loony 6.30 counterparts? Even more reasons not to watch and not to read!
Re “Playing outrage card on tabloid TV”
“Norwegian mass killer ‘no madder than John Howard”is the quote attributed to
play director Van Badham who apparently cannot differentiate between the twisted activities of a psychopath and the views of individuals he claims to admire.
Tobias Manderson-Galvin the play’s author has similar problems if he believes that confessed mass killerBreivik should be pitied despite his massacre of 76 people if he says that Breivik “is no madder than the people he quotes” and “If we want to be angry at anyone it’s about being angry at John Howard, angry at Peter Costello.”
Galvin is a typical of a twisted attention seeking narcissist trying to boost his own apparently poor ego by exploiting the misery of others. Breivik’s 1500 page manifesto was substantially plagiarised from the writings of another psychopath Theodore Kaczynski the “Unabomber” whose similarly twisted ideas lead to the mail bombing campaign that spanned nearly 20 years, killing three people and injuring 23 others, and lead to the biggest manhunt an FBI history. The self-confessed mass murderer Breivik also mentioned Cardinal George Pell, but attributing the the ravings of the psychopath to Howard and Costello is good for business amongst the feral bogans of Abbotsford and Northcote, and has got him a huge amount of free publicity.
Things must be good at the Prostate Cancer Foundation if they can
afford to refuse donations.