a beggar can get AUS $50.000 a year?

Sydney homeless man makes $50,000 a year begging | National News | News.com.au

* Man says he makes good money begging
* 'Up to $50,000 a year'
* People give more when heading home

THE hours are long and the work monotonous, but begging pays well for at least one of Sydney's homeless men who earns up to $50,000 a year from good samaritans.

Ken Johnson, 52, makes his living on busy George and Market St, outside the Myer store in Sydney's CBD, where he sits for up to 16 hours daily, seven days a week.

On a good day, he said, he takes in $400 from generous passers-by.

On slower days, he still picks up amounts between $75 and $150.

"I'd be really disappointed if I did a long Friday and I only had $250," said Mr Johnson, who has been living on the streets "since the late '90s".

"I knock off when I feel like it, or if I've done brilliantly. But on those good days, you might be on such a high that you go for a few more hours and get a bit more money."

Mr Johnson wouldn't say how much he earned last year. But he did reveal that donated coins and notes are stashed in a safe place, before being taken to a bank branch and deposited in his account several times a week. Some of the money is given to a friend.
Related Coverage

* $130 begging fines 'beggars belief'NEWS.com.au, 31 Jul 2009
* Desperate signs of the timesHerald Sun, 28 Jul 2009
* Dollar $en$e weblinks and quizCourier Mail, 13 Jul 2009
* No place to call homeThe Australian, 9 Jul 2009
* Funds for homeless to start flowingThe Australian, 7 Jul 2009

Asked what he used the money for, he told The Sunday Telegraph he did not smoke, drink nor take drugs, but was raising money to help the friend who needs a liver transplant.

Mr Johnson displays a sign that reads: "Needing support for major family exp(enses) including just heaps for medicine. Paying up is a big grind. Please leave me alone, if you are the abusive nasty sort."

When The Sunday Telegraph caught up with him last Wednesday, business had been good.

In 20 minutes, he collected $30 in coins and notes. One woman handed him $10.

"I've had three hours off today," he said, after treating himself to a breakfast from Hungry Jack's.

"I got a $20 note earlier, so I'm sitting on about $60 for the day and the afternoon rush is still to come.

"There's a general rule in donating and that is that people are more likely to help out when they are towards the end of their day, when they're happy and heading home."

His tax-free income might sound fine but, unlike most jobs, there's no sick leave nor superannuation plan.

He does not draw welfare because "it makes you feel like a cripple".

Mr Johnson said he could not afford to rent and lived on the streets because the money had been spent to pay for bills for his friend.

"Most hostels don't have space to store things and to rent a small unit just costs too much when you're at stress point," he said.

Originally from Newcastle, he said he came to Sydney "in the 1990s" to fight a court battle against the RTA, seeking to have part of the Pacific Highway at Swansea deemed illegal.

"Inner-city accommodation was, and still is, just off the face of the earth - it's just too expensive," he said.

"I was unemployed at the time, so decided to sleep on some concrete steps while I was in Sydney and I just got used to it."

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures from the 2006 Census show 27,374 homeless people in NSW.

An Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) spokeswoman said "rough sleepers" represented about 16 per cent of the homeless.

She said many turned to begging because government welfare did not cover costs, and "for those who do receive income support, payments may be inadequate to meet the costs of temporary accommodation and food. The Newstart unemployment payment is about $32 a day.

"Of those who do sleep on the street, only a tiny minority choose to do so, as a lifestyle choice. For most people who are homeless, there is no choice."

Welfare Matters

Business defied as low-paid awarded more | The Australian
Low paid worker in Australia will be paid 568.20 a week

THE weekly pay packets of hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers in South Australia and Queensland will be given a boost after the states' industrial relations commissions yesterday awarded increases to the minimum wage.

The QIRC handed its lowest paid, full-time adult workers a $16.20 weekly wage increase. From next month, they will earn $568.20 a week.

The rise ensures Queensland workers are on par with NSW's lowest-paid wage earners, who were awarded a $15.50 increase last month.

The Australian Workers Union described the Queensland decision as "fair".

"The commission's decision is a good outcome for the AWU, its members and for the working families across Queensland," senior industrial advocate Chris Simpson said.

The SAIRC handed down a $14 increase, taking SA workers to $560.65 a week.

A disappointed Business SA chief executive Peter Vaughan claimed the SAIRC had shown "no consistency" with last month's Australian Fair Pay Commission ruling, which froze the national wage on $543.78 to protect jobs and promote economic recovery. The state's employer groups had requested no increase.

"This increase in minimum wages is likely to flow on into price increases, and may lead to operators reducing labour costs and cutting staff," Mr Vaughan said. "Many businesses are already taking the appropriate precautions to avoid reducing staff levels and with unemployment levels expected to rise in coming months, this increase ... will put further pressure on jobs."

SA Unions had asked for a 3.91 per cent increase, which would have raised the lowest wage to $568, but state secretary Janet Giles applauded the decision not to freeze wages.

The wage rise will take effect in SA from October.

Rich to pay more

Rich to pay for pension rises in federal Budget | Federal Budget 2009 | News.com.au

PENSIONERS will receive up to $30 a week extra in a Federal Budget that will target Australia's biggest earners.

The rich will have their superannuation tax breaks slashed in half to fund the pension increase, with next Tuesday's Budget expected to boast the largest deficit in Australian history.

The deficit could be as high as $70 billion - a $90 billion turnaround over last year's projected $22.4 billion surplus, the Herald Sun reports.

The Budget will not return to surplus until 2015.

To claw the Budget back into the black, the government is expected to announce a raft of painful spending cuts.

One such measure - that will save $2.7 billion over four years - is understood to be a plan to cut in half the amount wealthy people can salary sacrifice into superannuation.
Related Coverage

* Swan: 'Debt is sustainable'



The maximum that high-income earners can salary sacrifice will be halved from $100,000 to $50,000 for people aged over 50, and from $50,000 to $25,000 for those under 50.

The change means wealthy people will have more of their income taxed at 46.5 per cent rather than the concessional rate of 15 per cent when they make super contributions.

Under current arrangements someone salary sacrificing on an annual income of $57,000 receives reduction in tax of $880, compared with someone on $295,000 who gets a $24,000 reduction.

According to government sources the measure will hit those on average annual incomes of about $220,000, but not affect 98 per cent of people who sacrifice pay into super.

It will be sold as a way of funding the government's promise to increase the single rate of the age pension. It is under pressure to raise it from $284.90 to almost $314 a week.

Those in line for a pay rise include 2.1 million age pensioners, 740,000 disability pensioners, 140,000 carers and 300,000 veterans.

Treasurer Wayne Swan refused to comment on the Budget super hit yesterday, but conceded there would be unpopular decisions.

"These are needed to make room to deliver our commitment to pensioners and to continue supporting jobs and investing in our recovery," Mr Swan said.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull said deficits until 2015-16 underlined the recklessness of recent stimulus spending by the government.

"What were they thinking? Piling billion upon billion of new debt, regardless of the consequences," Mr Turnbull's spokesman said.

Illegal immigrants who overstay visas will no longer be put in detention camps

ILLEGAL immigrants will no longer be locked up and deported when caught by authorities, in a major softening of immigration procedures.

Instead, people who overstay their visas will be invited into an immigration office and could even get temporary bridging visas.

Immigration officers have been instructed not to detain visa violators unless they are known to be violent criminals or have previously been instructed to leave.

Until last week, illegal foreigners were immediately detained at detention centres and put on planes home within weeks.

The new approach is in line with a general softening of immigration policy by the Rudd Government.

Under the policy, officers are required to issue illegal foreigners with bridging visas and work with them to get them home.

"We basically have to invite them into the office for a coffee," an insider within the department said.

"They can get a couple of weeks or six months, whatever it takes to get them home without detaining them."

Mandatory detention was axed last year, but until now only asylum seekers have been allowed to live in the community.

The new directive from Immigration Minister Chris Evans' office was issued to immigration officers verbally last week.

There are almost 50,000 visa overstayers living illegally in Australia.

More than one in 10 is from China.

Entrants from the US, Malaysia and Britain are also big overstayers.

Most come in on tourist visas, but about 3600 are foreign students who disappear into the community when their course is over.

The Government has also closed down offshore processing facilities on Nauru and Manus Island.

Senator Evans' directive has divided opinion within department ranks, with some fearing the softer approach could send a dangerous message.

"I guess it says people can pretty much do whatever they want now," the insider said.

"They've been caught, but they can stay and go home when they want."

The move could open the floodgates for unwelcome visitors.

"It certainly could be open for exploitation," the insider said. "Prisons are not nice places to be in. Many of these people are not criminals, but I guess it doesn't convey a strong message."

Senator Evans said detention would only be used as a last resort.

"The presumption will be that persons will remain in the community while their immigration status is resolved," he said.

"If a person is complying with immigration processes and is not a risk to the community, then detention in a detention centre cannot be justified.

"The department will have to justify a decision to detain - not presume detention."

Free Market in Education

Radical plan to lift graduates | The Australian

THE Rudd Government will remove caps on the number of university places and allow student demand to drive an ambitious target to raise the number of qualified graduates entering the workforce.

In flagging the most radical shakeup of the university sector since the Dawkins reforms of thelate 1980s, Education Minister Julia Gillard yesterday committed to abolishing the cap on commonwealth-supported places by 2012.

Ms Gillard emphasised that the new system, which broadly follows the Bradley review into higher education, would not involve students being given vouchers to cash in; rather, universities would be funded according to how many students they attracted. Under the government target, 40 per cent of 25- to 34-year-olds will hold a bachelor or higher degree by 2025, up from 32 per cent.

To guard against course standards falling as universities expand, a new national regulator will be established to accredit providers and ensure quality.

The proposed reforms have raised concerns that the new "student-centred, demand-driven" system could hurt regional campuses, create too many graduates in unneeded skills areas and force universities to cut unpopular but perhaps worthwhile courses.

The Government is expected to announce a range of measures to counter potential imbalances when it provides funding details at the time of the May budget, including funding for the higher cost of rural provision. It has ruled out removing the cap on HECS fees charged by universities.

In a speech to be delivered in Sydney today, Ms Gillard is expected to outline the future for an expanded vocational education and training sector.

Many of the students the Government is aiming to get into university will probably be "second-chance" students who do not get into university on their school scores and have to study at TAFEs.

"Funding that meets the demands made by students, coupled with exacting targets, rigorous quality assurance, full transparency and an emphasis on equity, is the only way Australia can meet the knowledge and skills challenges confronting us," Ms Gillard told the Universities Australia conference in Canberra yesterday.

Ms Gillard's reform agenda broadly endorses the vision set out by Denise Bradley in her review released in December, which came with about $7billion of recommendations.

The Government has added five years to the Bradley participation target, extending it from 2020 to 2025. It is holding off announcing spending measures until the May budget.

Ms Gillard warned that the economic crisis would limit the capacity of the Government to increase funding in the near term.

"Budgetary constraints will affect the immediacy of our response. We can't implement it all today or tomorrow," she said.

From 2010, the Government will raise the cap on over-enrolments at universities from 5per cent to 10 per cent to allow universities to prepare for the change. Once the cap is removed, universities will be funded according to how many students they attract.

The economy has slowed but it is certainly not sinking

It's pointless to panic | The Australian

The economy has slowed but it is certainly not sinking

THE good news is that yesterday's bad economic information, showing the economy contracted by 0.5 per cent in the December quarter, could have been worse. There is no denying that the first decline in eight years and the job losses that inevitably accompany it are unfortunate. But this is a result that all Australia's major trading partners would wish they had had. While yesterday's national accounts demonstrate that Australia's economy was dead in the water last year, with annual growth of just 0.3 per cent, at least it did not sink fast. In contrast, the US economy declined by five times our figure in the last quarter of 2008 and Japan sank by 3.3 per cent, not for all of 2008, but for just the last three months. Even China ceased to steam ahead. While the comrades are careful with information and do not publish quarterly figures, analysts predict the Chinese economy did not grow at all in the last three months of last year.

But there is no reason to revel in our relatively good performance, because the poor performance of these large economies shows us the shape of things to come. Certainly, with the banks still solvent Australia is in better shape than virtually all members of the G20 group of developed economies and there is the occasional ray, however feeble, of economic sunshine. On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank declined to cut interest rates, demonstrating that while the economy is taking water, it is still safely afloat. However, there is no way we can navigate around the wrecks of the world economy. If the US, whose consumers buy Asia's exports, continues to go backwards, it is hard to see how China, Japan, and the rest of export-oriented Asia, for that matter, can grow this year. And without global growth, demand for our energy exports will drop, dragging the rest of the economy down with it. The chance of the last quarter being the only occasion when the economy contracts is remote. News yesterday that vehicle sales in the first two months of the year were 20 per cent down on the comparable period last year is just one of many signs that times are hard.

The question is how much harder they will get and for how long. Just as we are still suffering from Treasurer Wayne Swan's determination to slay the non-existent inflation dragon by urging the Reserve Bank to raise interest rates in the first half of last year, the impact of government stimulus packages and interest rate cuts will take a while to have an impact. It took time for the Government's $10.4 billion Christmas cash splash to breathe any fire into the economy, and the effects of the $42billion stimulus package announced in early February will not be apparent for months. There is also a risk that people frightened by a worsening economy will save their cash payments, as many did with some of the money they received in December. Yesterday, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warned that Australia cannot not swim against the global economic tide. True enough. But as a beach-going people, we know that the tide turns, that rips don't run forever, and that the way to survive in rough water is not to panic.

457 visas 'may cost local-born jobs'

457 visas 'may cost local-born jobs' | Australian IT

 
Paul Maley | February 20, 2009

AUSTRALIA'S record intake of temporary skilled migrants during the economic downturn could boost the number of Australian-born unemployed, as research suggests it is being used as a "back door" to permanent entry by low-wage workers.
The claim comes from Monash University population expert Bob Birrell, who said more of Australia's permanent skilled migrants were being sourced from the 457 visa program, which was drawing on workers from low-wage countries in increasing numbers. The visas are widely used in the ICT industry.

"People at the lower end of the spectrum are becoming permanent residents," Professor Birrell said. "They're vulnerable to exploitation because the employer knows they're not going to quibble with what he's offering them because they're desperate to get the permanent resident nomination."

As the global recession worsens, Professor Birrell said it was time for the Rudd Government to rethink its record high migration intake.

He said the tough economic climate would give employers added incentives to employ or retain cheap overseas labour in the place of local workers.

Professor Birrell, a long-time critic of a high migration quota, said the research, which was co-authored by Ernest Healy and 457 visa expert Bob Kinnaird, was in response to Immigration Minister Chris Evans's decision in December to give priority to migrants with a job or with critically needed skills.

That decision was seen as an alternative to cutting the migrant quota, an option flagged by Kevin Rudd last year in response to the worsening economic conditions.

Last May, Senator Evans announced an increase in the permanent migration program of 37,500. The increase brought the total number of skilled migrants to 133,500, plus 56,500 family reunion places and 13,500 humanitarian visas.

Overall, Australia is taking more than 200,000 new migrants a year.

In 2007-08, about 58,050 migrants came in under the 457 program, a figure that excludes their family members.

Professor Birrell said, in that year, about 90 per cent of the 17,760 permanent migrants who were sponsored by an employer onshore were former 457 visa holders.

Holders of 457 visas are subject to less stringent language requirements and there is no labour market testing, meaning employers do not have to demonstrate that the position cannot be filled locally.

A minimum salary level of $43,440 applies for most 457 visa workers.

In a trend that has alarmed unions, who fear the 457 program is being exploited by business to undercut wages, the program is increasingly sourcing workers from the developing world.

In 2007-08, 8250 Indian workers came in under the program, compared with 2880 in 2004-05.

Over the same period, the number of Filipino workers jumped from 600 to 5120, and the number of Chinese workers rose from 930 to 3360.

A spokesman for Senator Evans said yesterday the 457 program had sharply declined amid worsening financial conditions. "Figures show that application rates for subclass 457 visas in January 2009 are now 30per cent lower than in September 2008, when the economic downturn struck," the spokesman said.

Furthermore, plans to introduce market rates for 457 workers would effectively make them a more expensive option, the spokesman said.

A cut in next year's migration program was also likely, he added.

Wildlife tragedy

Thousands of animals injured in Victoria&squo;s bushfires | Herald Sun

MORE than 10,000 native animals have fallen victim to the bushfire tragedy, wildlife experts say.

Experts estimate thousands more native and domestic animals not killed in the fires now face the threat of starvation.

* Victoria bushfires: latest news and pictures

Wildlife Victoria president John Rowden said the situation was exasperated by the loss of at least two wildlife shelters to the fires, while the safety of other shelters is still being assessed.

RSPCA chief Maria Mercurio said RSPCA shelters and inspectors were working around the clock to be ready to provide emergency assistance to animals affected by the bushfires.

"The impact is devastating - on people, animals and wildlife - these are not normal times or conditions ... the scale of the disaster is overwhelming,'' she said.

Working out of the Whittlesea relief centre, Ms Mercurio said teams were preparing to enter ravaged areas as soon as they are declared safe.

“We are preparing for the worst. Our inspectors are gearing up to work with various government departments and other animal welfare agencies to provide emergency care to wildlife, companion animals and livestock.

“We will be delivering emergency pet food to relief centres across Victoria including food donated by Hill's Pet Nutrition.

"We've been talking to quite a lot of people at the centre and a lot are telling us they are very worried about pets they have left behind, and there are lots of them,'' she said.

While she said it was too difficult to calculate figures, early estimates run into the thousands.

There are also reports that 100 head of cattle in makeshift paddocks may be let loose in Kinglake in a hope that they will find food and water.

Owners are running out of supplies for the cattle, and with police not allowing extra supplies to go up the mountain, there are fears the cattle will have to be put down or let loose to run around on busfhire affected ground.

Rod Carnegie of Whittlesea-based agricultural company Landmark said it was vital to get food to the stock as soon as possible.

"If they let them back out to find food and water they will run around on the roads.

"If we don't get up there soon they will die."

Meanwhile, The National Farmers Federation says it has been inundated with phone calls from farmers across the country wanting to "lend a hand" in whatever way they can.

NFF president David Crombie said the federation was working with the Victorian branch to work out what was needed on the ground.

"Farmers across the country are rallying to the aid of those devastated by bushfires," he said.

The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association has offered loads of fodder for shipment to fire and drought affected areas to keep livestock alive, while other states are looking at similar measures.

The events of the last few days "rammed home" the devastating and bitter extremes that people on the land face, Mr Crombie said.

"No one is immune."

The University of Melbourne's faculty of Veterinary Science has also offered free care for animals injured in the fires.

The free care is available for pets and horses and will be provided at the university's veterinary clinic and hospital at Werribee, in Melbourne's southwest.

Faculty dean Professor Ken Hinchcliff said his staff were "deeply concerned" for the health and well-being of animals and their owners in bushfire-affected regions.

"After ensuring the safety of themselves and their human loved ones, people affected by the bushfires will want to ensure that their pets are cared for and receive the
veterinary attention they need," he said.

"Veterinary services in the regions affected by bushfires will be stretched to the limit."

Those with injured dogs and cats can phone the veterinary clinic on 9731 2232 (24 hours).

Those with injured horses should phone the university's equine centre on 9731 2268 (24 hours).

People requiring short term emergency accomodation or veterinary care for pets can also phone the RSPCA on 9224 2222.

- with Gareth Trickey and AAP

Sam... the famous koala

Victorian bushfire survivor, Sam the koala, a global star | Herald Sun

SAM became the most famous koala in the world when firefighter David Tree stopped to give him a drink amid the devastation.

Pictures of Sam, who turned out to be female, travelled around the globe and featured in major newspapers including The New York Times, London's The Sun and on CNN.

The image provided a much-needed picture of hope in a week filled with news of despair. Yesterday Sam was recovering in Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter.


Carer Jenny Shaw said she suffered burns on her paws and was in a lot of pain, but was on the road to recovery.

She was put on an IV drip and is on antibiotics and pain relief treatment.

"She is lovely - very docile - and she has already got an admirer. A male koala keeps putting his arms around her," Ms Shaw said. "She will need regular attention and it will be a long road to recovery, but she should be able to be released back into the wild in about five months."

Mr Tree said he was surprised by the reaction to the photograph, which was snapped by a fellow CFA volunteer on a mobile phone.

He said he was in the middle of backburning at Mirboo North when he saw the stricken koala. "I could see she had sore feet and was in trouble, so I pulled over the fire truck. She just plonked herself down, as if to say 'I'm beat'," he said.

"I offered her a drink and she drank three bottles.

"The most amazing part was when she grabbed my hand. I will never forget that."

Mr Tree and his brigade then received an emergency call-out to save a house, but minutes later Sam was picked up by wildlife carers.

She is one of 22 koalas, 14 ringtail possums, several wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos that have been handed into Gippsland carers.

Anyone who finds injured wildlife should call Wildlife Connect on 13 11 11.

again 18012009

For richer, for poorer … money can't buy love - National - smh.com.au

MELANIE WOJTAS always dreamed of a big wedding. But, with the cost approaching $24,000 for a ceremony at the Chinese Gardens and reception at L'Aqua in Darling Harbour, she decided to pull the plug.

Instead the 23-year-old married Daniel Gartrell, 24, at Paramatta Registry on Thursday, in front of 14 family members, for less than $2000.

"We planned it all in two days," said Mrs Gartrell, as she is now called. She wore a silver cocktail dress bought for $90 at a post-Christmas sale.

"We didn't want to take out a loan to get married. At the end of the day, it's just us. We had been planning a big wedding with about 70 people but even cutting all the trimmings and things it was $24,000. That's just so much money for the same result."

She is not alone. Tougher economic times are forcing more brides to scale back their wedding plans. Figures obtained by the Herald show the number of Sydney couples tying the knot at a registry jumped more than 20 per cent last year, to 4063.

The number of registry weddings has more than doubled over the past five years. For a weekday cost of about $350, including celebrant, venue and certificate, many brides see a registry wedding as a no-fuss way to save money.

A spokeswoman for the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Alana Sheil, said cost was a factor. "A lot of people are thinking, 'We just want to have a more intimate marriage now. Rather than 100 or 150 guests, we're just going to have 15 guests and then use the money that we would have spent on the wedding on the mortgage or going away or something like that."'

Glenn Findlay, the managing director of the Australian Bridal Service, which organises an annual bridal expo at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, to be held on January 31 and February 1, said brides were becoming more budget-conscious.

Some were opting to have only one bridesmaid, to make their own invitations and bonbonniere, or to use their own cars. "Brides have been reportedly going without or cutting back on things like annual holidays to ensure their wedding day is as perfect as it can be."

Mrs Gartrell said the adage that you cannot put a price on love was true. "All my girlfriends think I'm crazy but in 40 years' time I know we'll still be together, and that's all that matters."

home brand

Exposed: home brand deception - National - smh.com.au

COLES will overhaul its food branding and change its labelling claims in the face of mounting criticism from consumers and health experts over alleged misleading and unethical practices.

The giant supermarket chain has spent more than two years defending its SmartBuy and You'll Love Coles logos against allegations of piggy-backing off the Australian Heart Foundation's well-known heart tick symbol - and possibly duping consumers in the process.

Yesterday, the day after the Herald notified Coles it was planning to publish an analysis of the supermarket's generic brand food products and labelling practices, the company said it was gradually phasing out its trademark tick, an exercise that could cost the company tens of millions of dollars.

The company denied it was removing the tick as a response to customer complaints or public pressure.

"[The logo] never intended to imply that the products are endorsed by the Heart Foundation, and we don't believe it conveys that impression," a Coles spokesman, Jim Cooper, said.

"However, under the new Coles management team our house-brand imagery is being progressively redesigned, and the tick will not be part of the new packaging."

The Herald's analysis found that many of the budget-priced SmartBuy foods featuring the prominent red tick on a white circular background (as opposed to the foundation's white tick on a red circular background) had significantly higher levels of saturated fats, and in some cases higher levels of dangerous trans fatty acids, than their pricier You'll Love Coles shelfmates.

In the case of hamburger patties there were 20 per cent more saturated fats in the SmartBuy product, while in the two Coles home-branded peanut butters, the cheaper product had almost 70 per cent more saturated fat.

At Woolworths stores, where far fewer Home Brand products compete with the retailer's more upmarket Select brand, the difference in saturated fat content in the few products that were comparable was less marked. The exception was a canola-based margarine with double the saturated fat content.

Moreover, Coles brands of canola and vegetable oil which use a second logo (a red heart-shaped symbol similar to the Heart Foundation's logo) to promote the products' "cholesterol free" properties actually raise cholesterol levels when consumed, due to the exceptionally high level of trans fats in the products.

Australia

Last night my friend and I went to cinema. We watched Australia in Australia (http://www.villagecinemas.com.au/Cinemas/Gold-Class.htm). Interesting and I will never forget it..........I will be leaving this beautiful country soon....

anti-smoking social marketing and new smoking cessation services

Government tipped to ban tobacco displays in shops | theage.com.au

THE State Government is expected to ban cigarette retail displays in its Tobacco Control Strategy, due for release today.

A discussion paper released in August revealed the Government was wondering whether to completely ban tobacco retail displays, or restrict them to one square metre.

Under a total ban, no cigarette packets would be allowed to be visible inside or from outside a shop.

They would have to be covered or moved under the counter, though retailers would be allowed to display a price board.

Health insiders yesterday predicted the Government would choose this option, following a similar law enacted last month in NSW. However, a Government spokesman declined to comment yesterday.

Cigarettes are sold at about 11,000 retail outlets in Victoria, which would be given time to redesign their point-of-sale displays before the law came into force.

In NSW, big outlets were to be allowed six months, and smaller shops a year.

Specialist tobacconists were likely to be exempt from the rules.

The strategy also includes extra money for programs to tackle Victoria's alarmingly high indigenous smoking rates, as reported by The Age two weeks ago.

It is expected to ban smoking in government school grounds and in cars carrying children, and may extend the ban to smoking in a car containing anyone under the age of 18.

Temporary tobacco stands at major events such as the Big Day Out will also be outlawed.

The strategy is part of the Government's Cancer Action Plan, released last week.

The plan said the tobacco strategy would include "anti-smoking social marketing and new smoking cessation services", including support for pregnant smokers who wanted to quit.

education in Australia

School's in, with 12 assaults every week | National News | News.com.au

School's in, with 12 assaults every week

By Karen Collier

Herald Sun

October 27, 2008 12:14am

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School assaults
Everyday event ... more than 12 assaults a week are being reported by Victoria state school, with knives and machetes among the weapons used on students and teachers.

* 12 assaults each week in Victorian shools
* They include a machete attack and stabbing
* Students, teachers and principal are victims

FRIGHTENED students, teachers and principals are reporting more than 12 assaults a week in Victoria's state schools.

Education Department records show 1227 allegations of assault involving state school students and staff have been filed in just over two school years. A further 247 sex abuse cases were alleged.

Prep students have been removed from classes following harassment complaints, and threatening gangs and intruders have triggered emergency lockdowns.

And 11 departmental employees have been accused of assaulting pupils.

Departmental records obtained under Freedom of Information reveal 890 reports of assaults on students at government schools, camps or excursions from 2006 to April this year.

Children as young as six were among the victims, and staff were on the receiving end 337 times.

The figures have spurred calls for upgraded protection, more parental control a
Related Coverage

* Parents to get report card on schoolsNEWS.com.au, 27 Aug 2008
* School bullying drives boy, 14, to suicideNEWS.com.au, 31 Jul 2008
* Former priest charged with child sexNEWS.com.au, 27 Aug 2008
* School computer plan 'at risk'NEWS.com.au, 29 Jun 2008
* Teacher's dumb blonde slur ends in payoutNEWS.com.au, 23 Jun 2008

nd extra welfare officers.

In the latest vicious attack last month, older invaders are said to have bashed several teenagers with a baseball bat at Keilor Downs Secondary College.

Other cases alleged include:

A BOY, 15, rushed to hospital after a machete attack and fight with a former pupil from Copperfield College, St Albans.

A GIRL, 14, stabbed in the stomach with a pocket knife while visiting North Geelong Secondary College.

A BOY, 14, treated for cracked ribs after bullying at Craigieburn Secondary College.

A YEAR 8 student gashed after being shoved through a window at Cranbourne Secondary College.

A GIRL who changed into the jumper of a rival school in the western suburbs before sneaking in and attacking a female student.

BRUTAL brawls and racial feuds filmed and posted on the internet.

ANGRY parents kicking or punching school staff.

Department spokeswoman Helen Stevanovich said values and drug education, and anti-bullying and peer support programs, aimed to counter conflict and promote safety.

But Victoria's Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu accused the Government of downplaying a disturbing problem. He said a vital police-in-schools initiative had been scrapped.

"School-aged children must understand that violence or bullying of any kind is unacceptable, and without suitable programs these incidents will continue to occur," he said.

Victorian Principals Association president Fred Ackerman said staff were taking more stress leave or retiring early, and parents and teachers needed to work together to tackle declining behaviour.

"Proper role-modelling has deteriorated over time, with parents either shirking responsibility or being time-poor. Society is now reaping the repercussions," he said.

"More kids seem to have an inability to deal with anger and are playing out what they see in society and films and TV," Mr Ackerman said.

He said schools were now more likely to report crime and were boosting safety through camera surveillance, high fences, visitor clearances and staff training to defuse conflict.

But the Herald Sun has been told some schools in areas with stretched police resources don't report all incidents because of poor response times.

Police handled a total of 8572 offences, including 502 assaults, in and around public and private schools, universities, TAFEs and other education locations last financial year.

This was a 16 per cent drop on five years ago.

There were 726 alleged crimes against the person, up from 636 in 2003-04. These included assaults, 17 rapes and 183 other sex offences.

Australian Education Union state president Mary Bluett said major assaults often involved intruders trying to "settle a score", but adopting US-style metal detectors would create a damaging climate of fear.

"Compared to the broader society, schools are peaceful," Ms Bluett said.

Sex-based web search in Australia

Searching for sex, state by state | NEWS.com.au

VICTORIANS are lonely and South Australians are kinky, while Queenslanders and people from New South Wales are mad for it, according to a survey of sex-based web searches.

The inaugural Pentagon Grand Australian Sex Survey has measured the number of times web users in each state search for sex-related words through the internet site Google.

Queensland and NSW are bed to bed in the competition, each topping the list for five sex-related words each, ahead of all the other states.

The survey shows people from NSW are more likely to search for "sex", "brothel", "adult services", "porn" and "gay" than in any other state.

But Queenslanders didn't take the challenge lying down, equalling NSW's tally of five by searching for "stripper", "swingers", "free porn", "threesome" and "sex shops" more than anyone else.

"While it was a very close battle for internet sex supremacy between the rival states, Queenslanders were not as keen to hand over their credit cards to pay for porn websites," says Rachel Love, who is the general manager for Gold Coast brothel Pentagon Grand, which is behind the study.

"This could mean that Queenslanders are either smarter or cheaper."

Naughty South Australians were found looking up "orgy", "sex toys" and "bondage", while lonesome Victorians were topped the list searching for "internet dating" and "prostitute".

"With a capital city known as the city of churches, South Australians really are a different breed behind closed doors," Ms Love said.

"There are probably a lot of people lining up at confessional each Sunday.

"It's probably time that the Victorians put down the footballs and VB cans for a while and step out into the world to meet other people."

POLICE are vowing to end South Australia's reputation as the nation's cannabis capital

Police vow to end 'cannabis capital' | NEWS.com.au

Police vow to end 'cannabis capital'

By Doug Robertson

October 04, 2008 01:16am

POLICE are vowing to end South Australia's reputation as the nation's cannabis capital by unleashing a series of raids on hydroponic stores and "grow houses".
Seizing on laws to come into force this month, police will target hydroponic stores they believe may be smuggling cannabis interstate.

The laws ban the possession of about 30 types of hydroponic equipment - including industrial-strength lights, exhaust fans, plant bud strippers and carbon filters - unless the owners can prove they are being used to grow vegetables.

In an interview with The Advertiser , drug investigation branch officer in charge Detective Superintendent Linda Fellows said police believed some of the equipment sold at more than 50 metropolitan hydroponic stores was used to grow cannabis.

She said police in the past year had uncovered hydroponic equipment and cannabis in 80 raids on shops and suburban "grow houses", which are used to secretly grow the drug.

"Not a tomato or cucumber found - that, to me, paints a picture," she said.

"The hydroponic industry is the link to this whole process."

Attorney-General Michael Atkinson said the laws would "strip the veil" from criminals operating in the hydroponics industry.

Adelaide has been dubbed the cannabis capital since 1987, when personal use of the drug was decriminalised.

Since July 1 last year, police have conducted 10 successful operations into cannabis trafficking.

"The concerning thing about that is each (criminal) network was not linked," Det-Supt Fellows said.

"That's indicative of a substantial problem in this state. We don't have to look too far to find a cannabis network."

The drug crackdown will extend to methamphetamine, also known as ice, because police have uncovered disturbing evidence of a growing number of amateur backyard labs.

Police are uncovering more secret labs which are usually run by amateur "cooks" who learn from the internet how to mix volatile chemicals to make ice.

In the past 15 months, drug investigation branch detectives found 88 clandestine laboratories hidden in Adelaide suburbs.

While cannabis was the main drug of choice in SA, the popularity of methamphetamine was rising fast.

Legislation to ban the possession of precursor chemicals is expected to be debated in Parliament this year.

"Everything starts with the hydroponics industry (and) at this point there's nothing we can do about the process until we find plants in someone's house," Det-Supt Fellows said.

"We can't disrupt the chain until we get the new laws (but) once the new legislation is in, we will be able to make an impact on the illegitimate sales from those hydroponic stores."

Det-Supt Fellows said it was difficult to know the extent of hydroponic cannabis trafficking in SA but she assumed most traffickers were escaping detection.

"I can definitely say there's a very strong demand from the eastern states and SA is very well meeting that demand," she said.

"I think methamphetamine use and production is an Australia-wide problem. We are simply reflecting the national trend.

"If you go by the number of labs, supply and demand, the trend is up and the trend wouldn't be up if the demand wasn't there."

The National Drug Strategy Survey last year found 17.5 per cent of South Australians aged 14 to 24 used cannabis, along with 16.6 per cent of 25 to 39-year-olds.

In 12 months, the branch has seized $1.6 million in cash, 330kg of dried cannabis and more than 2000 mature cannabis plants and has charged 114 people involved in trafficking cannabis from Adelaide. All had links to the hydroponics industry.

Five managers of hydroponics stores were arrested last week. In August, the crime gangs task force seized drugs, cash and two expensive sports cars in raids on three homes in Greenwith.

A Finks Motorcycle Club member, 29, from the northeastern suburbs, and a northern suburbs man, 31, believed to be a nominee of the bikie gang, were arrested and a store owned by one of the men was searched.

Det-Supt Fellows said laws banning sales of cold and flu tablets containing pseudoephedrine in chemists had forced criminals to import the chemical to manufacture methamphetamine.

Loophole allows baby bonus for late abortions

Loophole allows baby bonus for late abortions | NEWS.com.au

IT was intended to boost the birth rate, but a legal loophole means the $5000 baby bonus can be claimed for late-term abortions.

The loophole arises because abortions after 20 weeks' gestation are recorded by doctors as stillbirths.

Parents of stillborn babies receive the maternity benefit on compassionate grounds.

The Federal Parliamentary Library, which examined the issue for Liberal senator Cory Bernardi, confirmed the anomaly.

Senator Bernardi said: "This is not a debate about abortion. This is about the baby bonus being misused and misapplied to women who do have terminations.

"Clearly that is not the intention, it's not in keeping with the support of mainstream Australians for the baby bonus."

National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists chairman Andrew Pesce said there was no legal difference between stillbirths and abortions after 20 weeks.

Dr Pesce said most late-term abortions were prompted by fetal abnormalities.

When it came to women who had a late-term abortion, he said: "I think it is a very humane gesture from society to say, 'You are going through enough already, we're not going to withhold the bonus'."

A spokeswoman for Families Minister Jenny Macklin maintained the baby bonus was not available for aborted pregnancies.

"If there is any evidence of this occurring we will follow it up immediately," she said.

The loophole emerged ahead of a push to axe Medicare funding for late and mid-term abortions.

Hottest graduate salaries

Hottest graduate salaries | Business News | News.com.au

Technorati Tags: education australia job salary

Hottest graduate salaries

By Chelsea Mes

5-8-08
Graduation
Hot jobs ... dentistry is the best paid profession for graduates in their first year of work, paying more than $68,000 / AP

* Medicine, law, engineering highest-paid graduate jobs
* Engineers, nurses and pharmacists most in demand
* Employment: More employment and business news in Business Sense

LOOKING to make the most cash first year out of university? You need to be studying dentistry, engineering or medicine.

But despite being the highest paid sectors for graduates, they're also the most expensive to study. Annual course fees for those sectors average $8500, according to the latest data in the Hobson Good Universities Guide, released yesterday.

Engineering ranks as the sector to post the biggest jump in wages, with graduates expecting to earn $51,887 in their first year of work.

Richard Evered, ratings manager for Hobson, says the resources boom is behind the increase in engineering wages, making it one of the top earners for graduates.

And there's no shortage of jobs -- only 11 per cent of engineering graduates were seeking work, compared to around 30 per cent for communications and creative arts graduates.

"There's plenty of work in the resources area in Queensland and WA, and I would expect for next year that to get even better," Mr Evered said.
Related Coverage

* The best paid job? It's not what you thinkNEWS.com.au, 5 Jun 2008
* Best paid jobs revealed - researchNEWS.com.au, 5 Jun 2008
* University graduates, HobartMercury, 11 Aug 2008
* The best paid job? It's not what you thinkHerald Sun, 5 Jun 2008
* VET sector sets sights on degreesThe Australian, 25 Jun 2008

Your Say

I got a journalism degree and my first job netted my the princely sum of $39,000pa. And I had to relocate interstate just to get that. A journalism degree means you're classified as a 'cadet' and until you work for nothing for a few years you're not really educated or skilled or worth a fraction of the median average wage. All on top of working for zilch throughout my degree for massivle rich media companies. It's 'part of the culture' of keeping the media owners astonishingly rich while the workers get very little. So to the nurses and teachers etcetera bitching about their lot, spare a thought for the poor guy writing your newspapers. Chances are he gets paid a lot less than you - and he - thought and had to do all sorts of hideous things just for that position.

(Read More)
Andy L

Reply or add your comments

Accounting was one area that had surprised Mr Evered as recording a high level of job seekers.

"I would have thought with all the talk about accounting being an area of need in terms of qualified people, that figure would have gone down," he said.

Accounting posted one of the higher levels of graduates seeking work.

Lower pay not-so-attractive

Not surprisingly, the sectors crying out for workers were also the fields that paid the least.

Only 2 per cent of nursing graduates were seeking employment, compared to up to 30 per cent for other fields such as communications, creative arts and sports and leisure.

Nursing, along with tourism, creative arts and pharmacy were the worst paid fields first year out of university. Pharmacy was the worst paid, earning just $35,976.

Mr Evered said education, nursing and social work rates of pay were dictated by state policy, which tended to be lower than other sectors.

"Unless the states turn around and say 'we're going to give all the teachers a pay rise, all the nurses', then they're going to stay down there," he said.

Although some sectors were paid comparatively low in the first few years out of study, they were dependent on industry training on the job.

"Architecture and pharmacy are both low, but that's because you need to go out and do a couple of years in industry before you become fully qualified," Mr Evered said.

"You've got that training period post-graduation and then you'd expect both of those salaries (to) take off," he said.

But before you rush to become an engineer, dentist or doctor - the highest paid sectors also rank amongst the hardest to qualify for.

Dentistry, law, medicine and veterinary sciences are among the hardest degrees to get into; with tourism, business and social work rating as the easiest.

Graduate snapshot

Best-paying jobs for graduates:
Dentistry, engineering, medicine, rehabilitation and surveying

Worst-paying graduate jobs:
Architecture, communications, creative arts, pharmacy, tourism and veterinary sciences

Sectors with best job availability
Architecture, dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, rehabilitation, veterinary sciences

Sectors with worst job availability
Communications, creative arts, languages, sciences, sport and leisure.


Comments on this story
Andy L Posted at 2:55pm August 07, 2008

I got a journalism degree and my first job netted my the princely sum of $39,000pa. And I had to relocate interstate just to get that. A journalism degree means you're classified as a 'cadet' and until you work for nothing for a few years you're not really educated or skilled or worth a fraction of the median average wage. All on top of working for zilch throughout my degree for massivle rich media companies. It's 'part of the culture' of keeping the media owners astonishingly rich while the workers get very little. So to the nurses and teachers etcetera bitching about their lot, spare a thought for the poor guy writing your newspapers. Chances are he gets paid a lot less than you - and he - thought and had to do all sorts of hideous things just for that position.

James Posted at 1:15pm August 07, 2008

Great! Students complaining about their future salaries yet again. Guess what?! Just because you listened to some clown babble shit for a few years doesn¿t mean the workforce or employers owe you anything. Going to university was YOUR CHOICE and the pay for these occupations hasn¿t changed greatly since you filled out your enrolment form. I might add Nurses have my sympathy tho.. but just Nurses. Welcome to the real world.

Kristy Posted at 4:14pm August 05, 2008

Arnold of Melbourne, Remuneration does not work that way. Scientists are expected to solve problems and are required to have at least a bachelors degree + honours. They get paid peanuts for their hard work.

Rod Posted at 3:40pm August 05, 2008

I'm working for a hot shot investment bank next year and plan to rake in the big bucks...money never sleeps baby!

billy boy of Perth Posted at 3:37pm August 05, 2008

To all these people reading this column and complaining about how much they SHOULD be getting paid, i would suggest going out there and actually looking for work that will lead you to a path of higher salary. There is no point staying in a dead end job where there is no career path, or incentive to progress. These Grads are getting this money becuase the qualifications they receive and the skills they obtain from uni are in demand. The responsibilities, risks and complexity of work they will engage in their future careers should be reflected in their salary. Remember a degree is not a life sentence and I know countless number of people that got their degree's and work in feilds that have nothing to do with their studies, utilising the skills, not the content that they learned from uni. Also remember qualifications are not everything, and although you might be a great engineer or whatever, at the end of the day if your soft skills are lacking, then you will get nowhere and stay there. Have some killer instict people! Go out there and get what your worth!

most Australians chose a career on "flimsy criteria". "No science is applied and more often than not people's career paths are left to chance

Workers unhappy in their job | Business Sense | News.com.au

MORE Australians are unhappy in their chosen careers, and nearly 65 per cent are looking to move, a poll has revealed.
The survey, commissioned by recruitment firm Chandler Macleod, finds half of all workers did not plan their careers but fell into them. Sixty four per cent are looking to move.

Chandler Macleod executive director Kevin Chandler said most Australians chose a career on "flimsy criteria".

"No science is applied and more often than not people's career paths are left to chance," he said.

"Not only does Australia have an escalating skills shortage, we have millions of people who are working in jobs they are not suited to and, as a result, are either actively or passively looking for other career opportunities without knowing what they really want."

The survey found three-in-four workers reported being pigeonholed by employers because of their current jobs or careers.

The university-educated (86 per cent) were more likely to feel pigeonholed by their career than those without a tertiary degree (70 per cent).
Related Coverage

* Top ways to avoid the firing lineNEWS.com.au, 18 Jul 2008
* Reader's Comments: 100,000 face losing jobs as confidence slumpsNEWS.com.au,
* Uni not always path to smart moneyNEWS.com.au, 27 Aug 2008
* How to make your job recession-proofNEWS.com.au, 7 Aug 2008
* State divide grows in pay packets, new jobsNEWS.com.au, 27 May 2008


Of the 25 per cent of workers who actively plan their careers or professions, more than 80 per cent were satisfied with their jobs.

While more students are going to university, the dropout rates are around 20 per cent, partly because many have selected the wrong courses. Of those who go into apprenticeships nearly 50 per cent drop out.

Findings of the research, conducted last month among 648 workers aged 18 to 64, have been released to coincide with the launch of CMyPeople, an online competency assessment system that matches people to jobs.

The program evaluates a person's ability, personal style and interest against an unlimited number of custom job profiles, and more than 1200 standard occupations from the Australian and New Zealand Standards Classification of Occupations.

CMyPeople will be launched in Sydney today by Federal Employment Participation Minister Brendan O'Connor to address skills shortages.

The system is the result of a four-year program involving Chandler Macleod consultants, psychologists, the Federal Government, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Business Council of Australia and more than 200 organisations which helped identify skills required by industries.

ausssie unhappy with their job

Reader's Comments: Australia now a nervous nation | News.com.au