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Debacle after Bruce Lehrmann charges dropped
Bruce Lehrmann, the former parliamentary political staffer who was accused of raping a colleague named Brittany Higgins at Parliament House has had all charges dropped again him.
This occurred after the trial had to be postponed because Lisa Wilkinson gave a speech at The Logie Awards, and when the trial finally took place, the jury had to be discharged because of juror misconduct.
Aftermath
It has since been revealed that the most senior police officer on the Brittany Higgins case, ACT Police Manager of Criminal Investigations, Detective Superintendent Scott Moller believed there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Bruce Lehrmann but could not stop the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions from proceeding because “there is too much political interference”.
Lehrmann is reportedly contemplating civil action for alleged defamation and unfair dismissal after the charges were dropped, including against the ABC.
Sydney defamation specialist Mark O’Brien is working with Lehrmann in consideration of legal action. Furthermore, a letter to the trial judge from Channel 10 boss Beverley McGarvey, obtained by The Australian, reveals Wilkinson disputes claims by DPP Director Shane Drumgold SC that he had warned her that her planned Logies speech could cause a substantial delay in the trial.
Full story:
Kristina Keneally’s son to plead not guilty to fabricating evidence
Last month, Constable Daniel Keneally, son of former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally was charged with fabricating evidence. This charge arose from Keneally jnr submitting a report of a man named Luke Moore threatening to kill a police officer, which resulted in Moore being refused bail and spending time in jail for three weeks.
A Sydney court has been informed Constable Daniel Keneally will contest the charge.
Full story: https://sterlinglawqld.com/kristina-keneallys-son-pleads-not-guilty-to-fabricating-evidence/
District Court stays claim because of Australian Financial Complaints Authority’s bureaucratic bumbling — Sterling Law QLD
It is well known that many public bodies these days are obsessed with political correctness and identity politics, and spend a lot of their time fussing on topics such as equity, diversity, inclusion, harmony days, ‘unconscious bias’, and the like. Once can only imagine that they hold regular meetings where they talk about topics such as their gender pronouns, paleo pear and banana bread, and what a relief that in a few months time the Morrison federal government will be replaced by a Labor-Greens Coalition, but how the ideal would be a Greens Government with Adam Bandt as Prime Minister and socialism being tried once again.
Supporters and apologists of this frivolity often use the cliché that organisations can “chew and walk gum at the same time”, however a recent District Court decision to stay a proceeding as a result of bureaucratic bumbling undermines such claims.
The facts
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority is an external dispute resolution scheme that is supposed to deal with complaints from consumers and small business about financial products and services.
The following case reveals that the extent to which AFCA deals with complaints is doubtful, however we were elated to find out that what is not in doubt is that it commemorates ‘Transgender Day of Remembrance‘, and on its own admission everyone at AFCA recently wished us a Happy Mardi Gras.
On 25 November 2019, ANZ Banking Group applied to the District Court for recovery of possession of mortgaged properties on the basis that the debt that is secured by those mortgages had not been paid by the respondent debtors. The debtors then made complaint to AFCA, which resulted in the proceedings being adjourned pending AFCA’s determination. In September 2021, AFCA belatedly issued what it called a recommendation, which was not binding on the parties.
Barlow DCJ decided to stay the proceedings because of the delay occasioned by AFCA.
Read more:
Terry Pratchett dies and so does Clive Palmer’s time in the political sun
This is a post about loss, on one had we have the very sad news that Terry Pratchett has died after a very public fight with a form of dementia :
The British fantasy author (left; and with wife Lyn, top right) sold more than 85million books worldwide in 37 languages, but also waged a very public struggle with Alzheimer’s disease in recent years – and was a vocal campaigner of the right to die. The writer is best known for his satirical fantasy novels set in Discworld, a flat planet resting on the back of four elephants, themselves perched on the back of a vast turtle moving through space. Sir Terry’s thousands of fans on Twitter were alerted to the news of his death by a series of messages (bottom right) shortly after 3pm today, finishing with: ‘The End.’ Prime Minister David Cameron said today he was ‘sad to hear’ of the death, adding: ‘His books fired the imagination of millions and he fearlessly campaigned for dementia awareness.’
And then there is the news that , the brick with eyes and senator for my home state of Queensland has pulled the pin on Clive Palmer deciding that he will no longer sit as a PUP member in our upper house. Now I draw theses two seemingly disparate events together because Clive Palmer is just the sort of crazy bizarre political animals that Pratchett was so frond of creating in his disc world novels but sadly for Queensland he is real.
On the upside though I am really enjoying the political emasculation of Clive Palmer far more than I really should be. As a conservative I find this a big improvement for the prospects of government being able to get legislation through the senate.
Thus we can all see that every day can show is both sadness at the passing of one of the best fantasists of our age and joy of something he could have created passing into the political irrelevance it so richly deserves. In some ways the departure of the brick from the PUP may make it harder to pass particular bills but not having Palmer’s expansive ego and endless vendetta against the coalition in play will more than compensate in the humble opinion of this scribe.
Definitely a day of light and shade Comrades
Palmer is dead buried and cremated as a political force you could say that he is like this pillow…
National Security Statement 2015
Very good speech form Tony Abbott
recommended viewing Comrades
Its On
Despite my concerns I am actually happy that this matter as been resolved so promptly and in many ways quite decisively, its also nice for our PM to take the time out fo his busy day to reassure me personally via email.
As most people will now know the spill motion is on. I’m a little sad about this but if this means that the current government can improve its standings with the public. One thing that we can expect if there is a change of leader is that we won’t see the sort of bad grace that Rudd bought to his party.
You can bet that the Liberal Party phones will be in meltdown in Canberra over the weekend
Cheers Comrades
in the leadership change game the trick is not to make an arse of oneself
Come back Peter and other current events
On the Radio this morning is the cheerful news that Peter Greste has been released and deported from Egypt I am sure that his family will be very pleased indeed, I am as well even though I don’t share the view that seem prevalent among the usual suspect that some one who is a journalist is automatically some kind of secular saint. Anyway that is an all’s well that ends well situation.
Now to events closer to home and something that has left me feeling profoundly depressed, Yep the state election its a terrible result for Queensland that will see the incompetent Labor party back into government. That said we live in a democracy and that means I have to accept the result with good grace, fucking hell though its hard with that idiot of a woman in charge. The irony is that for all of the rhetoric about the reforms made by the LNP over the last three years, things like the thinning of the bloated public service and other fiscal savings will not be reversed so its, once again going to be a case of the LNP wearing the pain of necessary reforms and the ALP will be able to get the benefits gratis.
I feel nothing but dread for governance of our great state of Queensland over the next three years… On the upside though It will be far easier to attack the government’s inevitable incompetence than it has been to defend the missteps of the previous administration.
Not much to cheer about from my perspective Comrades
Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan deserve to be shot and then forgotten
Awaiting execution: Myuran Sukumaran, left, and Andrew Chan. Photo: AAP
“Australian government appeals are neither heroic nor heartfelt; Canberra is merely trying to save their own ‘subject bodies’ from the firing squad, while slowly disposing of ‘abject bodies’ it does not want through inhumane detention centres or returning them to foreign regimes that will probably finish the job for them,” Mr Marthinus said in an opinion piece in The Jakarta Post.
The impact of the executions on bilateral relations is coming under intense scrutiny in the English-speaking press in Jakarta, with conjecture that the decision to drop plans to waive visa requirements for Australian visitors to Indonesia could also be related.
However, this has been denied by the government and is also considered unlikely by migration agents.
And Bali’s Governor Made Mangku Pastika has said he would not like to see the execution take place on Bali because it could hurt the island’s public image.
I wonder If I am alone in feeling somewhat embarrassed by the excessive gnashing of teeth over the pending execution off these two scumbags? There is no doubt that they did the crime, being caught red handed with the heroin strapped to their bodies takes care of that, these two were the ringleaders of the scheme so they deserve a harsher punishment than the other seven idiots. that make up the “Bali nine”gang. That said I am sure that the usual suspects will whine and posture about how capital punishment is wrong in principle. Frankly its not something that I believe. there are crimes that clearly deserve a capital sanction multiple murder, or murder in the name of a vile ideology are obvious to me, as is the repeated sexual abuse 0f children, when it comes to drug dealers its a little less clear. Personally I tend to think that some drugs are worse than others and that those who deal in opiates, cocaine or crystal Meth are worse than those who sell a bit of Ganga.
So in the not too distant future Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan will have their stroll in the jungle , be tied to a post and shot dead this little black duck won’t shed a single tear nor will most of my fellow Ausies either. The usual suspects on the other hand will have an almost orgasmic out pouring of leftist angst all because these men happen to Australian citizens…
The sooner they are shot the sooner they can be utterly forgotten because they certainly do not deserve to be remembered.
Cheers Comrades
If scumbags are shot in the jungle and no one sheds a tear…
Iain Hall's SANDPIT 