Australian Government Passes Laws To Invade Our Privacy

The Australian Government, with the help of the Labor party, has used the threat of terrorism to pass laws that will force Telecommunication companies and Internet service providers to keep your metadata for a minimum of 2 years.

The laws will also allow law enforcement agencies, as well as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), access to the information without a warrant.

Metadata is information and includes everything from basic phone call stats to specific information like the location of the user when they make a phone call or accessed the internet.

The government says they need all this information to keep us safe from terrorism, for security reasons. ASIC and the ACCC say they need the information to prosecute those that commit white collar crime. Why do they need it without a warrant? Why do government agencies need free access to metadata of everyone in the country whenever they feel like it?

It's not about security, it's about control. The government wants to know where you are, what you're saying and who you're saying it to. They want to find out if you know what they know, that the government all about secret deals that keep them in power and their corporate mates rich while ignoring the needs of its people.

You may be thinking, "I don't care about these laws because I have nothing to hide." But it's not about secrecy it's about privacy. It's about your right to move about freely without being tracked. It's about your right to communicate with anyone without it being recorded.

Big Brother is watching and he will know everything.

If you want more information visit privacyinternational.org

Source - Sydney Morning Herald "Metadata retention laws will pass as Labor folds".

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The Origin Of ISIS

This video by Ben Swann investigates the origin of ISIS. Was ISIS created by "Inaction" by the United States Government or by "direct" action?

 

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Corporate Australia Avoids Paying Tax.

If the largest Australian listed companies paid taxes at the statutory corporate tax rate of 30%, it would produce an additional $8.4 billion in annual revenues. This would eliminate the need for educational, health and welfare cutbacks.

 

We need to pay tax. Taxes help pay for for infrastructure and services that the community needs. However, some of us aren't pulling our weight when it comes to paying tax. Over the last 5 years, the proportion of income tax from business shrank from 23% to 19%, while the proportion from individuals rose from 37% to 39%. [1] So ordinary workers have more share of the tax burden, while business is paying less.

 

But wait, aren't we constantly being told that there is a "Budget Crisis" and the government has to control spending. It's University students, doll bludgers, pensioners, asylum seekers and the health system's fault that there is such a large budget deficit. Australia doesn't have a spending problem, it has a revenue problem. The government is pointing the finger of blame at the most needy in our society while big business fat cats are getting away with legally exploiting tax loopholes that their mates in government conveniently leave open for them. Companies use Secrecy jurisdictions to avoid paying tax Secrecy jurisdictions such as, Singapore or Hong Kong, play a key role in multinational corporate tax dodging. They undermine the ability of governments to levy taxes in a just and fair way. Secrecy jurisdictions provide loopholes for the wealthiest to avoid paying their fair share of tax.

 

Here are just three examples of tax dodging 2004-2013. [2]

• Bunnings, average annual pre tax profit $51 million. Average ETR 0%
  
• James Hardie, average annual pre tax profit $203.6 million. Average ETR 0%
  
• Westfield Retail Trust, average annual pre tax profit $535 million, Average ETR 0%

Effective Tax Rate (ETR)

 

According to the United Voice and the Tax Justice Network this is how you fix the problem.

 

Disclosure and transparency of corporate tax practices needs to be increased. Greater public awareness of gressive tax avoidance will provide an incentive to Australian corporations to be less tax aggressive. Tax dodging practices, when exposed, will damage corporate reputations and may increase regulatory and financial risks. Responsible companies should not wait for inevitable changes to the rules before deciding to act.

 

The Australian government needs to stop blaming the people that need their help the most for the budget shortfall and target Corporations, close the loopholes and make them pay their fair share of tax, 30%. Nothing more nothing less. Another $8.4 Billion will eliminate the need for budget cuts.

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[1] AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (2007-08 to 2012-13) Cat. No. 5506.0

[2] http://bit.ly/taxshort

ANZ has the worst record of all the banks for offshoring - 5,000 Australian jobs since 2007

 

 

ANZ announced today that they were cutting 140 jobs. ANZ said in a statement, "These changes are part of simplifying our business and being more efficient".  I don't believe that for one second. It's corporate greed plain and simple. 

Finance Sector Union (FSU) national secretary Fiona Jordan said it appeared the bank had made the decision to cut the jobs several months ago."

ANZ has the worst record of all the banks for offshoring - 5,000 Australian jobs since 2007 and still climbing," Ms Jordan said.

ANZ said staff would be given three months to move on but the bank was aiming to re-employ about 70 of them in other positions.

Some of the jobs were moved overseas to Manila in the Philippines and Bangalore, India, while others were cut due to "improvements in process".

These cuts don't just affect the 140 that are set to lose their jobs, the  FSU said up to 700 staff would be directly impacted by the job cuts and would potentially face increased workloads and stress created by the loss of staff.[1]

ANZ should just come clean and say, "We made $7.271 billion profit in 2014[2] and we want to make lots more in 2015."

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[1] ABC News ANZ cuts 140 jobs from its Melbourne, Sydney offices.
[2] https://www.shareholder.anz.com/sites/default/files/2014-ANZ-Annual-Report.pdf

It's time the Victorian Government took back essential services.

Has the cost of gas and electricity reached the point where it is unaffordable for the poor in our state?

 

Electricity and gas prices are again in the headlines after The Age [1] reported that the number of Victorian homes that had their gas or electricity disconnected last year hit over 58,000. An increase of 42% over the previous year. A shocking statistic.

 

The Age reports that there have been cases of people going to the local public pool to save on hot water and people lying in darkness because they didn't want to turn their lights on. You hear all the time of the poor and pensioners putting layers and layers of clothing on because they can't afford to heat their homes. Who would have thought that in 2015 people would freeze or live in darkness because gas and electric cost too much?

 

But why has the the cost of gas and electricity increased so much? It's pretty simple, privatisation. Remember, about 20 years ago, Jeff Kennett sold off the utilities promising it would increase efficiency and lower prices? Well the opposite happened. For the sake of the exercise I will concentrate on electricity because I was able to find more information about it.

 

[2] Since privatisation, prices have soared, why? Well there are many reasons, but the main reasons are, firstly, productivity per worker has plummeted in the electrical industry, while in just about every other industry it increased. From June 1995 - 2012 productivity in all sectors increased by 33.2% while in the electricity sector it decreased by 24.9%.

 

The reason for the fall in output per worker is the increase in staff that don't generate electricity. For example managers grew from 6,000 to 19000 from 1994-2012 (217%). The ratio of managers to workers has changed from 1:13 in 1994 to 1:9 in 2012. This has been caused by the privatisation and splitting it into smaller entities each requiring its own management and admin teams. The cost of this has been passed onto consumers.

 

Another factor that may explain the increase in electricity costs is the ‘asset price inflation’ involved in the privatisation process. Private buyers are willing to pay a good deal more than the value of the plant and equipment because of the potential profitability involved in buying a business with monopoly pricing power. However, for the new owner there is now an objective need to increase prices to earn a competitive return on the inflated asset price as well as to cover depreciation and amortisation expenses. In this way privatisation directly increases the capital servicing costs associated with electricity supply.

 

The only way to curb the outrageous prices we are paying for essential services is for the government to take back control, eliminate the need to make a profit and increase efficiency by cutting admin staff and management. Maybe then the poor in our community will be able to afford what most would think to be basic needs.

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[1] http://m.theage.com.au/victoria/soaring-power-costs-leads-to-record-number-of-disconnections-in-victoria-20150218-13i4lt.html

[2] http://www.tai.org.au/sites/defualt/files/research/TB%2022%20Electricity%20and%20privatisation_0.pdf/

Power Companies Lobby Government to reduce Renewable Energy Targets.

 

I'm no greenie or tree hugging hippy but I do believe that we should do our best to look after the planet.

 

A poll taken by the Guardian Newspaper 2/12/14 says, "Almost 90% of Australians support renewable energy target". Why then has investment in renewable energy, according to a Climate Council report broardcast on ABC News 10/11/14, dropped by 70%?

 

The answer is simple. Power companies are lobbying the Australian Government to reduce the RET. They want to squeeze every last drop out of a dying fossil fuel industry, to maximise profits, to the detriment of Australia and the rest of the planet. "Fossil Fuel", kind of an ironic title for an out dated energy source.

 

You might be thinking, "Well what can we do about it?" I'm glad you asked.

 

Go to http://www.powershop.com.au/ and switch energy providers.

 

They're one of the lowest cost energy retailers in Victoria and part of the Meridian Energy Group, a 100% renewable generation company generating only 100% zero carbon renewable energy.

 

I am in no way affiliated with Power Shop or Meridian Energy Group. I don't receive any money or favours (Sexual or otherwise) from them. I just think it's a great way to do our bit for future generations and to 'stick it to the man' at the same time.

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Australian Corporations Avoid Paying Tax.

How much tax did you pay on average from 2003-2013? That's none of my business is it?

I bet it's not as much as say Bunnings (BWP Trust) payed. A company that earned an average of $51,262,000 in pre tax profit p.a. Guess again. They paid $0. That's right, nothing.

What about Envestra Limited (A large Australian energy company). They earned on average $54,976,000 in pre tax profit p.a. They paid $0 also.

James Hardie? Nope, you paid more than them also. They earned on average $203,663,000 in pre tax profit p.a. but paid $0 tax.

You're probably thinking, "That can't be right." But it is happening. The 'system' has loopholes that allow this to happen. Loopholes that are designed to benefit the rich at our expense. The system needs to be changed.

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Source - http://bit.ly/taxshort

Secret TPP Trade Deal Abbott Doesn't Want You To Know About.

New TPP trade deal could have serious implications for the freedom and rights of Australians.

The TTP is the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It's a massive free trade agreement being negotiated between Australia and 11 other Pacific Rim Nations and will involve 40% of the global economy. It's big.

Last October, Wikileaks[1] shone some light on this secretive deal. It suggests;

- Pharmaceutical corporations will be able to extend the length of their patients, preventing the production of cheaper medicines, while limiting the subsidy programs. This will increase the cost of basic medicines.

- Australians will be subject to foreign copyright laws. So they could be prosecuted and or even jailed for downloading their favourite TV program or music.

- The power of the US web surveillance will be extended. Local internet providers will be forced to give foreign law enforcers private user information. A draconian breach of present internet freedoms.
 
- Multinational corporations will have the right to sue our government over any laws or regulation change that impact on their right to profit. Threatening Australian food standards, environmental protection and workers rights. Australia already has an Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) agreement with Hong Kong. In 2011 Phillip Morris moved its operations there so it could sue the Australian government over its plain packaging laws. This will deter future governments from making important legislation protecting our environment and people.

Once this agreement has passed it will mean more money for Pharmaceutical corporations and IT products, less internet freedom, food standards compromised, environmental protection at risk and the ability of the government to govern responsibly diminished.

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[1] https://wikileaks.org/TTP-ip2

1/4 of the vacant homes in Melbourne could house its homeless.

 I recently read an article written by Michael Janda and published on the ABC web site on the 5/11/2013 titled, “Report suggests thousands of vacant homes keeping Melbourne house prices high”.[1]

The article suggests that in 2012, about 64,000 homes in Melbourne use less than 50 litres of water a day, indicating they were vacant.

I then googled homelessness statistics for Melbourne.

http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/2049.0Main%20Features22011

According to the census in 2011, it was estimated that around 42 people in 10,000 were homeless in Melbourne. Given that the population was around 4 million, it means that approximately 16,800 people were homeless.

Let that sink in for a moment.
16,800 homeless
64,000 vacant homes

I imagine that there are similar statistics for capital cities all over the world.

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[1] http://abc.net.au/news/2013-11-05/vacant-housing-melbourne/5071460