This week's stories: Police Engaged in Racist Harassment..Framed Three
Men..and Killed Another...One In Seven Child Abuse Cases Ignored...Casino
Authority Took $200,000...Terror At Home...Politicians To Get Further
Benefits...Catholic Church Gives Money But No Apology..Anglicans Give
Lecture But No Money or Apology...Government Paid $700 Million For
Nothing...McDonalds Says Beef Is Vegetarian and Urine is Nutritious.
Victoria Police's first Vietnamese-born police officer has given up his two
year battle to rejoin the police force, saying he was forced out for
complaining about racism.
Huan Nguyen was commended for his undercover work during his 11 year career,
but went on stress leave in 1998 after regularly suffering racist abuse from
police.
Mr Nguyen says that while he was on stress leave, he received a letter
accepting his resignation from the police. He had not resigned.
The police were directed by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity
Commission to meet with Mr Nguyen, but he says they have not done so.
His only option now would be to take them to the Federal Court, which he
can't afford to do.
(The Age).
A former detective has admitted that he framed three brothers for a robbery
in 1982. Anthony Lewandowski admitted that he and former CIB chief Don
Hancock faked confessions and lied during the original trial and appeals,
and that one of the brothers was stripped naked and punched while being
'questioned' by two police officers.
(Herald Sun).
Police killed a man who was "unarmed and seated in a chair in his
room...presenting no immediate threat".
A coroner's report has found that Gregory Couper had died from a heart
attack caused by Senior Constable Scott Cheasley.
In December 1998, Senior Constable Cheasley and three other police officers
were called to the residential care facility where Mr Couper, who suffered
from schizophrenia, was living. When the facility's owner went to check on
Mr Couper, he found him lying face down in a pool of blood. Senior
Constable Cheasley was pinning him down with a knee to the back of his neck.
Mr Couper suffered asphyxia, brain damage, and four days later a fatal heart
attack.
The "three point hold" used by Senior Constable Cheasley is part of police
training.
(The Age).
Shirley Watters from the Queensland Council of Social Services says that one
in seven cases of child abuse reported are ignored because of staff
shortages.
It is compulsory to report suspected child abuse under the Children and
Young Persons Act. However many commentators say that the laws are
inadequate if there aren't enough staff to investigate.
(The Australian).
The Victorian Casino and Gaming Authority accepted a US$200,000 payment from
an American poker machine manufacturer. The Authority was investigating the
company at the time.
(The Age).
One of Melbourne's largest welfare agencies has been forced to refuse help
to women who are victims of domestic violence.
Jo Cavanagh from the Southern Family Life Foundation says that the agency
would review its decision at the end of the month, but there was no
guarantee that they would take new cases even then.
The Agency has asked for all cases to be referred on, but Ms Cavanagh says
she knows of other agencies struggling to keep up. She said that one agency
had a three month waiting list for family violence cases, and that people in
that position "usually can't wait that long".
In the last budget, the government cut spending on welfare and other
services to fund the 'war on terror'.
(The Age).
Members of Parliament are likely to be paid public money to cover their
university fees when they go on overseas study tours. The Remuneration
Tribunal is also considering new funds to pay for Opposition shadow
minister's overseas travel.
(Herald Sun).
The Catholic Church will pay a total of more than $3.6 million to victims of
sexual abuse at boys' homes in Victoria. Each of the 24 victims had some
kind of communication or intellectual disability.
The sister of one of the victims, who had been abused by the church for 30
years, said that "what we really wanted was a public apology from the
order".
(The Age, MX).
Governor General Dr Peter Hollingworth has delivered a speech about child
abuse, titled "These Are Our Children".
Dr Hollingworth has been accused, by parents of children who were abused at
an Anglican school, of doing little or nothing to help them and of trying to
keep other parents from learning of the abuse.
Dr Hollingworth's speech said that "a great deal of focus of attention in
relation to children and the rights of the child has been directed at
institutions; public, private and ecclesiastical and to those individuals
working profesionally in these institutional settings, such as schools".
(The Age).
The government signed a $700 million deal to buy helicopters for the Navy
even though the Defence Department knew that the patrol boats which were
supposed to carry the helicopters actually couldn't.
The project has gone $1 billion over budget so far and is more than three
years late.
(The Age).
McDonald's will pay $US10 million ($A17.56 million) to settle lawsuits over
the mislabelling of french fries and hash browns as vegetarian.
The chain also posted an apology on its web site, acknowledging that
'mistakes' were made in communicating to customers and the public about the
ingredients in the fries and hash browns.
In 1990 the company announced it would no longer use beef fat to cook fries
and that only pure vegetable oil would be used. In fact the oil used
'essence of beef'.
This is not McDonald's first unusual claim about food. During another court
case McDonald's was asked why they described their food as nutritious. They
replied that they did this because it 'contained nutrients'. By this
definition, urine is nutritious.
(Sydney Morning Herald).
All the News That Fits appears in the Anarchist Age Weekly Review
(www.vicnet.net.au/~anarchist - PO Box 20 Parkville VIC 3052) and
Organise (www.asf.anarki.net - PO Box 98, Brunswick VIC 3057).
Some other Australian anarchist websites:
www.angry.at/racists - All People Equal. With free mp3s, Real Audio, Real
Video, band interviews etc.
www.dolearmy.org - information for unemployed people.
www.activate.8m.com - anarchist magazine aimed at teenagers.
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