Brimbank Labor's oldest platform
News that former City of Brimbank mayor Charlie Apap has been convicted for indecent assault puts the spotlight once again on some of the more unsavoury history of the ALP in Melbourne's western suburbs, as a number of press reports show.
Labor Party identity Apap, 70 is known locally as a rent collector. He was found guilty in the Sunshine magistrate's court of putting his hand down the back of a 20 year old mother's jeans and underwear while collecting her rent.
Adding insult to injury, as the Leader reports "The landlord made a subsequent application for lost rent money due to the tenant giving insufficient notice before vacating the premises".
Apap is no stranger to the court, having previously been involved in a dispute over unpaid printing bills for Labor candidates at a Brimbank council election. At the last election five councillors did not declare any contributions to their electoral campaigns.
One of the councillors, Ken Capar, subsequently got into hot water at a New Zealand conference while on a council-funded junket for the Keilor Cemetery Trust. According to reports Capar remained drunk for the full three days of the conference, and was unfortunate enough on his return to wake up and see the headline "I was drunk" plastered on the front pages.
According to the local Star newspaper two women reported alleged sexual advances by Cr Capar. The story continues
"Cr Capar admitted being intoxicated on Thursday 10 October during the last day of the conference but in a letter to the Keilor Cemetery Trust he objected to allegations which included making inappropriate sexual advances to female and male delegates."
To cap it off hotel security staff later found him in possession of certain items that had been reported missing by other delegates.
Sexual harassment and theft by a councillor would not normally be rewarded. Capar resigned from the Cemetery Trust in disgrace but remains a sitting Brimbank councillor, no doubt grateful for the complexities of trans-Tasman litigation.
Chairwoman of the Trust at the time was Brimbank's Deputy Mayor Kathryn Eriksson, forced to endure the full three days of Capar's ratepayer-funded extravagance. With talk of police charges however she defended her colleague and in doing so submitted herself to public humiliation, saying
"It's a disgrace that we (the trust and council) can't communicate between ourselves. To have people turn around and say that we're going on junkets just because of one person behaved inappropriately, I find it really sad."
Indeed it is. Even more sadly Deputy Mayor Eriksson is also known as the wife of former Labor Minister Andrew Theophanous who became the first sitting member of parliament to be gaoled for bribery, conspiracy to defraud the Commonwealth and corruption.
Evidence submitted at his trial alleged that in rorting the immigration system he wasn't just seeking money, but also sexual gratification. An NCA tape recording has him saying "Maybe next week or towards the end of the week we might have a meeting, you know, see if I like her."
Channel 9's Sunday program quotes Theophanous from the secret recordings soliciting sexual favours. "…and she is prepared to have some times with me but keep her mouth shut completely then we will do it for $100 for a year." [A discount from the standard illegal fee he was asking for from clients].
Theophanous is still seen at Brimbank Council meetings, where he occasionally bumps into his close factional ally Hakki Suleyman. Suleyman is father of Brimbank councillor Natalie Suleyman; he runs the local migrant resource centre and in his spare time works as electoral officer for Planning Minister Justin Madden.
Suleyman was the subject of a formal complaint to the council in 2005, describing his behaviour toward a woman at a council meeting as "angry, rude, confrontational and abusive" to the point where she had to ask the CEO for protection and to be escorted to her car.
A number of metropolitan papers report an alleged assault by Suleyman on a woman handing out leaflets in the street. According to the Age
"He was pulling me and I was shaking back and forth at the force. I just saw his face and I thought, 'He's going to hit me'. I then started to panic and I screamed at the top of my voice, 'You leave me alone.' And he backed off."
The Herald Sun report of the incident mentions welts and cuts left by Suleyman on the victim's arm while "A day later, his son Mehmet Suleyman, who worked for former police minister Andre Haermeyer, allegedly attacked a young man with a screwdriver -- an incident police are now investigating." The report also mentions a fist fight between the younger Suleyman and Brimbank councillor Sam Tabban, but that's another story. Stay tuned for that one.
The press reports taken together paint the ALP in the west as a party of misfits and sexual predators using intimidation in the exercise of their power: the power of the rent collector over the young tenant, the power of the drunken councillor, the power to grant or deny a visa, and the power of sheer physical force.
Suleyman daughter Natalie shares with Charlie Apap the dubious distinction of being a former mayor of Brimbank council. Along with her current duties as councillor, she works as electoral officer for the now-discredited former Police Minister and MP Andre Haermeyer. For a time she worked alongside convicted criminal Craig Otte in the same office.
Haermeyer came to prominence again more recently when the Herald Sun reported police sources alleging he tried to influence the outcome of a rape investigation by using his influence over "top cop" Noel Ashby.
Ashby for his part said it was appropriate to keep Mr Haermeyer "informed" because Mr Haermeyer had a professional relationship with the woman. Perhaps you can work that one out.
The story makes allegations about the role of the Victorian ombudsman in the case and concludes by stating the obvious - there is no crime and corruption commission in Victoria capable of investigating the misdeeds of our elected representatives.
And don't they know it.
A clock in New York showing America's national debt has run out of digits. The National Debt Clock was designed to show figures of up to 10 trillion U-S dollars. When the figure rose above that amount at the end of last month the clock failed to cope. As a short-term fix, the dollar sign on the digital display has been changed to a number, so the full figure of about ten-point-two-trillion dollars can be displayed - BBC News.
It used to be a bit of a comedy routine at the pictures - remember? Someone overcome with depression staring blankly into the void/ceiling surrounded by luxury would suddenly spring to her feet, all without any intervention from some psychiatrist with a beard and prone to Freudian undertones. 'I think I'll go shopping,' says the attractive chiffon clad lass now brimming with life and optimism - embracing - kissing her husband, a handsome type who is a Rock of Gibraltar when challenged by life's problems. I'll come too,' he says thinking to himself of their more austere days when he thought they had everything. 'That lovely little necklace at Tiffany's,' she says tickling his chin. He pretends to shudder at the price but he can afford it although he has a few liquidity problems, he has a wad of credit cards. 'Can we afford it darling?' He pulls out his wallet and a cascading column of credit cards concertinas from his wallet to the floor. 'We haven't tried American Express for a while,' he says. She laughs. He laughs. 'You get the car while I get dressed,' she says blowing a kiss as she ascends a magnificent staircase... music... fade.
That's the thing about credit it can restore your mind and body to its rightful equilibrium. More recently with the near collapse of the world economy, credit has been given the imprimatur of numerous governments under the guise of 'stimulus packages' which has included the rescue of various banks said to be 'far too big' to be allowed to go under. Other 'far too big' organisations have also been propped up Ford, Chrysler and General Motors in particular having their hands out.
(CNN) -- Some lawmakers lashed out at the CEOs of the Big Three auto companies Wednesday for flying private jets to Washington to request taxpayer bailout money.
"There is a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off them with tin cups in their hand, saying that they're going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses," Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, told the chief executive officers of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee.
"It's almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo. It kind of makes you a little bit suspicious."
He added, "couldn't you all have downgraded to first class or jet-pooled or something to get here? It would have at least sent a message that you do get it."
Mindful of public opinion the executives of the Big Three made their return journeys to Washington in some environmentally sensitive prototype vehicle from their respective R&D departments.
You have to ask of course where is all the dosh coming from. There are two options you can borrow it or print it. Rarely are these internally funded. Except for China most governments just borrow money, although some countries like Britain have also opted for a combination of the two, borrowing whatever you can get your hands on and running the printing presses day and night- stuffing money into peoples' pockets on the never-never always has its drawbacks - you have to pay it back eventually. Can you pay it off with freshly printed notes? You can if the loan was taken out in the currency of that particular currency. So America could pay back China the 800 or so billion dollars with three or four (large) shiploads of $100 bills if the loans were taken out in American Dollars. That's why America is laughing all the way to the shops because most of their debt is in American dollars usually in the form of treasury bonds and if anyone wants their money back they can have it in nice crisp $100 bills. The debt clock would be set back to zero and they could start all over again. Inflationary pressures notwithstanding this is a good idea.
In Australia we have been on our own spending spree which means that Australia's personal debt is now 100.4 percent of its annual GDP, an increase of 71 per cent from five years ago. This equates to $56,000 for every man, woman and child in the country. Are we any different? Yes because we can afford to pay it back. While there has been a bit of money spent on infrastructure most of the money we borrow other than the mortgage is to go shopping. Why didn't Ruddy put more money into infrastructure? It's all about timeline. You send a grand or so in the post and it's only a matter of hours before the recipient had processed the cheque and is out shopping. Compare that to enlarging a port or whatever. Environmental studies, political considerations - a whole plethora of terms and conditions. It would be years before anything happened. That's why shopping is so good it's like adrenalin it's effect is almost immediate.
The good thing about all this is that states and local government particularly NSW who couldn't even balance the books in the good times can carry debt like just about every other country, state and municipal government on earth as a badge of honour, as a valiant attempt to stimulate their economies. That's why shopping is so good it's like adrenalin it's effect is almost immediate. Debt is good. Balancing the books has become synonymous with not only fiscal responsibility but it is seen as being socially irresponsible as well.
In Albury Wodonga both councils are up to their eyeballs in debt - have been for years. Wodonga and Albury have a combined debt of about $75 million dollars - and shopping will be an important part in reducing this bill because what else can you do. How do you then pay off the debt. Build more shops so that people can do more shopping. Of course infrastructure has been neglected. Albury got $1,073,000 and will amongst other things spend $400,000 on an upgrade on the air-conditioning at the Albury Entertainment Complex. Nothing worse than attending a cultural event and you break into a sweat because of a dodgey air-conditioning system. Well there are worse things but that shouldn't concern us.
Wodonga seems to have particularly grand strategy for the city's shoppers.
Cr Byatt also expects the sale of surplus council land will write down debt and fund major projects - a new pool at White Box Rise the city's main priority. He believes, with the global credit crunch behind them, there will be renewed interest in the Logic industrial estate - at least one sale is imminent, another buyer discussing the contracts. "(The shopping centre) will be a $60 million project and a sentinel for development in the middle of the city," Cr Byatt said. (Border Mail January 5, 2010).
Borderline was under the impression that Wodonga had already a fair bit of land it was trying to flog.
...LOGIC offers an extraordinary opportunity as the central intermodal 'port' on the eastern seaboard, offering the potential for savings in supply chain logistics. Set on 580 hectares of prime industrial land adjacent to the Hume Freeway and the Melbourne Sydney rail LOGIC offers unparalleled opportunity for the location of manufacturing, distribution and warehousing with the ability to operate 24 hours a day…
That's the problem - it's industrial land. Not land for building shops.
Albury has its own problems when it comes to shopping.
BORDER MAIL OCTOBER 31, 2007
A DEVELOPER for a $45 million Albury project of shops, offices, motel-type accommodation and high-level car park will be chosen within five months. Albury Council confirmed last night it had short listed two national companies to submit detailed tenders for the work between Volt Lane and Smollett Street. Their names are being kept confidential while they embark on the expensive exercise of planning a car park for 700-plus cars and a mix of other uses. Group manager for planning and economic development Michael Keys said the developers were very keen to proceed on the 100m by 94m prime site. The council will sell the freehold site to a developer and allocate $8 million towards a multi-deck car park that must have more than 700 spaces - 530 of them to be free to the public. "The developers are chomping at the bit and this shows the strong confidence in the city's future," Mr Keys said. Six metropolitan-based companies had expressed interest in Volt Lane, he said. Before that happens, Proton is expected to close part of Volt Lane to start redeveloping car parks between Target and Freedom for a two-level shopping mall.
The winning tender for the Volt Lane development had once valued the land at between $9 and $12 million but seems to have lost interest or is probably negating to get the land for a couple of acorns. The Albury City Council understands this because vacant space with inadequate supplies of shops can lead to shopper dissatisfaction. There lies the problem and because the extracted millions from the developers of the site including the Proton development adjacent, the Albury City Council are under contractual arrangements to build a car park. It seems that the once grand plans for the site, including a car park have been whittled away so that now all that will become of the Volt Lane development will be a car park that the council will have to build. This doesn't make sense. Of course to go shopping you need car parks but you also need shops - lots of them. Ironical isn't it? You agree to build a 700 space car park to facilitate a large commercial development and lots of shops and all you end up getting is the car park!
Some might say that the less fortunate will be denied. This is untrue as you only have to venture downtown in both cities to a number of places where pensioners and unemployed are welcome, no credit, cheques cashed and arrangements made to tide you over until the next pay day, all approved in minutes. This particular type of loan carries a particular risk which is reflected in the adjusted interest rates - that's the price they have to pay. There are any number of shops catering for those with limited spending power. Still there's always hire purchase or availing yourself of those deals where you pay nothing for three or four years. Borderline has always wondered exactly how these particular deals go but unfortunately the inadequacy of the magnifying glass made reading the small print nigh impossible.
Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the capitalist system was to debauch shopping. By a continuing process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens. By this method they not only confiscate, but they confiscate arbitrarily; and while the process impoverishes many, it actually enriches some especially the Government. As the inflation proceeds and the people can no longer go shopping all permanent relations between debtors and creditors become meaningless. In time that which was the ultimate foundation of capitalism, becomes so utterly disordered as to be almost meaningless; and the process of wealth-getting degenerates into a gamble and a lottery. The people take to the streets - revolution is at hand. God forbid we see the red flag flying over Albury. We can remember once when Russia was Communist (before the fascist/Russian mafia consortium took over). There was a long cue outside a shop extending halfway around the block, and a reporter from the New York Times asked a person waiting patiently in the cue how long she had been there and why. 'Five hours - ah and it's Wednesday - sausages. I suppose they've all gone by now,' she added philosophically. 'I've been coming here for fifteen years and the only time I had any luck was a few years ago but I got food poisoning and was laid up with salmonella for a couple of weeks.' 'Then why do you come here?' asked the reporter. 'Because I like shopping,' she said - don't you?'
That's why Brown, Obama and Ruddy have been so insistent that you get out there and start shopping. Will Albury Wodonga be up to the challenge? We shall see.
