Sunday, May 08, 2005



In Charles Dickens's David Copperfield, Mr Micawber suggests that a humble sixpence may define the difference between happiness and misery: if your income is sixpence more than you spend, that's happiness; if it is a sixpence less, misery Interview - Peter Costello

Eye on Politics & Law Lords: Beazley can't afford to buy a Sydney home
Labor leader Kim Beazley will rent a $625-a-week apartment in inner-city Pyrmont after stating he cannot afford to buy in Sydney.

Mr Beazley said the experience of trying to find a property had left him sympathetic towards Sydneysiders trying to enter the property market. I have a real understanding of how difficult it is for people in Sydney in finding affordable accommodation to rent or buy.


Unlike Prime Minister John Howard's stately residence in Kirribilli, Mr Beazley's future apartment is small and unassuming
As Opposition Leader, Mr Beazley earns $197,524 a year [Malcolm Fraser handed a pile of personal papers and documents from his prime ministerial years to Melbourne University last week: The provisions would well accord with old-fashioned Communist states with tyrannical dictatorships We all need to take a long, hard look at ourselves to see what our governments have executed in our name ; Bizarre as lack of breastfeeding is causing all kinds of problems for children in a long term yet women are encouraged to head for work as soon as they can. Many have no choice as the mortgage is like the hang man waiting ...Child-care incentive to entice sole parents to work ]
• · Ray Cooper, former head of operations for the AFP's internal investigations, told the Nine Network it was well known by the AFP that unwitting passengers were being used as `mules' to shift drugs between Australian domestic airports AFP involved in drug smuggling: ex-detective ; Gaps in Corby prosecution: drug squad chief
• · · In explosive allegations, this former senior AFP officer accuses the Australian Federal Police of shutting down his attempts to investigate such drug trafficking at Australian domestic airports. He explains how his investigations included intelligence suggesting that corrupt NSW and AFP officers were working in league with corrupt airport staff to smuggle drugs into and around Australia Schapelle Corby: A question of innocence; Bali Nine key members smuggled before
• · · · Police have confirmed that all 15 people on board a plane that crashed in far north Queensland are dead No survivors at plane crash site ; The NSW Labor Party has halted all recruitment of new party members in the electorate of Strathfield held by Virginia Judge, the former local mayor No Political Survivors at Strathfield 'stacking'
• · · · · Questions for Richard Florida: The level of immigrants speaks for itself. Sydney has become a hub of talent in the Asia Pacific (region). It has built up its universities and attracted foreign students. Sydney also scores highly on the Gay, Bohemian and Creative indexes. Lauren was born and bred in Sydney and it is amazing how the beat of the city could not be erased even though tropical Queensland was a four year break from the stress of the city. Life is an extreme of feast and famines if you have time you have no money and if you have money you have no time ;-) Why is Sydney attractive: Time-poor v, Time-rich; Folks risk the house for kids' mortgages
• · · · · · Opposition Leader John Brogden has criticised the State Chamber of Commerce for joining forces with the Carr Government in its brawl with the Federal Government over GST funding Brogden angry with chamber: Margy Osmond ; A judgement finds the Government guilty of systemic breaches of its duty of care to mentally ill asylum seekers in Baxter and condemns its outsourcing policy, which Labor promised to abolish at the last election Government policy deepened asylum seekers' mental illness