Conservative Govt: Let Police Search for Guns Without Warrant

Obviously this is not a headline from the U.S.  You really think the NRA would let a conservative elected official get away with something like that?

That headline is from Australia.  The centre-right Premier of New South Wales is proposing some new gun laws.  From ABC News (Australia):

New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell has proposed new laws which will give police greater powers to search people for guns without a warrant.

The changes are to be introduced to Parliament this week and mean police would not need a warrant to search people who have been banned from owning weapons.

Their cars, homes and outlaw motorcycle gang club houses will also be able to be searched without a warrant.

Mr O'Farrell also plans to increase the prison term for anyone convicted of possessing or supplying guns to try to crack down on crime in Sydney.

The jail term will increase from 10 to 14 years.

Update: $30 Minimum Wage Increase

A couple of days ago, it was mentioned that the ACTU (Australian Council of Trade Unions) wanted a $30 minimum wage increase.

A response has come from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry:

Australia's lowest paid wage earners would receive an extra $5.80 a week under a proposal from employer group the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

In its reply to the ACTU's pitch for a $30 increase to the minimum wage, the ACCI says many small businesses would suffer if the ACTU's claim was approved by the Fair Work Commission. 

Unlike in the United States, a government agency, not the Legislative or Executive Branch, sets the minimum wage.  No doubt though, if we tried to set up a agency in this country to regulate the minimum wage, it would get caught up in the political parlor games.

What's interesting is not that the unions are probably not going to get the $30 increase they want.  It's that they are going to get an increase.  Thanks to the Chamber of Commerce lobbyists, a proposal to raise the minimum wage never gets anywhere in this country.  But I forgot, we're the greatest country on Earth.

$30 Minimum Wage Increase

You read that right.  In Australia, the ACTU (Australian Council of Trade Unions) wants a $30 increase in the minimum wage.  From ABC News:

The Australian Council of Trade Unions is pushing for a $30 a week increase to the minimum wage.

The union will ask the Fair Work Commission to grant the increase to 1.5 million low paid workers.

ACTU secretary Dave Oliver says the government has created the economic conditions to make a significant increase affordable.

"We've been concerned for some time that there has been a significant gap emerging between the minimum pay and what the real average weekly earnings are," he said.

"So the claim that we're seeking today will lift the rate from $606 to $636 - but that is still less than what average wage weekly earnings are for the rest of society."

Of course with any talk of a minimum wage increase comes the usual talking points from big business...wait for it:

But Innes Willox from the Australian Industry Group says the wage increase would destroy jobs.

Employers are expected to back a smaller wage rise.

"We all have sympathy for low paid workers, let's make that very clear, but wage increases have to be affordable and workable for the broader economy as well, and they need to be wage increases that allow jobs to be created not jobs to be destroyed," Mr Willox said.

"Unfortunately this claim falls into the latter category.

"It would make it very difficult, nigh on impossible for some employers, particularly those in small businesses or in regional areas to afford to keep staff or engage new staff."

At a Senate Committee hearing recently, there was push back just to raise the minimum wage in the U.S. to $10.10.  And we're the greatest country on Earth?

Overlooked HIV Story

While everyone has focused their attention on a baby in Mississippi born with HIV who was "cured", another story out of Melbourne got my attention.  FYI, the only reason I say "cured" is because the child in question still has traces of the virus in her system.

From ABC News (Australia):

Scientists at Melbourne's Alfred Hospital and Monash University say they hope a world-first treatment for HIV could lead to a cure for the virus.

Researchers say they have used a cancer drug to wake up dormant HIV from its genetic hiding place, making it more susceptible to treatment.

Sharon Lewin, the Alfred Hospital's director of infectious diseases, says 20 patients are taking part in a trial.

"The next step is to follow what happens to those viruses once they've been woken up," she said.

"We're going to be following these patients for a further few years and at the same time, try to focus on how to kill the virus once it's been woken up."

Dr Lewin says researches hope the discovery could eventually lead to a cure for the virus.

"It's a small step in a massively complicated jigsaw puzzle," she said.

"It's a really important step because there are several important reasons as to why we as scientists and clinicians need to start to think about curing HIV rather than keeping people on lifelong treatment."

The very last sentence is the reason why this story grabbed my attention.  HIV/AIDS are bad enough, but we've seen some diseases morph into superbugs and become resistant to antibiotics.  To reiterate, HIV/AIDS is bad enough on its own.  The last thing we need is a superbug version.

Tea Party Wins in Australia

Over the weekend, the Tea Party won a victory in Australia.

A moderate conservative, Gary Humphries, has been defeated and replaced with someone more likely to tow the party line and be more conservative, Zed Seselja.

Antony Green of ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) talked about the possibility of the LNP losing it's ACT Senate seat to the Greens with a Seselja nomination. Albeit unlikely, it could happen:

The Liberal Party is awake to the danger of losing its ACT seat and consistently spends its local advertising budget on Senate ads. The ACT is the only jurisdiction where one of the major parties devotes its advertising budget to a Senate contest. The graph above indicates the Liberal Party has been successful in convincing its supporters not to split their vote. The decision of Family First and the Christian Democrats not to contest recent ACT elections also helps the Liberal Party keep its vote above a quota.

While the Greens continue to talk up their chances of winning the second ACT Senate seat, this is only possible if the Liberal vote falls below 33.3%. While the Liberal vote has fallen at the last two election, that has been in line with national trends. The Greens vote has increased, and Labor has continued to deliver the Greens preferences, but that will not deliver victory in the ACT Senate unless there is a further fall in Liberal vote at the 2013 election.

It may be that local issues surrounding possible public service cuts under a Coalition government could bite in Canberra. However, it would unusual for the Liberal vote to fall to a record low level at the same time as it is increasing in the rest of the country.

While the Liberal Party losing its ACT Senate seat is unlikely, it is a possibility the party has to avoid. Losing the ACT Senate seat would greatly complicate the Senate position of a new Coalition government.

If Mr Seselja goes ahead with his challenge to Senator Humphries, you can expect to hear much about each candidate's level of personal support, Senator Humphries at past election, Mr Seselja at the ACT election last October.

Personally I'd prefer 2 Labor senators, but if shutting out the LNP means electing one Labor and one Green, I guess that's better than nothing.

Headline of the Day: Tampon tax a "bloody outrage"

This headline was too good to pass up without passing on.  From WAtoday:

A Perth university student's pun-ridden online petition against tax on tampons has attracted almost 40,000 supporters.

Sophie Liley from the Women's Department of the University of Western Australia's student guild created the petition earlier this month.

Other essential items and services, such as basic food, water, education, child care and health are exempt from GST, but tampons and sanitary pads attract the 10 per cent charge as part of the goods and services tax, introduced in 2000.

The petition claims there's "no womb in society for a tampon tax," that the tax was "cramping my style" and the tax is described as a "bloody outrage," "a stain on our national image" and a "bleeding disgrace."

While the petition and it's puns are no doubt funny, the student does make a good point:

While Ms Liley has taken a humorous approach to the matter, a letter addressed to Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and other politicians makes some serious points.

"Charging women as a direct result of their basic biology is hugely and fundamentally sexist - especially given that condoms are classified as GST-free essential health products while sanitary items are not," the letter stated.

Now there is a female condom, but 5 will get you 10, it's probably not used to the extent that regular male condoms are.  And how many people actually think the tax free condoms are female condoms versus those used by males? Having said that, if you can classify condoms as "essential health products", how can you not say the same for tampons?

Condoms are used for sex (or sometimes as balloons), which is optional.  Tampons are used for periods, which are not optional.  You won't tax guys for having sex safely, but you will tax women for having biological functions.  I think the point has been made.  Period, end of argument.

Tea Party Australia

As an outsider looking in, I guess you can say the Tea Party is alive and well in Australia.

During the fight over the carbon tax in Australia, Opposition Leader, Tea Party Tony Abbott, said the enactment of a carbon tax was socialism.   During the fight over the Affordable Care Act, the Tea Party and its Republican allies said it was socialism.  Taxes = socialism = bad.  Corporate welfare = capitalism = good.

Tea Party Tony and the rest of the LNP Opposition have done nothing but be the Party of NO.  It seems that if Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Labor are for it, the Tea Party LNP are automatically against it.

Of course to be truly Tea Party, you have to have the Slaughter of the Moderates.  That requires making sure moderates in the conservative party are denied renomination.  One could argue the Slaughter of the Moderates began when Tea Party Tony defeated Malcolm Turnbull for leader of the LNP.  Turnbull had supported the Labor Government's climate change proposal. 

We have that slaughter taking place in Canberra.  Moderate LNP Senator Gary Humphries looks to become the Bob Bennett in Australia.   Flashback...Sen. Bennett (R-UT) was one of the early casualties of the Tea Party movement.  Although reliably conservative, he was caught off-guard and defeated for re-election.  Looks like Humphries is pulling a Bennett.  Humphries has been caught napping and will likely be replaced by a much more ideological and conservative replacement.

God help Australia if Tea Party Tony and his brand of LNP conservatism get to be in power.

Good on Malcolm Turnbull

It's not often I praise conservative politicians, but kudos to Australian MP Malcolm Turnbull.

From The Age:

On Saturday, in the wake of the shooting in Connecticut where 26 people were killed at an elementary school, Mr Turnbull replied to a tweet by Mr Murdoch.

‘‘Terrible news today. When will politicians find courage to ban automatic weapons? As in Oz after similar tragedy,’’ Mr Murdoch said.

Mr Turnbull then observed: ‘‘@rupertmurdoch I suspect they will find the courage when Fox News enthusiastically campaigns for it.’’