POLLIE PARTIES LOSE THE PLOT BY HIDING POLICIES

The Abbort/Turnbum/Mousey Coalition Govt got a big scare when it seemed to lose the unlosable Wentworth seat election of 20 October 2018. For the first time in its over one hundred year existence in Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs – it initially seemed to go in a huge swing to an independent candidate - a female GP who was apparently fed up with being in SCC Mayor’s so-called “independent” team. The swing against the Govt seemed so severe that ABC TV called their loss almost within minutes of the first figures appearing.

The current OZ PM – SloMo, apparently coined the brilliant Tourism slogan “where the bloody hell are you”, in his former job in advertising (Tourism) . This seems to have failed to revive a “boom” in tourism to Australia. Similar propaganda genius by our latest rent-a-PM, had him rushing through head-spinningly stupid captain calls like moving the Aust embassy to Jerusalem – at the behest of their candidate who had just returned from being Ambassador

Despite being the only major candidate who actually lives in Wentworth electorate, Labor’s one called Tim,  could only pip the usual 10% that the Greens could manage. The Greens hippie looking guy at least had some kind of Policy to shout about – stopping an Indian run coal mine  setting up in Queensland. Tim only seemed to have exporting his Party's ex-boat people from Gilligan’s Island to NZ, to go on about. 
The next big election is for the State of NSW itself – where we caught up with the ALP leader Luke Foley on the day of the Wentworth rout by an Independent. Their very own lesbian, previous Newtown seat candidate was there too, lurking with him outside Redfern Town Hall – where some meeting was apparently occurring. Ever hopeful, I asked Luke about decentralisation.

To be precise – whether his NSW Labor Govt due within six month, would build an underground Very Fast Rail section from the City to Parramatta for a proper VFTrain to go to Canberra and then, say north to Gosford. Extended to Melbourne and Brisbane – this could allow the 24/7 Badgery’s Creek airport construction to be cancelled. Instead, a curfew free International airport could operate with VFR link from no curfew Canberra airport, as proposed by former premier Barry (Grange) O’Farrell. 

Presently ALP “policy” is for a very fast single storey driverless, almost seatless Parra Metro – to replace the Gladdy Govt fantasy of a Very Frequent Metro to Bankstown (ripping up present heavy rail track). This ALP favoured westie Metro, being entirely underground – is even more hare-brain an idea as the very-fast driverless BUS proposed for a CDB (residential) hi-rise remake of Liverpool (located near Badgerys Int Airport).

Naturally we didn’t get to say all of this – as he, the former candidate and some union-heavy looking guy, suddenly claimed they had to go to the meeting (except that they just moved away a little). They didn’t disagree with me that Australia was a backward country like the USA – with no real train network, while there are Very Fast Trains all over Europe, China and soon in Africa (plus in India - thanks to China).

THIS WAS WRITTEN ONLY ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE LUCKLESS LUKE WAS TIPPED OUT OF BEING LONGTIME ALP OPPOSITION LEADER BY A CLAIM FROM AN ABC TV REPORTER THAT HE'D TOUCHED HER ACTUAL BUM. HER CLAIMED OF A I WAS TOO PISSED TO REMEMBER, APOLOGY -  DIDN'T STOP HIM BEING THROWN UNDER A BUS. THE DEPUTY LEADER HAS NOW TAKEN OVER AND SWORN OFF BOOZE - WITH THE NEW DEPUTY, THE AFOREMENTIONED ALP EX-CANDIDATE FOR NEWTOWN MP.

Chillingly, the new ALP Opposition leader is mouthing the  radical Feminist mantra, that he Believes the ABC reporter's account - which she apparently only disclosed to the Media after a Gladdy Govt Minister, under Parliamentary privilege accused Foley of "harassment". Pressure mounted for Foley to quit politics sooner rather than later - though he quickly resigned his Opposition leader position, citing his need to sue the ABC for Defamation (denying the allegation the ABC Reporter said she didn't want to make publicly). Oddly, he had just come up with an actual Policy on rail (driverless Metro to south from Sydenham Station, instead of a Toll road M6). 

DOLE NEWS IS BACK IN 2018

NEW CONTENT IS COMING TO THIS PUBLICATION STARTED IN 1976

Our computer resources have now been restored - so it is now easier to get more content on-line here. It has been several years of fairly difficult times, which are not over yet - but things are starting to clear for our organisation. Several community initiatives have been developed over the last few years that we will be talking about.

The situation for the jobless (and disabled partners and collaborators) in Australia continues to change as Govt policies makes the dole less and less a "newstart" proposition (ie unliveably low an amount). The Age Pension is already going up to 67 for eligibility - with a 70 age increase previously threatened by the conservation Coalition federal Govt - (until the new "PM" Scotty decided he'd like to try and win the next Federal election in 2019). For the disabled, the NDIS has become, predictably very bureaucratic and counter to "choice" for disability aid plans.

So we have plenty to talk about - including the diabolical urban environment vandalism by the NSW Gladdy BAAAD Govt, such as turning Alfred Park into a playground for a 14 storey high-rise school. Then there's Sydney City Council "Mono Itch" sculpture $11m fantasy gateway to the George St tram debacle - defacing the heritage QVB, located right next to Sydney Town Hall.. Our website has a Save Our Sydney (SOS) section - but it is still only the paltry old one we now can't update, it seems, at www.unemployedembassy.magix.net - with Flash needed to read it properly.

Also the Email address given on that website is not accessible to us - so we will have to work on the feedback mode to use. Our postal address is in the Sydney YELLOW Directory - whose "website" for the Embassy we hope to figure out soon (ie this year). Meanwhile we are very busy with diabolical problems related to the Police State sort of "nation" we live in - as used against social activists.

Our content has always been like our Embassy projects - designed to keep the jobless and disabled engaged with the "society" (ie The Economy) which is marginalising us from not only enough income to live on - but also full humanity, such as casualised relationships. Coming articles here will look at the Ecology of Charities we have to interact with - for their traditional role of food access. plus also their newer wider "services " that are being Govt funded to do things TO us (not with us) This includes the new National Disability Insurance Scheme.

An interesting comment about the recent supposed cancelling of the increase of Age Pension
(AP) to 70, was supposedly because access of the Mature Aged to employment needed to be fixed before the AP could be raised beyond 67. This is something we've raised in relation to savage anti-mature aged male discrimination by educational institutions like TAFE, preventing Baby Boomers from updating their work skills.

Now there is the growing Revenge Feminist crusade against Middle Age White Males - recently called out by anti YouToo French Women on ABC TV's Foreign Correspondents program , as being a new reverse INQUISITION. Then there's the ABC itself needing serious reform - before its totally replaced by the SBS adverts- funding model (the ALDI of broadcasting). Lots to talk about indeed. Then there are EBooks and Podcasts too - once we can figure out how to make and market/launch them

VIETNAM CONSCRIPTION 50 YEARS ON: BUT ANTI WAR VOICES STILL STRUGGLE TO BE HEARD

“Everyone wants to put in their Two Cent’s worth” scowled Jeff Lee, organiser of the Anti-Conscription get-together and Concert night in October at the big hall at Addison Rd community centre in Annandale in Sydney.

The get-together was in the afternoon, supposedly for anti Vietnam war anti conscription activists to tell their stories – but instead only a high profile draft dodger, Michael Matherson talked (plus another whose emotional account I could barely follow).

This wasn’t helped by the fact that Jeff had put the featured speakers on the floor of the hall – while the microphones where only on the stage.

He had made out earlier that I could also join in, given I’d written some major anti-war poems at the time one long one that was published in the Wayside Chapels DELOS magazine in about 1970 (which I likely read out publically there). I was also showing the “organisers” an article in the Sydney Telegraph newspaper in 1971 – about how I’d made a film about the Sydney anti-war Moratorium.

Putting a knife in my front, Jeff dismissed my participation in the poorly attended (less than 20) get-together – with his Two Cents remark at the end, to the audience. Next there was the memorial Columns to launch at the entrance – after Jeff admitted he’d let the Agent Orange guy ramble on too long. The later Concert afterall, was advertised to be a fund-raiser for the victims of that deadly defoliant used in Nam to get rid of the trees so the “gooks” would be more easily killed. Some connected to the Agent Orange issue were clearly actually in favour of the Vietnam War - just against being poisoned for generation as Oz soldiers there, by Agent Orange.

I later asked Jeff if I could just read my shorter poem at the Concert – which his sub-organiser wanted to happen, but Jeff just groaned (very loudly and quite publicly). That powerful poem of mine, questioning religion was most likely read out at Wayside Chapel question time - nearly 50 years ago.

However, earlier he was suddenly interested in how I videoed the talk by Michael from my tripod in the audience – sadly without mic amplification being supplied, so it won’t be usable without volume increase in post-prod. I also videoed Aquarius organiser Mathew Dunstan, who had a great loud voice – with both of them approving my videoing afterwards (offering them a video copy). Mathew said some very interesting things about the then counterculture movement - that helped stop conscription.

Jeff had quickly approached me, offering to pay “expenses” for my video coverage – given I was the only person videoing those two key speakers. However later, after his big Groan against me asking to just read my short great anti Vietnam war poem at the Concert (that he didn’t bother to even look at) I just pissed off before the concert. Jeff had been publically nasty at me at a Politics in Pub years before, so I really couldn't believe his “expenses” offer for making videos - and getting copyright permission to cover songs at the Concert would be just too hard.

AtTAPGalleryevent days before the Concert – Jeff was hugely late and hadn’t replied to my email weeks before about how I had my Morayorium based  film to play. A woman had already complained to me there that Jeff had been very rude to her recently to which I replied that he spread it around. Given that he seemed only to have USA film DVDs to play when he did arrive, I took off before he could recognise me (I hoped) - and orobably give me a hard time again. 

At the Addisson St event days later, he kept introducing me to people as the guy who USED to produce (ie edit for UPE) Dole News plus other completely wrong claims, again ignoring the UPE – (that I was forced to keep correcting). Not much fun for me, but the female Co-ordinator of the Addison St complex just loves him it seems, as he “gets things going”.

What he really got going that will remain, perhaps, was her memorial Columns at the centre’s entrance – which was launched (before the Agent Orange Concert) with a full smoking-ceremony. However she had a mic and little amp to let the speakers compete with the passing traffic – so I videod some of that. The smoking ceremony Aboriginal guy told some women not to video him (just photograph).

There are mostly nonmilitary plaques, though the place is full of old Nissan huts – as it was originally an army base for receiving 1960’s conscripts. Luckily I got out of that long enough for Whitlam to just stop it. I'm not sure anti war activists will be featured much on tiny $70 plaques on the memorial Columns - since those who "served" are priority. Yet another War Memorial it seems

CLOVER'S COLONY COUNCIL BLOCKS POOR READING THIS AWARDED SOCIAL JUSTICE SITE

Australia's oldest "democratic" government body, Sydney City Council - is now blocking internet computer access to this and other Unemployed Peoples Embassy websites - at it public computers (in its public libraries and community centres). This draconian anti-democratic action was taken in November 2014, with no notice to our longtime registered non profit human rights organisation - let alone with any "reason" offered for doing it.

The chilling part of this is that our awarded publication, Dole News - published first in 1976, is now virtually unavailable to the jobless and other disadvantaged people in the inner Sydney area. Dole News, which received a grant from the Human Rights Commissionthrough its publisher, Unemployed Peoples Embassy in 1984 - now rarely is able to produce issues through printing/photocopying, as it had no further public funding to do it (let alone public donations).

DOLE NEWS has constantly exposed government corruption, such as fake "work tests" by the Commonwealth Employment Service in the 1970's and 80's - used to unfairly cut jobless off the dole (see our book "WORK TEST"). More recently it has exposed the dirty tricks of the Job Network and Sydney TAFE to exlude middle aged males and males with diasabilities. Oddly, there has been little change in content for Dole News since the 2014 Federal Budget - excepr updating some of the TAFE material - that mysteriously went missing.

Google had some log-in block to a couple of our Dole News based blogs - which we hope is temporary. By the way, the UPE grant from Human Tights Commission for Dole News was awarded in 1984. Big Brother is certainly watching 30 years later !!

JOBLESSRADIO

Unemployed Peoples Embassy is currently webcasting from http://undergroundradio.redfernccradio.com

Also there are recordings of the Ultimo TAFE bullying of a middle aged male student with physical disability to be webcast. More of younger student bullying emails are now being released on: http://unemployedpeoplesembassy-masks.blogspot.com

ABBORT GOVT CRUEL REACTIONARY BUDGET 2014

The small-target Abbort opposition leader, with his three word slogans - has now been revealed as a great deceiver with his first Budget in government. Breaking the few promises he made before the last election (regarding Medicare, pensions and Gonski funding etc) - his Budget falsely claims to Share The Pain by giving the super rich a light haircut - while cutting off the poor at the knees.The $7 GO tax will supposedly go to a medical research bank (future fund) to discover disease cures that only the rich will get benefit from.

Conession card holders will have to pay $7 for their first ten visits to a GP each year - plus $5 extra for every prescription at the chemist. Jobless under 25 will only be able to get the Youth Allowance, which is quite a lot less even than the dole. Meanwhile people losing a job under 30 will have to wait six months before they can get any jobless allowance AT ALL. No govt funded full time job creation is being proposed - though youth unemployment is at least twice that of over 25's unemployment. People under 35 on Disability Support Presion will be "reassessed" for it by Govt paid "experts" every 3 months or so. They will not be assisted into employment by the $10,000 grant over two years going to employers who take them on (like the jobless over 50 are going to get).

The Unemployed Peoples Embassy (UPE) continues to seek support and funding to revive its successful Odd Job Centre (OJC) project - first established in 1978. It had young jobless and disabled people as members, who volunteered to run its office at 41 Phillip St Sydney and do paid casual work for clients externally. It operated later in two successive site in Kings St Newtown/ St Peters. Its last site received a one off grant of $500 for the UPE from Marrickville Council for the later. Contact us on odd_job_centre@hotmail.com - for more details or support. The OJC included the Creatoive Media Workshop with music and songwriting performing projects - and now is adding more website and video production.
The phone number of the UPE is in the Sydney WHITE pages. POSTED 15 MAY 2014

This blog network is now more difficult to update. The publishing dates shown by Google are now incorrect. Though there does seem to be some limit way around adding new text - a new website is now being sought for UPE background information - which is now unreadable on the MAGIX websites (which have lost their formating).

"HIPPIE DOLE" LAW BITES BACK

MINING, FARMING, TOURISM CAN'T GET LOCAL WORKERS!

Due to lack of political foresight by the major political parties, Australia is now having to import temporary workers to fill regional and remote jobs. It was the Keating "Labor"govt that brought in the insane "hippi dole" law to stop the jobless from escaping high rents and homelessness in the city. The law cut the jobless off the dole for a number of months for moving to a regional area deemed to be of "lesser employment opportunities". The even crazier Howard govt, doubled the cut off period to about a year. This meant that jobless were discouraged from trying to find cheaper rents and casual farming/tourism work in country centres. Even moving from Sydney to the Blue Mountains could have you lose the dole. If you move to Katoomba to get three months seasonal work in a cafe there - will you be allowed to get back on the dole when that work runs out?

On top of that, the dole allows the jobless to earn less than half the amount that pensioners and tertiary students are allowed to earn, before Centrelink starts to reduce it. The Gillard govt, in other words, expects the jobless to work for the dole with income from arduous casual work.  The Minister  Shorten (ex union boss) constantly backs Gillard's ravings about how the jobless won't take full time work if they can keep earnings from casual and part time work. Instead Centrelink's highly paid Brisbane based hit squad, is being funded to come after jobless who don't fully declare their casual work earnings (and pesky middle aged males trying to retrain at TAFE for employment as well). They just can't afford to live in the city, but can't ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY.

The jobless are usually better off living outside Australian cities, (which are the most unaffordable in the world to live in). They can still apply for city jobs and even give a city relative's address as their "residential" address. They can easily travel to the city if they are ever offered a job interview. However, the "job network" won't like that, as they like living in the city. A lot of regional workers -like farmers, teachers, chefs have taken off to earn heaps driving trucks for the multinational mining companies. City based jobless could take over those vacated roles, while still living only four hours or so from major cities. Of course fast rail would make the travel distance to regional centres shorter, but Sydney hasn't even got a serious international airport yet - so what chance is there of real decentralisation happening.

Australia has the least decentralised population in the world. We also have the highest migration rate in the world, with most of the mostly NESB migrants moving to our main already overcrowded and dysfunctional major cities. Of course modern politicians don't like the idea of the jobless living in regional areas and maybe having a backyard to grow some food in. They want us all to be crowded into city blocks of flats (like a feedlot, as Tony Windsor puts it). The business interests who back them, want concentrated populations - that  are easier to sell their stuff to (ie market density). The govt would rather import temporary workers for outback jobs, as well as import mass culture - rather than properly fund arts in this country. Whose country is this anyway?