Of cats and the Bible



This toon deals with a few funny and also strange issues of the week. You no doubt know of the cat fighting between Julia Gillard and Julie Bishop, well I couldn't let that go without a dig.

Rudd telling us all a few weeks ago how we must all tighten our belts whilst the ministry give themselves another pay rise....

And of course the Hon. ALP Minister James Bidgood is at the fanatical side of things again by talking about his belief in Bible prophecy and in particular how we are now all at the "END OF DAYS" (maybe Rudd believes it too, that's why he hands out 10 billion dollars which will do nothing more than make a third of the population feel good over Christmas and absolutely nothing to stimulate this economy) whilst he takes candid photos of a troubled man attempting suicide and then tries to sell them to newspapers.

Very Strange week indeed? ...naaaah. Just typical of the looney bin that is our Parliament House.

Rudd is a spendthrift Leftist after all



What more can I say but "I TOLD YOU SO " The great self proclaimed "fiscal conservative" K Rudd, has not only halved the Howard created surplus in just 12 months but he openly admits that he will need to take it ALL now and put the nation back into a deficit!

Obviously more deception as he tries to spin the line that it's all necessary due to the sub prime collapse and the looming " Global Financial CRISIS". Give me a break !

This country is well insured against the problems facing the U.S.A and Europe. With Asia / sub continent and especially China in such great financial shape (Japan not included) and the massive fiscal strengths of our banks and the low unemployment (by the way that will be the next thing he will blame on the rest of the world if those figures go south to fast, due to the free market) not to mention the strength of our dollar and the massive resources that we still own and have, this Socialist Criminal of a PM wants to use the safety net to bail out his even more economically corrupt brothers and sisters in the state governments (sounds like Wall Street all over again, rewarding failure and greed).

As I have said all along , this ideology is not about improving the lives of "Working Families " (don't hear that one much these days do you?) rather it's about throwing money at failing state infrastructure -- failures largely caused by ALP "spend like a drunken sailor " economic policy. He is trying to bring some sense of normality back to a political party that has for so long been on the nose (especially in New South Wales ) in an attempt to save his political hide in the next federal election. He really is looking and planning for the future.... it's just that it hasn't got anything to do with us.

Comment from the Treasurer (Costello) who created the Future Fund here. He says Rudd is creating unnecessary panic as a cover for his cash grab

A whole Ruddy year behind us



Well doesn't time fly while you're having fun. I'll bet that is what the PM thought when he realised that he has now been in the top job for one full year. For me the year has hardly flown nor has it been fun. KRudd has spent almost 70 days overseas, apparently representing you and me .....NOT ME FOLKS! I haven't agreed with ANYTHING that this man has done! Symbolic gestures and populous posturing to appease the loony left and most of it very dangerous to the greater good of the country, none less so than the ratification of Kyoto.

I know an Australian Prime Minister needs to make the odd overseas handshake but really to go to every possible event happening just because he can is in my opinion an abuse of his office. Don't we not have a Foreign Minister and Ambassadors to represent Australia? Of course we do but this PM lives like and I honestly believe thinks that he is a kind of Rock Star (thanks to the support of the Lame Stream Media).

I do believe though that this trend will end in 09 if he is listening to his advisers -- because I can't recall such a groundswell of disappointment in a first year PM since the Fraser days. One thing is for sure, the groundswell will erupt when people start to feel the true financial bite that is to come in 09 and the UNNECESSARY pain that will be caused when we all have to fork out the new global tax that is Carbon Trading. I can only hope that this will be enough pain to bring the punters back to their senses come election time in 2010.

A once-dominant political party is now in its death throes in NSW

Could it drag Federal Labor down with it?

News item: "The NSW Labor head office has drawn up a list of parliamentary seats "in crisis" indicating up to 32 MPs, including Premier Nathan Rees, are at risk of being thrown out of office at the next election following anger over the scrapping of free student travel from next year. The list, which includes Mr Rees' seat of Toongabbie, has been drawn up as part of the party's targeted seat campaign for the 2011 election, The Daily Telegraph reports. Other seats with margins of less than 15 per cent include Parramatta, Penrith, Granville, Riverstone and Mulgoa - all in Labor's western Sydney heartland."

If you believe in a true and strong democracy then you would have to agree that this can only be the case when you have an opposition that can offer a clear and alternative choice with regards to the policies that run said democracy.

What we are seeing here in New South Wales is an opposition party that is very happy to keep the media spotlight on the failing incumbent government as it continues to spiral down the polls whilst offering no real solutions to any of the problems that the state faces.

Pretty bad eh ? BUT WAIT, this is after all, politics.

What appeared to me at first as political cross dressing, when Barry O'Farrell took the opposite ideological stance to the NSW power grid sell off now seems to have been a more farsighted political strategy and not a populist take at all.

By not siding with Iemma then he has now exposed the ALP for what they are, a party not for the people but rather for the ALP and its own power. The mismanagement and corrupt behaviour of the last 13 years can now be seen for what it is truly is.

Let's not forget that this state government isn't due for a re election until March 2011 and that nothing short of a miracle that will save them this time around.

Also remembering that the Federal election is due at the end of 2010. I believe that any Labor franchise that puts its held up over the trench at an election will well and truly be dispatched by the voters of New South Wales whether federal or state -- due to what has been happening and what we now know.

Assuming this is true you would also assume that Kevin 07 might just have a chat to Premier Rees about this and force him to fall on his sword by calling an early election for the good of Federal Labor.

Barry may be silent on policy now but I believe that policy is there and waiting for the election date to be set when it will ring loud and clear in the minds of the punters as the only alternative choice and release from 13 long years of state Labor failure.

The ship is going down

And the next election will finish it



This is my response to the Rees/Roozendaal first mini budget. The NSW government has slashed more than $3 billion from its planned spending for the next four years, as today's mini-budget confirms the state will record a deficit of $917 million this financial year.

You have to feel a little sorry for the new Premier and treasurer. I mean really what Carr and too some extent Iemma (let's not forget Costa) left these guys with, is it any wonder that they have to do this and have to admit to the almost 1 billion dollar deficit.

I really am sick of being cynical towards this mob because it is just too easy to do so. Truly I would like to just one day draw a "well done!" type of toon, alas I feel that I will just have to wait until 2011 like every other New South Welshman. At least Rees is cutting out the spin when it comes to the state of the financial situation. I hope this is a trend that continues.

Check out the full story here

Bali bombers



Hopefully by the time you see this cartoon many Australians and others around the world will feel a definite closure or sense that JUSTICE has been done finally. After 6 years and many appeals these cowards who now proclaim martyrdom in their sick and backward cause yet still till the very end appealed the death sentence.

Unlike their fellow Jihadists who took on the devils horns with vigour and dedication to their deluded cause by actually disintegrating themselves as they murdered the innocent, these three pieces of human trash cowardly attempted escape.

There will be no great "whore house" in the sky for these three, just fires and brimstone as they are welcomed by the likes of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.




No free travel for NSW schoolkids now

Cut back the bureaucracy? No way! Much better to cut back on things that actually help people, apparently



The other toon is certainly not as poignant but once again sets about explaining the true depth of fiscal disaster the state of New South Wales is now in, petrol prices aside. To call it "free transport" is another example of political spin, governments don't have money, only taxes to spend.

This transport issue for school children is another example of a corrupt system that has finally caught up with itself. Why are children that don't use the services still being charged by the transport companies both public and private?. Whether you send your kids to Private or Public schools makes no difference to me, but it does to these socialist criminals who still believe in the class warfare battle and ignore that up to 50 percent of all Private school children come from very middle class working families because these mothers and fathers are sickened by the failure of the public education system.

How is it that the Political Party for the working family is now going after parents who are feeling the financial pinch more than ever now and forcing them to search for more money to send their children to school as safely and economically as possible?

I hope that the leader of the opposition, Barry O'Farrell, uses this ALP money grab to restore faith in his party with the punters by reversing it and wiping the floor with these clowns come the next election.

Some things endure



Let me say this, Worry is a useless emotion. It achieves nothing and sometimes people confuse it with normal concern; a healthy concern is just that, healthy.

I don't have an answer to the current financial concerns, who does? I guess, even more and more we are seeing the wisdom behind that old saying "Save for a rainy day".

I believe the answers, as always, lie in history. Here's the problem as I see it. Our society is so wedded to the "have now, pay later" mentality and, combined with that, generations of people who have not grown up without a sense of shame when having to borrow small amounts of money.

When I was a teenager I thought that my grandparents Conservative Values were outdated nonsense. It's only in the last ten years that I can see how prophetic those views and their words truly were and just what they were trying to teach me. Their views were no accident, developed because of two World Wars with a Global Depression in between.

Let's face it, since the 60's we have all been spoilt by relative peace, brainwashed by the social engineers (Marxists) and by the introduction of the credit card, etc and now people are panicking and can't understand why a politically selfish and irresponsible move by the likes of ex Presidents Clinton and Carter to force lenders to give to those who could not pay back should now affect them on the other side of the world and affect their hard-earned superannuation.

There's your free market for you! The only advice I could offer you (not that you were asking for any!) is what I tell anyone who is "worrying" about the immediate future: Put simply, that this will sort itself out in time, and to face some facts -- like you can't have the ups without the downs -- and make sure to prepare yourself and your children and children's children to think carefully before they buy anything, maintain a disciplined work and saving ethic, SAVE MONEY/FORGET CREDIT on small items and live by the old rule of "Never a borrower or a lender be". All almost impossible to do in a capitalist society but you know what I mean.

My Grand Parents and Mother were never wealthy nor poor (Liverpool UK, Working Class) but they all owned their own homes and always had a good feed under the belt and plenty for visitors.

I think the word I am looking for in this sermon is "FRUGAL LIFESTYLE "......yes that's it. It will get better .....you can bank on it (pun intended).

The Labor Party rout in the NSW by-elections

(For non-residents of NSW, the toon portrays Labor Party Premier Nathan Rees. Iemma and Carr are his predecessors. Fuller details of the by-election results are here)

Well, were the weekend by-elections a decisive victory for a return to commonsense, a "Shellacking" as this new lame duck Premier put it himself?

In some respects yes. I only wish that the punters had been a little bit more switched on to the truth about this New South Wales Government back in March 2007, a true vote of no confidence then would have meant that we didn't have to put up with these clowns until 2011.

There was however a very disturbing result in the marked approval for the only other alternative government outside of the Libs and that was the support given to those far left loonies aka The Greens. Talk about choosing the lesser of two evils!

And as you can see, this result only makes me more determined to want a true conservative independent party (sorry the Libs aren't it) to stand up for the silent majority who are so disillusioned with the mainstream political parties that they are willing to throw away a perfectly good vote on a bunch of Marxists Crazies.

So one step forward and one step back.

I am pleased for the people of Ryde but lets hope that this new Liberal seat is not just a flash in the pan -- a success only to be lost again to the ALP or (God forbid) The Greens. That come 2011 the Reverend Peter Garrett is proved wrong again and that the good folk of New South Wales DON'T have SHORT MEMORIES.

They get you one way or the other



"Trust Me, I'm from the Government". Sure heard that before -- and after all wasn't it leftist liberal GOVERNMENT POLICY that got us in to this mess in the first place!. Along with a good dose of greed (a human attribute, not purely the domain of any government) so what else can we do?

We have and always will need to trust the untrustworthy and that is the Catch 22 situation that most of us find our lives in. Sure the banks are strong NOW, and confidence is climbing, a great thing but what is a greater thing is the rocketing to reality effect that the last few weeks have had on us all.

For too long we have been at the beach, at the barbie, watching the footy, drinking our grog and letting our beautiful days go buy with neither a care in the world that there would be anyone who would want to stuff around with paradise as we know it....WELL NOW YOU KNOW, your paradise is always under attack and if you really want to keep it you have to fight for it .

You fight by being less apathetic towards the world of business and politics and start to develop a sense of responsibility and personal pride in yourself and country, think carefully about the issues that effect us not just now but in the future and vote accordingly, read more books and stop listening to the mainstream media exclusively as if they have the final say.

One final point, when are we going to get a political leader that will actually care about improving the lives of our elderly? Ask this question of your local member and when that answer comes back (probably spin) hold them to it , use the media and your freedom of speech to force these spivs to keep their word.

Here endeth the lesson. I am trying to prove the great H.L. Mencken wrong regarding his philosophy on the plight of western democracy..... If you don't know who or what I am talking about (most of my correspondents do though) then can I suggest you start reading more. Go to Google and source this man and his work, it's satirical yet eye opening thought and opinion.

Changed times: 1948 versus 2008



The bailout has happened!...well I for one will never call it a "bailout" because it is nothing less than MASSIVE THEFT! Governments do not have money, they have only tax payers' money and that money is to serve the tax payer, NOT to nationalise the PRIVATE financial and insurance systems.

What has happened here is a designed and well conceived crime against the American people and their constitution. It will effect us all globally for many years to come.

The design for a socialist move on the economy goes way back to Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton (please bypass Ronald Reagan) and now the fake conservative that is George W Bush (more proof that liberalism is a Mental Disorder) has fallen right into the trap to the applause of an incompetent Congress and the condemnation of the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (probably the first female fascist dictator of the U.S.)

This is where Obama will (if he wins?) step in and continue the Marxist dream of turning this once great democratic power into a totalitarian run Communist State by slowly but surely changing hard fought conservative and democratic policies in the name of change and the lie that the American people want and need this.

Yes folks, it is the beginning of the U.S.S.R.A. Do a little research for yourself into how Hitler did exactly the same thing to Germany.

In closing I will borrow a quote from the great author and satirist H.L. Mencken ........"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. "

God help us all

Pigs at the trough everywhere

So much going on in the news of the world lately, I have felt like a kid in a Lolly Shop! From media "gotchas" about the pot smoking past of pollies...if that isn't the pot (no pun intended) calling the kettle black ... backfired nicely on the media hypocrites because Malcolm Turnbull came out of it looking like an honest man with guts. He also showed up about a third of the ALP who definitely had a puff or ten in their youth!

The ever moving PM's big moment was at the UN and his meet with Bono (does this useful idiot have a fold out bed in the grand hall?). Anyway, too bad Kev, no one noticed and guess what? no one cares!

The PM will realise very soon that when money is out the door, soft headed ideology such as the Global Warming scam flies straight out of the window. Now that the global fiscal chickens have come home to roost and the "social welfare, credit for all, we shall not discriminate", bullsh*t has been exposed for the road to ruin that is was expected to be, we are now finding out that G W Bush should be in the Democrat Party as he is clearly a fiscal socialist.

Kevin 707, who told everyone that he was a "fiscal conservative" during the last election has once again been shown up as a man of big words and no action by supporting the nationalisation of the US banking and insurance industry. If Hugo Chavez had done it he would have been rightfully labelled a Communist (which he is) but when a capitalist does the same thing they are held up as saving the world...what a very dangerous joke this is !



And what lesson has been learnt by offering social welfare to the Wall street mafia and robbing the US taxpayer by doubling the national debt?..none !

Of course we can all escape for 80 minutes this Saturday due to the upcoming NRL Grand Final, whilst Morris Iemma tries to get a little more than he is entitled to because HE believes that he deserves it!?! HA !

NEWS ITEM: "New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees is under pressure to refuse his predecessor extra perks after Morris Iemma enquired about his entitlements. A spokesman for Mr Rees has refused to confirm newspaper reports that the former premier asked for similar benefits to those of his predecessor, Bob Carr, when he made the enquiries. Mr Carr is entitled to the perks, such as a driver and office assistant, but Mr Iemma did not serve the minimum four years to qualify for them. The Opposition and the Greens say that would be outrageous. Greens MP Lee Rhiannon says Mr Iemma's regular entitlements are more than adequate. "His annual super pay-out is more than $100,000 and he gets free travel for life," she said.

The pigs above are all former Premiers of New South Wales

Whose republic?

News item : "Kevin Rudd has called on newly appointed Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull to throw his support behind the push to make Australia a republic. Mr Rudd said bipartisan support would be needed to create a republic and Mr Turnbull had been a longstanding advocate of the change. "It's a great honour to be elected as a leader of one of Australia's large political parties and therefore I extend my congratulations to Mr Turnbull and his family," Mr Rudd told reporters. “I also say to Mr Turnbull, I look forward to working with him on a bipartisan basis on as many national challenges as possible. “One of those national challenges for the future of Australia will be our move towards a republic.”

I haven't done a cartoon for the new opposition leader of the Federal Liberal Party but I must admit it wasn't hard to come up with something. I am pleased about Malcolm Turnbull's appointment because at last we have a conservative who will actually fight, he has that bulldog about him and I am a little biased as he is an old boy of Vaucluse Public School (best years of my life spent there).

Rudd threw out the Republican olive branch to try and distract us all, again! but to Turnbull's credit he exposed that for the stunt that it was. Clearly the debate about a Republic will be on the table again and with the pull coming from both the left and the right I can see a little trouble ahead for the old Union Jack.

Can they actually offer us a new constitution (and Flag) that will be a lot better than the present? As I always say "If it ain't broke......?

Let's see what they have to offer down the track on that one, I am keeping an open mind about it. Remember if anyone becomes President of this country it will only be with the blessing of the majority and not with the help of the media government complex and the useful idiots in celebridoom.

Shuffling the deckchairs in NSW

(The Hon. Morris IEMMA, BEc, LLB MP was Premier of New South Wales from 3 August 2005 until his resignation on 5 September 2008. He is the son of a Calabrian Communist but was a member of the Right wing faction of his Leftist party. He tried to privatize the State-owned power stations but was successfully opposed by unionists in that, ultimately leading to his resignation. He has left a large budget problem for his successors, Left-faction Nathan Rees and deputy Carmel Tebbut. Latest update here )

What a week in NSW politics eh! Talk about a week being a long time in politics.

Sure Morris is gone and good riddance but really the deck chairs are just being rearranged on the Titanic and if there is any way that Ress and Tebutt can get this broken down wreck of a state back on the road and "heading in the right direction "... well... that will be nothing less than a miracle.

The fact that Rees is now shortlisting a multiple disaster case like Tripodi (economic credentials aside ) or the disgraced Della-Bosca to run the NSW Treasury speaks loudly of my previous comment, simply madness.

If the opposition leader Barry O'Farrell doesn't think he is being watched even more closely than ever now by conservatives and the disillusioned, swinging voters alike and start to fight and expose the true underbelly of this insidious snake that the so called majority (?) voted for then he and the Libs can stay in opposition for another term.

What this state and this country needs is a return to true conservative values and a complete rejection of the Marxist/Socialist path that we are running down. The woes that we face now are the direct result of 40 years of a social engineering experiment that has failed to change our society's outlook into anything but the lawless, corrupt and greed-driven ideology that drives ALL Communist countries globally.

The false claims of the have/have not crowd that there is a class war going on simply no longer gel with anything that we see now because -- and I know it's a cliche -- "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely".

There are a few in the Liberal Party that know this but their left faction is so strong at present that I fear it will take a true Conservative/Nationalist Independent and nothing less than a social revolt before we can eradicate the mental disorder of liberalism that has infected every aspect of our lives.

Anyway , keep laughing at the lampoonery and if you agree with me then keep fighting the radical left before they achieve their ultimate goal in Australia and that is to destroy free speech and democracy.

Move On, Nothing to see here !‏

Cowardly Cowdery. The reluctant prosecutor again: "FEDERAL MP Belinda Neal and her husband John Della Bosca have been cleared of any charges over the Iguanas nightclub incident that took place in June. NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery today told police there was no prospect of any charges brought against the power couple being successful. "In relation to Ms Neal, MP, I advise that in my view there is insufficient evidence to support any criminal charge against NSW law," Mr Cowdery said in his brief. "In relation to Mr Della Bosca, MLC, I also advise that in my view there is insufficient evidence to support any criminal charges against NSW law. "In relation to other persons I advise that there is insufficient evidence to support any criminal charges against NSW law. Earlier today, the commonwealth DPP also said there would be no federal charges brought"

I guess it's always easy to use hindsight but I did say in an earlier blog that if anyone thought that either of these ALP pollies were going to be in anyway convicted of a crime that I have a lovely bridge in Sydney that I am sure you would like to buy.

No folks, nothing will ever stick to an ALP politician and this Iguana Joe's scandal will go down in history as a case in point. As far as the media cycle is concerned it's over and I doubt that the Police will ever go against the Federal and State D.P.P decision not to prosecute.

The real shame of it all is that justice has again evaded the high and -- dare I say it -- "naive" expectations of Mr & Mrs Australia.

The Della Boscas would have done far better to have had this case heard in a court of law and then they could hold their heads high win or lose in the knowledge that they defended their strongly held accounts of the incident without fear of failure. But, no, they have been given this get out of jail free card by the D.P.P so they can just keep their heads down for me.

There is no great loss to the public. Belinda will never get pre-selection and sits on no committees any more and the hubby is about to go down with the ship in the next state election. Therefore maybe it's me who is naive in thinking that these two really do care about what the rest of us think.

Also the convenient announcement today of Minister John Watkins retirement (there's another rat leaving the sinking ship) proving that the pollies still know how to use the media machine.

I can only hope that public closure may still be achieved if the Independent Commission Against Corruption (I.C.A.C) can proceed with a public enquiry.....somehow I doubt it, don't you?

The Sin of Spin‏

We read: “The New South Wales Health Minister Reba Meagher has justified her decision to talk up the performance of the state's hospitals in the face of being labelled a charlatan by the Opposition. Ms Meagher has been criticised for selectively releasing details of an annual report card to show public hospitals were performing above national benchmarks. She has been forced to concede that some hospitals, such as Gosford, Campbelltown and Canterbury, are not meeting the targets. Gosford Hospital performed below target in all but the most serious emergency cases, with only 40 per cent of triage two category patients being seen within 10 minutes, well underneath the 80 per cent benchmark. But Ms Meagher says the system overall has improved.”

Ahhhh the great sin of spin, they ALL do it so well but no one has truly mastered it like the current New South Wales State Government. I am sure if you live in any other state that you are experiencing similar issues of incompetence and bureaucratic bungling in the public health system. Granted any large publicly run infrastructure will always have it's speed humps and issues -- no system is perfect -- but I am talking about the N.S.W Department of Public Health and in particular the State Government that has allowed what was once a very efficient and first world standard health system slip into something close to third world conditions.

There are a plethora of reported incidents ranging from administration mishaps causing undue waiting of health services up to criminal neglect resulting in death. Not one or two cases but scores and scores every year. For this Minister of Health Reba Meagher to hold up a report that gives support to her outlandish claims that this system and the hospitals in particular have never been better !... well it's just an insult to the intelligence and more proof that politicians really do think that we are ALL stupid. I guess some of us are because we keep voting these spivs in and they keep stuffing it up.

If you can afford it , please get yourself and your family privately covered, whilst the N.S.W Department of Health just keep sweeping it all under the carpet for the next minister or government to discover. Don't blame the nurses or the hospital staff , they do a hell of a job with very little pay and support from above.

Flower Power? No just more madness from within

We read: “Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon today defended Australian soldiers accused of mistreating prisoners in Afghanistan by locking them overnight in dog pens. But the incident has angered Muslim leaders and the Australian Greens, who say the troops made a “big mistake”. A defence inquiry report, released on Friday, found there was no evidence four Taliban suspects detained by Australian troops in April had been mistreated.”

When are we Australians going to stop giving a voice to the madness of the Greens and help them on their way to political extinction? Bob Brown must be suffering from the mental disorder that is Liberalism because of his criticism of our soldiers FIGHTING A WAR that is just and in your, yes YOUR, best interests

Hon. Bob Brown M.P is clearly more evidence of the deluded state that the left have found themselves in. They are supporting the Taliban in the name of human rights.

Surely the Greens understand that under Sharia law they will not be allowed to exist. These so called freedom fighters execute homosexuals such as Bob and many those who fall outside of their 9th century world view.

Touchy feely tree huggers would be seen as an anathema to the Jihadist. Just as disturbing as Brown's comments and also not surprising is the leftist Media which salivated over this story giving this madness a platform to be heard over and over again.

Now I am all for freedom of speech and Brown can say what he likes, as ridiculous as it is, because this way the enemy within can be easily identified. Yet still the supportive and UNDERSTANDING comments of the usual useful idiots in the press and on the radio waves -- not to mention the endless supportive blogs -- has yet again illustrated that anyone in this country who still believes in conservative values such as Borders, Language and Culture, had better start taking serious note that the enemy is within the gates and wants to fight you to the death.

This has also been a nice distraction from the buffoonery in Parliament today.

A book is fine but what about some action?

(We read: "Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard has used literacy week to belittle former treasurer Peter Costello, who is releasing a book next month. Ms Gillard mocked Mr Costello for appearing indecisive as he has failed to spell out whether he is staying in politics or retiring. She noted the company publishing Mr Costello's book, Melbourne University Press, has the motto "books with spine". "We await this great entry into the literary world - a book with spine from a politician without one," she said in Question Time after a question about literacy week").

Someone is launching his first book soon. Personally I am looking forward to reading it and will reserve my judgement until I have read it

.... unlike Gillard whose incredible foresight has prophesied that it will go straight to paperback and that the spine is sold separately

.... heehaw (TIC) funny stuff Julia but please leave the cheap shot comedy to comedians and get on with the job of smashing the militant teachers' union and making the department of education a public institution that is accountable to the people of Australia. We would all like to see a little less conversation and a little more action please,..... thanks Elvis !

As for the author Peter Costello, good luck to him, I hope he makes millions -- but for Christ's sake if the man still wants the top job then state it loud and clear.

What he and his supporters are doing now is nothing less than political rape of the party. If the Federal Liberal members in the Costello or Turnbull camps do not stop facilitating the left wing media complex with statements of disunity and start standing firmly united behind their leader then they can expect a long time in opposition and it will be no fault of the opposition no matter how much these socialist scum pull this country further down to a third world level. They may sound a little conservative at present but don't be fooled, a leopard never changes it's spots , red or blue.

Just look at the largest capitalist country in the world at present......China . Sure they love to trade with the West but make no mistake, the bear is still a murderous Commie even though it watches the world on a plasma TV.

Unprincipled conservatives in NSW

Power FROM the People

Well, if you live in New South Wales then this cartoon speaks loudly for itself, no need to explain the nitty gritty behind it and if you don't live in New South Wales then you probably couldn't care less.

However if you don't care less then you are more than likely the type of person who allows socialist criminals such as the NSW ALP to become elected. Talk about a blurring of the political ideological lines. Here you have a socialist government in a constant fight with the Unions and wants to sell off control of traditionally state run utilities and on the other hand the more conservative and capitalist party is opposed to the sale of the power grid!!!

Ahhhhhhh, when the Libs get in, they will most likely try to sell it off as well. The current opposition coming from opposition leader Barry O'Farrell is simply to assist Morris Iemma in his slow self destruction as leader.

Sit back Barry -- because the hard left of his party and party faithful will see to that happening. Personally I want Iemma to be leading the ALP to the next election because then the job for the Libs will be that much easier.



For readers outside NSW, the fence-sitter is the leader of the NSW "conservative" opposition, Barry O'Farrell and the whistler is the NSW Labor Party Premier Morris Iemma. The stickers on the car read: "Kevin 07", "I heart whales" and "unions".

Read more here about the disgraceful betrayal of conservative principles by the NSW "conservative" parties. Conservatives who don't believe in privatization? Only in NSW!

Kevvy: Between a rock and a hard place

Or is it the ham in the sandwich?

Who voted for this guy? really! Can anyone out there tell me how KRudd must be feeling now?

Because here is what I believe: Not only are more and more ACTUAL REAL scientists coming out with the truth about the great global warming scam but now our great PM of Rhetoric who was so quick to use the media-brainwashed public's belief in this rubbish is now thinking about how heavily he is going to have to apply his great plan to save the world.... from nothing.

Of course he must appeal to the enviro-Nazis' deluded urgency and hit the road hard and fast on emissions trading. I mean a deal is a deal and it was the Green preferences that got this mob over the line -- and whatever you do, do not believe it was a "RUDD-SLIDE" election. Check the numbers. In November "07 the country was split almost 50/50 according to the publicly accessible figures from the AEC!

However, I digress. My point is that although the radical left will demand nothing less than full speed ahead on the E.T.S., the other more relevant player in the game, the business sector (and even the self confessed fiscal conservative KRudd knows this) wants a more careful and slower approach to the scheme so the economy will not take such an immediate and most likely fatal jolt.

So who is this man's master after all? only time will tell! Is it any wonder this PM spends more time overseas than he does in his own country? Just maybe he's really in the job for the frequent flyer points because after 10 months of federal ALP I still cannot see anything produced that comes close to representing the interests of this generation of Australians, let alone the next.



A recent editorial setting out the limits of Kevvy's options here

A whale of a story

Once again we see the power that the liberal M.S.M has over the hearts and minds of the general public. I live in a time when Politicians (and some corrupt scientists) are telling us that they can predict the weather in 20 to 50 years and that it's all our doing thus we have to pay for a solution that any logically thinking person knows will do nothing but fund a global tax system.

And now they move to whales doing what whales have done for millions of years. Thus we spend day after day, and loads of tax payers money, wasting time and effort talking about an issue that is again nothing more than nature at work.

Again this is more proof that liberalism is a mental disorder and that the political spivs such as the ones running the state of New South Wales are truly NOT servants of the public.

Whilst thousands of mentally disturbed and physically afflicted men, woman and children sleep on the cold streets of Australia tonight I wonder if the doooogooders will sleep well knowing that a bl**dy abandoned calf humpback whale is now higher on the priority list than their fellow Australians!



The story about the stranded whale calf in Sydney has gone worldwide -- e.g. here. And we read here: "NSW Premier Morris Iemma today agreed the outlook for the 4.5m humpback was "bleak". "Our hearts are breaking with what's happening with baby Colin," Mr Iemma said."

Bank interest rates not falling

This cartoon speaks clearly for itself. Unless you are living the life of a Packer (with apologies to the late Kerry Packer, a man I admire greatly) and money is not a concern then you certainly can relate to it.

What bothers me the most about this cartoon and in particular this current Federal Government is the way that Australians, in a time when ignorance of news, current events and a lack of access to information are no longer a valid excuse, are still being treated as boofheads.

Sure the ALP faithful voted this man Rudd and his crew in but those who crossed the political divide for change sake only are more than likely wishing now that they had actually voted from the head rather than the heart.

Clearly the Federal Government can not change the way the Banks do their business and I actually support that due to my conservative views but what is happening here, with thanks to former PM Paul Keating (how quickly we forget), is nothing more than the ugly side of any ism and that side is GREED.

The other ugly side shining brightly -- and all parties are equally guilty -- is the pretence given to the people that the great public servants can actually do something about this, that watching the train crash will somehow prevent it.

The distraction of the Olympics will soon be over and it will be back to REAL business. I guess there will be a few sickies following the closing ceremony when the punters of this great sports loving nation realise the undeniable truth of "All that glitters is not GOLD ".



News report here. The commercial banks want to build up their reserves to compensate for their recent losses from substandard home loans. So they may not pass on central bank rate cuts to the ordinary borrower. So the ordinary borrower will pay the price for past foolish bank policies.

Ludicrous legal lunacy

This is about a shocking recent story......... A seven-year-old boy who stabbed a teenager in an unprovoked attack has been set free, because of his young age. The little boy from Raymond Terrace had been with two others aged about 10, when they walked up to a 14-year-old girl yesterday afternoon and insisted she follow them.

When the teenager refused, the seven-year-old stabbed her in the hand. Police caught the boy, but after questioning him, say they weren't able to lay charges or order counselling, because the minimum age of criminal intent in NSW is 10.

Well there you have it, cause, effect and result. What more proof do you need to realise that the hands on the clock of society have moved so far to the left now , that the great social engineering plan that has been slowly unravelling since the 60's HAS FAILED.

These kids were caught and let go because of the civil libertarians push to destroy the establishment and in particular law and order. Socialists and Anarchists all over the country will be celebrating this victory. However I suspect that the majority of decent Australians are just as appalled by this outcome as am I.

I pray to God that this kid and his mates get the mental help and discipline and guidance that they need to turn their lives around or is it too late? Will this kid grow up to be just another statistic in our over crowded gaol system, or maybe even another Matt Bryant, Ivan Milat or Charles Manson?

Have I gone to far? ...of course not. Because all of the above scum were ignored and abused as kids and used their rights to get around the law and stay on the obvious course to Hell that they were on. I bet all these MURDERERS as kids enjoyed pulling the wings of flies too.

Watch this space and let's see if this goes any further although I sadly doubt it. The next we will hear of this lad and his pals is when they are over 10 and have actually murdered. I don't want to be right about this but if we don't start thinking and claiming back what has been lost then I can see no other future.

Bleak? sure but only if we ignore this as yesterday's news and someone else's problem.

Memories of a SCUMBAG‏

(Former Labor party Prime Minister Paul Keating often used the term "scumbag" to abuse his political opponents)

Have you ever been to Comedy Show only to be disappointed by the Comedian because they used only the old material ? No of course not, because you liked those gags then and they still make you laugh now. The difference here is that this "SCUMBAG" is not a Comedian and in my opinion not a Prime Minister who should be running around gloating.




(News item: "Former Prime Minister Paul Keating has called Peter Costello a "slow acting dope", and has slammed the Liberal Party for reconsidering him as leader")

Wanna buy a watch?

Grocery Watch ??? WATCH OUT ! because here is MORE spin, MORE rhetoric . MORE unworkable plans, MORE government spending and MORE lies. To think, only a few MORE years to go until the next federal election Mr Rudd and if this is the best you can do after 9 months then it is you who will need to watch out ! What MORE can I say ?



(News item: "The federal government will launch a website to allow shoppers to compare grocery prices, in a bid to ease the pressure on family budgets"

The previous "Fuel Watch" idea seems to have imploded

The blinkers on the lady above say "Gossip Mags")

Australia's political Olympics good for Rudd

Let the games begin ! Games indeed. If there is anything like a gift from God to a political party in power at a time of rising inflation, housing crisis, skills shortages, superannuation slumps, petrol and cost of living biting hard on us all then it's a major distraction.

And in this case it's a double bonus. An Olympic Games and an opposition party with leadership battles and disunity , kept ablaze by a media that loves nothing more than conflict. PM Rudd must be rubbing his hands and shouting OI, OI, OI, or is our Sinophile leader shouting Mao, Mao, Mao ?



(For readers who don't follow Australian politics regularly, the runners above are (from Left to right) Peter Costello, Malcolm Turnbull and Brendan Nelson, the principal figues in the conservative opposition. Costello is tipped to take over from Nelson as leader soon. In the corner are Labor party figures Garrett, Rudd and Gillard)

China's Olympic censorship

Unless you understand the deluded confusion of the mentally disordered mind of the liberal , only then will you understand the outcry of disbelief from such organisations as CNN,NBC,BBC, Reuters, and other useful idiots when a hard line COMMUNIST regime such as China decides to renege on allowing free and easy communications and Internet traffic to the International Media covering the Olympic Games.

Until the Iron Curtain of China falls, then make no mistake folks, Western Democracies will always have a very real and present danger and no amount of Olympic Games or smiling children holding hands in Tiananmen Square will ever change that reality. Just because they trade with us means nothing than that the sleeping bear is getting bigger and bigger every day. At the risk of saying I told you so...well!




Latest update on Chinese Olympic censorship here. They seem to have bent a little in response to pressure from the Olympic organizers

Starbucks quits as Rudd opens the gates

With the ever increasing demise of the all powerful yet successful Starbucks empire (a definite pointer to the state of our economy) and now the softly, cuppa tea and a bikkie approach to illegal immigrants (the signal that will do nothing less than embolden people smugglers) is it any wonder that we have a Labor Party running the country.

I'll say one thing for Rudd, he is a man of his word because he did say that he wouldn't rest and would get straight to work. He has wasted no time in getting stuck into destroying what the Howard government had built up over 11 years after the previous ALP government mess.

Seriously, who wants to put up their hand now and say that they voted for these clowns? just like the deafening silence one hears when you ask for a logical and scientific argument over manmade climate change actually being fact and that we can do anything about it -- also lack of people admitting that voting in the NSW ALP State Governmentfor another term was a wise move!

But wait folks, you ain't seen nothing yet! and if Brendan Nelson doesn't grow some balls and fight the left wing faction in the Liberal party and defeat this madness of Emissions Trading then I see nothing but a long dark future for us all...... for all except the wealthy politicians ofcourse, they'll be OK.



(The Leftist Rudd government is reversing the tough conservative measures against illegal immigrants that were instrumental in stopping the flow of illegals into Australia. See here)

Arctic oil and alien visits

Looks like "they" are starting to get a little worried that the reality that burns us all -- "Money in our pockets" -- is actually starting people to use their brains and look for answers .

Now that Dr David Evans, former government paid global warning and Kyoto ratifying scientist is now publicly telling everyone that the science behind emissions trading (the great global tax) is actually false, the useful idiots in the media start the distraction machine with stories of recent oil discoveries in Alaska (more crap, they have had that oil up there for decades) and stories about crazy old astronauts who claim to be in on the whole "Alien Conspiracy" (maybe there is some truth to this, I have an open mind on the subject, logically it seems possible but I need physical proof) and segue into a plan to create moon bases.

Let's face it, this is all spin to get the talk around the environmentally friendly water cooler to move away from war, politics, the costs of living, exposing the climate change scam, kids addicted to video games and Internet chat rooms and the basic dumbing down of this generation and the early retirement of said generation through massive death of western youth linked to health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Talk about an Inconvenient Truth.






ZEG

Australia needs its Batman too -- Peter Costello?

Hope you enjoyed the WYD08 event, I know I found the entire vibe more than uplifting and certainly verifying that you don't need drugs and booze to have a good time, will the lesson ever be learnt though?

Another almost but not nearly moving event was the release of the new Batman flick " DARK KNIGHT "and if you haven't seen it yet , then do yourself a favour...Heath should get a posthumous Oscar for his role, brilliant.

Why, oh why are the men at the top of the Liberal Party fighting over this Garnaut Report Scam and the inevitable economic and cultural destruction that this will cause (even the CSIRO are on the payroll now). How is it that a conservative party cannot see the social agenda behind this entire scam and want to "get on board " with the so called popular view that we all want to be poorer and completely price ourselves out of the market? Answer Political Need, Political Greed.



(There is talk that former Treasurer Peter Costello may replace uninspiring Leader of the Opposition Brendan Nelson -- who has gone rather "Green" in response to the climate change "Report" by Ross Garnaut. Malcolm Turnbull is another contender but he too is wishy washy on Green issues)

Airline industry travails

Fuel is again the big ticket issue and once again another Aussie Iconic company has already started to signal the end. The good folk at Qantas are about to experience a taste of what their colleagues at Ansett copped but as the man said " YOU AIN"T SEEN NOTHING YET !!!"



(Airline flights are being scrapped in response to high fuel costs -- and the threat of Rudd's "Green" taxes is not helping. Major airline Qantas has already announced job reductions. Centrelink is Australia's Federal welfare agency)

The only positive that may come of this fracas with Brendan and Malcolm is that it may just be the break that Peter Costello has been so patiently waiting for. By the time the next election comes around we will all be longing for the glory days of the greatest treasurer this country has produced and I believe it will be enough to sink Rudd's ship and put Costello at the helm that he has conspired to take hold of for all these years.

Unexpectedly the ever obedient useful idiots in the media jumped at the chance to report newest and again very questionable poll that Aussies are all for cutting their own throats on the Garnaut Report whilst there is no mention of the last on-line Poll that I saw (NEWS POLL) just the other day, which had the result completely against this socialist scam at 3 to 1.

I also laughed when the same barking media report actually stated that the public supported Carbon Trading but that most had no idea what it actually means ???????? yep that I would believe, the dumbing down is finally showing effect.

Condoms and the Papal visit to Sydney

(Assorted Leftist crapheads have been doing their best to harass the young Catholics gathered in Sydney for World Youth Day and the visit of the Holy Father. We read:

Condoms will be handed out to pilgrims en route to a papal Mass at Randwick Racecourse on World Youth Day as part of a protest against the Catholic Church's attitude to homosexuality, contraception and abortion.

A coalition of religious, atheist, gay and lesbian groups will stage the rally in Taylor Square from midday on Saturday July 19 before marching to the main event of the week-long World Youth Day celebrations.)

Alas, if only the parents of the great unwashed that are now free to throw and wave condoms in the faces of these people (who are after all following their personal beliefs and not imposing them on others) would have actually used a condom or had an abortion then this embarrassment (in the name of freedom of speech, again) would not be happening.

Who are these hypocrites who hide behind a lie that the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Africa is as a result of a handful of Catholic Missionaries preaching that the use of contraceptives is a sin. I have recently read in several world recognised medical reports that there is unarguable proof that malnutrition is a very large contributor to the disease and its spread and the fact that tribal practices such as incest and the wholesale rape of men, woman and children due to primitive beliefs and WAR are far more likely to be the cause of this national disaster.

Who would ever think that a man who was raised to be a Catholic in an African town or village would consider promiscuous sexual activity resulting in the spread of AIDS?

Well, of course, all those that proclaim to be of any Christian faith have and do practise pre-martial sex. No one is kidding themselves there but I would consider it would be most likely that a man who is ignorant of the teachings of the Lord and the mores and values of Christianity would take and rape a woman due to a primitive belief of ownership or as a spoil of WAR, and that this person would never consider a condom nor would they consider a medical checkup either (even if there was one available).

What we are seeing from the NO POPE mob is just another excuse for the socialists amongst us to have a dig and swipe at organised religion and God knows the Catholics are high on their hit list.

Best wishes and enjoy the vibe. I am not Catholic but I can feel a positiveness in the town that I haven't felt for a while. Maybe it's the Force Luke.

ZEG

His holiness

Well with the visit of the Pontiff to our fine country I thought it fitting to include his Holiness in my weekly lampoons. Once again the topics are based on the issues that are at the heart of us all. I hope that the Holy Father prays for the state of NSW in particular and asks for us to be delivered from the pestilence that is the ALP. Hope you find a little enlightenment on this the World Youth Day Week and if you are in Sydney....a parking spot!

Loyal supporters of Kevin

Housing prices and petrol prices are way up but Kevvy just talks about global warming.

The Premier still has SOME friends



Background on Morris Iemma's woes here and here

Climate scheme would cost plenty



Fuel prices would skyrocket under new plans to tackle climate change. However, poorer families would be cushioned from the full impact. The government's climate change guru, Professor Ross Garnaut has called for transport to be included in an emissions trading scheme, setting the stage for fuel prices to spiral far beyond those caused by the current oil crunch.

The distinguished economist today released a draft report he prepared for the federal and state Governments on climate change and the introductions of emissions trading. Prof Garnaut said low-income families should be compensated for higher fuel and power costs when the scheme was introduced. He also said the Government should make payments to emissions-intensive industries which could lose jobs overseas if they had to cope with higher costs.

Under emissions trading, a cap will be placed on the amount of carbon which can be emitted into the atmosphere. Companies will be able to purchase and trade permits which allow them to emit carbon gases. Prof Garnaut said as many industries should be included in the scheme as possible, including transport. He said the money the Government earned from the scheme should be spent on compensating low-income households and business.

``The direct price effects of the emissions trading scheme will be regressive,'' Prof Garnaut said. ``The effects will fall heavily on low-income households, so the credibility, stability, efficiency and longevity of the scheme require the correction of these regressive effects by other measures.'' Prof Garnaut said the coal industry should be given support to reduce carbon emissions and to develop technology which buried carbon gasses under ground.

He said international cooperation on fighting climate change was essential. ``The weight of scientific evidence tells us that Australians are facing risks of damaging climate change,'' Prof Garnaut said. ``The risk can be substantially reduced by strong and early action by all major economies. ``Without that action, it is probable that Australians, over the 21st century and beyond, will experience disruption in their prosperity and enjoyment of life, and to long-standing patterns in their lives.''

Source

Rudd feels the sting of a self-inflicted wound



KEVIN Rudd has been slapped about by political reality. No one ever seriously expected Labor to win the Gippsland by-election. It's a Nationals seat. But the 8.4 per cent swing against Labor is a stern reminder that voters pay on results, not talk.

Since taking office, Rudd has faced difficult obstacles not of his own making, including the global oil crisis as well as the inflationary pressures that built up last year under John Howard's watch and have continued to push interest rates upwards. But the new Prime Minister has also damaged himself. During last year's election campaign, Rudd led people to believe he could do something about the prices of fuel and groceries. Although it is true he made no specific promises, instead vowing that monitoring would put downward pressure on prices, he used the power of suggestion for political gain. Now he is paying. Grocery and fuel prices have increased.

Then there was Rudd's first budget, with its tax on pre-mixed alcoholic drinks pathetically disguised as part of a fight against binge drinking. It was a revenue-raising measure. People might have respected it had it not masqueraded as something else.

The risk of Rudd's political strategy is that it opens him to criticism as someone who talks a lot and does nothing. Worse than that, he looks mean, tricky and wowserish on the issue of alcohol excise. Such themes are already at the heart of Brendan Nelson's political strategy. Apparently, they have registered with the voters of Gippsland.

In some ways, it's unfair. Rudd is undertaking a huge amount of behind-the-scenes and vital reform in areas such as health, education and inter-governmental relations. This will be highlighted on Thursday when a meeting of the Council of Australian Governments slashes red tape affecting business. Such reforms are meaty and important. In retrospect, they will be universally lauded. But they take time to produce results and they are too obscure to capture the public imagination.

The fat swing in the Gippsland by-election - an 8.4 per cent swing turnaround in only seven months - ought to be a cause for concern in Labor ranks. It should ring alarm bells about Rudd's political strategy. It is too glib - it assumes people are stupid and unable to see through spin. It is time for Mr 24/7 to inject greater authenticity into his style of government.

Source

Australia's alleged "fat bomb"




AUSTRALIA has become the fattest nation in the world, with more than 9 million adults now rated as obese or overweight, according to an alarming new report. The most definitive picture of the national obesity crisis to date has found that Australians now outweigh Americans and face a future "fat bomb" that could cause 123,000 premature deaths over the next two decades. If the crisis is not averted, obesity experts have warned, health costs could top $6 billion and an extra 700,000 people will be admitted to hospital for heart attacks, strokes and blood clots caused by excess weight.

The latest figures show 4 million Australians - or 26% of the adult population - are now obese compared to an estimated 25% of Americans. A further 5 million Australians are considered overweight. The report, Australia's Future 'Fat Bomb', from Melbourne's Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, will be presented at the Federal Government's inquiry into obesity, which comes to Melbourne today.

A grim picture is painted of expanding waistlines fuelled by a boom in fast food and a decline in physical activity, turning us into a nation of sedentary couch potatoes. Those most at risk of premature death are the middle-aged, with 70% of men and 60% of women aged 45 to 64 now classed as obese.

But some weight specialists have questioned the tool used to measure obesity, saying "entire rugby teams" would be classified as obese if their body mass index (BMI) was calculated. BMI is measured by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared. A BMI of over 25 is considered overweight while more than 30 is obese. But the tool does not distinguish between muscle and fat, prompting calls for the BMI overweight limit to be raised to 28.

However, even leading nutritionist Jenny O'Dea from the University of Sydney - who recently claimed Australia's childhood obesity epidemic had been exaggerated - has backed the new figures, which suggest that the crisis for adults has been drastically underestimated. Professor O'Dea said that while being fat was not necessarily a health risk for everyone, there was no doubt obesity was taking its toll on the nation.

It was previously thought that around 3 million adults were obese. But many past surveys were seen as unreliable as they often required participants to guess their own weight. The latest data was based on more than 14,000 people at 100 rural and metropolitan sites in every Australian state and territory. Each had their BMI recorded by having their weight, height and waist measured as part of a national blood pressure screening day last year.

The report's lead author, Simon Stewart, said that even allowing for the BMI's potential failings, the best case scenario was that 3.6 million adults were battling obesity. "We could fill the MCG 40 times over with the number of obese Australians now, then you can double that if you look at the people who are also overweight - those are amazing figures," Professor Stewart said. "And in terms of a public health crisis, there is nothing to rival this. If we ran a fat Olympics we'd be gold medal winners as the fattest people on earth at the moment," he said. "We've heard of AIDS orphans in Africa, we're looking at this time bomb going off where parents have to think about this carefully," Professor Steward said. "They're having children at an older age, if you're obese and you have a child do you really want to miss out on their wedding? "Do you want to miss out on the key events in their life? Yes you will if you don't do something about your weight now."

The obesity inquiry in Melbourne will be told that a national strategy encouraging overweight Australians to lose five kilograms in five months could reduce heart-related hospital admissions by 27% and cut deaths by 34% over the next 20 years. Among the radical solutions proposed in the report is a plan to make fat towns compete for "healthy" status in national weight loss contests tied to Federal Government funding. Towns that lost the most weight would be given cash to build sports centres and swimming pools. And like the "Tidy Towns" program, communities would have to meet targets to be eligible for a share of the funding pool.

Other suggestions from Professor Stewart's report include subsidised gym memberships, personal training sessions for heavier people and restricting weight loss surgery to those who show they can lose some weight on their own first.

One of Australia's leading obesity experts, Boyd Swinburn, will tell the inquiry in his own submission that a crackdown on junk food marketing to children is paramount in the fight against the epidemic. With the fastest growing rate of childhood obesity in the world, Australia must make radical changes to the way unhealthy food is promoted if the rate is to be reduced, his submission reads. Professor Swinburn, director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University, will argue that better nutritional labelling and more funding for effective treatments such as weight-loss surgery are also necessary. "We've got a huge problem here and we can't bury our head in the sand any more," Professor Swinburn will tell the inquiry. "The previous federal government blamed parents and individuals and told them to pull up their socks . that's not going to achieve anything but make us fatter as a nation. "It's good to see the Rudd Government take obesity seriously with this parliamentary inquiry and the preventative health strategy but that has to be turned into proper policy, regulation and funding."

Ian Caterson, director of the Institute of Obesity, Nutrition and Exercise at the University of Sydney, said innovative government "thinking outside the square" policies were necessary because, "as we get fatter and older as a nation things are just going to get worse."

Source