A story of contempt for freedom of speech.

Add this one to Folau.

Is this example more evidence of the same, same, or is it a new beginning.
A contemptuous view by authority of the " individual" we think importantly we are, in a Democracy.

Shouldn't we actually fess up to ourselves, and hold a wake for the disappearing freedoms of a stable society; then hold a rainbow party for the new and wonderfully inclusive dawning, of an age of equality?

Dan

>Well, all he did was ask a reasonable question which should have received an honest answer.
>Rather than admitting their tax bill would rise, he replied, "We're going to look at that…

John Mikkelsen is the one supplying a dishonest answer here, by implying Shorten's intending to raise tax rates rather than close tax loopholes. Shorten's answer was honest: his party is going to look at the possibility of tax cuts. They are making the mistake of trying to balance the budget first, but so is almost every other party.

That doesn't, of course change the fact that the worker was treated appallingly, and we really need some laws to protect freedom of speech from overzealous employers.

A conspiracy theory based, it would seem on assumption and ill-founded rumour!? And how Shorten could have been implicated lacks not only credible contestable evidence but not a whiff of a scaric of a grain of validated authenticated veracity?
Alan B.

Dangerous place Gladstone.

In the 70s a yachtie mate got a job in a gang of 30, installing insulation somewhere in the new power house being built at the time. He was one of about 20 yachties there only for the cyclone season doing the job, which was a 15 week job.

There was a lot of union trouble on the powerhouse job, & they had lost 2 weeks to strikes already. The electrical union called a meeting to vote on another strike. My mate was silly enough to get up & talk against the strike. He stated his contract had only 3 weeks to run, & an other 2 week strike would mean it took him 5 weeks to earn three weeks money.

Quite a few were in the same situation, & voted against the strike. The next night a couple of friendly men came around to tell him he had been singled out to be made an example of, for resisting the strike. If he didn't want to end up in hospital, he had best get out op town, & quickly.

He sailed away the next morning, realising there is nothing democratic where unions are concerned.

Shorten did give a dishonest or at the very least, a misleading answer - the sub-contractor and his colleagues earning $250,000 a year will pay higher taxes under Labor's policy - that's a fact. And that is why it blew up in the media and the worker was subsequently suspended. Again, not a rumour, but fact! The article does in no way imply Shorten was responsible for that. But as another post points out, Gladstone can be a "dangerous place" if you don't tow the union/ Labor line. I frequently fielded heated calls from Labor and union officials as well as GPC executives when they didn't like what I had written or published. And they sometimes went above my head to management. But on the latest polling figures I think Ken O'Dowd will hold on to the seat of Flynn and this issue has probably helped him.
We shall see after Saturday.

The Gladstone port boss has been sacked.

http://www.4ro.com.au/news/local-news/120220-report-gladstone-ports-chief-sacked-after-subbie-suspended