Dingo bytes
Remember when the Government came out and whacked Australian Federal Police Chief Michael Keelty over the head for saying that Australia was under increased danger of a terrorist threat because of its involvement in the war in Iraq? Recently Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer, when asked if he agreed that the war had increased the threat of terrorism conceded, "The war in Iraq has increased resentment towards Australia from terrorists".* * * In its latest backflip the Labor Party has joined with the government to pass legislation banning gay marriages before a senate inquiry into the legislation is complete. "Labor's back flip on a proper gay marriage inquiry exposes it as a party which cannot be trusted to deliver on its commitments", said the Equal Rights Network.* * * The ABC is set to be the latest to tune into reality TV. Having cut the majority of its children's educational programs like Behind the News at the end of last year, the broadcaster's director of television Sandra Levy has announced the airing of a British reality series "Operatunity." In promoting this piece of British non-reality Ms Levy said, "We need dynamic, inventive arts programming. The worst thing we can do is bore people away from our channel."* * * An Egyptian businessman has boasted that he was paid $85,200 by Australian Olympic Committee Chairman John Coates, to secure the votes of two Kenyan and Ugandan delegates to the International Olympic Committee in the lead up to the Sydney Olympic Games. Despite Coates being cleared by the NSW Government Sheridan Inquiry, the International Olympic Committee said that while the payments were technically within the rules, they were not in the spirit of the Olympic movement. Former NSW Premier John Fahey in commenting on the controversy admitted: "We did push the envelope at times".* * * CAPITALIST HOG OF THE WEEK: This week's Hog award has to go to former Communications Minister Richard Alston who not only left parliament with a hefty pension but has now been hired by high- profile radio network Austero to lobby his former government colleagues on industry reforms. It seems that he has wasted no time with current Communications Minister Helen Coonan who admitted in parliament that Alston had in fact contacted a staffer in her department in asking questions about the Government's latest commercialisation activities.