It's the daily telegraph ... I would be surprised if any truth comes out of that paper.

They wouldn't get away with something that blatant, I'm sure of that.  So I don't think there's anything to worry about.

That's Julia ( Julier) Gillard for ya  one minute there was not going to be a carbon tax and next BOOM   she introduces the carbon tax,  maybe she didn't get her .......... love toy the night before so we all are going to pay for it

why not just PUT them(the politicians AN beaurocrats) IN the curry to feed the boat people, and after they have eaten it up then tell them(the boat people) what they have eaten, and then tell the boat people that there is plenty MORE of the the curry and that they will keep getting fed it for the rest of their time in the country, and if they do not like  the food, then go back where they came from.

harpo

Come to Australia..you might accidentally get killed.......i mean taxed!!

I just saw a documentary about the differences of kindergartens in Norway, England and Australia. It was hilarious (for a Norwegian at least). The focus on safety in England and Australia meant that the playgrounds was a flat and padded world where you could not possibly climb, fall or get injured. In England they did not even send extra outdoor clothes with their kids in the winter. The result of this was extremely boring and unchallenging kindergartens. 

A British expert said that kids could learn climbing at home, and that it was the parents task to do so. The British kids were out about 30 minutes during the day (in winter), cause it was cold for them. The Norwegian kids were out for hours.

They had an interview with a woman from Australia who had become boss of a Norwegian kindergarten. Her first instinct was to remove an enormous rock in the playground where the kids climbed and played. The parents of the kids stopped her, and she was slowly getting used to the cultural differences. While the interview took place, it was winter and the rock was covered with ice. The bravest of the kids (4-5 years old) got on top and slid down into a fence. They had great fun, but you could see in the woman`s posture that she was still uneasy about this. 

My own two kids come home with bruises on a regular basis, but then they have become great runners, climbers and know what could be dangerous and what is just fun.

just my two cents

Legislators in both England and Oz look to the US and their 'creation' of a litigious society and decide it's in an Industry's best interests to 'play safe'.

As a primary school kid one of my 'tasks' was to take the lunch orders down the road to the 'local' shop...you know....pies sausage rolls...all those HORRIBLE things.....

I usually walked it.....on the white line down the centre of the road.....traffic didn't faze me.....actually managed the whole trip once.....about a mile.

There was the time at lunch.....when we were all lined up to go back inside....and one of the kids came out from the classroom....where he'd been cutting out table-tennis bats from a sheet of ply....the Stanley had slipped...and he was holding his wrist......

From 20 feet away I distinctly heard the squirts......quite impressive....arcing up about 2 feet into the air....

The teacher fainted [as you would]....the Headmaster fortunately didn't [it was a 2 teacher school].... so the kid survived.

OK...so it's maybe 50 years ago [almost]....but the stories I could tell.....

What you see now is a bunch of parents vainly trying to justify their urban trucks as valid kids' transport, etc.

Parents are a bunch of pussies who SHOULD KNOW BETTER.

Ditto.

AND if you don't run over your own kids with them....you'll kill them anyway when you round the next bend at 20kph....and the stupid  thing rolls like a drunk turtle....

Was a Ford Escort here.....[incidentally bought from the dealer who made Mad Max's car]...

my family had a LARGE car (a valiant ap6 and even a caravan) and was a country town, but the car did get used for a lot of travel. when the car was retired to the paddock at 15 years old it had done over 400,000 MILES and had some rust in a couple of the roof pillars but was still running.

harpo

A Valiant [Chrysler] AP6

Spiders, crocodiles, sharks, Dannii Minogue - says it all

Ya gotta watch out for them Drop Bears .....