Queensland Police Disgrace over brutal attacks
This is an absolute scandal.
No cop should be allowed to resign to avoid punishment.
Consumer alert on scam phone calls
www.dynamicbusiness.com.au
Senator Conroy warns about scam phone calls
By David Olsen on Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Senator Stephen Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and
the Digital Economy is warning businesses about an increase in the
number of scam phone calls in Australia.
Queensland Police last month issued their own warning about scam phone
calls coming from people who told victims they were calling from
Microsoft or were working for another company on behalf of the
software giant to delete virus infections on peoples computers.
"People can protect themselves from scams by applying common sense
rules. If something being offered sounds too good to be true, it
probably is," Senator Conroy said.
Complaints about scam phone calls to the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Communications and Media
Authority (ACMA) have spiked in the last few months, increasing 1000
percent from 200 to around 2,000 calls per month.
"If people are targeted by a scam telephone call they should never
disclose any personal or financial details and they should immediately
hang up the phone.
"I would also encourage people to report the scam so that the ACCC and
ACMA can investigate and take action against those responsible."
Senator Conroy said the ACCC and the ACMA were warning consumers about
scam telephone calls where callers:
advise that the person's computer is infected with a virus and request
credit card details to fix the problem
offer products, services or cash under fake government grants
seek bank details in order to process a bank fee refund or tax refund
offer to place the person's number on the Do Not Call Register for a fee
ask consumers, using a recorded message, to dial 9 for a 'free' holiday.
Consumer Warning: Beware of scammers offering 'guaranteed' Australian visas
SCAMwatch.gov.au
SCAMwatch and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) are warning people who wish to visit or migrate to Australia to be cautious of people offering 'guaranteed' Australian visas.
These scammers contact you out of the blue by post, email, or phone offering a visa in return for payments, personal details and identity documents.
They may claim to be a 'registered provider' or 'Australian visa application service'.
Scammers may try to trick you into believing they are genuine by posing as staff from an Australian Government department, or by using websites which look like official Government sites.
Other migration scammers operate illegal, unregistered migration agent and advisor services. In Australia migration agents must be registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority.
Illegal operators often give incorrect advice, steal your money, encourage you to lie on your application and don't deliver the services promised.
Warning signs
You get an offer out of the blue for a 'guaranteed' Australian visa.
The offer comes via email, post, over the phone or on a website.
It claims to be a 'once in a lifetime opportunity', or your 'only' chance to travel or migrate to Australia.
You are asked to pay the scammer upfront to 'register' your interest in getting a visa. The scammer asks you to pay them directly rather than paying the government department and claims that only they can pay the department's fees.
The scammer claims to have a special relationship with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
They tell you they need to keep your original documents.
Remember
There is only one official Australian Government provider of visas - the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). DIAC's official website is www.immi.gov.au.
DIAC charges a one-off fee at the time you lodge your visa application. You can pay the fee directly to the department and do not require an agent to pay this fee on your behalf.
No one can influence the outcome of a visa application or the visa decision making process. Only authorised officers from DIAC can issue you with a visa and only if you meet all the visa requirements.
DIAC does not have any special relationships with outside agencies and doesn't give preferential treatment to anyone.
Protect yourself
Be suspicious if you are contacted by phone, post or email about a visa you did not apply for. Hang up immediately or ignore the email/letter! The Government does not contact people out of the blue offering.
If you wish to use a migration agent, check that they are registered on the Migration Agents Registration Authority website.
Never give or send anyone your original identity documents. Government departments may wish to view your original documents in person or may ask for certified photocopies but should never ask to keep your original documents.
Never provide your personal, credit card or banking details in an email or over the phone—scammers will use your details to commit identity fraud or steal your money.
If you think you have provided your bank account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.
Report
You can report a scam to the ACCC via the report a scam page on SCAMwatch or by calling 1300 795 995.
You can report an unregistered immigration agent/advisor under "Unregistered Agent activities" on the DIAC Feedback form.
More information
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship provides further detailed information on how to Protect Yourself from Migration Fraud. They have also issued a media release on migration scams.
Channel 9 footage raises doubts about crocodile around Brisbane Airport as BAC spokesman "Crocodile" Jim Carden runs scared over possible crocodile attack
Channel Nine footage raises questions about
crocodile in waters around Brisbane Airport
TheSundayMail.com.au
THE mystery surrounding possible crocodile sightings in Brisbane waterways
has forced Brisbane Airport Corporation to erect warning signs.
None of the sightings around Schultz Canal and further down the Kedron Brook
Floodway have been confirmed, but the Department of Environment and Resource
Management is working with BAC to ensure staff are aware of the possibility
of a crocodile lurking around the airport's western boundary.
BAC spokesman Jim Carden said the company was taking all possible
precautions.
"While we recognise that the sightings have not been confirmed, we are
taking the reports very seriously, as there is an extensive network of
waterways that criss-cross the airport, and the species is known to be very
mobile," he said.
Mr Carden, who is also secretary of the Cribb Island Boardriders Club - a
social club for snow and water-sports enthusiasts living and working around
the airport - has warned members against using the mouth of the Kedron Brook
for off-season big wave training.
"Fortunately, the training occurs mostly in winter, but as a precaution, our
members will be avoiding the area for the next little while, and we advise
other recreational water-sports enthusiasts to do the same," he said.
"We also take the warnings seriously as the sightings have been reported in
areas that are relatively close to the newly constructed Airport taxi feeder
area."
DERM Director of Wildlife Nick Rigby said that the area had been extensively
surveyed by expert croc spotters and no evidence of a crocodile had been
found. "Despite reports of recent crocodile sightings in the Nudgee Beach
area, the department does not believe there is a crocodile in this area," he
said.
"It is likely that this is a case of mistaken identity and that observers
may have seen a shark, turtle or dugong," he said.
Mr Rigby said the two warning signs placed on BAC land were standard
procedure and they would be removed after seven days if no further sightings
were recorded.
On Friday, Parks and Wildlife rangers captured and removed a four-metre long
crocodile from the Herbert River, north of Townsville.
The crocodile was seen in a freshwater waterhole in the Lower Herbert and
was displaying threatening behaviour to people fishing in the area.
Parks and Wildlife Service Team Leader Scott Sullivan said the croc had been
brought to Townsville and will be relocated to a crocodile farm.
To report crocodile sightings or incidents, contact the DERM Hotline 1300
130 372.
Queensland Government's new code puts sweatshop bosses on notice
Media Release
Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations
The Honourable Cameron Dick
10/10/2010
Bligh Government's new code puts sweatshop bosses on notice
The Bligh Government is putting clothing sweatshop bosses on notice with the introduction of a mandatory code of practice to protect workers from exploitation.
Industrial Relations Minister Cameron Dick said the new code would help expose the notoriously convoluted contracting arrangements that have enabled some bosses to avoid their obligations to staff.
"Some of the employment arrangements for clothing outworkers - the people who sew our clothes - can be appalling," Mr Dick said.
"The pay and conditions for these workers, who are often women or young people, do not meet minimum obligations but some unscrupulous bosses use complex sub-contracting arrangements to exploit their staff.
"Troubling images of workers in these sweatshops are something we often associate with dodgy overseas operations but these workplaces can also be found in Queensland.
"The new code will introduce a new transparency by imposing mandatory reporting obligation s on all participants in the production chain.
"Everyone involved in producing clothing - including employers, suppliers, retailers and outworkers - will be formally identified.
"That will make it much easier to track down maverick employers who try to do the wrong thing and rip-off their outworkers."
Mr Dick said the new code would also protect good employers who comply with existing requirements because increased transparency would help level the competitive playing field.
"Most businesses in this industry in Queensland do the right thing, so they have nothing to fear from this code," Mr Dick said.
"In fact, they can be put at a commercial disadvantage by non-compliant operators who are undercut their competitors by avoiding their obligations."
The code will operate in conjunction with existing legislative and award protections and will apply to anyone not currently compliant with the national voluntary code.
Parties who have signed up to the national code will be exempt from the new code. An existing code of practice applies when contracting with the Queensland Government.
Mr Dick said Queensland's new mandatory code was consistent with those already adopted by New South Wales and South Australia.
"It is in workers' interests to provide consistency across state borders so unscrupulous employers can't simply relocate to avoid their obligations," he said.
The Queensland code was approved by the Governor-in-Council this week and will come into effect on 1 January 2011.
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