Monthly Archives: August 2014

Χηρεύουν δύο έδρες του κόμματος στη Νέα Νότια Ουαλία

Δύο ακόμα βουλευτές του πολιτειακού κόμματος Φιλελευθέρων στη Νέα Νότια Ουαλία οδηγήθηκαν στην πόρτα εξόδου του κοινοβουλίου της Πολιτείας, αλλά και του κόμματός τους, μετά από αποκαλύψεις ότι είχαν δεχθεί «παχουλά φακελάκια» από μεγαλοεπιχειρηματία που δραστηριοποιείται στον κατασκευαστικό χώρο.
Ο Tim Owen, που εκλεγόταν στην έδρα Newcastle, και ο Andrew Cornwell, που εισήλθε για πρώτη φορά στο κοινοβούλιο το 2011 εκπροσωπώντας τους ψηφοφόρους της έδρας Charlestown, υπέβαλαν την Τρίτη την παραίτησή τους στον πρωθυπουργό της Πολιτείας, Mike Baird.

Τόσο ο Cornwell όσο και ο Owen, παραδέχθηκαν στην Ανεξάρτητη Επιτροπή κατά της Διαφθοράς (Independent Commission Against Corruption – ICAC) ότι είχαν δεχθεί «δωρεά» από τον μεγαλοεπιχειρηματία, Jeff McCloy, ο οποίος τώρα είναι δήμαρχος Newcastle.

Όπως ο Cornwell είπε στην Επιτροπή, το «φακελάκι» των $10.000 ο ΜcCloy του έδωσε τον Οκτώβριο του 2010 και τα χρήματα αυτά χρησιμοποιήθηκαν στην προεκλογική του εκστρατεία.

Ο Owen όμως, δεν τα… πήρε μόνο χοντρά αλλά είπε και ψέματα στην Επιτροπή. Ενώ είχε παραδεχθεί την Δευτέρα ότι πήρε τις $10.000 από τον ΜcCloy, πρόσθεσε ότι δεν κράτησε τα χρήματα και τα επέστρεψε λίγες μέρες μετά. Την Τρίτη όμως αποκάλυψε στην Επιτροπή ότι είχε πει ψέματα και ότι οι $10.000 μπήκαν στην τσέπη του.
Η παραίτηση των δύο βουλευτών του κόμματος των Φιλελευθέρων σημαίνει παράλληλα και την έναρξη προεκλογικής περιόδου για τις έδρες τους. Η ημερομηνία διεξαγωγής συμπληρωματικών εκλογών στις συγκεκριμένες έδρες δεν ορίστηκε ακόμα ενώ οι πολιτειακές εκλογές στη Νέα Νότια Ουαλία είναι προγραμματισμένες για το Μάρτιο του 2015.

Πηγή: Νέος Κόσμος

Treasurer Joe Hockey has been labelled “out of touch” after claiming that the poorest won’t be hit by increases in petrol tax because they don’t own cars.

The treasurer is standing by his statement, even releasing figures he says prove he’s right.

The row has angered many, as negotiations over the Budget reach a critical point.

Mr Hockey has been racking up some serious air miles, visiting cross-bench senators to sell his Budget.

Labor says his feet aren’t on the ground, attacking the Treasurer for claiming an increased petrol tax will hit the wealthy hardest.

“The poorest people either don’t have cars, or actually don’t drive very far in many cases,” Mr Hockey said.

He was quickly taken to task by the opposition.

“Are you serious Joe Hockey? Are you really the caricature – the cigar chomping leghorn foghorn of Australian politics – where you’re saying poor people don’t drive cars?” said opposition leader Bill Shorten.

Three months after the budget was handed down, billions in savings and revenue are still in limbo. Despite Mr Hockey’s negotiations the Government’s so far failed to win over enough support to pass key reforms, although there are signs the Treasurer is willing to give a little.

There’s some sympathy for the Treasurer.

“I’m a bit concerned about Joe because it seems he’s had the rest of his party do a runner on him,” said the Palmer United Party’s Jacqui Lambie.

According to Senator Lambie, that includes the Prime Minister, who’s been in London for briefings on Iraq.

“The PM’s probably done enough running around the world, it’s time to get back here and start running the country,” she said.

source: 9news.com.au

Archaeologists might discover by the end of the month the identity of the person or people buried in an ancient tomb that has been discovered in Amphipolis, near Serres in northern Greece, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras suggested on Tuesday.

Samaras visited the excavation site and said he was confident it would yield an “exceptionally important find” from the early Hellenistic period. The tomb dates to between 325 and 300 BC, which coincides with the time when Alexander the Great died. He lost his life in 323 BC in Babylon, modern-day Iraq, but was later buried in Egypt. The Macedonian king’s final resting place is not known.

“It would be wrong of us to be tempted to start speculating,” Samaras told Kathimerini after being shown around the site by Katerina Peristeri, head of the 28th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities. “Everything we have been shown by Mrs Peristeri and her team underline the significance of the findings.”

The mound is surrounded by a 497-meter circular wall built with Thasian marble, leading the premier to label it a “unique” site. A 4.5-meter-wide road leads to the tomb’s entrance, which is guarded by two carved sphinxes. According to Samaras, a 5.20-meter-tall sculpture of a lion found at the site, where excavations began in 1960, was initially positioned on top of the tumulus.

The prime minister told Kathimerini that the archaeologists, currently undertaking the delicate work of clearing the entrance to the tomb while ensuring there is no collapse, could be in a position to enter the burial chamber by the end of the month.

Peristeri has said it is highly unlikely that Alexander the Great was buried at ancient Amphipolis, located on the banks of the River Strymon in Central Macedonia. Alexander’s Persian wife, Roxana, and his son, Alexander IV, were banished to Amphipolis and murdered there in around 310 BC on the orders of Cassander, who became king of Macedon. Archaeologists tend to favor the interpretation that an important Macedonian official was buried at Amphipolis.

source:ekathimerini.com

Σύμφωνα με έρευνα του Newspoll, το ποσοστό εκείνων που πιστεύουν ότι η οικονομική τους κατάσταση θα επιδεινωθεί τους τελευταίους 6 μήνες του χρόνου, αυξήθηκε από 20% σε 32%.

Ένα τρίτο σχεδόν των Αυστραλών πολιτών πιστεύουν ότι το βιοτικό τους επίπεδο θα επιδεινωθεί μέχρι τα Χριστούγεννα, ενώ μόνον ένας στους δέκα πιστεύει ότι η οικονομική του κατάσταση θα βελτιωθεί μέχρι το τέλος του χρόνου.

Η απαισιόδοξη εικόνα εκπροσωπεί και τις δύο πολιτικές παρατάξεις, με τόσο τους οπαδούς των Εργατικών, όσο και του Συνασπισμού να μοιράζονται το ίδιο πνεύμα μετά την ανακοίνωση των νέων μέτρων του οικονομικού προϋπολογισμού.

Πιο συγκεκριμένα, σύμφωνα με έρευνα του Newspoll, το ποσοστό εκείνων που πιστεύουν ότι η κατάστασή τους θα επιδεινωθεί τους τελευταίους έξι μήνες του χρόνου, αυξήθηκε από 20% σε 32%.

Η ανύψωση από ένας στους πέντε να πιστεύουν ότι το βιοτικό τους επίπεδο θα επιδεινωθεί, σε σχεδόν σε έναν στους τρεις, αποτελεί την μεγαλύτερη κατολίσθηση από τον Ιούνιο του 2008, τις παραμονές δηλαδή της παγκόσμιας οικονομικής κρίσης, όταν από το 18% εκτινάχθηκε στο 43%.
Εν τω μεταξύ, από την ίδια έρευνα αποκαλύπτεται ότι το ποσοστό εκείνων που αναμένουν η οικονομική τους κατάσταση να βελτιωθεί μέχρι το τέλος του χρόνου έχει μειωθεί από 15% σε 11%, το χαμηλότερο που έχει σημειωθεί από το 1986.

Είναι φανερό ότι η εν λόγω έρευνα δεν διευκολύνει στο ελάχιστο τη θέση της κυβέρνησης η οποία συν τοις άλλοις έχει να αντιμετωπίσει την αύξηση της ανεργίας στο 6,4% το υψηλότερο επίπεδο τα τελευταία 17 χρόνια.

Στην εν λόγω έρευνα, να σημειωθεί, στην οποία πήραν μέρος 1.215 άτομα, προηγούνται μεν οι οπαδοί του Εργατικού κόμματος,στην απόρριψη του προϋπολογισμού, ακολουθούν όμως εκ του πλησίον και οι οπαδοί του Συνασπισμού, καθιστώντας την υποδοχή του φετινού προϋπολογισμού τη χειρότερη τα τελευταία 20 χρόνια.

ΑΠΑΤΗΛΗ ΕΙΚΟΝΑ

Θα πρέπει να σημειωθεί ότι η εκλογική νίκη του Άμποτ, είχε ως αποτέλεσμα ο ενθουσιασμός των οπαδών του Συνασπισμού για βελτίωση του βιοτικού τους επιπέδου να εκτιναχθεί από 12% σε 21% μέχρι το τέλος του 2013. Με τον νέο, εντούτοις, προϋπολογισμό έκανε βουτιά στο 13%.

Από την άλλη πλευρά το ποσοστό των οπαδών του Συνασπισμού που ανέμεναν το βιοτικό τους επίπεδο να επιδεινωθεί μειώθηκε από το 23% σε 9%, ενώ μετά τον προϋπολογισμό ανέβηκε στο 13%. Να τονιστεί ότι 72% αναμένουν το βιοτικό τους επίπεδο να υποστεί αλλαγές.
Ο αριθμός εκείνων που αναμένουν βελτίωση έχει πέσει από 10% σε 5%.

Ο αριθμός των οπαδών του Εργατικού κόμματος που περιμένουν το βιοτικό τους επίπεδο να επιδεινωθεί έχει φτάσει, μετά τον προϋπολογισμό, από 24% σε 45%. Περίπου 49% πιστεύουν ότι θα μείνει το ίδιο.

Με τον προϋπολογισμό να έχει κυρίως μπλοκαριστεί από τους Εργατικούς και τους Πράσινους, ο θησαυροφύλακας Τζο Χόκι, θα εξακολουθήσει τις περιηγήσεις του ανά τη χώρα, προκειμένου να συναντήσει τους οχτώ ανεξάρτητους γερουσιαστές, στο δικό τους χώρο και να ζητήσει τη στήριξή τους.

Βέβαια ο πονοκέφαλος φαίνεται να είναι πολύ μεγάλος για τον θησαυροφύλακα, δεδομένου ότι ο καθένας από τους γερουσιαστές, βρίσκει την ευκαιρία να του παρουσιάσει τον δικό του πίνακα «επιθυμιών», με τις δικές του ιδέες για δαπάνες και περικοπές.

Πηγή: Νέος Κόσμος

Treasurer Joe Hockey has warned Australians he may be forced to take “emergency action” and deliver Queensland-style austerity if structural budget reforms are not made.

And Mr Hockey has also suggested the proposed increase in fuel excise will not affect the less well off as much as high and middle income earners because “the poorest people either don’t have cars or actually don’t drive very far in many cases”.

And despite criticism over the government’s proposed changes over the pension, the Treasurer has also suggested “in net terms out of the budget, it is strongly arguable that pensioners are going to be better off” because the inflation rate is higher than average male weekly earnings at present.

The comments came after a meeting the Treasurer had with Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer on Tuesday night to discuss the budget.

Following the meeting, Mr Hockey has also given the clearest signal yet that he is personally willing to compromise with the Senate crossbench on some of the budget’s most contentious measures such as the $7 GP fee.

After criss-crossing the country for the past two weeks to meet the Senate crossbench, Mr Hockey pressed his case for structural reform in an interview on ABC local radio in Brisbane and said “everyone is being slugged” in the budget.

“What we are now at is the point where we are building the structural changes in the budget such as the copayment in Medicare, such as the higher education changes and some of the welfare changes,” he said.

“Those structural reforms ensure that we have a trajectory on debt that is $300 billion less than what it would be if we went about business as usual.

“Either we make the decisions now or you end up doing what [Premier] Campbell Newman and [Treasurer] Tim Nicholls have had to do in Queensland, and that is take emergency action in order to address the problem you inherit.

”I am warning the people of Australia that if we do not take action now we are going to end up paying up $3 billion a  month in interest alone.”

Mr Hockey said the government was asking ”everyone to contribute, including higher income people”, citing the increase to the fuel excise as an example.

”The people that actually pay the most [if fuel excise was increased] are higher income people . . . yet, the Labor Party and the Greens are opposing it. They say you’ve got to have wealthier people or middle-income people pay more.

”Well, change to the fuel excise does exactly that; the poorest people either don’t have cars or actually don’t drive very far in many cases.”

Labor leader Bill Shorten said Mr Hockey’s comments showed the Treasurer “didn’t realise how rotten his budget is”.

“Are you serious, Joe Hockey? Are you really the cigar chomping, Foghorn Leghorn of Australian politics where you’re saying that poor people don’t drive cars?’’ he said.

“Joe Hockey says [poorer Australians] don’t drive cars yet they don’t give them another alternative. It is almost as if the Treasurer believes that poor people should be sleeping in their cars, not driving their cars.”

Mr Hockey’s warning of an even tougher budget comes just weeks after a new biography revealed the federal budget was not as tough as the Treasurer wanted.

Mr Newman and Mr Nicholls’ budget slashed 14,000 public service jobs, cut spending by billions and delayed capital expenditure after 15 years of a state Labor government.

Queensland, unlike the federal government, had lost its triple A credit rating at the time of the Newman budget in September 2012.

Mr Hockey said the Coalition had presented what it believed to be the best policy solutions to tackle debt in the budget and added “we are not so precious as to say there is no alternative, but we also want to ensure we get to the end game, which is to stop the blood flow of debt”.

Asked if the GP fee was set in stone, Mr Hockey said it was necessary to ensure that Medicare, which is growing at 7 per cent annually, remained sustainable.

“We are asking Australians to contribute in order to build a stronger Medicare system and if we don’t build a stronger system, over time the cost will become unsustainable,” he said.

“It’s $70 a year to have 10 visits to the doctor, that’s what it is.”

The Treasurer said the government was prepared to discuss a possible exemption for pensioners, echoing comments from Health Minister Peter Dutton on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Mr Palmer tempered his to-date strident criticism of the budget and said he had not ruled out supporting a watered down GP fee, pointing out that a wealthy person could afford the fee but that it would hit the poor and pensioners hard.

Labor Treasury spokesman Chris Bowen said three months after the budget had been handed down, ministers were expressing “thought bubbles about their policies and whether they’ll compromise or not”.

“Three months later, the Treasurer is still struggling with his first budget. His first budget was a fundamental failure. Unfair, bad for the economy and the Treasurer should realise this today, that three months later he has failed comprehensively to sell his budget,” he said.

source: smh.com.au

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras at Amphipolis. Photo: Ekathimerini.

The tomb dates to between 325 and 300 BC, which coincides with the time when Alexander the Great died.

Archaeologists are near to discovering the identity of the person or people buried in an ancient tomb that has been discovered in Amphipolis, near Serres in northern Greece, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras suggested this week.

Mr Samaras visited the excavation site and said he was confident it would yield an “exceptionally important find” from the early Hellenistic period. The tomb dates to between 325 and 300 BC, which coincides with the time when Alexander the Great died. He lost his life in 323 BC in Babylon, modern-day Iraq, but was later buried in Egypt. The Macedonian king’s final resting place is not known.

“It would be wrong of us to be tempted to start speculating,” Mr Samaras told Kathimerini after being shown around the site by Katerina Peristeri, head of the 28th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities. “Everything we have been shown by Mrs Peristeri and her team underline the significance of the findings.”

The mound is surrounded by a 497-meter circular wall built with Thasian marble, leading the premier to label it a “unique” site. A 4.5-meter-wide road leads to the tomb’s entrance, which is guarded by two carved sphinxes. According to Mr Samaras, a 5.20-meter-tall sculpture of a lion found at the site, where excavations began in 1960, was initially positioned on top of the tumulus.

The Prime Minister told Kathimerini that the archaeologists, currently undertaking the delicate work of clearing the entrance to the tomb while ensuring there is no collapse, could be in a position to enter the burial chamber by the end of the month.

Peristeri has said it is highly unlikely that Alexander the Great was buried at ancient Amphipolis, located on the banks of the River Strymon in Central Macedonia. Alexander’s Persian wife, Roxana, and his son, Alexander IV, were banished to Amphipolis and murdered there in around 310 BC on the orders of Cassander, who became king of Macedon. Archaeologists tend to favour the interpretation that an important Macedonian official was buried at Amphipolis.

Source: Ekathimerini

Reverand Emmanuel Lykopantis (R), from the Greek Orthodox Parish of St Dimitrios in Moonee Ponds was one of the participants in the rally. Photo: Kostas Deves.

The Greek Orthodox Church, along with the Pontian and Epirotic community, rallies in support of Christian rights.

A rally was held last week at Melbourne’s Federation Square demonstrating for action against the persecution of Iraq and Syria’s Christian minority.

Around 3,000 people took to the rally, which was a means of pressurising state and federal parliaments into taking unequivocal action against the plight of Christians facing endless persecution at the hands of the Islamic State (IS) (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)). One of the suggested means is to open immigration borders and allow those persecuted to seek refuge in Australia.

Dean Kalimniou, a Panepirotic Federation of Australia spokesperson, said that Greeks and Iraqi Christians, for the most part Assyrians, have shared a rich history spanning over thousands of years, and that connection remains strong.

“There are many Assyrians who lived in Greece and who migrated to Australia and speak Greek and they are integrated within the Greek community, so those contacts are there,” Kalimniou says.

“People have become sensitised to this issue, which is a terrible humanitarian catastrophe and they want to do something about it, and the easiest way to do that was to turn up to the rally and voice support for the plight of the Christians in Iraq.”

Those present at the rally included Victorian Coalition MP Bernie Finn, Victorian Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Scrutiny of Government Frank McGuire, Bishop Suriel of the Coptic Orthodox Church and Father Emmanuel Lykopantis of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Mr Kalimniou said that the historical and cultural connections between the Assyrian and Greek communities is one that builds on the fabric of multiculturalism, shared experiences “and providing solidarity when that’s required”.

“If you notice some of the Greeks that were there, like the Pontian group, they feel very strongly about this issue because they’re united with the Assyrian community in campaigning for the recognition of the genocide (of Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians by the Ottoman Turks).

“So they feel that in many ways they’re a kindred community, that their faith has been the same one, so there are historical and social ties.”

Mr Kalimniou believes that further rallies are needed to put greater pressure on governments, both in Australia and internationally, as the plight of Iraqi Christians worsens. He also noted that the Islamic State is also persecuting moderate Muslims.

Father Lykopantis, who represented the Victorian Greek Orthodox Church, held similar views to Mr Kalminiou and told Neos Kosmos that Australian governments, at state and federal levels, needed to do more for Iraqi Christians.

“They (Assyrians) were very appreciative that we as a church were there to show support on their behalf. It’s very hard because this is a conflict where people are fighting with guns and to be quite honest there’s not really much that we can do, we can only put pressure on politicians and say ‘look, you have to somehow intervene in this matter and bring a result to it’,” Fr Lykopantis says.

He said that the Greek Orthodox Church, in conjunction with the Victorian Council of Churches, a conglomerate of Christian churches in Victoria, continues to support causes that are non-Greek in nature, but serve a distinct purpose for the general wellbeing of the greater community, and this was no exception.

“The other thing that we’re actually doing as a whole group of Christian churches is we’re trying to get a response from the Islamic Council to see where they stand with these groups, because this ISIS group is also killing moderate Muslims as well.

“It’s not just the Christians they’re chasing after, they’re chasing their own. So we’re asking them to take a stance, are they supporting this?”

But the Islamic Council is yet to respond.

He said that whilst the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia, with reference to Victoria, is very restricted in a political and legal sense, the Church of Greece, with the help of the Greek government, is doing all it can to help persecuted Christians.

“This is where the filoxenia comes in, (the church) has decided with the Greek government to take on some refugees, some persecuted Christians, and to sort of bring them into Greece and look after them whilst they’re getting kicked out of their homeland.”

“The Greek Orthodox Church is standing side-by-side with those that are suffering in Iraq and as a church we sympathise. We pray that these debacles that are happening in north Africa all the way through to Syria, including in Gaza, will cease and we can all live together harmoniously.”

He said that he and the church would continue to pray for the plight of Iraqi Christians as well as for the sanity of the rebels who are persecuting innocents.

source: Neos Kosmos

John Pandazopoulos (centre left) and Cyprus president Nicos Anastasiades (centre right).

Attending commemorative events in Cyprus, WHIA president John Pandazopoulos sees the young spearheading ways to see the island reunified.

After 40 years and no resolution to unifying Cyprus, many are just losing interest, World Hellenic Inter-parliamentary Association president John Pandazopoulos says.

Attending the Cypriot commemorative events marking the 40 year anniversary of the invasion of Cyprus this year, Mr Pandazopoulos says interest to see the island reunified is waning.

Visiting Cyprus and attending events two years ago, Mr Pandazopoulos admits crowd numbers aren’t what they expected.

“When I was there two years ago I was surprised how small the services were, if you take away the politicians and TV crews, there weren’t many people there,” he says.

“This year there were a few extra people, people came from Greece and from the diaspora, but I would probably say after 40 years, my colleagues and I thought it would have been bigger.”

The frustration people feel for the ongoing rift and the inaction of politicians has many losing hope that a resolution will ever be reached.

“I think people are getting frustrated with that and maybe that’s why in Cyprus crowds aren’t as big,” Mr Pandazopoulos believes.

“People are losing faith in the political process and that feeds into the agenda of Turkey.

“Despite all the UN resolutions, only lip service has been paid to international law.”

This Thursday will mark the day Turkish forces commenced the second stage of their invasion operation, known as ‘Atilla-II’, contravening the UN ceasefire.

International pressure to resolve the issue has always been clear, and with world events and more pressing matters like elections taking over the political agenda, hope is fading that a resolution is on the cards.

Talks between Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu to agree on a document outlining key provisions of an envisioned federation ended late July without a result.

Negotiations are set to resume in September but with Turkey’s upcoming elections, many believe the talks won’t get the attention they deserve.

Mr Pandazopoulos at least sees hope in unlikely places. Young Cypriots have been spearheading new initiatives that move away from the politicised atmosphere and brings things back to the human aspect.

Without having lived the events of 1974 they see their Turkish neighbours as friends, not foes.

“Young people are important, because they’re the ones that maybe have a different view than those that were directly affected by the invasion and nationalism of the time,” he says.

“We’re seeing that people are losing faith in the political process but they’re wanting to engage with the other side on their own and try and find people with sympathetic views.”

Initiatives like restoring religious sites – Greek Orthodox churches in the north and mosques in the south – and opening academic dialogue to both sides are making huge inroads in reunification.

Even the football federations have found a common ground and now exist as one joint federation.

“You get a sense, having spoken to a few people involved in bi-communal initiatives, that there will be growth in people to people activities,” Mr Pandazopoulos says.

At least there’s still room for the politics side, even if it’s more delayed. The Cypriot parliament still keeps 30 per cent of its seats empty in parliament, waiting for their Turkish counterparts.

source: Neos Kosmos