Howard's kango court

Federal Government’s Building Industry Commission has dragged 29 Australians before it, on pain of gaol, in the first nine months since it was given sweeping coercive powers.

And the Commission has revealed its "compliance powers" are being wielded by a former federal policeman who was accused of routinely using illegal communications intercepts.

Nigel Hadgkiss has had a dream run of federal appointments since being fingered in evidence to the NSW Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, in 2003.

Former undercover detective, Michael Kennedy, told the committee Hadgkiss had used covert recordings to fit him up for falsely accusing Joint Drugs Task Force members of corruption. Years later, Kennedy said, Hadgkiss had taken credit for unmasking the same people.

Kennedy said he had lodged formal complaints about the "criminal and illegal activities of Hadgkiss" and others.

When the Howard Government began its anti-building worker campaign it appointed Hadgkiss to head-up an interim taskforce.

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Stop Howard's land grab!

Right now the Government wants to pass a Bill to pressure Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory into giving up their land for the next century, in exchange for securing basic services (such as housing and schools).

Unlike the first NT Land Rights Act, which was an iconic piece of legislation passed with broad consensus and bi-partisan support, this Bill in its current form is opposed by all Opposition parties, and lacks the support of indigenous peoples themselves.

Even the Government’s own senators are concerned about the lack of debate: three hours of discussion in the House and a one-day Senate inquiry is not nearly enough time to consider legislation that will affect indigenous Australians for generations.

Tell your Coalition senator that future generations of indigenous Australians should not have to pay for their unseemly haste.

Take urgent action now!

Howard's debt bomb

Australian household debt grew by more than $100 billion in the past year, despite a softer housing market and rising interest rates. Which means it has almost doubled since 2001.

"People borrow more when they feel safe and secure, and that is the reason why many people have gone heavily into debt", says the Prime Minister, although he also adds that "I would take the opportunity of counselling people not to go too heavily into debt." But just as the PM has sought to play down his influence over petrol prices and interest rates, he's seeking to distance himself from this debt bomb.

Howard kills manufacturing

Foreign debt that is now equal to more than 50 per cent of GDP and, in proportion to the economy, almost twice as big as the foreign debt of the United States. The reason? The foreign debt is the elephant that is now so large that it can't be removed from the room without wrecking the house.

The Government cannot acknowledge the extent to which economic growth over the past decade has been financed by foreign debt, or why the debt has been used to finance a real estate and share price bubble rather than new export and import replacement industries that could repay it.

Recognition of the problem would require the admission that it is the Government's fault that interest rates are rising because foreign lenders are demanding bigger and bigger risk premiums to finance the debt.

There is no understanding of the need for an industry policy to rescue what's left of manufacturing and to try to correct, even at this late stage, the external imbalance. The OECD brief says: "It is important that any policy response to consequential structural adjustment occurs with minimal disruption rather than seeking to prevent adjustment."

This can be taken to mean that the only Australian manufacturing industry left that is of any consequence (vehicles) as a result of the over-valued exchange rate (due to high interest rates and the commodity price boom) will be allowed to go to the wall rather than receive assistance.

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Destroying a city