budget
"Rees adviser gets $135,000 payout" "GRAEME WEDDERBURN, Nathan Rees's chief of staff, has been given a taxpayer-funded payout greater than $135,000 after serving just 10 months in the job. He was sacked by the new Premier, Kristina Keneally, last week. Mr Wedderburn's record salary as Mr Rees's chief of staff was in excess of $300,000, Labor sources have confirmed. His $270,000 salary was topped up by the party's head office. His contract ensured he would be paid half of his annual salary if his contract was severed. The deal was negotiated with Mr Rees and the former premier Bob Carr, government sources confirmed." read more
Well then, seeing as how it was Rees and Carr that hired that poor performer, how about Rees and Carr pay Wedderburn with money out of their own private pockets? Ow don't mind me, I'm just fantasising about a fair Australian system where political mechanics that don't fix your state's car, don't get paid.
"Pine Gap spy base to be upgraded" "Defence is unable to say how much an upgrade of the secretive Pine Gap spy base near Alice Springs will cost. In a short statement, the department said "upgrades to the antenna farm at the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap are expected to commence in May 2010". Defence has not responded to an AAP request for information on the cost of the work." read more
Former Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt had objections to Pine Gap being set up. Not long after that and according to the official story Holt went missing while scuba diving. Of course we here know 19 clowns with plastic box cutters didn't stand down NORAD on 9/11 and supposedly PM Holt's body didn't go missing either, but rather according to former Australian Navy seal Gary Simmons, something else more sinister happened. learn more
"The federal government will spend $50 million on infrastructure on Christmas Island to help it cope with growing demands as the detention centre expands. The money will be spent on providing services such as power and water. Roads will also be improved. Immigration Minister Chris Evans flagged the infrastructure boost in late October when he announced the capacity of the Christmas Island Immigration Detention Centre would be increased to at least 2,000 beds to cope with an influx of boat arrivals. read more
