SA Footy

redandblack wrote:That's normal practice for either side of politics.

redandblack wrote:That's normal practice for either side of politics.

As for the video, I thought it might have contained something explosive.

Turned out to be a very damp squib.

Atkinson offered benefit, MPs told

DANIEL WILLS, POLITICAL REPORTER
December 02, 2009 11:30pm
PARLIAMENT has been told of allegations that Attorney-General Michael Atkinson offered a benefit to a Charles Sturt councillor if he joined the Labor Party.

Independent MP David Winderlich today won support from the Upper House for an Ombudsman's inquiry into the St Clair land swap and detailed allegations that residents had been intimidated by Atkinson staffers.

Making his comments under parliamentary privilege, he said four complaints had been made to police about Mr Atkinson or "people closely associated to him" and revealed testimony from people who feel "personally threatened" by the Attorney-General."

Mr Winderlich said there were several allegations, one of which he considered ``extremely credible’, that Mr Atkinson ``actively offers benefits to councils’’.

Mr Winderlich also relayed an allegation that ``one councillor who had opposed the land swap recently changed his vote late in the piece’’

``Residents assert that this is because he has been promised the Honourable Michael Atkinson's support for a Labor seat," Mr Winderlich told parliament.

Mr Winderlich also revealed claims a one councillor was offered a position as chair of a council committee attracting payment of $3000 if he rejoined the ALP.

Mr Winderlich also read a police complaints from a woman who claimed to have been photographed by an Atkinson staffer while protesting at the West Croydon Community and told ''you'll pay for this, for what (you) did today'."

He also quoted from an email sent by a resident who claimed an internet forum discussing the St Clair land swap had been hacked and forced to shut down. The resident claimed Mr Atkinson had visited the site and had attacked residents for engaging in community conversation about the land.

"I spoke to one of the administrators the day before the site was last hacked and his property had been damaged the night before and he had been targeted and attacked," the email quoted by Mr Winderlich read.

"Why would Michael do this to residents who had for so many years been loyal to him? I am just one person, but there are so many others out there in his electorate who are also scared…

"It is like being the exiles in George Orwell's Animal Farm."

AdelaideNow is seeking comment from Mr Atkinson.

Labor MPs jeered Mr Winderlich during his speech and accused him of being a "coward" for making the allegations under privilege. Labor members accused those supporting the motion of grandstanding on the basis that the Ombudsman was capable of initiating an inquiry in his own right following a complaint from the public

STATUTES AMENDMENT (VICTIMS OF CRIME) BILL
Consideration in committee of the Legislative Council’s amendments.
The Hon. I.F. EVANS: I just want to make some comments in relation to this matter about FOI'ing and victims of crime because it does raise the interesting question in relation to who becomes the victim. The Attorney is aware in his role as acting minister for families and communities that I have FOI'd a series of documents in relation to the Easling matter.
The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: Fielders Steel Roofing made a donation yet?
The Hon. I.F. EVANS: The Attorney asks me whether Fielders has made a donation. I will get that on the record because what the Attorney of course is alleging, for those who are not aware, is an improper motive. What the Attorney is alleging is that Tom Easling's brother—who was employed by Fielders and now runs his own company, for the Attorney's information—has made a donation to me or the Liberal Party. Actually, through Fielders, he was a member of the Labor Party's Progressive Business Alliance and he has attended at least two fundraisers in the Premier's presence to my knowledge.
The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: Because he wanted to raise this issue.
The Hon. I.F. EVANS: No; he was a member well before this issue.
The Hon. M.J. Atkinson interjecting:
The Hon. I.F. EVANS: Well, to my knowledge. I don't see his accounts, but I do know this and I will put this on the record for the Attorney-General who of course is fearlessly independently looking at this matter with no bias, I am sure. I did say to Tom Easling's brother when I took this matter up that under no circumstances was he to make a donation to the Liberal Party or attend a function so that people like the Attorney-General could not make that allegation with any accuracy.
The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: He took display advertising in The Independent Weekly, and got the story he wanted.
The Hon. I.F. EVANS: Someone is allowed to advertise in a publication but he has made no donation and I specifically gave him instructions not to so that the allegation could not be made, so get over it.
The reason I wanted to comment about this is that this victims of crime issue is an interesting one because at what point do you become a victim of crime? I questioned the commissioner for victims the other day in a committee on this matter. I will not go into the details of the answer because the committee has not reported. The question I am raising is this: one could argue that having been falsely accused of a crime the person falsely accused becomes the victim, and at what point do you become a victim? I do not think the victims of crime legislation deals with this issue adequately. The reality is that I have FOI'd—
The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: So, now you are reflecting on the eight alleged victims.
The Hon. I.F. EVANS: Well, the court did not believe the testimony of the eight alleged victims.
The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: No; they didn't make a finding beyond reasonable doubt. That's different.
The Hon. I.F. EVANS: They found Mr Easling not guilty.
The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: Some of them.
The Hon. I.F. EVANS: Well, as the Attorney had to come back and apologise to the house, I am sure he is across the detail and we enjoyed the apology. Twelve verdicts were unanimous and six were majority so one or two out of the 12 believed the evidence of the claimants but the vast majority did not.
The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: Beyond reasonable doubt.
The Hon. I.F. EVANS: Attorney, go and reflect on the Hansard. I will say this to you quite openly because you are in a position to have to look at this issue without bias. There was a report by Mr Moss tabled in the house this week that reflects on the capacity to look at things without bias. If you feel that you do not have the capacity to look at that issue without bias, excuse yourself from the position on that issue.
Mr Easling, through me, has FOI'd numerous documents about allegations made in this place and, when we have sought the information, even though all of that information should have been released under subpoena to Mr Easling, the FOI process does not release it on the basis of the Child Protection Act. Then, what right Mr Easling? I will continue my remarks on another occasion.
Progress reported; committee to sit again.

At 18:00 the house adjourned until Thursday 15 October 2009 at 10:30.

The Advertiser
5th December 2009 Page 23

In response to the allegations, Mr Atkinson has called on Mr Winderlich to "take 20 steps outside the doors of Parliament avd make these allegations in the proper public domain". The fact that he does not dare make these allegations outside of Parliament is the sign of a man who will not stand behind his own words" he said

Attorney-General Michael Atkinson says gamers pose a greater risk to his safety than bikies

Michael Owen-Brown

ATTORNEY-GENERAL Michael Atkinson has told a national television show he and his family are more at risk from video gamers than bikies.

In an interview on ABC2's Good Game program last night, Mr Atkinson said he had been the target of "criminal defamation" and threats from people campaigning for a national R18+ rating for computer games.

Mr Atkinson - who vehemently opposes the introduction of an R18+ rating - holds the national power of veto over any change to video game classifications.

He is being challenged at the state election by a candidate from the new political party Gamers4Croydon.

"I have no evidence to say that (hate material) has been circulated by members of Gamers4Croydon - I don't know who sends me this filthy material but I get my electorate office email spammed, about 2 o'clock in the morning I had a threatening note from a gamer shoved under my door," Mr Atkinson told the program.

"I feel that my family and I are more at risk from gamers than we are from outlaw motorcycle gangs, who also hate me and are running a candidate against me.

"The outlaw motorcycle gangs haven't been hanging around my doorstep at 2am - a gamer has."

Mr Atkinson told the program the interactive nature of video games increased their impact.

He said someone could see a person beheaded at the movies as a passive observer and "I think it can do harm, but we permit it within certain restrictions".

"In interactive games, the person playing is doing the action and therefore I think it has a higher impact, and impact has always been a consideration in censorship or classification, call it what you will," Mr Atkinson said.

Also on the program, Gamers4Croydon founder David Doe said games with objectionable content like extreme violence or rape would still be refused classification in Australia even if an R18+ rating was introduced.

"This isn't about getting more violence into video games, it's just about labelling it appropriately so people buying video games for their children or grandchildren understand the type of content that's in them," Mr Doe said.

He said 50 or 60 games that had been rated R18+ in New Zealand had gone on sale in Australia in the past five years with an MA15+ rating - which did not stop children buying them at the shops.

Shadow attorney-general Vickie Chapman said Mr Atkinson had "lost the plot" and had demonstrated he was unfit for office.

“The state’s first law officer should act in a dignified way and take an approach which protects and reassures the public," she said. “Playing down violent crime is irresponsible and unbecoming of an Attorney-General."

Earlier this month, Mr Atkinson backflipped on his internet censorship plan which would have required political blog comments during the state election to include the author's full name and address.

Jimmy_041 wrote:I wont comment. Not going to give him a reason to sue someone else for defamation