An Australian news roundup

A good email from a reader about the Leftist mythology surrounding Tasmania: "In one of the latest Lonely Planet books "The cities book : a journey through the best cities in the world" there are a few pages of pictures of Hobart and a fact page. Which of the following list under Weaknesses stands out to you?: 1). Relatively expensive if good accommodation; 2). Aesthetically challenged Federation Concert Hall; 3). Tasmanian wine (more expensive than mainland wine); 4). Aboriginal massacres by the colonists. Yes, apparently tourists visiting 21st century Hobart will have to tread carefully to avoid the piles of Aboriginal bodies littering the streets. The Left just can't help themselves in reflexively accusing Australia of massacre and genocide even in the middle of a travel book".









How ridiculous! "Relatives could be banned from carrying photographs of old Diggers [Australian soldiers] at this year's Anzac Day march -- because it would be like a funeral procession. About 100 veterans' associations voted to change Anzac Day protocol, saying that the photographs of dead Diggers were morbid. But angry relatives have hit back, saying a ban would threaten the very meaning of Anzac Day. "It is a shock, because people carry photos to honour those men, and we don't want Anzac Day to die out," said Peter Norton, whose father fought in World War II. "This decision should not stand without it being referred to the wider public, so we have the chance to ask them, 'Please, don't do this."' ... The vote came after a move to stop Diggers' descendants from even marching was defeated. "The carrying of photos is something that has only come about quite recently," Mr Burrows said. "If you look at European, African or Mediterranean funerals, it seems to be a common practice. "But it wasn't perceived by the meeting to be part of our Anzac Day. "It doesn't celebrate mateship. "It's a bit morbid and made a lot of people feel uncomfortable." ... A spokesman for the World War I descendants' group Friends of the 15th Brigade said people should be free to make their own decision on carrying photos. "It is a personal choice and I expect some people will carry on anyway," he said".









Inquiry widens on troop uniforms: "The Commonwealth Ombudsman will investigate the way the Defence Department buys clothing for soldiers following concerns over sub-standard equipment. The Auditor-General's office said it would widen an inquiry into small defence acquisitions to probe concerns the department continued to buy faulty jackets, boots and other gear. Last month a Senate estimates committee heard many soldiers had complained about faulty equipment and alleged conflicts of interest of department staff involved in the tenders for combat jackets. Soldiers complained their kit was so poor they had to buy their own equipment. Three department officials could face disciplinary action."






Breast-milk bank: "A Perth hospital is setting up the nation's first breast-milk bank. King Edward Memorial Hospital will officially open the expressed milk bank by early April. Karen Simmer, medical director of the hospital's neonatology clinical care unit, is behind the plan. She says the milk will help premature babies fight infections and gut problems. "Human milk adds a lot of bioactive compounds and a lot of hormones," Prof Simmer said."









Brisbane Garlic scare: "Garlic appears to be the culprit behind a city evacuation of 70 people this morning. Emergency services were in full flight in Brisbane city this morning investigating the cause of an unusual stench. What was thought to be a gas leak had left some workers unwell in busy Elizabeth Street. They evaculated level three of 229 Elizabeth St, Brisbane, at about 9.50am in an exercise conducted with full military precision. In all 70 people were asked to leave. But it was soon discovered the smell was in fact roast garlic from a kitchen in an adjoining building. Garlic is known for its mythical ability to drive spirits out of buildings, but this power was thought to be confined to vampires. Police reopened Elizabeth St at about 10.50am once the scene was deemed non-toxic -- at least to humans."








How loony can you get? "Grey nurse sharks could be imported to Queensland and NSW or artificially inseminated under a proposal to boost flagging populations. Researchers from Sydney's Macquarie University are considering moving sharks from Western Australia or Africa to the eastern seaboard in a bid to strengthen the sharks' gene pool. Research team member Adam Stow said studies had shown there was limited migration within Australian grey nurse shark populations and the critically endangered east coast variety had very low levels of genetic variation. "It's actually worse than we thought for the grey nurse shark because low levels of genetic variation mean that the population's not going to be very robust to any environmental changes such as global warming," he said today. "And the fact that the population's not getting replenished by migration adds further concern to the population decline."

(For more postings from me, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and DISSECTING LEFTISM. My Home Page. Email me (John Ray) here.)

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