In feebly defending his decision to prematurely terminate the inquiry – in doing so denying residents of Burnside knowledge of the former council’s inappropriate and potentially unlawful conduct, the Minister stated “I would say a lot of people in Burnside don’t care.” To those residents of Burnside who initially campaigned for the investigation and then for those who had offended against their community to be held accountable, the Minister’s comments were deeply offensive. The Minister then tried to downplay the broader importance of Mr MacPherson’s inquiry, asking rhetorically “does anyone outside of Burnside really care?”

Knowing those who want Councils to be accountable and responsive to community views and free of inappropriate political or other influences care greatly, Ann has circulated a petition amongst residents of Burnside and is encouraging everyone who wants the truth about the ‘Burnside-gate’ saga exposed to sign the petition. Specifically, the petition to the Legislative Council calls upon the Parliament to insist Minister Wortley resumes the investigation and allows Mr MacPherson to finalise his report.

To download the petition, please click here. You are asked to get as many signatures as you can and then return the petition by post to Ann Bressington MLC, Parliament House, North Tce, ADELAIDE SA 5000. 

Together, we can show the Minister we care!

UPDATE: On Wednesday, 14th September, Ann presented over 1600 signatures to the Legislative Council. Ann extends a big thankyou to all those who assisted to collect the signatures, especially the staff at the Chelsea Cinema and the members of ICAC-SA.

Ann's first e-Brief for 2011 has just been distributed. To download a copy please click on Bressington e-Brief January 2011. To be added to the mailing list, please contact Ann.

Ann Stands Up for Worker's Rights

Ann recently spoke at a rally in support of Public Service workers who are having their long service leave rights arbitarily slashed by the Labor Government, despite their existing conditions being part of their industrial award. Below are photo's taken on the day:

Torrens Island Under Threat

The remaining pristine coastal and dune environment and the Heritage listed Quarantine Station on Torrens Island is being threatened by the Labor Government's plans to subdivide and develop this very special place.

On the 30th June 2010, Ann, seeking to halt the desturction of this pristine environment, moved the following motion in the Legislative Council:

That this councils calls on:

1. The Minister for Environment and Conservation to—

(a)   conserve the heritage value of the Torrens Island Quarantine Station and the remaining pristine environment on the northern end of Torrens Island by taking steps to prevent any further industrial development of these sites;

(b)   take steps to restore the Torrens Island Quarantine Station building s on the South Australian Heritage Register and ensure sufficient funds are available to do so;

(c)   engage in negotiations with the Treasurer with the objective being for the Department of Environment and Heritage to take control of the northern end of Torrens Island, including the site of the former quarantine station, from the Generation Lessor Corporation;

(d)   take steps to provide tourist access to the Torrens Island Quarantine Station and surrounding historical sites and engage in consultation with all relevant parties with a view to facilitating regulated tourism; and

2.    The Treasurer to—

(a)   release details of the application before the Development Assessment Commission and of the proposed commercial uses of the proposed allotments; and

(b)   cease moves to further develop Torrens Island and cease negotiations with commercial parties seeking to do so.

To read Ann’s speech when introducing the motion, click here.

Recently, Ann held a public forum, which heard from several prominent speakers, including representatives from the Australian Marine Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Organisationand the National Conservation Council (SA), and was attended by fellow Members of Parliament, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Port Adelaide Enfield Council, academics, representatives from ETSA and environmental groups, and members of the public.

Prior to the Public Forum, Hendrik Gout, Editor of the Independent Weekly, published the following video editorial, which focuses on the proposed development of Torrens Island, on Indaily.com.au.

On the 27th August 2010, Ian Henschke from Stateline covered the Government's development plans for Torrens Island in the story below:

Ann called for the motion to go to a vote on Wednesday, 15th September. While it did find support amongst the crossbenchers, notable from the Greens, unfortunately both Labor and Liberal did not give the motion their support.

Public Forum: Safe Havens for Unwanted Newborn Babies

On the Thursday, 9th September, Ann is hosting a public meeting on her planned Bill to establish Safe Havens for Unwanted Newborn Babies, modelled on similar initiatives in the USA where hospitals have special hatches in which babies can be left without the mother suffering any legal ramifications. For those interested in attending, see the below flyer or click here to download. Those seeking to attend are requested to RSVP as places are limited.

On the 30th June 2010, Ann introduced the Criminal Law (Sentencing)(Mandatory Imprisonment of Child Sex Offenders) Amendment Bill 2010 to require child sex offenders to serve a minimum sentence of imprisonment. The Bill seeks to impose mandatory minimum prison sentences of one-third of the maximum penalty on paedophiles aged over 18 who sexually abuse a child aged 13 years or younger. The sentence cannot be suspended.

 “The sexual abuse of a child is the most heinous offence and deserves a punishment that reflects the severity of the crime and the harm that it causes,” Ann Bressington said after introducing the Bill.

 “However, far too often paedophiles walk free from court on a suspended sentence or receive a non-parole period of only two or three years. When this happens victims and their parents rightly feel they have been denied justice.

 “Minimum mandatory sentencing will ensure paedophiles are taken out of circulation and put in prison where they belong.”

 As an example of an offender released on a good behaviour bond and the anguish this causes the victims parents, please see the Advertiser article, Public Warned about Abuser.

 Below are some of the offences and the minimum non-parole periods that would apply:

The mismanagement of WorkCover and EML, the monopoly claims agent, has again been raised in the media, with David Nankervis from the Sunday Mail exposing that interstate Doctors are being used to do 'Independent Medical Examinations' at far greater expense than South Australian Doctors. These Doctors were described by Dr Andrew Lavender, President of the South Australian Branch of the Australian Medical Association, as "hired guns", adding that "(claims managers) are trying to seek someone who, instead of giving an independent opinion, is giving the opinion they want" For those who missed the Sunday Mail article by David Nankervis, it can be read by following this link: Outrage at $439 an hour medicos from interstate.

Following the Sunday Mail article, this and other issues were raised by Leon Byner on 5AA 1395 on Monday 31st May 2010 and Tuesday 1st June 2010. The complete transcripts can be found here.

In the next sitting week of Parliament, Ann moved a motion calling for a ministerial investigation into the allegations made by the AMA, other medical and legal professionals and inured workers. The Hansard of Ann's speech when introducing the motion can be found here.

The Joint Statement from Ann Bressington, Robert Brokenshire, John Darley and Dennis Hood, about using their collective muscle in the Parliament to hold this Government to account for its woeful funding of social services, particular those that are there to service our most vulnerable (disability sector, Housing SA, child protection, etc.) can be found here.

For the past year, Ann has been actively working to collate evidence of serious SA Police corruption in the case of Mr Z, who was also a protected witness in the Dianne Brimble Coroner’s Inquest. The result has been two Public Interest Disclosures (PID’s) under the Whistleblower Protection Act 1993 (WPA) and numerous letters to the former and present Attorney-Generals, Police Minister, Police Commissioner and the Ombudsman. Both PIDs allege corruption by Police Officers, including blatant breaches of law and the Police Code of Conduct, and maladministration by the former Police Complaints Authority (PCA), and former Attorney-General for their failure to investigate and remedy Mr Z’s claims. This case singularly highlights the need for an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) as the Internal Investigation Branch (IIB) and PCA have failed in their duties, whilst the Ombudsman is prevented by law from investigating the PCA or any member of the Police. This contradicts the former Attorney-General’s statements in the media claiming that the Ombudsman, who has Royal Commission powers to investigate allegations of corruption, is a sufficient alternative to an ICAC – not so, it seems, if the corruption is at the hands of Police! To read more about the case of Mr Z, please click here.

An article by David Nankervis which highlights how desperate the plight of injured workers has become, with many forced to rely upon handouts to survive. Features the inspiring dedication of Rosemary McKenzie-Ferguson, founder of Work Injured Resource Connection, and Ann Bressington. To read the article please click here.

Community Service Announcement by Ann concerning the need to reform Families SA.

A Community Service Announcement by Ann concerning the benefits of voting below the line on the Legislative Council ballot paper.

Below is a repeat of Ann's speech at the Work Injured Resource Connection's WorkCover Forum held on the 4 March 2010. Please see the related Today Tonight Adelaide story on the In the Media page.

Today Tonight Adelaide story of 'Mary', a grandmother who has wrongly been denied the care of and access to her grandchildren (who are in foster care) by Families SA. Went to air on the 10 March 2010 and features Ann Bressington MLC, Chris Hamilton and Tony Tonkin amongst others and was reported by Paul Makin.

For those who missed them, below are the links to two recent Advertiser articles highlighting peoples experiences with Families SA, particularly children being removed when the parents seek Families SA support:

Tuesday, 5 January 2010: We Asked for Help - But They Took Our Kids

Tuesday, 29 December 2009: Seven Children in Welfare and a Mum who says all she Wanted was a Helping Hand

As you may remember, earlier this year Ann foreshadowed her intention to move amendments to the Government’s Statutes Amendment (Children’s Protection) Bill 2009 which will give parents greater access to the newly created Child Protection Restraining Orders.

Following negotiations with Government, Ann introduced four amendments, all of which were initially agreed to and passed by the Legislative Council. To read Ann's speech when introducing these amendments and other Members contributions, please click here.

However, the Government did not support two of Ann's amendments and instead proposed an alternative. Not wanting to cause the defeat of the Bill and recognising that the Government's alternative amendments - while not superior to her original amendments - were an improvement on the Bill, Ann withdrew her amendments and supported those of the Government.

Ultimately, parents now have a new tool available to assist in protecting their children when they are being harboured against the parents will and reasonable parental authority. This is intended to empower those parents who were providing a safe and loving home, and several safeguards exist to ensure that a child is not returned to family home when it is not in their best interest. To learn more about child protection restraining orders, please contact Ann.

To learn more about Ann's policy concerning the harbouring of runaway children, please see Harbouring of Runaway Children - When Parental Consent is Ignored.

As you may remember, in late 2008 Hydro Lord, the board game in which players compete to own the most hydroponic cannabis set-ups, attracted public outrage when copies were left in driveways, on foot paths and in children's playgrounds during school holidays as part of a guerrilla marketing campaign. Since that time, Ann has been trying to have Hydro Lord classified, hoping that as a result it would be out of the reach of children.

While Ann was successful in having Hydro Lord classified via an application to the Classification Board from the Licensing Enforcement Branch of the South Australian Police, the result unfortunately was a classification of M. While this does carry an advisory warning of 'Not recommended for readers under 15 years' its sale is unrestricted, meaning children can presently purchase Hydro Lord.

With many parents expressing to Ann their disappointment in this classification, on Tuesday the 17th November 2009 Ann asked a question in Parliament of the Attorney-General, the South Australian Minister responsible for this area of law. One of the questions Ann asked was:

"Given the nature and the intention of Hydro Lord, does the Attorney-General agree with the Classification Board's classification of M? If not, will the Attorney-General make representations to the Classification Board and his federal counterparts, with the intention of revising Hydro Lord's present classification?"

It would now appear, however, that the Federal Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Brendan O'Connor, did not require the Attorney-General's intervention, and on Thursday the 19th of November 2009 committed to a review of Hydro Lord's classification. It is now hoped that Hydro Lord will be re-classified to a Category 1 publication, which would restrict access to those under the age of 18years. To read Ann's question in full, please click here.

On the Thursday following Ann's question, Channel 7's Today Tonight featured a story about Hydro Lord's classification, which can be viewed below.

Since this story went to air, copies of Hydro Lord have again been left in people's driveways, on footpaths and in public parks. Disturbingly, it would seem those responsible are selecting areas with large numbers of young families, who have children who are, or will shortly be, on school holidays.

Have copies of Hydro Lord been left in your area? If so, please let Ann know.