O7540 Justice

Abbott faces another Senate revolt over same-sex marriage bill

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Original article by Judith Ireland, Latika Bourke
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 6 : 2-Dec-14

A bill put forward by Liberal Democratic Party Senator David Leyonhjelm revises the Marriage Act to recognise same-sex, transgender and intersex unions. Leyonhjelm says that if proper debate is not permitted on the bill, he may follow newly-independent Senator Jacqui Lambie and vote against Australian Government legislation. Prime Minister Tony Abbott appears to have backed away from his election pledge to permit a Liberal Party conscience vote on same-sex marriage, to which he is opposed

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Chairman Dawkins vacates Vocation

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Original article by Kylar Loussikian
The Australian – Page: 21 : 28-Nov-14

Ex-Minter Ellison partner Mark Elliott, notorious for launching class action law suits against companies in which he has marginal shareholdings, has joined law firms Maurice Blackburn and Slater & Gordon in bringing such a case against Vocation. The Supreme Court of Victoria will hear allegations of misleading or deceptive conduct, after the Victorian Department of Education & Early Childhood Development cancelled funding worth $A20m for Vocation off-shoots BAWM and Aspin. Meanwhile John Dawkins has stepped down as chair of the private education services provider

CORPORATES
VOCATION LIMITED – ASX VET, SLATER AND GORDON LIMITED – ASX SGH, MAURICE BLACKBURN PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT, BAWM GROUP PTY LTD, ASPIN PTY LTD, DUET GROUP – ASX DUE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, BSL LITIGATION PARTNERS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN SKILLS QUALITY AUTHORITY, BANKSIA SECURITIES LIMITED, LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX LEI, TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR, DOWNER EDI LIMITED – ASX DOW

Drug seizures no deterrent

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Original article by Sean Nicholls
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 12 : 28-Nov-14

A new report has been issued by the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics & Research that looks at major seizures of heroin, cocaine and amphetamines nationally for the decade from mid-2001. Comparing the figures with those for drug overdoses and drug-related criminal charges indicates that the impact of the law enforcement operations is negligible. However Don Weatherburn, the director of the agency, notes that there is still a positive effect in that street prices for the illicit drugs are kept high

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NEW SOUTH WALES. BUREAU OF CRIME STATISTICS AND RESEARCH, NEW SOUTH WALES. CRIME COMMISSION

Medcraft warns of collusion probes

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 23 : 27-Nov-14

Civil as well as criminal charges are possible against ANZ Bank, over its role in alleged attempts by major banks to fix the bank bill swap rate. The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) is investigating, and ANZ has suspended seven traders on full pay pending the outcome. ASIC chair Greg Medcraft argues that the problem is a global one and indicative of an ingrained culture across the banking sector. A probe into the claims of collusion has also been launched by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, BLOOMBERG LP

Palmer in bid to stop fraud ruling

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Original article by Sarah Elks
The Australian – Page: 2 : 27-Nov-14

Supreme Court of Queensland judge David Jackson is hearing a claim by Chinese state enterprise Citic Pacific against its iron ore mining joint venture partner, federal politician Clive Palmer. Citic alleges that he improperly accessed an account and withdrew $A12.167m to fund his election campaign. Simon Couper QC, acting for Palmer, has formally conceded some of the points and argues the case should now be dropped. Andrew Bell SC, for Citic, says the admissions merely show that fraud did occur

CORPORATES
MINERALOGY PTY LTD, CITIC PACIFIC LIMITED, COSMO DEVELOPMENTS PTY LTD, MEDIA CIRCUS NETWORK PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF QUEENSLAND, SINO IRON PTY LTD, PALMER UNITED PARTY

Boycott safeguards ‘inadequate’: Boral

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Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 21 : 26-Nov-14

The draft report of Ian Harper from his review of competition law for the Australian Government does not recommend changes to secondary boycott provisions. These had been called for in the submission of building materials group Boral, which also told the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption that the current legislation was insufficient to deal with the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union. The latter is now the target of Federal Court proceedings launched by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission

CORPORATES
BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION

Help for GPs to spot violence

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Original article by Cathy O’Leary
The West Australian – Page: 11 : 25-Nov-14

The Women’s Law Centre of Western Australia has released a toolkit to assist the state’s GPs in dealing with cases of suspected domestic violence. It provides GPs with advice on issues such as taking notes that may be used in legal action and the mandatory reporting of domestic violence cases. A spokeswoman for the centre, Heidi Guldbaek, notes that one woman in Australia dies every week as a result of domestic violence

CORPORATES
WOMEN’S LAW CENTRE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (WESTERN AUSTRALIA)

Police launch Palmer probe

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Original article by Hedley Thomas
The Australian – Page: 4 : 24-Nov-14

Chinese state enterprise Citic Pacific is reportedly handing over material to police in Western Australia (WA) that could lead to fraud charges against federal MP and businessman Clive Palmer. His Mineralogy vehicle is accused by Citic in a series of civil cases of making unauthorised withdrawals worth $A12m-plus from an account for an iron ore mining joint venture. The funds are claimed to have been used for the 2103 election campaign of the Palmer United Party. Citic wants WA Supreme Court judge David Jackson QC to rule that Palmer acted fraudulently and dishonestly

CORPORATES
CITIC PACIFIC LIMITED, CHINA INTERNATIONAL TRUST AND INVESTMENT CORPORATION, MINERALOGY PTY LTD, PALMER UNITED PARTY, WESTERN AUSTRALIAN POLICE SERVICE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, SUPREME COURT OF QUEENSLAND, SUPREME COURT OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), ABC TV, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Home of fraudster who posed as psychiatrist sold for $3m after Supreme Court order

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Original article by Kate McClymont
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 2 : 24-Nov-14

Supreme Court of New South Wales judge Arthur Emmett on 7 November 2014 increased the amount owed to the Chateau Constructions residential building firm by a serial fraudster to $A1.7m-plus. Vitomir Zepinic had counter-sued Chateau when it sought to recover a final payment of $A223,000 in late 2006 for work done on a mansion at Turramurra in Sydney. Zepinic has previously been convicted, but not jailed, for claiming to be a psychiatrist in Queensland and then the UK. The property has now been sold for $A3m-plus by a court-appointed trustee

CORPORATES
CHATEAU CONSTRUCTIONS PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, TOOWOOMBA HOSPITAL, LOCAL COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, NEW SOUTH WALES. CONSUMER, TRADER AND TENANCY TRIBUNAL, COURT OF APPEAL (NEW SOUTH WALES)

Police destroyed cold case evidence

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Original article by Tammy Mills
The Age – Page: 2 : 21-Nov-14

Victoria Police Detective Senior Sergeant Ron Iddles has told the Shepparton Magistrates Court that crucial forensic evidence had been destroyed. The court is hearing the "cold case" matter of local teenager Michelle Buckingham’s murder three decades ago. It has emerged that in 1994, a decision was made by police to transfer evidence to a new storage facility and to dispose of material relating to as many as 40 "cold case" investigations

CORPORATES
VICTORIA POLICE, SHEPPARTON MAGISTRATES’ COURT