By: Larry Williams | Wednesday, August 15, 2012 5:30 PM

Australia's High Court has thrown out a challenge from tobacco companies to the federal government's plain packaging laws.

The court has ruled the Gillard government's world-first laws are constitutionally valid. Other countries, New Zealand included, have been waiting for this decision.

There is expected to be a wave of countries to introduce the plain packs if Australia gets over the legal hurdles.

Tariana Turia and the Maori Party are pushing for the plain packs here.

Today's decision is no slam dunk. There will be appeals and the case is being taken to the WTO.

The interesting thing is this: Plain packaging cannot be proved to be effective at this time because it has not been introduced anywhere around the world.

 

LABOUR 

 

David Shearer came out all guns blazing yesterday to put a stop to the in-fighting within his party.

It is clear, I think, that there are great divisions within Labour.

David Cunliffe comes out of the caucus all smiles and says "I think he's going to be a great Prime Minister and he's a good guy".

Nobody really believes that statement.

Oh, he might be a great guy but I seriously doubt Shearer will get the chance to be the PM.

The signs are that he is 'dead man walking' as Leader.

 

GREEN PAPER

The Green Paper on vulnerable children released yesterday focuses largely on mandatory reporting and information sharing.

If adopted it will require professionals like doctors and teachers to report child abuse to the authorities.

Surprisingly, a lot of the submitters on the Green Paper are against mandatory reporting and sharing of information between agencies.

That is astounding. 

There is too much emphasis on privacy and not enough on the children.

What society is dealing with here is not exclusively, but largely mongrel families. Intergenerational, low intelligence, low income, often benefit dependent people who live like animals.

They are brain dead and judges giving these feral types home detention for breaking a five month old babies legs five times keeps the abuse going.

I'm not optimistic of much change, sadly.

 

RATES

There is a guy in The New Zealand Herald complaining about his rates bill.

It's gone up 225% to over 14k a year!

Now sure it will be capped at 10% each year but eventually he will be paying the full whack.

It's because of the move from land value to capital value.

Here's what the council chief financial officer Andrew McKenzie said in response. "the introduction of the single rating system aims to equitably rate similar properties no matter where they are based in the Auckland region"

Let me tell you, these rates have nothing to do with being equitable at all. They also have nothing to do with services delivered.

The rates are a 'socialist' mechanism which is a straight out 'progressive tax'.

It's just absurd to claim rates are equitable when they are based on property value.

 

DRUG CHEAT

A pointer as to why the Belarussian got caught up with steroids was the reaction of Belarus anti-doping boss.

He made all sorts of excuses as to why Nadzeya Ostapchuk could have tested positive. He implied that she was innocent. That the steroid somehow got into her system by chance. Or that there was a conspiracy of some sorts.

This from an anti-doping guy.

You can she tested negative in Belarus.

Ostapchuk herself is blaming he former coach.

Like she didn't notice that she was starting to look like a man and throw like a man and talk like a man.

The Herald are running a poll asking whether Ostapchuk is a cheat. Amazingly 9 percent say she was framed and 39 percent don't know if she's a cheat.

Go figure.

 

Photo: stock.xchng

 

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