[Green-Activist] Howard's big photo opportunity gobbles up millions

Sun Aug 19 13:25:04 EST 2007

Readers unable to access a copy of my article, Howard's big photo  
opportunity gobbles up millions, mysteriously disabled after posting on  
Sydney Indymedia on Saturday, 18 August, can find it at:

http://perth.indymedia.org/index.php?action=newswire&parentview=106013
[http://sydney.indymedia.org.au/node/51529]

But in case anything happens to the Perth Indymedia site, here it is,  
complete with links:

Howard's big photo opportunity gobbles up millions

Under a cloak of secrecy, the Federal Government last week hosted a 
<a href=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s2004272.htm> top-level 
meeting of defence chiefs</a> from 19 nations ahead of next month's 
APEC meeting, also in Sydney. Included were regional chiefs from US, 
Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

ABC reporter Leigh Sales said the “military leaders discussed the 
types of new missions modern armies have to carry out and the ways to 
improve performance. Chief of the Australian Army, Lieut. Gen Peter 
Leahy, said the meeting was <a 
href=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s2004272.htm>“an internal 
conference”</a> (code for “we’re not telling”?) “and we were just 
sitting around in one of the nice hotels in Sydney, discussing issues”.
 As one does. But with top brass from 19 nations?!

<p>Because of the secrecy and what we already know of the Howard  
Government’s poor record for honesty, we are entitled to speculate on  
the rationale underlying this cover story: the real probability of a  
change of government could throw into disarray secret deals made with  
these nations over the 11 years of conservative government—nations  
whose commitment to democratic ideals is, to say the least, thin on the  
ground.</p>

<p>The so-called 'war on terror' has been used as an excuse for the  
most heavy presence ever of security in the harbourside city that will  
see a gathering of some of the world's most morally dubious and toxic  
leaders at Sydney's iconic Opera House, as if this symbol of high  
culture will somehow rub off onto this powerful group whose business is  
a challenge to our democratic rights, including the right to know what  
our elected government is doing, and the right to assemble and to  
protest.</p>

<p>While relying on these same citizens to vote it control of the  
Treasury benches, the government's security arrangements for APEC look  
dangerously like equating lawful protest with terror, and should be of  
great concern to civil libertarians.</p>

<p>Included in extraordinary security measures are the virtual shutdown  
of sections of the city, the erection of a <a  
href=http://www.smh.com.au/images/apecclosemap.jpg>five-kilometre, 2.8  
m high barricade</a>
  to enclose <a  
href=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/show-id-to-get-past-great- 
wall/2007/08/16/1186857683326.html> the summit site</a> and a ban on  
parking that extends into suburbs far from the city's centre, to allow  
free access for emergency services.</p>

Medical authorities have for months been decrying the city's lack of 
effective medical infrastructure to cope with a terrorist-inspired 
disaster. The Sydney Morning Herald reported 3 August that John 
Graham, chairman of Sydney Hospital's department of medicine feared <a 
href=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/plea-for-federal-help-refused- 
says-doctor/2007/08/02/1185648060483.html>"the death toll from a 
terrorist attack in Sydney</a> would be at least double what it needs 
to be" because the Howard government "has refused to take over and 
upgrade the only hospital in the city centre".

<p>The next day, the SMH reported: "Some of Sydney's biggest hospitals  
will <a href=  
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/hospitals-call-off-surgery-for- 
apec/2007/08/03/1185648145676.html>postpone or cut elective surgery for  
five days during the Asia-Pacific leaders' summit</a> in a health  
disaster plan being implemented under a veil of secrecy"
The same day, the government "admitted that <a  
href=http://www.smh.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Elective-surgery-scaled-back- 
for-APEC/2007/08/04/1185648179892.html> elective surgery at Sydney  
hospitals will be scaled back during the APEC summit</a>, but says  
procedures will be rescheduled, not cancelled." </p>

Of course, the APEC meeting, we shouldn’t need to remind ourselves, 
is all about setting the stage for re-election of a Howard government. 
According to a report in The Australian on Wednesday, 15 August, George 
W. Bush has upset plans for the traditional end-of-conference group 
photo with his ‘last-minute decision to arrive two days ahead of 
schedule’, and to leave early. The Australian writes: “It is thought 
that without Mr Bush, a photo of 20 world leaders in felt hats and bush 
shirts standing in front of the Opera House would not have the same 
resonance. ‘It’s 21 economies: (John Howard) wants to have everyone in 
the photograph,’ one official said.”

<p>All we need now is a giant Stalin-like banner with John Howard's  
face rising over the Harbour like the famous scene in Nikita  
Mikhalkov's Burnt by the Sun!</p>

<p>Besides the millions that the Howard desperadoes have squandered to  
win back allegiance from an alienated electorate, how much has been  
outlaid on his Sydney photo opportunity?</p>

News.com.au reported 3 June that the <a href= 
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21837124-421,00.html? 
from=public_rss >security bill for the week-long summit</a> "has blown 
out to $170 million ... a staggering $24 million a day."

Despite all these misgivings, however, a real security threat 
remains unresolved—the whereabouts of those nine unrecovered rocket 
launchers of the ten stolen from the ADF. The citizens of NSW and the 
conference delegates have a right to know why Howard has ignored this 
concern in his push for a photo opportunity in the heart of our most 
populous city, and will justly condemn him if a feared terrorist attack 
or a conventional disaster occurs.

LINKS

Secret meeting of defence chiefs in Sydney

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s2004272.htm

APEC defence barriers

http://www.smh.com.au/images/apecclosemap.jpg

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/show-id-to-get-past-great-wall/ 
2007/08/16/1186857683326.html

Sydney hospitals unprepared for disaster

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/plea-for-federal-help-refused-says- 
doctor/2007/08/02/1185648060483.html

Elective surgery affected during APEC

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/hospitals-call-off-surgery-for- 
apec/2007/08/03/1185648145676.html

http://www.smh.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Elective-surgery-scaled-back-for- 
APEC/2007/08/04/1185648179892.html

UPDATE

Howard Government's security spending—a work in progress

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21837124-421,00.html? 
from=public_rss

On top of the $170 claimed in the News.com article, news reports on 15  
and 16 August reported an additional $20 million will be spent on the  
national security hotline:

http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=409363

Propaganda budget:

Propaganda overkill:  "So far, the Government admits it has spent $126  
million since last July on what it calls public information campaigns,  
from defence recruitment to workplace relations "

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,21785505 
-27648,00.html

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