The Farcical Aquatic Recreation Centre, Or Maybe Not

Howdy dear availees in Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, and here in dear ol' Oz...and it's a big ol' TMGI OMG about the FARC, where to actually begin...(how's about at the beginning?-Ed)...fair enough...(and not before time either, you've been promising this for months-Ed)...sure, and every few weeks it takes another twisted turn, but the reality is that the FARC has apparently been approved by Mt Gambier City Council, and supposedly funded by MGCC, therefore Ratepayers, and the SA and Federal governments, and is therefore an irretrievable inevitability that this 'ere li'l blog ain't gunna' stop/challenge...(mmm, unfortunately I agree, it's a done deal as dirty as any other we've witnessed from the rankly corrupt MGCC-Ed)...absolutely it is, as we shall discuss/prove shortly...(shortly?-Ed)...ahhh, yeah, just quickly I'd like to do one paragraph about the previous post...(well, so long as it's only one, today we're all about the FARC-Ed)...and again, fair enough...

Pre-Emptive Post Script:...it seems only responsible to inform y'alls that we never actually quite get to the FARC stuff...(orrrrrrrr!, no FARC? no fair-Ed)...well, just for you Ed, I've chucked-in a coupla' teaser paragraphs part-way through...(I'm not happy 'bout this-Ed)...fair enough, but you know how it goes, I get on a tangent and off I go...(is this tangent particularly relevant to recent posts?-Ed)...absolutely...(well, I s'pose, alright then, let's do it-Ed)...actually, it's already done, that's why this is a PEPS, but cheers anyway...

Just referring to the previous post about my Pro-Paedophile Political Persecution at the hands of SA's ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) and SAPol (police) and the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions), etc, as evidenced by my very own ICAC/SAPol 'Operation Baritone' (February 2014-???) and SAPol Anti-Corruption Branch raiding my home in May 2014, etc, the ICAC Miscellaneous Amendment Act 2014 changes to the ICAC Act 2012 that allowed for me to be prosecuted retrospectively, etc, and my subsequent 3years+ of "bizarre trial" where-in I proved "Malicious Prosecution" only to have that ignored, etc, etc, etc, all that stuff, but I forgot to mention a coupla' critical points...(namely?-Ed)...the many times Magistrate Ian White threatened me with Contempt of Court...(oh yeah, it was literally the last thing he said at the third bizarre 3-hearing 'Verdict/Conviction' hearings of February-April 2018, threatened you with more alleged CoC that he was gunna' refer to the Crown Solicitor, etc-Ed)...yeah, which led to the even more bizarre and 'anonymous' Threat Letters (April 2018) from the farcically corrupt Crown Solicitors Office...(yeah yeah, and if dear availees want to check-out that stuff, then there's all those posts from April-May 2018-Ed)...indeed, but the point to be made is that I still have Contempt of Court hanging over my head due to my inability to 'Appeal' my provably corrupt 'Conviction'...(how so?-Ed)...

Well, my 'Conviction Fine' of $540,000, was a maximum allowable fine of $30,000 for each of the 18 'Counts/Convictions'...(that is truly bizarre-Ed)...no, that's about establishing a 'Legal Precedent' of the maximum allowable fine, with which to then threaten any other would-be 'Whistleblowers' who might consider speaking-out about the rank corruption of SA's farcical ICAC and/or any other Institutionalised Corruption in SA...(ahhh yes, by fining you the absolute maximum allowable, but then completely commuting that to 260hrs of Community Service rather than reducing the 'fine' to a more reasonable and manageable amount, eg, $1,000/'Count', thereby Magistrate White has set the Legal Precedent at $30k/Count-Ed)...exactly, thusly denying any further 'perpetrator' the legal opportunity to argue for a reduction, the precedent set is $30k/Count...(so it's not about what's appropriate or what is 'just', it's purely about threats and retribution and control all via fiscal fear-Ed)...exactly...(but how is this related to CoC?-Ed)...because, following advice and pending my eventual 'Appeal', etc, I've not done any of that 260hrs of Community Service...(none?-Ed)...none, nor have I paid any of the huge fine Magistrate White slugged me with outside of the actual 'Verdict/Conviction' hearings...(more fines?-Ed)...yeah, for Court Costs and 'Victims of Crime', $3200 approx...(waaah? what do you mean "outside of the hearings"?-Ed)...well, that wasn't mentioned in Court, I found out about it via the subsequent The Border Watch article...(TBW? well how did they know if it wasn't mentioned in Court?-Ed)...dunno' mate, whatevs, compared to the official corruptness of the "bizarre trial", it's almost irrelevant...

I remind availees that my multiple attempts to even just lodge my 'Appeal' has been officially blocked by Magistrate White and current Attorney-General Vicki Chapman, and to a lesser degree by the Chief Magistrate Mary-Louise Hribal, in that, Magistrate White refused to release to me the 'Transcripts' of my own "bizzare trial"...(well that's hardly surprising is it, given his outrageous and often borderline unhinged conduct, particularly in that last hearing Nov-Dec 2017, repeatedly threatening you and abusing you and forcing you to question an un-listed SAPol witness, and refusing your critical questioning of another ICAC/SAPol witness, and refusing you an adjournment stating 'this trial will finish this week' but then acknowledging that it would likely not finish that week, and then subpoenaing your doctor to overturn her Medical Certificate and despite her stated concerns about your "mental health", etc, then continue and conclude the "bizarre trial" in your absence, thus denying you any chance to conclude your cross examination of ICAC/SAPol witnesses, present your own single witness, or present any 'Defence Case' what-so-ever-Ed)...sure, but I was then provided the transcript for that specific hearing without requesting it, but also with some of those critical exchanges either greatly reduced or absent, which is why I have requested the actual recordings so that I might prepare my own transcripts...

And after being initially refused recording my own Court proceedings (2015-16), which I wanted to do because I was self-representing, I repeatedly requested those transcripts, or preferably the recordings, at literally every Pre-Trial Hearing and/or actual 'Trial Date', etc, upto and including Magistrate White specifically identifying the issue of "Pre-Trial transcripts" in his own 'Orders' of 19th July 2017;
   "Defendant maintains his application to receive copies of all transcript in relation to pre-trial
    matters. His Honour advises he will consider the application and advise parties accordingly."
...but when I confronted him in Court on 27th November 2017 about his failure to do so, Magistrate White argued that he'd never said 'pre-trial', and when I pressed further, openly berating/directing him to read his own 'Orders' right there in front of him in the Record of Proceedings, etc, he just ignored me, literally just sat there looking at me before eventually just moving on to other issues...(wow-Ed)...yep, and those same 'Orders' contain the stuff about notifying me about the SAPol witness absent on 'Sick Leave';
   "Prosecution to provide an update of the witness's health via email by 8/9/17."
...which Magistrate White also ignored, despite my entreaties/berating on this topic when that witness suddenly appeared in Court (27th November 2017), before Magistrate White threatened and abused me in forcing me to question said witness despite my protestations that I was entirely unprepared for them because they were not meant to be there... 

Anyhoos, the point being that I was advised to not start doing the Community Service or pay any of the fine because that could potentially compromise my 'Appeal'...(well that makes sense, if you start doing that stuff you're effectively agreeing with the 'Conviction'-Ed)...exactly, and as advised I have written repeatedly to the Corrections Service and the Fines Unit, requesting appropriate suspensions and/or extensions...(and what about the Disability Support Pension and 'Agoraphobia/Depression/Anxiety' stuff and how all that relates to spending whole days at Corrections Mt Gambier, etc?-Ed)...same thing, I repeatedly tried to resolve this via Corrections who directed me to a doctor for a 'current certificate', who refused to provide one, but Corrections insisted they (doctors) would provide one, etc, and I spent literally weeks bouncing back and forward between the two...my last letters to Corrections and the Fines Unit, now some 7-8 months ago, those letters went unanswered and I've heard nothing since...(not even when you attended Corrections twice in May 2019 to get that 'Authorisation' to attend a medical appointment in Victoria?-Ed)...nope, nothing...some have said that this is an indication that these Authorities are acknowledging my ongoing but stalled 'Appeal' process, whilst others reckon it's just because it's all too hard to try and deal with, that I'm too much trouble to deal with, and therefore I'm just being ignored in the hope that I'll just 'go away'...

And so it has been suggested to me, or even requested of me, eg, from within my family, that I just drop it all and get on with my life...(but that's not actually possible is it?-Ed)...no it's not...(because despite the fact that Attorney General Chapman and Corrections and the Fines Unit, etc, are apparently ignoring you, you still have a Criminal Conviction hung 'round ya' neck, albeit a bizarrely corrupt one-Ed)...exactly, just lettin' it go and moving on, etc, is just not a viable option because I have a Criminal Record thanks to this rancidly corrupt Political Persecution...I don't have a choice because this is what has been done to me...me just ignoring it in the same manner I'm being ignored, that simply ain't a choice I get to make...(and beyond that, there's the whole rankly corrupt intent of the SA ICAC and it's legislation and it's conduct-Ed)...well indeed...(not least of all the fundamentally undefinable 'Anti-Whistleblower' nature of the ICAC Act Section 56 that you have been 'Convicted' of breaching!-Ed)...exactly, that openly Fascist legislation must be opposed...(and who better to oppose it than someone who literally ain't got a choice, namely li'l ol' vous-Ed)...precisely, I've said it before and here 'tis again, I might be the belligerent barrel-chested bunny currently in the collective spotlights of this rancidly corrupt State, but I know I ain't the first, and doubt I'll be the last...     

With all of this extraordinary Institutionalised Corruption in mind, my genuine current concern is that this 'ignoring me' is actually part of a broader strategy to try and attack me with more 'Contempt of Court' accusations some time in the near future...(ahhh, so ignore you and your 'Appeal', etc, until a certain time-frame expires, then suddenly try and prosecute/persecute you for CoC-Ed)...exactly...('ooo ooo, he hasn't done his CS or paid his fine, what a bad man, CoC! CoC!, we must make an example of him'-Ed)...yeah, something like that...(and probably try to double-down on that by throwing-in the alleged/supposed CoC stuff from November-December 2018 when SAPol repeatedly came to your house accusing you of 'breaching' those "reprehensibly vile" Final Intervention Orders-Ed)...undoubtedly, and that brings us to the other main point I wanted to re-visit...(you know, I can't see this post getting to the FARC anytime soon-Ed)...mmm, fair call, and hence that PEPS...(oh yeah-Ed)...and apologies dear availees, ummm, but here's that brief teaser...

What The FARC Means For Mt Gambier:...Mt Gambier City Council and particularly former CEO Mark McShane have lied through their teeth about the FARC, and in particular, about the 'Funding' aspect...this is not my opinion, it is a provable fact...(indeed, proven by their own conduct and public statements-Ed)...exactly, and in the process they have lumbered Mt Gambier Ratepayers with a barest minimum $15million debt, without any explanation as to where that $15m is coming from...(and that's only $15m if the project cost doesn't massively blow-out like everything else MGCC has done, eg, the Main Corner, the Library, and the largely unfinished Rail Lands debasco (debacle meets fiasco)-Ed)...precisely, how much money is gunna' get wasted or overspent or simply disappear on a $40m project when the $5m Main Corner and $5m Library both blew-out to well over $10m each?...(and we're still owing $2m on the Library 10 years after it was opened-Ed)...and the FARC already has an 8% Increase Allowance built-in to the project plan, and that's 8% on the entire $40m not just our $15 share...(well that 8% Increase Allowance is ludicrously unrealistic, particularly given how piss-poorly MGCC have botched these previous projects-Ed)...indeed, and MGCC and/or McShane have flat-out lied about this stuff or steadfastly and carefully avoided explaining it...(well either way it's a deliberate deceit of the poor pricks who'll be paying for this, namely us Ratepayers-Ed)...exactly...

And in the last coupla' weeks MGCC has now announced another $1.8m to renovate/refurbish the 50m Outdoor Pool, but not including putting a roof over it to make it usable all year, and just this week, a further $1.2m to upgrade the adjacent tennis courts...(but that's another $3m, probably end-up being $5m-$6m, where's that gunna' come from?-Ed)...well apparently it's just money and MGCC has heaps of cash and everything's just fine...(but we still owe $2m on the Library, how can everything be 'just fine'?-Ed)...nah, it's just money mate, grows on trees, falls outta' the bleedin' sky, whatevs, according to MGCC and their new CEO Mr Meddle, it's all just fine...(bollocks!-Ed)...such precise political commentary in a single word, how do you do it?...(well, I just say 'bollocks', and that seems to get the job done, every time-Ed)...hurrah!...and did I mention the $800,000-$1m that MGCC has declared it's spending over the next 2 years on the dilapidated and neglected iconic Old Rail Station on the Rail Lands...(work which should have been done as the first item of the $10m Parklands Concept Plan, as announced and launched late 2011-Ed)...well quite, and again, it's just money and everything's just fine...(do they have any idea what it is exactly they're doing, because to the casual observer, it appears that they're just chucking money they, sorry 'We' don't have, chucking money at items they are being criticised for failing to address previous-Ed)...indeed, that's exactly what it looks like...but we digress from our original subject matter for long enough...

(Strewth, call that a teaser? I call it a bludgeoning blizzard of bloated bureaucratic bungling!-Ed)...what happened to 'bollocks'?...(orrr yeah, bollocks!-Ed)...now I absolutely promise dear availees that we'll thoroughly dissect these issues and more in the next (tomorrow's?) issue of this 'ere blog, but back to today and the critical second point, Magistrate White's "reprehensibly vile" political application of FIOs...as discussed in previous posts, FIOs are incredibly serious and are predominantly about protecting vulnerable women and children from abuse/violence, or for protecting witnesses in trials, etc...Magistrate White waited until the second of the three 'Verdict/Conviction Hearings' to introduce three FIOs against me, then issued those FIOs at the final hearing, along with the associated CoC threats, etc, and issued them without a single word of justification or explanation...and these FIOs are about 'protecting' the persons involved, but it's about protecting them from the repercussions of their own actions, to protect them from being held to account for their corruption and deceits, etc...these FIOs are to silence me on certain issues, eg, one of the FIOs about a MGCC Councillor legally bans me from attending any MGCC meetings and/or functions...(or indeed any meeting/function where that person may be present-Ed)...exactly...

The second FIO effectively bans me from contacting or attending my local ABC South East (radio) office and therefore engaging in talk-back radio, etc, and the third is about a SAPol officer and is an attempt to silence me on that person's conduct in Court, etc...(the FIOs also serve to infer of you problematic behaviours, eg, violence, thusly denigrating and even slandering you in a legal and/or public sense-Ed)..exactly, to an external observer, these FIOs directly imply that the persons need to be 'physically protected from me'...(well that's what FIOs are usually for-Ed)...yep, that's what I said before, and that's what I meant about '"without justification", because there has not been a single incident where I've ever touched anyone or even threatened someone or even raised my voice to them...(if anything, you're the one who's been repeatedly abused and harassed and physically threatened by multiple people from MGCC-Ed)...indeed I have, and my official written complaints have been returned to MGCC and then ignored...(and that's what I meant about "slander", because you're being publicly effectively accused of something you simply haven't done, namely, 'violence'-Ed)...yep, it's all part of discrediting and denigrating me, but it's mostly about silencing my discourse about the rank corruption of those named and others directly associated or involved...

And I know that some find it hilarious when they discuss why certain people would be hugely 'intimidated' by me...(because you're quite large and certain persons' guilt gets hold of them and they think about how they'd react if the positions were reversed, etc, and that leads them to be 'intimidated'-Ed)...exactly, it's partly my sizishness, but it's predominantly their own guilt and the issues involved, etc...but that reality aside, the legal reality is that I have 3 FIOs against me, and SAPol came to my home 6 times in November 2018 stating that I had allegedly breached the FIO against the MGCC Councillor, and then demanded that I submit to Forensic Procedures for Fingerprints and DNA Swabs, whilst repeatedly lying to me about that request/process, and all of which I questioned and contested and then that all just sort of 'went away'...(but didn't they say you were going to 'be Summonsed within 2 months'?-Ed)...yep...(and?-Ed)...nup...(nup?-Ed)...nope, nuthin' since...but also, different cops rocked-up to my doorstep on 27th December 2018 to inform me that I'd supposedly breached the FIO about "the ABC"...(but that's not about "the ABC", it's about a specific person-Ed)...that's what I said, and the cop stated very tersely, 'no, you're not allowed to discuss the ABC at all'...she then refused to provide me any paperwork or to charge me, etc, and when I asked about the 'DNA Swab stuff', she stated that it wasn't necessary because 'it's already up on the system'...(but how? but where from?-Ed)...dunno', they didn't explain...

Anyhoos, as they left, she also stated 'you'll be Summonsed in about a month'...(and?-Ed)...nope, nuthin'...(so, multiple SAPol attendances about the very serious issue of alleged multiple 'breaches of FIOs'?-Ed)...yep...(and repeated statements about being 'Summonsed within months'?-Ed)...yep...(and nothing since?-Ed)...not nuthin'...(6-8 months later?-Ed)...yeah, and as I say, it's my concern that all of this stuff will be ignored up until a certain critical point, then it'll all get flung at me as supposed proof of my ultimate bastardry...(you bastard!-Ed)...ta'...(nah, seriously, I can see why you might be a tad concerned-Ed)...indeed, I've got all that hangin' over my head and literally no way that I can see of resolving it...(mmm-Ed)...how exactly do I address these concerns when those ultimately responsible, eg, the Attorney General Vicki Chapman, amongst others, when these people won't even acknowledge my emails/letters/questions?...where or to whom do I go?...yet again it appears that the only vague sense of response and/or accountability and/or self-preservation that I can muster from 'Authorities' is to put it all on the public record as best I can, namely, on this 'ere blog...

(Mate, I don't call that a tangent, that right there is a deeply concerning discussion of some absolutely critical and very alarming realities-Ed)...well I appreciate your support mate...       

Tomorrow: The FARC At Last      

(And not before time, mate-Ed)...fair enough...but one last point about this stuff, why is Liberal AG Vicki Chapman ignoring my multiple emails/letters, including my repeated requests for those recordings/transcripts, and particularly when I have clearly outlined where her Labor predecessor li'l  Johnny Rau colluded with ICAC Commissioner Bruce 'Brews Slander' Lander to change the ICAC Act...(the ICAC MAA 2014?-Ed)...yeah, and again, it ain't my opinion, it's all there in the official Parliamentary Record (Hansard) from September-November 2014, and those specific points/questions as originally raised in the May-July 2014 letters from my legal representatives to ICAC Comm Lander, etc...why isn't Liberal AG Chapman clammering to give her avowed enemy Labor a well-deserved hammering about how they, Labor, have handled my case and particularly about changing the ICAC Act, etc, etc?...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...         

"Journalism Is Not A Crime", But Being Nick Fletcher Is

Howdy dear availees in France, Germany, Korea, and Egypt....(and in 'Unknown Region', again-Ed)...yes, we're still quite popular in the good ol' 'UR' apparently...welcome y'all to another hopefully coherent rant about the appalling state of politics in Australia, and most particularly as it relates to the burgeoning Fascism of our increasingly Right Wing Parliament...(do you mean Federal or State?-Ed)...well both I guess, and it's not just here in South Australia either, there's plenty to be concerned about with other states, eg, the increasing frequency of New South Wales police conducting public 'strip searches' at places like rail stations, etc...(and of course here in SA, SAPol (police) have open-ended general 'Go Anywhere, Anytime, For Any Reason We Damn Well Feel Like' Search Warrants, as issued not by a Court but by the SAPol Commissioner, currently Grant Stephens-Ed)...indeed they do, and when one such Search Warrant was used to raid my home I had it waved in my face but was refused a copy...(was that when SAPol Anti-Corruption Branch raided your home on 8th May 2014?-Ed)...yep, and we'll look a bit closer at that later in this 'ere post...(fair enough-Ed)...

Just quickly acknowledging some 'Feedback' stuff...firstly, from an 'Unknown' in the 'Comments' section of this 'ere blog regarding our recent post about the SA Ombudsman Wayne Lines' farcical handling of former Mt Gambier Mayor Andrew Lee's business dealings...(is that the stuff where Andy, shortly after meeting with his soon-to-be Winery Partner whilst on a Ratepayer funded 'official Council trip' to China, bought into that Coonawarra winery?-Ed)...that's the one...(but didn't declare on his 'Official Register of Interests', either his purchase or the relevant income?-Ed)...correct again...(and when confronted with this, initially lied about never meeting the 'partner', then 'recalled that he had', then altered his ORoI', etc?-Ed)...yep, all true...(then Mt Gambier City Council held a very publicly publicised meeting in January 2017 about 'whether or not to refer the Mayor to ICAC' (Independent Commission Against Corruption), all that stuff?-Ed)...exactly all that stuff...(and then that wound-up back with Ombudsman Lines for some reason, where-in good ol' Lino laid down the law by officially stating that Andy had 'walked a fine ethical line', but then took exactly zero shreckin' action?-Ed)...yep, and here's the related 'Comment'...

      I've recently been made aware of this blog post. It might be worth noting that Mr Lee

      did register his interests appropriately and that is why it wasn't mentioned. The advertiser 

      took a section of the register as being the whole register. The Adv were informed of this and 

      offered the full register but refused and carried on with the story regardless. This is how the 

      media works. Big stories are more important than the truth. on 

      There's Nothing Like Official Accountability, In South Australia

(Well that person clearly is inferring specific knowledge of the situation, but it's immediately and obviously wrong, 'cos Mayor Lee stated at the time, by way of excuse for his failures to declare, 'I didn't think I needed to declare because that business was outside of this/my Council area'-Ed)...indeed he did Ed, indeed he did...(and thusly he did alter his ORoI after the fact of exposure-Ed)...spot on mate...(and I would further argue that, were the other assertions true about The Advertiser newspaper knowingly and therefore deliberately misreporting the 'facts', then Mayor Lee and possibly MGCC have a rock-solid case for Criminal Defamation-Ed)...furtherly well argued sir, I fully concur, indeed, that is a near-text-book definition of Criminal Defamation...(which then begs the question, why didn't that happen?-Ed)...well quite...I'd also like to point-out that I raised this issue during my 'Trial' 1st February 2017, about the open public discussion of referring to ICAC, etc, where-in that discussion/reporting and specifically the MGCC meeting were all direct 'breaches' of the exact Section 56 of the ICAC Act 2012 that I was being prosecuted for...(but that's all fine, unless you're Nick Fletcher-Ed)...exactly, you couldn't get a more fundamental example of the retributional and punitive intent of prosecuting me compared with what was actually happening in the broader context...

(And how did our mate Magistrate Ian White react when presented/confronted with this gross disparity of application of the farcically undefinable section 56 of the ICAC Act 2012?-Ed)...well exactly as he reacted when presented/confronted with any number of other unpleasant realities during my "bizarre trial" (The Border Watch)...(so he just ignored it then?-Ed)...yep, ignored it and plowed-on regardless...(the same as when you repeatedly caught-out SAPol Prosecutions lying, including when he identified it himself but ignored it anyway?-Ed)...yep, all that...(and when you proved that Labor Attorney General li'l Johnny Rau and ICAC Commissioner Bruce 'Brews Slander' Lander had changed the ICAC Act 2012 in late 2014 specifically to allow prosecuting you retrospectively?-Ed)...yeah...(and when he finally acknowledged that, admitted you'd been 'prosecuted under the wrong definition', but then said it was all "irrelevant", and 'Convicted' you anyway?-Ed)...indeed Ed, as covered/proven in a series of posts back in February-May 2018, and I invite dear availees who haven't read that stuff to go have a look...but we slightly digress...      

Journalism Is Not A Crime:...is the catch-phrase being used in the wake of the extraordinary raids conducted by the Australian Federal Police on the home of journalist Annika Smethurst (4th June 2019), and then the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the following day (5th June 2019)...(and there were also reports of AFP warnings/threats made to other media-Ed)...well quite, and unless you've been living under a rock...(on the dark side of the Moon-Ed)...indeed, unless you've been completely isolated from the global news cycle, y'all will already be aware of these raids...(well they were reported across the planet, usually in the most critical context-Ed)...absolutely, and for good reason, because this is Fascism, there is simply no other word for it...this is the Liberal government using the AFP to attack, threaten, harass and intimidate the media and 'Whistleblowers'...(but our illustrious leader Prime Minister Scott 'Scummo' Morrison has smirkingly stated that these raids were 1) nothing to do with the LNP government, and 2) actually a good thing because he loved 'to see our laws being upheld'-Ed)...yes, I saw that interview, very conveniently conducted from overseas, and that sickeningly smug smirk said everything I needed to know about the veracity of that statement of denial... 

Language Warning...there was that good ol' trademark Scummo Smirk, when he's saying whatevs, telling whatevs bare-faced lie, whilst he's actually thinking 1) how clever am I, and 2) 'fuck you you moronic plebs'...End Language Warning...(yes, it is a particularly unpleasant 'Happy Clapper Smirk' he's got goin'-on there-Ed)...well certainly, there is undoubtedly that over-arching 'Sanctimonious God-Botherer' aspect to his serial smirkingness, but whatever his justification/rationale/motivation, it's just a leering, sneering, sickening display of self-infatuation and abject contempt for the electorate...(yep, there's something fundamentally 'un-trustable' about someone who smirks like that, but when it's your PM doing it, and it's in this deeply concerning context, the whole thing goes beyond mere trust and in to the realm of frightening-Ed)...and that's the whole point mate, that's exactly what this is about, scaring the sweet baby cheeses outta' journos and more specifically their sources...(well you can hardly blame them, can ya'? I mean, what 'Whistleblower' is going to go to a journo with sensitive info when it's possible even probable that that journo will then get raided, the 'Whistleblower' thusly exposed, and then both of them likely charged, not least of all via a 'secret hearing'-Ed)...and that is the absolute political intent of these raids, scare everybody into submission and silence...   

(And of course then there's the remarkable timing of those raids-Ed)...well that's what I was saying about how Scummo was conveniently overseas when the raids happened...(well I was referring to the lengthy delays between those related stories and the raids, given that the Smethurst story about the deeply concerning changes to 'Federal Surveillance Powers' was first published in April 2018, and the ABC story about 'Unlawful Killings By Australian Soldiers In Afghanistan' aired in July 2017-Ed)...fair enough...(and the timing of those raids, both within 24hrs, for stories aired 12 and 24 months previous, it's a farcical joke for the AFP to claim that they're "unrelated"-Ed)...well quite, and nobody of a semi-functional disposition believes that absolute shizzle, these raids were clearly coordinated for maximum effect, it's a transparently obvious collusion between the LNP/Scummo and the AFP...(and raids conducted early in the week, therefore early in the news cycle and therefore given wide coverage for days-Ed)...good point...(where-as, it was 2 days later, late on the Friday afternoon before the long weekend, that the AFP very quietly announced they were dumping their 'investigation' into Peter 'Spud' Dutton's (the LNP's) statements about the Manus Island Medevac Bill, statements made in the Parliament and directly quoting 'leaked National Security documents'-Ed)...gourd you're good mate, that is absolutely spot on...

Long after the facts, the AFP raids the ABC and journo mid-week for maximum media exposure, then after only a few weeks of alleged action, dumps the farcically fake investigation into Spuddo/the LNP late on the Friday to avoid that exact same public/media scrutiny...(and dumped it with the ludicrous justification 'we won't ever be able to find out who leaked that'-Ed)...bollocks! hows about asking Spuddo mate? hows about asking him where he got that 'leaked' info?...(well quite-Ed)...and hows about the farcical 'AFP leaks' 1) to Michaelia Cash's office and then 2) from there to the media, that saw a swarm of journo's camped outside the Australian Worker's Union's offices waiting for the AFP to rock-up...(and that was allegedly about trying to 'seize' documents from 6-7 years previous-Ed)...no, that was transparently about the optics of the AFP raiding a Union, and how that reflected on then Labor leader Bill Shorten...and then there's the ongoing 'Watergate' stuff with fake water buybacks, where's the AFP on that fraud...            

It's an absolute joke to try and argue that these June 2019 raids are 1) independent of Government, 2) unrelated, 3) appropriate, and/or 4) not a deliberate attack on Free Speech...(yeah, but that didn't stop Scummo tryin' to get that pudgy pig airborne-Ed)...no it didn't, he put on his bestest smirking smock and sneeringly swung that sorry swine 'round his head, all the whilst smugly singing, 'see the li'l piggy fly, weeeee'...(nor did it stop the Acting AFP Commissioner Neil Gaughan trying to make that self-same assertion that these raids were fully independent of any government influence-Ed)...and he was just as believable as Scummo...(so not at all then-Ed)...precisely...and we add to this Political Police Action, the current 'Charges' against Richard Boyle, facing 161 years gaol for exposing rank corruption in the Australian Tax Office, and the prosecution of Witness K and his lawyer Bernard Collaery relating to Australia (namely, former Liberal Alexander Downer) bugging the East Timor Parliament, etc, etc...(and what about those 'Twitterers' and/or bloggers who have been under attack, eg, Ronni Salt for exposing the rancid corruption of Angus Taylor (Libs) and Barnaby Joyce (Nats) and the Murray/Darling Water Buybacks Scandal known as 'Watergate'-Ed)...yep, and li'l ol' us here at TMGI...

And this is where I am the story...(well, as others have put it to you-Ed)...indeed they have, but it's a truth that sits very comfortably with me...(albeit in a context where the situation itself, and the rancid Pro-Paedophile Corruption that has motivated/generated it, are both deeply disturbing-Ed)...exactly, but I ain't just the story, I'm the 'Whistleblower', and the 'Activist', and the legislator, and the journo, and the media, and the lawyer...(strewth! no wonder you're so knackered-Ed)...well quite...

A very brief synopsis;
   1) after attending years of Mt Gambier City Council Full Meetings, and personally witnessing the relentless litany of bare-faced corruption, the Nepotism, the Insider Trading, the Conflict of Interests, etc, etc, in August/September 2013, I witnessed multiple issues of Insider Trading, etc, with the Old Hospital Demolition, and duly reported that...(and several other issues, eg, the gross corruption with the Main Corner Project, the missing money, the rank Nepotism of giving it to Councillor Des Mutton's son, etc-Ed)...yep, all that and more, I appropriately reported that stuff to then Member for Mt Gambier Don Pegler and to the Ombudsman...
   2) I deliberately tried to avoid the rankly corrupt ICAC, but legislation dictates that Members and the Ombudsman, etc, have to forward any such reports to ICAC...
   3) Starting October 2013, ICAC started their 'investigation' into MGCC, concluding January 2014...
   4) In October 2013 I was interviewed by 2 ICAC 'investigators', a 30-40 minute interview conducted at Metro Cafe, in clear earshot of other patrons, with nothing written down or recorded...
   5) In Court, I proved that the entire alleged ICAC 'investigation' of multiple Corruption issues with an entire Council (MGCC), that investigation consisted of a) the cafe chat with me, and b) a very brief chat with MGCC CEO Mark McShane, held in a corridor of the Adelaide Convention Centre, again with nothing written down or recorded...(wow-Ed)...the evidence presented in Court by ICAC (Nov 2017) totalled half a page of hand-written notes...
   6) In January 2014 I received notification of ICAC's decision to take "no action" and started blogging/posting about this farcical ICAC pseudo-investigation...     
 
From my initial reports and through-out the pseudo-investigation I was constantly 'advised' that Scetion 56 of the ICAC Act 2012 disallowed any discussion that may "tend to suggest" that someone was and/or might likely be subject to an ICAC investigation, and/or who it was had reported them, etc, etc...I constantly challenged this farcically undefinable piece of legislation for making literally any discussion of literally anything 'illegal' because it 'might possibly end-up in ICAC sometime'...I repeatedly put these concerns in writing to ICAC, etc...in this context, the 'advise' I was receiving was actually thinly-veiled threats...(as indeed is the legislation itself, an open threat to try and stop people reporting Corruption and particularly from going to the media, etc-Ed)...or for blogging about it themselves...(exactly-Ed)...  

   7) On Wednesday May 7th 2014, approx 1430hrs, two Adelaide-based SAPol Anti Corruption Branch detectives came to my home, initially citing issues with my blog, then including ICAC, but refusing to discuss exactly what...we arranged to meet at Mt Gambier Police Station at 0900hrs the next morning...
   8) I attended MGPS (0900hrs 8th May 2014) and was taken to an 'interview room', shown a piece of ICAC legislation on a computer screen, and told, "you've done this"...I asked 'what does that mean?', and was told, "don't know, we're just here to collect evidence on behalf of the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions)...I was then told they intended to exercise a 'Search Warrant' on my home...all this happened without me having any legal representation present...
   9) SAPol ACB used their open-ended 'Search Warrant' to raid my home, refusing to give me a copy, etc, and then siezed my laptop as 'evidence', photographed a coupla' documents, and then they left...I was not charged or anything else...
   10) I went to the South East Community Legal Service, who twice wrote to ICAC Comm Lander asking for an explanation of the bizarre Section 56 ICAC Act 2012 (May-July 2014)...Comm Lander initially refused any responsibility, but then provided an official 'Authorisation' allowing me to speak to a lawyer, my family and/or friends, and a doctor...

I note that ICAC legislation was changed in September-November 2014 specifically in response to those SECLS letters, as we've shown on this 'ere blog, including the Hansard, etc, but equally concerning, it was again 'Amended' in 2016 to include the specific question/issue about 'being allowed to talk to a lawyer', changes that confirmed my initial question to my Legal Eagles at SECLS about whether or not they were even allowed to talk to me, a question raised by SECLS in those letters...these changes in 2016 confirm that the ICAC Act 2012 effectively criminalised even just speaking to a lawyer...(wow-Ed)...

   11) SECLS also wrote to SAPol Prosecutions (July 2014), and their response (August 2014) stated 'when and if Mr Fletcher is charged', confirming that as of August 2014 I had not been charged...
   12) I then heard nothing until February 2015 when I was informed, via an unrelated private phone call, that I had missed my trial date, as reported that morning in The Border Watch...my 'Trial' had been started without me being 'Charged' or even Summonsed...

Rather than go into a lengthy re-visit of the entire process, all of this stuff above is covered in much greater detail through-out this 'ere blog, as is the extraordinary conduct of my "bizarre trial"...just a coupla' critical points relevant to this post, namely, when reading SAPol documents eventually provided in Court (April 2015) I discovered that I was (still am?) the sole subject of 'Operation Baritone', but in Court was unable to prove whether it was an ICAC or SAPol 'Operation', or both, and SAPol's evidence was that it had somehow just 'appeared' at an unspecified date mid-February 2014...my 'Trial' was moved to Adelaide mid-2015 for 'Constitutional Law Issues', but then moved back again, 're-starting' in February 2016 with a new Magistrate...jumping from there to when my actual 'Trial' actually started in November 2016, and I proved "Malicious Prosecution" to that Magistrate, and that 'Trial' collapsed in disarray on the second morning...

Somehow that didn't count, and a new Magistrate, Ian White, was appointed and he immediately dismissed the "Malicious Prosecution", officially announcing there was no St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up, etc...the 'Trial' re-commenced March 2017, and after multiple further delays whilst he and/or SAPol had 'health issues', my 'Trial' eventually re-re-commenced in November 2017...after 2 days of his unhinged abuse I got a Medical Certificate which he dismissed, completing my 'Trial' in my absence...(bizarre, corrupt, farcical, words just don't do it justice-Ed)...nice pun dude, but it was quite the rancidly corrupt display from Magistrate White, concluded in February-April 2018 via a series of truly bizarre video-link hearings where-in I was 'Convicted' and initially fined $540,000, and a series of Politically Motivated 'Intervention Orders' issued against me without one word of explanation/justification...again dear availee, if y'all ain't fully acquainted with this bizarre sequence of events, please to be reading the posts from that time...

In summary, ICAC and SAPol and the DPP and/or the Courts and/or the Parliament, spent over 4 years investigating and prosecuting/persecuting me, not least of all via my very own ICAC/SAPol 'Operation Baritone', and including SAPol ACB raiding my home...then they actually changed ICAC legislation in late 2014 so as to allow prosecuting me, followed by more than 3 years of "bizarre trial', involving dozens of adjournments, 3 different Magistrates, during which I proved "Malicious Prosecution", only to have that ignored, etc, culminating in Magistrate White's bigotted and biased abuse of November/December 2017, and farcical conduct of Feb-April 2018...(and all of that for telling the truth about an ICAC pseudo-investigation of MGCC-Ed)...well, it was more about persecuting me and punishing me for this 'ere blog in it's entirety, as I proved with the "Malicious Prosecution" stuff, but sure, the ICAC stuff was the 'justification' proffered in pursuing the actual motivation, the Retribution Agenda...(fair enough-Ed)...

Compare this to how the Ombudsman/ICAC has acted regarding actual Corruption, eg, the farcical Mayor Lee exoneration...(and that MGCC pseudo-investigation-Ed)...well sure, and then there's the Pt Pirie Councillor Johnson, the bizarre goings-on at Robe Council...(that latest stuff with Grant District Mayor Richard Sage-Ed)...exactly, on and on it goes, all stuff we've covered recently...relentless and vastly costly "Malicious Prosecution" of a private citizen for telling the truth, vs, sweet bugger all...and despite the enormous personal cost to me, mentally, physically and financially, I have clearly defined and fought and fought and fought against this Institutionalised Corruption...and now we have these AFP 'raids'...(I can see how you would be fully justified in engaging in a bit of the ol' 'I Told You So'-Ed)...well that's not gunna' help, but it is fair to say that what everyone's bleating about now, I've been subjected to all of this and then some for more than 5 years now, upto and including receiving a bizarrely corrupt 'Criminal Conviction' for telling the truth...     

Tomorrow: The Farcical, Fraudulent, Fantabulous Aquatic Recreation Centre

(Well hurrah, the FFFARC, at last-Ed)...yeah, yeah, your cynical response is somewhat justified given the repeated but unfulfilled promises to deliver this post, but the story constantly overtakes itself so a few delays aren't exactly critical...(and it's already happening regardless, it's already a done deal, albeit a dirty, deceitful deal mired in lies and manipulation-Ed)...well quite, but it is a MGCC project so what else would you expect?...(fair point-Ed)...

And again, 15 months after the event, I am still stuck trying to 'Appeal' my 'Convictions' from my "bizarre trial", and I haven't quite given-up...(because you don't really have a choice-Ed)...indeed, but then again, where am I supposed to go with it when I've been effectively refused my own transcripts and the Liberal Attorney-General Vicki Chapman won't even acknowledge let alone answer my multiple emails to her, etc, etc?...(sorry mate, can't help ya' with that, it's certainly a problematic conundrum at the very least, when the people you're going to to try and seek appropriate action regarding your wholly fraudulent 'Conviction', when those people are equally complicit-Ed)...exactly...

I am Nick Fletcher and this 'ere is my blog...(and I'm Ed, and I'm a confected literary device used to try and engage in intelligent discourse rather than belligerent lecturing-Ed)...and to set-up jokes and stuff too...(orrr yeah, all that stuff too, but the point being, I'm not actually a person, just a 'style' of writing-Ed)...and what style you have mate, couldn't do it without you...(cheers mate-Ed)...cheers ya'self big fella', and to y'all dear availees, cheers and laters... 

Australia: The Best Fascist Democracy That Money Can Buy

Take one 'yee' and add a 'ha' to y'all dear availees in the USofA, the UK, the UAE, and here in li'l ol' Oz...please y'all to be considering this post as a lead-in to the promised post about Journalism Is Not A Crime, Etc, but I started on that one and found myself rambling through this distended pre-amble by way of extended explanation...(whaaa?-Ed)...this is that, just the bit that comes first to explain the rest...(as I said, whaaa?-Ed)...I started that 'Journalism' post thingy, but it blew-out to this post which is more specifically about the conditions that have led to and/or allow the growth of Fascism in our supposed liberal society, as evidenced by these recent 'Media Raids' and charges against various 'Whistleblowers', etc...(ahhh, I get it-Ed)...indeed, and we're all gunna' get it before too long if we continue down this very twisted and pot-holed political path...anyhoos, for this title I've appropriated the old saying's about 'Democracy Isn't Perfect, But It's The Best We've Come-Up With Thus Far', and 'The Best Government Money Can Buy'...(nice...I also like the one about the rise of China-Ed)...mmm?...('What Capitalism Can Achieve When Unencumbered By Democracy'-Ed)...sweet...

The May 2019 Federal Election is a case-book study in media manipulation and electorate-control, in a context where there is a widely acknowledged rise of Fascism in 'Democratic' societies...and in that spirit, just to kick it right off, here's a delightful piece that I found floating around Twitter...apparently it was a first-draft email that was subsequently just printed without alteration, but not sure whether that was deliberate or just a bit of a stuff-up...just for the record, I can't stop laughing...enjoy...*** 

No but tell us how you really feel The Guardian

11:54 PM · Jun 15, 2019 · Twitter for iPhone

***...now that right there's some truth in advertising, simply brilliant...(I didn't know you were running for the position of British PM?-Ed)...charming, but I'll give you that one...(I myself like how people on Twitter refer to our illustrious PM Scott 'Scummo' Morrison and his Merry Band of God-Botherers as "Happy Clappers"-Ed)...indeed, and I also like the debate created by the  ludicrous Israel Folau and his bigotted self-righteous bullshit that got him quite rightly sacked from Rugby Australia...his ridiculous statements about who is and/or isn't going to this alleged Hell place, are obviously pig-ignorant hypocrisies, as he joyfully cherry-picks from his Bible book thingy all those bizarre bigotries that supposedly support his personal biases, whilst simultaneously ignoring that which doesn't suit him...(whatta' prick!-Ed)...ah now Ed, one mustn't infringe on Israel's 'Right to Freedom of Religious Speech'...(no no, as a committed Agnostic, I'm expressing my 'Right to Freedom Of Religious Speech' to state that he's a bigotted, vacuous hypocrite who deserves to be vilified in the exact same manner he's seen fit to behave-Ed)...an Agnostic you say?...(indeed, and I've always said, as have Monty Python, that there's nothing an Agnostic can't do if he's not sure whether he believes in anything or not-Ed)...well hurrah...

So let's get that farcical debate sorted, Israel Folau was sacked for doing what he'd agreed to not do, and thusly he breached his contract with RA, and it wasn't the first time...(well exactly, his bigotted and hypocritical Happy Clapper lunacy is fundamentally irrelevant, this is a Contractual issue-Ed)...I for one would enjoy a little Freedom From Religious Speech myself, and better still, just plain ol' Freedom From Religion...(oh here we shreckin' go, is this about the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up?-Ed)...well it wasn't specifically, no, I was referring in general to this blasé notion that we live in a society where there is a responsible and appropriate divide between Church/Religion and the Political State...(well clearly that's not the case, particularly in South Australia-Ed)...indeed, and I re-refer dear availees to that Lateline interview from several years ago, where-in the British interviewee was discussing Theocracies, ie, countries/states run by religious organisations, and he identified firstly Iran, and then said, "and of course, there's the Lutherans in South Australia"...(wow-Ed)...Australia's general Institutionalised Pro-Paedophile Corruption aside, eg, as witnessed in the farcical Federal Child Abuse Royal Commission, all of that aside, the ease with which the Lutherans have conducted the St Martins Cover-up clearly illustrates the influence they have politically...(fair enough, I mean, they didn't get asked a single question by the FCARC, and that didn't happen by accident-Ed)...indeed...

Mandate My Arse:...apologies if I've done this joke before, can't recall, but it is a particularly witty word-play referring to the repeated statements by Scummo & Co that they have a "mandate" to pursue their various punitive lunacies after the May 2019 Federal Election...(ah yes, using the fact that you're a 'Man', although I use the term in it's loosest possible definition-Ed)...charming...(then combining that with the time-honoured Aussie euphemism of 'date' for a 'sphincter', all that aligning with your personal assertion, get it? 'ass'ertion, that this alleged 'Election Mandate' thingy is simply untrue-Ed)...indeed, by any and all definitions my arse is a Man Date, and equally unequivocally the Liberal Party's supposed mandate is just a joke...the Liberals gained one extra seat, one, and only managed that due to their 'alliance' with the National Party, thusly the LNP are in government...(but it wasn't just that alliance was it, you forgot to mention the transparent collusion between Clive Palmer's $60-70million Anti-Labor advertising blizzard and associated Preference Deal-Ed)...well quite...(and the Preference Deal with One Nation-Ed)...and that also...(and the sickly deceitful and complicit Main Stream Media, with the fundamentally corrupted ABC leading the charge-Ed)...absolutely, and worthy of succinct review...

It took the Liberal Party and their combined vote with the National Party and the support and preferences of Clive 'Trust Me' Palmer and Pauline 'One Notion' Hanson, and the support of virtually the entire Main Stream Media and Australian Broadcasting Corporation peddling their combined deceits and manipulations to defeat Labor by effectively one seat...(what hope?-Ed)...indeed, and there's been so much discussion about so many examples of the MSM/ABC collusion with the LNP that I'm not going to drill-down into the minutiae, you either accept or don't that that pro-Liberal/Nationals bias occurred...(and largely is still occurring-Ed)...indeed, you's either agree or disagree, but I'd offer as perfect example the farcically compromised interview by rank Liberal stooge Annabelle Crabbe with Home Affairs Minister Peter 'Spud' Dutton (ABC Insiders, Sunday 16th June 2019) where-in Annabelle off-handedly raised the issue of the extraordinary corruption evident in the $420million Paladin contract re Manus Island, etc, then allowed 'Spud' to deny any knowledge of and/or responsibility for both 1) that original bizarre 'contract', then also 2) the apparent re-awarding of that 'contract' to Paladin, again without any 'Tender Process', and happening within weeks...(pathetic and complicit, Annabelle certainly knows what side her gravy train boards from, and it's no wonder she gets her own political 'matey' puff-piece TV shows-Ed)...indeed...

'Spud' was totally unfazed, knowing full-well that his pathetic non-responses and/or denials were more than sufficient and were not going to be further examined...(and Annabelle didn't let him down-Ed)...none of the typical seething fury or spitting indignation from 'The Angry Spud' because he knew those 'tough questions' were going to go nowhere, it looked every bit like exactly what it was, a carefully rehearsed pro-Liberal propaganda piece sans accountability...(mate, it looks like Crabbe's 'research process' involves going onto 'Social Media' to ascertain what exactly it is everyone's talking about, then pseudo-addressing those issues via matey-chats with whatevs LNP stooge is in the frame-Ed)...exactly, pretend to address the unavoidable issue by first raising it, then dilute that issue with innocuously soft questioning, then dismiss entirely that issue by just walking away from it...'ooo look, I did ask about that rancidly corrupt thing, yes I did'...bollocks, it's completely complicit, deviously deceitful, and transparently obvious...       

But let's face it, Labor didn't help their own cause by having a raft of Actual Policies, allowing 'Scummo' to just attack those issues without actually having any policies of his own...(well except for Tax Cuts, largely benefitting the already wealthy-Ed)...indeed, and again the MSM/ABC was absolutely complicit in failing to hold the LNP to account for this 'Policy Vacuum'...the 'No Policy Policy' also allowed 'Scummo' to hide virtually all his team of disastrous incompetents, and instead spew his Cult of Personality jingoistic jibberish...(and yet a further example of the complicit nature of the MSM/ABC because they let him do it, supported him in doing it, rarely if ever asking 'where are these invisible Ministers? where are your candidates?-Ed)...well quite, again the sort of discussion/debate that was being had widely on 'Social Media' but ne'ery a mention in the MSM/ABC...'Scummo' was also allowed to relentlessly lie about the LNP's 'Fiscal Management/Economy' skills, rarely if ever confronted with the dual realities that 1) they've doubled the National Debt in six years, and 2) the 'Economy' is flat/stalling/tanking, however you want to present it...(another classic example covered on 'Social Media' was the MSM/ABC's relentless use of the term 'Retiree Tax' to refer to Labor's plan to reform Franking Credits-Ed)...precisely, the complexities of that issue aside, describing Labor's plan as a 'Tax' is a deliberately provocative and alarmist deceit... 

These MSM/ABC deceits and/or failures proved critical, only to be further defined and compounded by their collective bleating post-election about how they could have done better...'oh golly, sorry, we should have asked those questions about the state of the Debt and/or Economy', etc, etc, etc...(orrr boo-bloody-hoo, yelling hoarsely at the shut gate after giving the electorate the euthanistic electoral bolt right to the forehead!-Ed)...mmm, that's a particularly eloquent albeit extremely violent picture you paint there mate...('KIN-BOOM, orrr gee whiz, I didn't know it was loaded officer'...pathetic-Ed)...mmhmm, I think you've made that point quite thoroughly...but having said that, and not entirely discounting Bill Shorten's short-comings with personal popularity...(or a lack of-Ed)...Labor did themselves no favours by stating that 'if you don't like our Franking Credits Plan then feel free to not vote for us'...(yeahhh, not a brilliant move, much better to have said 'we believe that the few Australians affected will see the merit in our plan and altruistically support the many positives for the wider community, because Aussies are great like that'-Ed)...absolutely, a far better approach that appeals to people's sense of self-approval, community support, etc, rather than just irretrievably alienating them...maybe wouldn't have changed many people's views/vote, but far better than 'if you don't like it, feel free to sod right off '...(agreed-Ed)...and speaking of which... 

A Triumph Of Greed, Fear, And Ignorance:...are how quite a few people have described the electorate's response to this unwavering pro-LNP bias in the MSM/ABC, but I think it's far more involved than that, which is why I've chosen deliberately to cover these issues after my observations about how the media has manipulated and deceived the electorate...(and continues to enable and protect the LNP-Ed)...well exactly, as we've discussed, that pro-LNP agenda is clearly alive and kicking post-election...anyhoos, whilst there is a perfectly reasonable argument to be made in support of the above discourse about personal greed and ignorance-driven fear, etc, because these are genuine factors in the 2019 Federal Election outcome, I believe that stopping at these realities is only to excuse or ignore those other realities I have described about the role of the MSM/ABC...(ahhh, I see what you're saying-Ed)...off you go then...(well, sure, some people are always gunna' be greedy or ignorant or fearful, etc, but given the complicit deceits of the MSM/ABC, even those who have tried to be informed and make responsible even altruistic decisions, etc, even those people would be hard-pressed to reach genuinely independent conclusions/decisions-Ed)...spot on mate...(even if they tried to thoroughly examine the facts as presented and dissect the often conflicting political discourse, etc, when the MSM/ABC are all headed down the same pro-LNP road, reporting with the same agenda-ed bias, etc, etc, what hope does the average punter have?-Ed)...or even the above-average punter mate... 

   

And that's why Australia is the best democracy that money can buy...and that's why...

Tomorrow: Journalism Is Not A Crime, But Being Nick Fletcher Is

What has happened in recent weeks, with these raids and other direct threats to media outlets, etc, it's old news in this 'ere house, because SAPol (police) Anti-Corruption Branch detectives were in this 'ere house aways back on 7th/8th May 2014, as part of ICAC/SAPol 'Operation Baritone', going through my documents, etc, and seizing my laptop as 'evidence', etc, then persecuting me via a 3 year 'Trial', etc, all in response to and/or justified by me blogging the absolute truth about the Court-proven fake ICAC alleged investigation of Mt Gambier City Council, October 2013-January 2014...(etc, etc, etc-Ed)...well quite, we've been through most of this stuff in multiple previous posts, but it is what it is...(politically motivated retribution for exposing corruption?-Ed)...exactly...(you know mate, I reckon that not many availees would begrudge you doing a bit of the old 'I told you so' stuff-Ed)...how so?...(well, you've been speaking openly about his bare-faced persecution and it's motivations and the obvious implications, etc, etc, but almost no-one's done anything about it-Ed)...other than abuse and criticise me...(fair enough, but not everyone's been like that-Ed)...true...(and remember that those who did approach local and/or interstate media on your behalf, etc, they were wholly rejected by the MSM and ABC-Ed)...that is true...(and now here we are, with those same Rejectors bleating about the Fascism of police raids on journalists, etc-Ed)...I see your point...

It is somewhat tempting to engage in a chorus of 'I Told You So's', but there's more to be achieved by addressing these issues, rather than wallowing indulgently in self-pity or boastful pride...yes, I have been identifying this potential, and yes, now those who have rejected my story see fit to complain about the exact same issues 'cos it's happening to them, but the main issue is that it's happening at all...(right on dude, right on-Ed)...so...

I am Nick Fletcher and this 'ere is my blog and we'll be back here soon with another attempt to resolve some of this stuff...cheers and laters...      

Why Intelligent, Informed, Caring People Who Give A Damn Will Suffer Depression

Howdy dear availees in Germany, Ukraine, Norway, and Poland, and to y'all elsewhere...following directly on from the last post, I've titled this one with a brief synopsis of a longer conversation I've had with several people, not least of all my own child, in trying to counsel and support them about the stress and dis-ease and depression they experience in their lives...(tried following your own advice/counsel?-Ed)...Ed! mate! are you calling me intelligent and informed and caring?...(certainly, and I'd suggest that this 'ere blog is proof enough-Ed)...orrr, cheers mate...(I mean, you don't claim to be the sharpest tool in the shed-Ed)...riiight...(but then you're hardly as dumb as a box-a'-hammers either-Ed)...hmmm, high praise indeed...(come on, you know what I mean, you are clearly a reasonably intelligent person who tries to be correctly informed about issues, and you also try to do something about those issues, and you've paid an extraordinary price physically, mentally, legally, and financially, and pretty much every other 'ally'-ly-Ed)...ain't that the truth, the price I've paid for being truthful...and I ain't claiming to be a 'better person' than you dear availee...(nor admitting to being 'worse'-Ed)...exactly, but this is my blog and these are very much My Truths...

Now, I also ain't stating that this bit of advice is in anyway a definitive study in 'Depression'...(well obviously, people suffer all sorts of traumas and life experiences that can trigger or create 'depression', there are a myriad of different catalysts and/or motivators, and within that vastly varying expressions/experiences of 'depression', etc, etc, it is hardly a singular issue-Ed)...well exactly, but as I said, I've found myself supporting others with this advice/observation and I belief that it does apply to many people...(fair enough-Ed)...and I genuinely believe that this can help people to not only accept but also counter the 'depressions' they do experience in this context...so I'll say it again in it's broadest form, if you are a reasonably intelligent person who tries to educate and inform themselves, and is genuinely caring for the plight of others, the environment, etc, etc, then it is inevitable that you will become 'depressed' by the realities, but don't let these 'Depressions' drag you down because they are a badge of honour to wear with up-lifting pride...(and who wouldn't be depressed in the current political climate, particularly here in Australia-Ed)...indeed, out recent election was an absolute farce, a Mockery of Democracy supported by a complicit 'media'...we'll look at this in future posts...

Last post I promised to copy-paste the article about Grant District Council Mayor Richard 'Mumbles' Sage being supposedly "vindicated"/exonerated by the SA Ombudsman...(sure that isn't a typo, shouldn't it say 'Indicted'?-Ed)...nice one man...(it's only a 'VA' away-Ed)...well quite, but anyhoos, there are many issues I'd like to also cover today, so instead I refer y'all back to the previous post, and provide this very brief synopsis with supporting quotes from The Border Watch newspaper...the relevant Ombudsman's Report is not yet available on their website...TBW reported this on it's front page as,
     SAGE 'VINDICATED' AS STATE OMBUDSMAN REPORT RELEASED
...and further on page 2 as,
     Grant leader cleared of any wrongdoing by ombudsman
...actually, upon review, that reporting is rather unclear as to the involvement of successive CEOs Mr Singe and Mr Maxwell, and given that there's nothing on the Ombudsman's website yet, I will provide the full TBW reportage, thusly...

...and I can only apologise that I have read that through several times and have been unable to clearly establish in my mind a specific timetable of events, as I said, particularly at which point CEOs Singe and Maxwell were involved...(well this report has Maxwell amending a Council Report at Sage's request, a Remuneration Report that Singe then signed, apparently in ignorance of those changes, but I thought Maxwell had replaced Singe, so how could Singe sign a Maxwell-altered document?-Ed)...I know, and thusly guess that there must have been some sort of cross-over period when both were employed...(well I suppose that's sortta' possible-Ed)...but what I'm reading here is that Sage and Maxwell changed that Council-sanctioned document and then 'tricked' Singe into signing it...(it's also unclear as to the connection between and/or timing of Singe's relevant complaint and subsequent 'unexplained' dismissal-Ed)...indeed, but if "Acting CEO Maxwell" was involved, that would seem to indicate that Singe had already been sacked/replaced...(fair enough, but why was Singe then signing that altered document?-Ed)...yeah, look, I dunno', that's part of the confusion I was identifying, is this how it actually transpired or is it clumsy reportage and/or have they used the wrong CEO's name somewhere somehow?...

I'll leave that one to you to sort out for ya'selves dear availees, but what's clear is that Mumbles took it upon himself to alter an officially Council-sanctioned Report/Document, and that the farcically irrelevant Ombudsman ain't gunna' do nuthin' 'bout it!...(hurray for Accountability in Public Office-Ed)...well quite, and I'll join the celebrations when and if I ever witness it...(fair enough-Ed)...but if this weren't bad enough, what really concerns me about that front page is the other story,
     Drug case dumped - Accused traffickers walk free as court runs out of patience with delays
...referring to "ongoing delays in the Major Indictable Brief Unit (MIBU)", and how MIBU and the Director of Public Prosecutions have failed "to reach a charge determination" following their initial extension to do so...this follows a "12 month drug investigation by the Serious and Organised Crime Branch (SOCB)" that led to, "A total of 43 officers (conducting) dawn raids on a number of different premises in Naracoorte, Mt Gambier and Penola to complete the arrests."...(wow, and 11 months after that massive and costly exercise MIBU and the DPP are still shreckin' about to the extent that the charges have been dropped-Ed)...wow indeed...

(And if that weren't bad enough, let's consider in contrast that SAPol, ICAC, the DPP and the Magistrates Court raided your home in May 2014, then took monthly 'Pre-Trial' Court appearances from February 2015 until November 2016 to actually bring you to 'Trial' for the farcical ICAC Section 56 'Charges', then that collapsed in disarray, and then it was another year until your 'New Trial' finally completed December 2017, albeit in your absence, etc, etc-Ed)...indeed, but that's something we'll cover in detail in the next post about the recent Fascist Media Raids, etc...what immediately concerns me is the further story from page 3 of that same TBW edition, namely this...

...I've previously referred to this case and my concerns that it would all quietly just 'go away', and there's nothing here that gives me any hope that there will be appropriate action taken against this "teacher" for the "persistent sexual exploitation of a child"...the reportage seemingly indicates that this 'child' was a student of the teacher, "He was in a position of authority as a teacher"...I am deeply concerned by 1) the distinct parallels between this failure of the MIBU and subsequent reaction of Magistrate Anderson as witnessed in the above 'Drug Trial', where-in a teacher has raped a child, and "Magistrate Teresa Anderson considered dismissing the charges due to the non-compliance with court-ordered timetables"...secondly, I refer dear availees to SAPol's abject and clearly deliberate failures to investigate, charge, or even interview "text-book grooming paedophile" teacher Glyn Dorling at St Martins Lutheran School in 2002, and the subsequent wholesale cover-up of those abuses by a definably complicit SAPol, Courts, several SA Premiers and State Parliament, the DPP, the Crown Solicitor, lawyers Stephen Lieschke, Bill DeGaris, Peter Humphries, and Tim Bourne, etc, etc, etc, and the relentless attacks on us parents, etc, etc, etc...

The deeply disturbing parallels are immediately obvious between how SAPol are mis-handling this child-raping teacher and SAPol's unwavering commitment to protecting "text-book grooming paedophile" (Flinders Child Protection Unit) teacher Glyn Dorling, and the Lutherans who knowingly employed him and knowingly put our kids in harms way by exposing them to Dorling...I remind dear availees that SAPol failed/refused to charge Dorling...(didn't even interview him-Ed)...well quite...(and then lied repeatedly to parents about that, providing families with at least 6 different 'versions' involving different officers, differing alleged locations, etc-Ed)...indeed they did...(and relentlessly attacked/blamed parents for SAPol's deliberate failures-Ed)...wholly corrupt, wholly complicit, rank Pro-Paedophile Corruption from your Mt Gambier/State Police Force...(yay-Ed)...Language Warning...and now this farcical fucking-about where SAPol haven't taken a proper statement from the child, and then fail to rectify that even after they get a 2-month extension...(strewth, it almost looks like they're deliberately trying to fuck it up-Ed)...End Language Warning...that's exactly what I'm saying mate, in the same way they deliberately refused to pursue Glyn Dorling...and believe me, nothing would make me happier than being completely wrong and this teacher gets 10 years minimum...but I ain't holding my breath... 

(Ummm, I'm sorry, that ad there next to that story, does that say "Graeme Lyall" and beneath that "Academy Big Band"?-Ed)...yep, it surely does...(and didn't this event also happen last year?-Ed)...indeed it did...(and didn't we do a post about it entitled, No Apologies For Being Angry About This, 18th August 2018?-Ed)...yep, and I'd suggest we're not far-off writing a post titled Morrison Jazz Academy Knowingly Exposes Students To Rapist, Again...(mate, can you imagine the half-wits who would stampede past that reality to attack you and this 'ere blog-Ed)... don't need to imagine it mate, I've lived it for many years now...(fair enough-Ed)...and if you's reckon I'm over-steppin' the mark with this title, I invite y'alls to go visit the New Matilda website and just search 'Graeme Lyall' and peruse the extraordinary interview they've done with Graeme where-in he doesn't deny the rape, but instead complains about how the student's remarkable strength in seeking appropriate action, etc, how that has affected his (Lyall's) career...(I note that he also acknowledges that the student has received a compensation payment, apparently from the Catholics and/or Tennyson Woods College-Ed)...yep, and whinges about that as well...(what a guy-Ed)...certainly a class-act and absolutely appropriate role-model for aspiring musicians...

I guarantee we will go very hard down this appalling path in the most brutally realistic terms in a post in the very near future.

Also, in the previous post I stated that the Ombudsman had declined to take action against former Robe District Council CEO Roger 'Whim and Fancy' Sweetman regarding multiple issues of "Maladministration" because Roger was retiring/not running again, whatevs, and I do believe that that was part of the 'official decision' to do sweet bugger all about it, let him resign, etc, but the Ombudsman's website states that that was the specific reason for not pursuing action against former Pt Pirie Councillor Darryl Johnson...(is that the one where the Ombudsman ludicrously dismissed one glaringly obvious Conflict of Interest issue, but still made the specific finding that Johnno had, and I quote, "acted in a manner that was contrary to law" on another CoI, but that there would be no action taken because, 
     "As Mr Johnson did not seek re-election at the local government elections in November 2018,
      the Ombudsman made no recommendations."
...is that the one?-Ed)...yep, that's the one, and I re-refer dear availees to read those two reports re Pt Pirie and Robe Councils on the Ombudsman's website...

I also note that the 'official report' on that website re Robe Council/Roger Sweetman does not specifically identify a finding of "Maladministration", indeed, it's a very different, highly sanitised version of events compared to the realities involved...(as we covered in great length in our wonderful post, Ombudsman Lines Sublimely Declines To Act On Robe Probe, 14th April 2019-Ed)...well quite, including a very thorough story by journalist Kate Hill...(yeah, compared to that story, the 'Official Report' is farcically vague and obtuse-Ed)...indeed it is...and I readily admit that I've struggled to keep track of all the farcical shenanigans at Robe Council re the $1million Marina Loan that disappeared then re-appeared then apparently never existed in the first place, then this 'Auditor's Issue' of 2014, then this 'Carpark Wall' issue, and all of the bizarre Council retaliation/retribution against former Mayor William Peden for his extensive efforts to hold them to account on these very concerning issues, etc, etc, but rather than trawl through it all again, again, I do refer y'all to our various previous posts on these issues, eg, 14th April 2019, cheers...(well what's glaringly obvious is that the OPI/Ombudsman/ICAC have no intention what-so-ever of taking appropriate action against Robe Council, on any issue-Ed)...indeed...

Tomorrow: Fascist Media Raids In Australia

Which we will amusingly cover under the title, Journalism Is Not A Crime, But Being Nick Fletcher Is...(nice one man, using the popular catch-phrase to highlight the reality of your rancidly corrupt Pro-Paedophile Political Persecution at the hands of SA ICAC and SAPol (police), where-in you have been pursued and persecuted and prosecuted for the heinous crime of telling the truth about a fake ICAC investigation of Mt Gambier City Council-Ed)...indeed, and in a context where 2 of the 'Counts' I've been 'Convicted' of are about speaking to the media, namely ABC South East and The Border Watch...(well quite, and where-in the ABC South East and TBW were both SAPol Prosecution witnesses against you-Ed)...indeed they were...(and in a context where you/we/this 'ere blog are more 'journalist' than those two combined-Ed)...well, they're not all bad, I've met journos who are trying, but as others have put it to me, regardless of what anyone else does or doesn't do, I am every bit a 'journalist'...(when you're not being the actual news-Ed)...well quite, and this 'ere blog is a scythingly accurate source of news...   

Many A True Word Spoken In Just Fear-Mongering:...couldn't help but laugh to hear our Home Affairs Minister Peter 'The Spud' Dutton ramping-up the hype about the Medivac Bill and refugees in general, etc, by describing 'people smugglers' thusly, 'they will twist any truth to take money from vulnerable people'...(well to my mind that's the potato calling the kettle black, 'cos that's exactly what the Liberal/National Party do-Ed)...and hence my mirth...(ahhh, fair enough-Ed)...

And we will get to the oft-promised post about MGCC's bare-faced deceits re the Farcical Aquatic Recreation Centre, not least of all, the latest ludicrous announcement that MGCC plans to spend $1.8million on re-vamping and deepening, etc, the 50m outdoor pool...(as part of the $40m FARC project?-Ed)...no no, this is extra money that's just gunna' appear from somewhere, somehow, no probs mate...(but don't MGCC therefore Ratepayers still owe $2m on the New Library, nearly 10 years after it opened?-Ed)...yep...(and Ratepayers are FARC-ly committed to a barest minimum $15m funding for that literal hole in the ground?-Ed)...yep...(and Council reckons it's gunna' spend $800,000 on the Old Rail Station in the next 2 years?-Ed)...ah yeah, I'd forgotten about that, more money that's gunna' miraculously materialise from gourd-knows where...I guarantee this post is comin' up soon dear availees... 

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog, cheers and laters...

There's Nothing Like Official Accountability, In South Australia

Howdy dear availees in Egypt, Estonia, Japan, and United Arab Emirates...welcome to a post that is largely revisionary...(is this part of your 'Keep On Posting' strategy, in a context where deeply draining 'Depression' continues to dog you?-Ed)...exactly correct young Ed, continuing forward as best possible given the circumstances...(well it's been a coupla' fairly full-on months-Ed)...indeed it has, and I note with some sense of vindication that I've seen several people on Twitter say much the same things I have about politically-motivated depression, etc, and that they've felt driven to withdraw from 'electronic media', albeit briefly...(but I note that you force yourself to try and stay somewhat engaged-Ed)...well quite, and as I described in the last paragraph of the previous post, it is important to me and to the very nature of this 'ere blog that I remain 'actually correct' rather than 'think I'm right'...(and there is quite a difference-Ed)...indeed, and to that end I forced myself to sit through the farcically depressing pantomime that was Annabelle Crabbe 'interviewing' Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on the ABC's The Insiders this morning...(oh gourd, I don't want to know-Ed)...oh you know mate, you exactly know, we all know, and Language Warning, 'cos ya' didn't need to watch it to know that it was a farcically biased 'Dorothy Dixer Cluster Fuck'...End Language Warning...(ah, so better than I was expecting then?-Ed)...well quite, it was absolutely appalling... 

And I'll get into that more next post, but today I'd just quickly like to acknowledge a coupla' very supportive 'Comments', the first from 4th April 2019, when 'Unknown' wrote;
     "You have a particularly interesting way of writing and I am in complete agreance with
     you on Dear Robe Council CEO Roger Sweetman, "Whim And Fancy" This Champ  
...and as previously explained, I don't blame people for showing their support anonymously...(given how popular you aren't in this political climate and/or town, can't blame people for not wanting to expose themselves to similar bigotry, abuse, and/or discrimination-Ed)...exactly, I only question the crassly cowardly halfwits who anonymously sling pig-ignorant personal abuse and derision and deeply often deliberately misinformed opinions...(like that bright spark who anonymously demanded on 12th September 2018 that you go 'onto social media' so that other like-minded drongos could 'hold you to account'?-Ed)...a perfect example Ed...anyhoos, only 2 days later, 6th April 2019, an 'Unknown' left this 'Comment' indicating that they have extensively read and understand this 'ere blog...
     "A list of organisations with nothing better to do than to conspire against Nick Fletcher.
     South Australia Police The Border Watch The ABC Tony Pasin Mount Gambier City
     Council Hawkins Medical Clinic Judge White Probably the entire legal system ICAC
     Corrections SA The Education Department Bill Degaris Google People who are actually
     actively working against Nick Fletcher Nick Fletcher" on Brief But Important Interim Post

(Ummm, yeahhh, not so sure that that's supportive-Ed)...really?...(yeahhh, I think you'll find that that's actually a very average attempt at mocking sarcasm, trying to concurrently belittle you and undermine the reality of your blogging about these various people/Authorities/organisations, quite probably based on having read only a very few posts-Ed)...oh, right...(yeah, sorry-Ed)...no no, not your fault mate, and now that you point it out to me, I see what you mean, this 'Unknown' is trying to imply that it is somehow ridiculous for me to discuss the collusive Pro-Paedophile Corruption that I have so very clearly identified and defined and been subjected to...(yeahhh, I think that's their intent-Ed)...mmm, indeed, and in that context it is self-evidently ridiculous to say this, because clearly and definably, it's not the issue that those listed have "nothing better to do", the reality is that this is just what they do...(my thoughts exactly-Ed)...it's not a question of them colluding "to conspire against Nick Fletcher", they by their very nature 'conspire" to protect SA's Pro-Paedophile Institutionalised Corruption...(and in that context "Nick Fletcher" just happens to be the rabidly angry bunny caught in those Pro-Paedophile headlights-Ed)...absolutely, and I'm hardly the first and almost certainly not the last...

(Well hopefully not the last-Ed)..."hopefully"?...(yeah, this whole process of relentless Pro-Paedophile Political Persecution via the farcically undefinable and openly Fascist Section 56 of the SA ICAC Act 2012, your "bizarre trial", etc, that's all about silencing not just you, but anyone else who thinks about speaking-out about the Pro-Paedophile Institutionalised Corruption they witness/encounter-Ed)...well observed Ed, that is precisely correct, yet again it ain't just about 'getting Nick Fletcher', it's about threatening/preventing any 'Future Fletchers' behaving the way I do...(behaving the way you do? I hardly think that's gunna' happen, you are a very unique, very special unit-Ed)...well cheers mate...

And another thing too, dear Anonymous Dickhead...(I thought there might be-Ed)...I have never ever accused Google of 'conspiring against me', the well-documented evidence on this 'ere blog proves the exact opposite...(well I'd argue that this 'ere blog itself is proof enough that The Googles ain't conspiring against ya'-Ed)...my point exactly, as often made through-out this 'ere blog, but I'll say it again 'cos it bears repeating, if it weren't for The Googles providing this 'ere 'Free-of-Charge Blogspot Forum' thingy, I'd be effectively voiceless, given that I'm currently 'banned' from the National Broadcaster (The ABC)...(wow, you bastard-Ed)...and equally unwelcome in the local media...(still wow, and still a bastard-Ed)...and furthermore, I have repeatedly identified directly to The Googles themselves how they are being manipulated by those listed, eg, the litany of vacuous 'Defamation Threats' and/or various other lies used to have my posts 'pulled-down'...(yeah, get it right Anonymous Dickhead-Ed)...anyhoos, moving on...     

A goodly part of my 'Depression' is effectively forced on me by these harsh and very unpleasant realities about South Australia's Institutionalised Corruption that present themselves on a daily basis...(I thought you said it was "SA's Pro-Paedophile Institutionalised Corruption"?-Ed)...well indeed, it is my intensely personal experience and subsequent belief is that South Australia is a state run by and for paedophiles...(eg, the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up-Ed)...exactly, but apparently some people struggle with that reality, so for the sake of this particular post, let's just deal with the definable Institutionalised Corruption of the farcical 'Authorities' in SA, from Local and State Governments, to SAPol (police) and the Judiciary, and on to their supposed 'Overseers', the Office of Public Integrity, the Ombudsman, and the extraordinary debasco (debacle/fiasco) that is the SA Independent Commission Against Corruption...today we're gunna' stick with the OPI/Ombudsman/ICAC, and there's no better place to start addressing some recent farcical issues involving this lot, than to revisit this absolute classic, below...(didn't we cover this previous under the hilarious title Fines Clearly Defines Fine Line By Clearing Lee, back on 16th January 2018?-Ed)...indeed we did...

Apologies that I didn't record where exactly I got these two pieces, and they've been sitting in my Drafts section since first published...(one says "December 2017"-Ed)...yeah, but there's no direct byline or title bit, anyhoos, whatevs, if dear availees want to review the above mentioned post and combine it with this stuff, it gives y'all a fairly thorough discourse/explanation about how truly pathetic the OPI/Ombudsman/ICAC can be when it comes to addressing the definable Institutionalised Corruption in SA...(does it or do we mention that former Mayor Lee was in China on a Ratepayer-funded trip when he was doing these personal business dealings?-Ed)...well you just did mate, but read-on dear heart, find out for ya'self...sees y'all on the other side...***        

• Mayor under fire over winery income, China trip
• Move to force councils to reveal all travel costs

A REGIONAL mayor “walked a very fine ethical line” in his role as mediator during the $13.2 million sale of a Coonawarra winery, the public sector watchdog has found, but cleared him of using his position for personal benefit.

In a report released yesterday, State Ombudsman Wayne Lines found Mount Gambier Mayor Andrew Lee acted “inappropriately” in his elected position to help broker the sale of Rymill Coonawarra Winery, near Penola.

Mr Lines investigated Mr Lee’s use of his mayoral email in his dealings with the winery’s owner John Rymill and Chinese-owned Landbridge Group representative Gang Ye, as well as whether he used a taxpayer-funded trip to China to pursue personal business interests.

Mr Lee acted as an intermediary between Landbridge Group and the winery during its acquisition.

But Mr Lines said “these mistakes are not serious enough for a finding of misconduct”.

“As principal officer of his council, Mayor Andrew Lee walked a very fine ethical line dealing with the Landbridge Group as intermediary in a large commercial transaction,” the report said.

“Although Mayor Lee did send two emails from his mayoral account and inappropriately used his business card in his dealings with Mr Rymill and Mr (Gang) Ye, these mistakes are not serious enough for a finding of misconduct.

“He has admitted his error of judgment and stated his regret for his actions. I note he took action at the time to remedy the mistake with the use of his mayoral email account.”

The Advertiser reported in January last year, Mr Lee had met Mr Gang Ye on a State Government-organised Shandong Business Mission in April 2016.

At the time, Mr Lee told The Advertiser he had no recollection of meeting Mr Ye, saying: “That trip I didn’t see him,” before adding: “Let me think … I can’t remember.”

During the Ombudsman’s investigation, Mr Lee admitted he had met with Landbridge Group chairman Cheng Ye twice and his brother Gang Ye once in 2015 to talk about acquiring the Rymill Coonawarra Winery.

He also admitted he met Gang Ye during the trade mission, but denied any wrong­doing.

“Mayor Lee admits he gave Mr Gang Ye his business card in Shandong, but realised later that ‘it was not right to do that’ in the context of their other business dealings,” Mr Lines said.

He found that Mr Lee and Gang Ye became business partners in the company Furunde Wine Co Pty Ltd, which was registered three months after the mission. The company – a subsidiary of Landbridge Group – bought the winery six months after the mission, which Mr Lines said “raised questions that warranted further investigation.”

Mr Lines found Mr Lee did not use his mayoral position for personal benefit, but acknowledged it was “not difficult” to see why some had concluded Mr Lee’s business dealings were “suspicious”.

“I advise the Mayor that in the future he should examine and clarify any actions that may give rise to a perception that he is using his elected office for personal gain,” he said. 

December 2017: City of Mount Gambier – Failure to disclose business interests – Mayor Andrew Lee
The Ombudsman received an ICAC referral about allegations involving the conduct of Mayor Andrew Lee of the City of Mount Gambier relating to his involvement in a State-funded trip to China and his subsequent acquisition of an interest in a South Australian winery.  The matter was subject of an article in the Advertiser on 30 January 2017, since which time it has attracted significant attention.  There were two allegations that were investigated.  First of misconduct by Mayor Lee in conducting personal business while representing the council when attending the Shandong business delegation in China in 2016.  The Ombudsman found no evidence of personal business being conducted; therefore, there was no finding of misconduct.  The second allegation concerned Mayor Lee’s use of his mayoral position to gain a personal benefit by acquiring shares in the Rymill Coonawarra winery.  The Ombudsman found no evidence of inappropriate use of mayoral position in the acquisition; therefore, there was not finding of misconduct.

***...so there you go, "walked a very fine ethical line", what a shreckin' joke...(but those reports don't even mention the stuff about Mayor Lee failing to report to Mt Gambier City Councils' Register of interests either 1) his purchase of and/or stake in that winery, or 2) his subsequent income from said winery-Ed)...indeed, it's a pathetic joke from start to finish, a joke where-in Accountability and Ratepayers get punched right in The Fine Line by a farcically irrelevant OPI/Ombudsman/ICAC...and since then we've had the multiple farcical involvements of these 'Authorities' with the deeply compromised Robe District Council and/or their snipingly abusive former CEO Roger 'Whim And Fancy' Sweetman, eg, regarding multiple aspects of the Robe Marina, eg, their proven 'Maladministration' of Non-Tendered Contracts for a vastly over-priced carpark wall...(is that the one where the Ombudsman stated that they weren't gunna' do anything about it 'cos Roger was retiring from Local Government?-Ed)...indeed, which somehow exonerates him from his actions whilst CEO...(well that's just ludicrous-Ed)...not just ludicrous mate, it's conspiratorially corrupt inaction from the OPI/Ombudsman/ICAC...(and just reminding dear availees that the legislative structure dictates that all matters/issues must go through the ICAC, therefore through Our Bestie And Also In His Spare Time ICAC Commissioner Bruce 'Brews Slander' Lander-Ed)...exactly...

Then we've had the equally farcical 'exoneration' by The Three Amigos...(que?-Ed)...the OPI/Ombudsman/ICAC...(ahhh, of course-Ed)...well, I just thought it was more respectful than The Three Drongos...(and if we're about anything here at TMGI, it's respectfulness...ness-Ed)...indeed, The 3A's 'exoneration' of Grant District Council's Mayor Richard Sage...('exonerated' of what exactly?-Ed)...of altering a critical Council document...(oh well, so long as it's no biggie, just altering critical official Council documents, I mean, what's the harm? what's the fuss?-Ed)...I thought we agreed 'off-blog' young man, that we'd leave the moronic sarcasm stuff to Anonymous Dickhead & Co'?...(I never signed not nuffin'! you got nuffink on me copper!-Ed)...settle down...Mayor Sage took it upon himself to alter a Council-Approved Draft Document to the Remuneration Tribunal, then got the then CEO David Singe to unknowingly/unwittingly sign the document, before Interim CEO Graeme Maxwell was also involved...(wasn't Maxwell there because Singe got sacked?-Ed)...indeed, and it was Mr Singe who reportedly lodged the complaint with The 3As...(so it looks like Singe was deliberately duped, then quite rightly reported that Gross Maladministration, only to be promptly sacked for his troubles-Ed)...that's what it looks like...I'll post the actual The Border Watch article in a future post...

Anyhoos, following that farcical 'vindication/exoneration', we charge ahead to the recent The Border Watch report/acknowledgement of the multiple Code of Conduct complaints that Mt Gambier City Councillors have lodged about their colleagues...(well everyone's been talking about this stuff for ages, so what's new?-Ed)...that the 'complaints' have been sent back to MGCC and/or their new CEO Andrew Meddle to sort out...(isn't that what happened with your very detailed 'complaint/report' back in December 2017, about the multiple abuses/confrontations/threats that you were subjected to by various Councillors/staff?-Ed)...yep, where-in my 'complaints' specifically identified, amongst other things, 2 grossly inappropriate incidents of harassment involving then CEO Mark 'Mighty Marky Mark McShenanigans' McShane, one at my gym and a second at the September 2017 Full Council Meeting...(and those 'complaints' were sent back to CEO McShenanigans by the Minister Geoff Brock, for McShenanigans to sort out?-Ed)...exactly...(your 'complaints' about McShenanigans were sent back to McShenanigans for him to address?-Ed)...yep...(and?-Ed)...and what?...I'm still waiting...(well hurrah-Ed)...yeah, apart from a 'Your concerns have been noted' letter from McShenanigans aways back then, not nuthin', no action, no repercussions, it's a sickly corrupt joke...      
And given this has blown-out I'll have to do another post with those reportages/documents, etc, particularly the MGCC Code of Conduct stuff, so...

Tomorrow: Yet More MGCC Dodginess

Yes sirree, McShenanigans may have shot-through in spectacular fashion, but all the other shenanigans continue unabated...(does this include the gross deceits of the Fabulous Aquatic Recreation Centre debasco?-Ed)...ah, I see you're gettin' on board with the whole 'Naming Game' for the ludicrous $40million+ Hub thingy...(absolutely, and some people apparently want The ARC, so I've just expanded on that by adding 'Fabulous/Fantastic'-Ed)...well to my mind it's 'Farcical'...(yep, that still works-Ed)...hang on...The FARC...you want to call it The FARC...(right on, and then all this stuff about 'Fundraising' could be promoted like, 'Donate For FARC's Sake', ya' know, stuff like that-Ed)...oh dear gourd...(I knew you'd like it-Ed)...   

I am Nick Fletcher, and that is Ed...(cheers-Ed)...whom might be a confected literary device but is still an integral and invaluable part of this 'ere blog...(oh mate, stop that-Ed)...no no, it's true, you are a confected literary device...(oh-Ed)...and this here is my/our blog...cheers and laters...