Thursday 29th November 2007
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As the corruption net spreads from our Aussie shores to New Zealand, we find Billionaire Richard Pratt (pictured), chairman of Visy Board, recently exposed
for collusion in Australia for price fixing of paper products with Amcor (who rolled over to be exempt from prosecution), is being prosecuted by the New Zealand
Commerce Commission alleging a four year cartel, again with Amcor, facing near identical prosecutions as those in Australia.
Visy Board former senior executives Harry Debney and Rod Carroll are also mentioned as defendants, along with "Tricky Dickie", under Visy Board (NZ) Ltd.
James Hodgson, former executive of Amcor, decided to buck the system by refusing to co-operate with the NZCC inquiry, which now sees him another defendants.
Again, as in Australia, Amcor has been granted immunity from prosecution by tendering information to NZ investigators.
Pratt, after admitting to price fixing and rigging bids, agreed to settle the case in Australia for $36 million. Pending class actions from Australian companies, allegedly ripped off by 'the Amcor/Visy collusion, could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, one initated claim against Visy and Amcor, includes a $120 million suit by Cadbury Schweppes.
Our NZ sources revealed Visy turn over is around $3.2 billion, we also see a different set of rules to Australia, yet both countries lack criminal penalties for cartels, NZ penalties of up to 10% of corporate turnover applies, could leave "Trickie Dickie" with a bill of around $320 million to his ever increasing accountability, should the gavel fall firmly.
Companies include, Goodman Fielder and Ingham's, two of the major clients, are hovering the NZ court outcome, geared to start rip-off compensation claims against Pratt, and his pirates.
The spanner in the works to the Visy/Amcor cartel scam in New Zealand seems to be paper product giant Carter Holt Harvey, holding around 45% of the NZ market, co-operated with the NZCC, and has not been prosecuted. Visy and Amcor are holding the remaining 55%, not quite the dynamic duo's 90% strangle hold in Australia.
Into how many other countries have "Visy Virus" tentacles extended, inflating prices
of paper packaging to pander the greed of this tarnished recipient of our prestigious "Order Of Australia medal".
This person Pratt has a license to harvest timber in our Snowy Mountains under granted NSW state Labor government legislation "Visy act", implimented by Macquarie Bank funded consultant, and past NSW premier, Bob Carr (pictured right). New Zealand have not seen fit to legislate something like this to a private company owned by Richard Pratt. Does this make you ponder politics?
His beloved football club published the information below, however a link CLICK HERE, offering his biography, today was removed.
Richard Pratt, A.C, is Chairman of Visy, a privately owned Melbourne based packaging and recycling company employing more than 9000 people in Australasia and the U.S.A. In 1969 he succeeded his father as head of the company and became the dynamic force behind the expansion of the Pratt group. Under his direction the company expanded from one factory in suburban Melbourne to a network of more than 160 plants across Australia, the USA, New Zealand, and South East Asia. In February 2007 Richard Pratt became President of Carlton Football Club. For a full biography on Richard Pratt AC. CLICK HERE
SOS-NEWS has established credentials (we rufuse to use the word honours) awarded to Pratt, akin to the British passing around Knighthoods amongst the chosen few:
- In 1985, Mr Pratt was awarded an Officer in the Order of Australia for services to Industry, Arts and to Sport.
- In 1998, he received another gong, this time an AC or Companion of the Order for Australia. The citation mentions community service, business and employment, cultural life and philanthropy.
- Finally in 2001, he received a Centenary Medal.
Back in October 2007, the ABC online published this artilcle you should read - Click here.
Read below our free download "E-BOOK" exposé of Greed, Price Fixing and government involvement with legislation favouring Visy Board in Australia.
On behalf of starving farmers going broke daily, pensioners who do not even get a basic wage to just exist, and most of the Australian people who have purchased goods in your boxes under your evil price fixing …
"HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH RICHARD PRATT"?
We will keep you posted on "Tricky Dicky", Richard J. Pratt, AC (born Ryszard Przecicki, 1934), chairman of the privately owned cardboard company Visy Industries, president of the Carlton Football Club and a leading figure of Melbourne society. with a fortune valued at A$5.3 billion, Australia's third richest man
For months we have been on the Richard Pratt USA and Indonesia paper trail, a field in which we excel.
Well farmers, you may disregard what SOS-NEWS writes about in regards to this matter, but when the context of our story is ratified unequivocally in mainstream
news, perhaps you should all think long and hard about what we said and what it means.
The following news story from the ABC has the ACT leader(or is that Mayor?), Jon Stanhope, clearly accepting that not only is it not possible to ensure a seed
cross-pollination buffer zone from GM cropping, but his entire Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is at threat, and hence he feels he has no alternative but to lift the GM ban in the ACT as a result.
It may well be in the short term, that you get away with selling diluted product in the first instance, but that alone may have dramatic effects on the returns you receive, or the customers you sell to, but as many of you collect your own seed stock from your own product, this too will be cross-pollinated.
This particular cross pollination will, sooner or later, be argued in court, that as you knew you had cross-pollinated produce at sale time, hence also seed storage time, it will be deemed that you were also aware that at the time of sowing your own seed stock at this next, or future planting, you will have knowingly and wittingly planted seed that is of a Genetically Modified Variety. A seed that you as the farmers and planters were well aware required a license to so sow, plant, harvest and sell.
The law may well be an arse, but the men and women that adjudicate from the bench only do so as per the laws our bureaucrats and corporate entities bring into force via puppet politicians, so it will eventually be your arse when the gavel falls.
The between the lines message here is simple. If those of you who do not want GM seed stock amongst your crops thereby diluting the natural product you grow, you had better get your legal stature noted in such a pro-active manner as legally possible, before the Statement of Claims are served upon you for selling unlicensed GM product.
To hell with globalisation, the corporate colonisation of Australia is almost complete, with water, energy, minerals and transport under immense corporate control, with the last bastion, rural industries, positioned for a fait' accompli in the very near future. Welcome to the corporate Stalag "Australis."
Faites vous jeux (place your bets)
GM crops buffer zone unlikely: Stanhope
Posted today
The ACT Government says it is unlikely to be able to continue the ban on genetically modified crops now that New South Wales has given GM agriculture the green light.
New South Wales and Victoria have decided to lift the moratorium on GM canola crops due to expire in February next year.
ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope says he supports a rethink of the ban because he believes it has had an impact on Canberra's national research institutions.
He says the Government has not reached a final position yet but it is fanciful to suggest that a buffer zone could be created around the Territory.
"As a very small island in New South Wales, a jurisdiction that has now given the green light to GM agriculture, we need to be realistic about this in terms of our capacity in any event to protect or prevent the carriage into the ACT of New South Wales seed," he said.
Mr Stanhope says New South Wales has effectively made the decision on GM crops for the ACT.
"I believe to some extent the New South Wales decision makes it hard for us," he said.
"To go it alone and the notion of creating a buffer, a buffer wide enough or broad enough to prevent GM seed blowing into the ACT ..... is I think probably unrealistic but I will take some advice on that."
Don't Laugh it is True
The NSW Labor government sanctioned construction of their Desalination plant, with taxpayer money, which the people - "to a man" - do not want, again is on hold
due to heavy rain.
Major flooding of this multi million-dollar white elephant will receive much more downpours by the forecasts of world accuracy facilities over the next week, and who is footing the bill for this, … hahahahahaha.
The drought will break, and that may be very soon, but the $1 million per month off line fees to maintain this plant will keep rolling.
Do you think Maurice Iemma will pass on the plans to Kevin Rudd for national desalination units that all Australian do not want?
Merry Christmas From Workcover NSW
A NSW South Coast small engineering business is about to close it's doors due to overheads incurred from an industrial accident, 7 months ago. This involved a worker loosing the top of his finger in a computer controlled pattern cutting machine.
Workcover NSW were advised the day of this accident, to which the department official instructed the business owner, not to use the machine until officers from workcover have inspected it.
Weekly correspondence with this government department since, accompanied by persistent phone calls by the business owner, still find the $250,000 machine is unable to be operated pending inspection. These brains trust from workcover have not set foot into the factory unit, and the owner is still sub-contacting the pattern cutting to one of his competitors, an unessesary cost making his products non competative in the market.
Two weeks, from this Friday that business will close at 4.30pm, along with 25 jobs. The power will be shut down,gates locked, another business bites the dust from RED TAPE.
It is too late Premier Iemma, we all hope you, and your team of bureaucrats, have a wonderful Christmas.
Please, give just a thought over Christmas, when you kiss your children you are are so fond of, then while they are opening their presents, purchased from your well padded and healthy salary, and reflect on what your Incompetent Government has given, to the twenty five, for Christmas.
Merry Christmas Maurice
Federal Labor Encourages Farmers to Invest In Brazil
These little piggies went to market
Information from our "Toilet Rodent", even at this early stage of the "Rudd Mud Ministry", has found the Federal Labor Government, new kids on the block,
are offering encouragement to our farmers, those that have a dollar they can afford not to spend on food, should invest in farming down on South America's Brazil.
Reason seem that produce import sanctions will be heading to Australia from that part of the world in the very near future.
Other than capitulating to the greens, who are hell bent to closing down our rural industries, why would any government worth it's salt consider such a stupid plan for the people of a self sufficient nation with a 200 year, clean and healthy, farming track record.
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