First let me quote John Ferguson's opening sentence in today's Herald Sun Op-Ed page....
THE speed camera farce is a political and policing disaster.
That's far too waffly, I'll just tighten it up some....
THE speed camera farce is a political and policing disaster.
That's better. Ferguson's is yet another in a long line of Herald Sun articles detailing the incompetence, inaction and downright banditry of the Victorian gummermint in relation to road safety - ha ha - cameras.
Neil Mitchell at Threeore has also been running hard on the issue. Numerous times in the past couple of weeks he's been able to highlight the Baldrick-like incompetence in Andre Haermeyer's slapstick ministership.
Both the Hun and Threeore have called for fines to be stopped until such time as the road safety - ho ho - cameras have been fixed and their veracity assured. They've also called for fines already issued to be recalled and penalty points rescinded.
Police command, Steve Brax and Andre The Chimp have all talked around, above, below and somewhere in the general vicinity of the issue, without ever admitting there was a problem.
Now today on the Hun front page....
DRIVERS caught by dud speed cameras will have their penalties overturned after senior police stepped into the fiasco yesterday.
Even The Age, normally a criticism free zone for Labor, has acknowledged there's a bandwagon to jump on....
Fines generated by fixed speed cameras in Melbourne will be frozen for at least a month after the discovery of a third faulty camera.
Of course they were unable to bring themselves to utter the dreaded "B" word....
In a big reversal, police and the State Government yesterday agreed to withhold infringement notices from motorists caught by the fixed cameras until they are all tested over the next four to six weeks.
Backflip. They save that for when Jeff Kennett orders coffee instead of tea.
However, you'd be mistaken if you thought the Herald Sun or Neil Mitchell had anything to do with the gummermint backflip. Let's face it, no-one takes any notice of those two low rent community newletters.
No, the real story's here. We're happy to report to our enormous readership that the AGB and it's crack team of highly trained and strategically placed special agents have finally been able to force the Victorian gummermint to attend to it's hitherto draconian, and lately farcical, road safety - ha ha - camera policy.
Mate,
Congratulations on the success of your single minded pursuit of Braxie on this one!
Forget the Age ,Neil Mitchell et al - this is a victory for educators everywhere!
Posted by: Jim | 13 November 2003 at 15:02
Notice Bracks had no comment to the Hun on the fiasco.
But then he would only say dodgy speed cameras were 'inappropriate'.
Posted by: slatts | 13 November 2003 at 17:22
mmmmmmmm Hair Pie................
Posted by: Burty | 13 November 2003 at 21:40
Thanks, Jim. Teachers rool ok! I can't take all the credit though. Just the bulk of it. Ha Ha.
His favourite word, Slatts. He was at it on the radio with Mitchell on Twos-dee and it's the first word I noticed in the paper today. These days I seem to automatically scan for rogue "inappropriates".
Behave yourself, S'Syddey.
Posted by: Tony.T | 13 November 2003 at 23:13
I was at the press conference where the Acting AC for traffic and Andre the Chjimp made that announcement and, while you suggest The Age was more restrained in its coverage, at least it wasn't wrong.
Thousands of fines will not be overturned, and speed camera fines have not been stopped.
The cameras will continue working and, as their accuracy is verified, the fines will start to roll out.
The fines will simply be delayed in all but 100 per cent of cases.
Posted by: The Hack | 14 November 2003 at 12:22
And, if you think about it, reversal is a much better word. Remember, a backflip leaves you facing the same direction from which you started... ;)
Posted by: The Hack | 14 November 2003 at 12:33
I don't know about that Hack. I reckon the Hun would argue a mass-successful court challenge would constitute an "overturning". I don't see how the cops can enforse a fine if it's proven there's an element of doubt about the camera system that took the picture. And the sensors and any interference would be included in the technical side of any court challenge. And doubt cast on just one camera would probably amount to thousands of fines.
PS: My first guess is you are probably not Sasha Shtargot - weird and interesting name - but possibly Fergus Shiel. On second thoughts, Fergus's is a private schoolboy name.
While I agree with you about the architecture of the backflip I think you need to convince the rest of the meeja about it. It's definitely a "hot" word. I heard again it today regarding Mandy Twelvestone.
Posted by: Tony.T | 15 November 2003 at 12:08
No, I'm not Fergus Shiel. Or Sasha Shtargot (wasn't he the guy from Get Smart? "Shtargot! Zis is Kaos! Vee do not boom boom here!...).
I had a nasty fergus once, but a course of penicillin fixed it up nicely...
Come the revolution, when I take over the world, anyone that utters the word backflip in that concept will be dragged out and summarily executed. I feel that strongly.
And I reckon you're being a bit generous re Mandy Twelvestone. I would have thought 16 was more in order.
Posted by: The Hack | 15 November 2003 at 13:11
When are people going to listen to me when I say that The Hack is Andrew Bolt. You all think I'm joking, but its true.
Posted by: Caz | 15 November 2003 at 13:35
And I can prove it, too.
"Left-wing activists like Pauline Hanson should be chained up and flogged."
"Steve Bracks is a filthy Communist."
"Rupert Mursdoch is the handsomest devil alive."
See, it really is I, Andrew Bolt.
Posted by: The Hack | 15 November 2003 at 13:42