Irish man (28) charged over alleged assault on politician
PÁDRAIG COLLINS
Tue, Aug 07, 2012
A 28-year-old Irish man has been charged over the alleged assault of a politician in Australia’s Northern Territory.
John Elferink, justice spokesman for the territory’s opposition Country Liberal Party, was speaking to media in the city of Darwin about tougher laws on alcohol-fuelled violence when a man approached him from behind and kicked him in the leg.
The incident, which took place on Sunday afternoon, was filmed by a television crew covering Mr Elferink’s press conference.
After being kicked, the politician, who is a former policeman, turned around and attempted to make a citizen’s arrest of the Irish man, who has not yet been named.
Footage of the incident shows two other men coming from a nearby pub and tussling with Mr Elferink. The politician tackled the Irish man to the ground after the alleged offender’s friend tried to help break him free.
One of the other men was later apprehended and charged with aggravated assault. Police are still trying to identify the third man. The Irish man was released on bail yesterday and is due in court next month.
The mining boom is not over, as Martin Ferguson, the Resources Minister found out after that comment when he got the motherfucker of all bollockings from the PM for saying it. For the rest of us in a two speed economy, where manufacturing is dying on its feet because the mining boom haa driven the aussie dollar to stupid levels, the end of the fucking mining boom can’t come soon enough. Because of political weakness, the country is making fuck all in tax revenue out of the mining boom. So fuck it, I can’t wait for it to be over.
This country will be in for the mother of all recessions when the mining boom crashes. The level of personal debt and addiction to property is reminiscent of a certain foggy isle in the Atlantic back 7 or 8 years ago
Rudd tried taxing the miners some bit properly and was hit with an avalanche of TV and media ads how mining had saved Aus after the GFC. Few weeks later he was gone.
Some amount of Irish lads on FIFO work at the moment. Lads with families at home and even flying back to Ireland for the odd week off to see them
Where will we go next? Was offered a job in Qatar a few months ago. Few lads from home have some construction gig in Nigeria going. Would prefer to stay in the Commonwealth though
All this the same day a massive mine was announced in Queensland. They are only starting mining there. There is 20 more very good years mining although recruitment growth will slow in a year or two.
KIB is right about the personal dent here though. They are giving out cars, boats and money ti some seriously stupid young people. It’s like Ireland X a million. Perth is the worst, new money in all it’s glory. They have completely list the run of themselves. As a older man said to me on a site a few months ago, it’s like Miami in the 80’s now, but it’s frightening to think what our 90’s is going to be like. The gap between rich and poor is startling, but this whole thing is one he’ll of a time bomb.
[quote=“caoimhaoin, post: 517598”]
All this the same day a massive mine was announced in Queensland. They are only starting mining there. There is 20 more very good years mining although recruitment growth will slow in a year or two.
[/quote] :lol: sounds like Ireland 6 years ago, soft landing lol
No one is questioning that Kev. The problem is that no one wants the stuff and certainly not at the prices they were getting. A few of those mines are probably not even profitable at realistic levels for prices.
No one is questioning that Kev. The problem is that no one wants the stuff and certainly not at the prices they were getting. A few of those mines are probably not even profitable at realistic levels for prices.[/quote]
That is true Julio, demand is an issue, but again not for a few years the mining being done for the next couple if years is still orders already made. Although Australian companies are now moving their interests further afield to Africa. Now I don’t know if that’s because they are already seeing things dry up or they are just practicing good business, but from my experience if the Australian psyche, it will be the former.
It’s going to be carnage here if it even go’s a little bit tits up and banks or credit companies start looking for money from people. There is so much imbalance in the social structures here
Couldn’t agree more. But when you try and explain it to Aussies they’re aghast that you would even suggest something like this could happen. They were much more careful about things that Europeans or Americans, they say. Watching the news over there in WA was like being in Ireland in 2005. WA & NT had the fastest economic growth in the world at something crazy like 50 or 60% at the same time as NSW was trying to cut its public service by 10,000 people.
I see the that houses in mining communites are being rented at 2k per week
anyone who doesnt work in the mines cant afford to live there
towns are ruined as what were once small towns with strong communities are now towns full of fifo workers who don’t spend anytime or money in the towns - loads of these places have empty shops as people cant afford to hire workers as they cant compete with the mines & the miners don’t spend there
its quite sad how the mines have ruined rural Queensland communities.The government should be using more of the mining taxes to help them out
