1. Dog ban laws may go national
This is an update on a snippet we shared in the news bites recently when Victoria passed legislation to ban some dangerous dog breeds and impose harsh prison sentences on owners of dogs responsible for attacks on people. Now the nation’s dog laws (which are decided at state and territory level) look set to get an overhaul as the Federal Government’s Attorney General steps in. The Feds will lead a national reform that will likely ban dangerous breeds of dog like the pit bull, though there is not yet any detail on how this might work.
2. Designer John Galliano avoids jail for anti-Semitic remarks
The British designer who was head of the powerful Christian Dior fashion house until his drunken outburst has avoided jail time for public outbursts where he declared ‘I love Hitler’ and abused others in a bar in France’s Jewish quarters. Galliano apologised for his conduct and insisted he was not racist. He received a 6000 Euro fine and was ordered to pay a symbolic one Euro in damages to each of his victims. Though he denied racism, the prosecutor called the remarks: “…everyday racism and anti-Semitism, that of car parks and supermarkets, which is pitiful and disgusting.”
3. Abbott might not allow MP to leave for the birth of child (now confirmed he will).
UPDATE: Tony Abbott has now confirmed he will offer a pair to Craig Thomson.
So we talked about this recently when the Leader of the Opposition said he would not offer parliamentary pairs for MPs from both sides of the house to attend the memorial of painter Margaret Olley. Now he’s refused to say whether he would offer pairs for Craig Thomson (the Labor MP at the centre of a credit card misuse scandal) so he can leave the House for the birth of his child, if it occurs during the carbon tax debate. Parliamentary pairing is a long-standing tradition on both sides of politics but in the new climate of a minority Government, renewed focus has been placed upon them.