To tough new news out of the NSW this week where a series of seriously serious new laws have been proposed to add to the amounts of fines and penalties to be imposed on anti-animal offenders, including possible jail terms.
Unveiled by the State Minister for Agriculture, the New South Welshpersons can’t be accused of being half-hearted about their changes.
“The increases would introduce the following penalties,” the snarling Minister growled.
“Cruelty – increased from $5,500 fine to $44,000 and/or 12 months’ imprisonment for individuals and $220,000 for corporations.
“Aggravated Cruelty – increased from $22,000 fine to $110,000 and/or 2 years’ imprisonment for individuals and $550,000 for corporations;
“Fail to Provide Food & Shelter – increased from $5,500 fine to $16,500 and/or six months’ imprisonment for individuals and $82,500 for corporations.”
As a lifelong dog lover and pet owner PS-sssst! welcomes the tough new laws and even forgives the Minister for creatively announcing the otherwise super serious statement with the punny headline: “NSW set to unleash toughest penalties for animal cruelty..”
The Minister’s just lucky we don’t have penalties for cruelty to headlines!!!
Healthy heights
Staying in NSW where another nation-leading policy has been introduced, this time it’s the healthy proposal to set up a special unit to give medical assistance to people suffering from the downsides of too much alcohol or too many drugs which lead them to experience ‘psychotic episodes’.
Located at Sydney’s St Vincent’s hospital and advocated by medical specialists as providing a “specialist environment where the patients can begin their recovery” the unit is named for ‘Psychiatric Alcohol and Non-Prescription Drug Assessment’ and was funded with support from the group ‘Supporters In the Resuscitation of Emergency Department Needs at St Vincent’s’.
And while PS-sssst! has no way of knowing if the patients earmarked to use the healthful facility are influenced by acronyms or not, we do wonder how they’ll respond to their ongoing health depending on organisations jovially acronymed PANDA and the SIRENS!
Flawed laws
Time now for another contribution from our prolific contributor Philomena S of Victoria, this time exposing the wonders of the scientific world by exploring and explaining how nature is naturally not our friend.
“Consider the Law of Biomechanics,” the law-abiding Philomena machinates.
“Why is it that the severity of every bodily itch scratched biomechanically is directly proportional to the difficulty of reaching the itch in the first place?”
Why indeed!
Mother of all giveaways
Another week, another of Rama’s celebrated giveaways and this week it’s the runaway book embracing motherhood, Zen Mamas: Finding your path through pregnancy, birth and beyond by Teresa Palmer and Sarah Wright Olsen.
To win the acclaimed book based on the successful ‘Your Zen Mama’ blog, all we had to do was tell Rama the name of that very same blog and then have our entry the first to emerge from the PS News lucky Barrel of Booty.
No surprises that the answer Rama was after was the ‘Your Zen Mama’ blog, the winning entry coming from Sarah A of the federal Department of Home Affairs in Victoria.
Congratulations to Sarah and thanks to everyone who took part. The book will be zenning its way to its new owner very soon.
For another chance to join in the running for Rama’s next gratuitous giveaway all we have to do is call up her latest book giveaway at this PS News link and/or for an equally impressive win, her equally exciting current book at this link.
Good luck to everyone who does.
Charmy army
And finally, a little late this month but as warm a welcome as ever to our 100-plus new subscribers who joined the PS News family in October and who are now becoming better informed, better educated, better advised and better prepared for a professional career in Australia’s most important workplace – the public’s public sector!
With literally hundreds of years of combined services to their names, the PS News charmy army of current and former writers and contributors happily share their many skills and abilities with our readers, giving them the best chance available for taking the shortcut road up the career ladder in one of the most enjoyable, rewarding and respected vocations in the country.
And, while we’re on the habit of advancement, congratulations to the NSW Public Service, the WA Public Sector, the Tasmanian State Service and the South Australian Public Sector for reaching new heights in their subscription lists in October, lifting the combined PS News audience to its highest recorded number of the year: 166,084.
Congratulations and a heartfelt thanks to all concerned.
And as we’ve said in the past and will say in the future, ‘You keep reading PS News – We’ll keep writing it!”
Till next week….
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