Ang Kalatas Volume III August 2013 Issue | Página 3

THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA. August 2013 | Vol. 3 No. 11 | Ang Kalatas Australia | www.kalatas.com.au

Rudd vows support to Husic
Violi Calvert
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd took time out of his hectic schedule last month to attend the dinner organised by the Filipino Friends of Labor in support of local Federal MP Ed Husic. Rudd ?ew from Queensland and headed straight to Rooty Hill RSL to attend the event and won over the Filipinos who comprised the majority of more than 600 people in attendance by opening his talk with a few Filipino introductory sentences. “I have known Ed Husic from when he was elected. I have supported his candidacy. I know he had a dif?cult time to get into Parliament. I am glad that he is a persistent person as the Parliament of Australia is richer with him as one of its members,” PM Rudd said. “It is for no other reason that I have appointed him as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Parliamentary for Broadband because of his passion for the digital information, his passion for the digital economy, his passion for high speed broadband, and having the ability to generate opportunities and being in the forefront in the vast expansion of the western suburbs of Sydney,” PM Rudd said. A barong [Filipino men’s attire] was presented to Mr Rudd by Neil Galang on behalf of the FFOL. Rissa McInnes, acting convenor of the dinner on behalf of the FFOL, said the response from the local Filipino community and the other nationalities was astounding. “There are some 187 Nationalities in the Blacktown City area according to the 2011 Census and on that night virtually every nationality was represented. Prime Minister Rudd made a special point of acknowledging this during his speech,” McInnes said. The FFOL was founded about 18 months ago by Ed Husic, Federal Member for Chi?ey with the aim of fostering a stronger understanding of, and involvement of Filipino-Australians in the Australian Labor party. He remains the group’s Founding Patron.

News | 03

A barong was presented to Mr Rudd by Neil Galang on behalf of the FFOL as Mr. Husic looks on. PHOTO BY MR. JADE CADELIÑA

Nursing home killer jailed for life
FROM PAGE 01

“You won’t believe it, but it was like Satan saying to me that it’s the right thing to do and I try very hard to not do that,” he said. He also admitted eight counts of causing grievous bodily harm to other mostly in?rm residents of the home, some of whom suffered from dementia or were blind. The Philippine-born elderly who died in the ?re was Urbana

Alipio who migrated to Australia in the 1990s to join her daughter. She was put in the care of the nursing home after she was diagnosed with dementia. Judge Megan Latham said the 37-year-old’s crimes were in the worst category, calling them “heinous”, “atrocious” and “greatly reprehensible” with his victims vulnerable and elderly people who were under his care. The Supreme Court heard that Dean started the blaze at

two separate points in the building as part of a “considered plan” to distract police of?cers and hospital management from his theft of more than 200 prescription pills. At the time Dean was described by locals as a friendly but quiet man who kept to himself, and he was initially hailed a hero after talking to media outside the home as ?re?ghters battled to contain the ?ames. [with AFP report]