Wednesday 31 July 2013

NO CSG IN THE NORTHERN RIVERS: Swampy's not amused and on his way to Canberra with as many of your letters as will fit in his saddlebags

 

## OPEN LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY ## Facebook 26 July 2013

To whom it may concern,

My name is Michael Franklin (Turtle or Swampy). My parents, grandparents, and great grandparents have been breeding horses, logging and farming in the Grafton area since the 1800s. We have a great love for the land and everything has been done with consideration to the future viability of our property to sustain a decent lifestyle. I worked in Queensland after going to TOCAL Agricultural College. I started as a Jackaroo and went through to Head Stockman for AA Company. I loved the way of life up there, the attitude was, do what you wanted as long as it wasn't at someone else's expense.

I have just returned from the CSG Gasfields around Tara/Chinchilla on a fact-finding tour. I went to peoples properties, whose bores were contaminated. Not drinkable, and no idea of if, or when the water will ever be drinkable. They have admittance from the company to interfering with the Aquatard, not the Aquifer so no responsibility taken. They have now had to build dams and if you know Queensland, you would realise that dams are there in the good years but when it comes dry, it's all bore water. What happens then? It is not just one farm, there are numerous and any farmer worth his salt knows that clean water is our most valuable resource.

I went to the Wiembiella Estate where the blockies live. This is a motley crew of people, who have bought a piece of Australia to live and raise their families in peace and quiet, only to have it shattered by being turned into an Energy Hub. Thousands of vehicles a week, hundreds of trucks, I mean this is in your face 24/7, it just never goes to sleep. Its total disregard for your fellow man, the land and the water. We drove 15km around a dam just being built to fill up with toxic water to be cleaned and pumped back into the river that feeds the Chinchilla water supply. All they are taking out is the salts, not the radioactive materials or the heavy metal elements. The water is also used to irrigate crops and to water feedlots. I have done my Quality Assurance, Training and Assessment course for Beef Cattle Production and I am concerned about the quality of what the Australian consumer may be eating or drinking. I have never considered fertilising my paddocks with lead, yet The Land newspaper have reported that up to 90kg/ha annually is going onto the fields irrigated with produced water. I expect that the meat will be sold on the domestic/local market due to stringent export quality standards. You are what you eat.

I think that reusing emissions and renewable is the answer to our power problem. Septics/sewage, piggeries, dairies, sawmills, and rubbish tips and biofuel can all produce power. Then there is solar, solar-thermal, wind and tidal energies. Its more than enough and the proof is out there.

I am riding to Canberra against CSG. I believe in respecting thy neighbour. Even if you don't like your neighbour, I don't believe that poisoning them is justifiable. Common decency says that you do not have the right to interfere with or threaten the wellbeing your neighbours. I will also be promoting Australian Owned, Australian Made and Australian Grown because I believe that we should be supporting Australian business and farming as a sustainable future rather than the inevitable bust that will follow the mining boom. I would rather see Australia as a food bowl than a gravel pit.

Mick Franklin
Glenugie
NSW

 

##LATEST ANNOUNCEMENT##

Franklin Horses will be running a postal service direct to Parliament House!
Departing from Grafton on the 21st of September 2013, and arriving in Canberra sometime in late November. All hand written letters of concern will be delivered direct to Parliament by way of Pony Express. Arrangements will be made for various collection points prior to departure and also along the way. Further announcements will be made regarding collection.

Tell 'em what you think and we'll take it to 'em!
Cheers
The Franklin Horses Team

Tony keeps Team Abbott on message with amusing results

Tuesday 30 July 2013

Clive Palmer plays the buffoon in Lyne electorate





Clive Palmer toured the Lyne electorate on the weekend to meet supporters of the Palmer United Party (PUP) and to drum up support for party candidates.
The businessman and entrepreneur attended forums in Port Macquarie and Taree to answer questions regarding party policies.
On Monday morning Mr. Palmer spoke with ABC Mid North Coast Mornings Presenter Michael Spooner.
The conversation abruptly ended when Clive Palmer could not name the PUP candidate for Lyne.

* Graphic from Google Images

A little light reading for Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and assorted climate change denialists


As adverse weather event casualties rise around the world, perhaps it is time that Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott stopped playing juvenile political games with climate change mitigation policy.

Press Release No. 976

For use of the information media 
Not an official record

2001-2010, A Decade of Climate Extremes

GENEVA 3 July 2013 - The world experienced unprecedented high-impact climate extremes during the 2001-2010 decade, which was the warmest since the start of modern measurements in 1850 and continued an extended period of pronounced global warming. More national temperature records were reported broken than in any previous decade, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The report, The Global Climate 2001-2010, A Decade of Climate Extremes, analysed global and regional temperatures and precipitation, as well as extreme events such as the heat waves in Europe and Russia, Hurricane Katrina in the United States of America, Tropical Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, droughts in the Amazon Basin, Australia and East Africa and floods in Pakistan.

The decade was the warmest for both hemispheres and for both land and ocean surface temperatures. The record warmth was accompanied by a rapid decline in Arctic sea ice, and accelerating loss of net mass from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and from the world’s glaciers. As a result of this widespread melting and the thermal expansion of sea water, global mean sea levels rose about 3 millimetres (mm) per year, about double the observed 20th century trend of 1.6 mm per year. Global sea level averaged over the decade was about 20 cm higher than that of 1880, according to the report.
The WMO report charted rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. Global-average concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rose to 389 parts per million in 2010 (an increase of 39% since the start of the industrial era in 1750), methane to 1808.0parts per billion (158%) and nitrous oxide to 323.2 parts per billion (20%).

“A decade is the minimum possible timeframe for meaningful assessments of climate change,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud.  “WMO’s report shows that global warming was significant from 1971 to 2010 and that the decadal rate of increase between 1991-2000 and 2001-2010 was unprecedented.  Rising concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are changing our climate, with far reaching implications for our environment and our oceans, which are absorbing both carbon dioxide and heat.”

“Natural climate variability, caused in part by interactions between our atmosphere and oceans – as evidenced by El Niño and La Niña events - means that some years are cooler than others. On an annual basis, the global temperature curve is not a smooth one. On a long-term basis the underlying trend is clearly in an upward direction, more so in recent times” said Mr Jarraud.

Between 2001 and 2010, there was no major El Niño event, which normally leads to higher temperatures (as occurred in the then-record warm year of 1998). Much of the decade experienced either cooling La Niña or neutral conditions, except for the 2009/2010 moderate to strong El Niño.

The 100-page report and an executive summary, incorporating findings from a unique survey of 139 National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and socio-economic data and analysis from several UN agencies and partners, were released to coincide with the first session of the Intergovernmental Board on Climate Services. This Board is overseeing the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services – an international initiative to improve and expand scientifically-based climate information to help society cope with the natural variability of our climate and human induced climate change.

‘“A decadal perspective makes it possible to assess trends in the climate system and anticipate the future. It can also inform efforts to develop operational climate services that provide information and forecasts for decision-making in agriculture, health, disaster risk, water resources and other sectors. These efforts are being coordinated through the WMO-led Global Framework for Climate Services,” said Mr Jarraud.

“Climate services are more necessary than ever to help us cope with global changes in our climate, which are accentuated at regional and national scales.  Despite the significant decrease in casualties due to severe storms and flooding, the WMO report highlighted an alarming impact on health and mortality rates caused by the European and Russian heat-waves. Given that climate change is expected to lead to more frequent and intense heat-waves, we need to be prepared,‘’  said Mr. Jarraud.

Temperatures: The average land and ocean-surface temperature for the decade 2001-2010 was estimated to be 14.47°C, or 0.47°C above the 1961–1990 global average and +0.21°C above the 1991–2000 global average (with a factor of uncertainty of ± 0.1°C).

The decadal rate of increase in the global temperature accelerated between 1971 and 2010. The global temperature increased at an average estimated rate of 0.17°C per decade during that period, compared with 0.062°C per decade for the entire 1880-2010 period. The average 2001-2010 decadal temperature was 0.21°C warmer than 1991–2000, which in turn was +0.14°C warmer than 1981-1990.

Every year of the decade except 2008 was among the 10 warmest years on record. The warmest year ever recorded was 2010, with a temperature estimated at 0.54°C above the 14.0°C long term average of 1961-1990 base period, followed closely by 2005.

Above-average temperatures were observed over most parts of the globe in 2001-2010. This was particularly marked in the higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Greenland recorded the largest decadal temperature anomaly, at +1.71°C above the long-term average and with a temperature in 2010 of +3.2°C above average.  Africa experienced warmer than normal conditions in every year of the decade.

Results from WMO’s survey showed that nearly 94% of reporting countries had their warmest decade in 2001-2010 and no country reported a nationwide average decadal temperature anomaly cooler than  the long term average.
Some 44% of countries in the survey reported nationwide hottest temperature records in 2001-2010, compared to 24% in 1991-2000.  Coldest daily minimum temperature absolute records showed an opposite pattern:  In 1961-1970, nearly 32 % of the countries reported nationwide lowest minimum temperature values. The percentage decreased to 11% in 2001-2010.

Precipitation and floods: The 2001-2010 decade was the second wettest since 1901. Globally, 2010 was the wettest year since the start of instrumental records.

Most parts of the globe had above-normal precipitation during the decade. The eastern USA, northern and eastern Canada, and many parts of Europe and central Asia were particularly wet.

According to the WMO survey, floods were the most frequently experienced extreme events over the course of the decade. Eastern Europe was particularly affected in 2001 and 2005, India in 2005, Africa in 2008, Asia (notably Pakistan, where 2 000 people died and 20 million were affected) in 2010, and Australia, also in 2010.

Droughts affect more people than any other kind of natural hazards owing to their large scale and long-lasting nature. The decade 2001–2010 saw droughts occur in all parts of the world. Some of the highest-impact and long-term droughts struck Australia (in 2002 and other years), East Africa (2004 and 2005, resulting in widespread loss of life) and the Amazon Basin (2010) with negative environmental impacts.

Tropical cyclones: Between 2001 and 2010, there were 511 tropical cyclone related events which resulted in a total of nearly 170,000 persons reported killed, over 250 million people reported affected and estimated economic damages of US$ 380 billion.

According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2001-2010 was the most active decade since 1855 in terms of tropical cyclone activity in the North Atlantic Basin. An average of 15 named storms per year was recorded, well above the long-term average of 12.

The North Indian Ocean saw the deadliest tropical cyclone recorded during the decade, when Tropical Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar in early May 2008. More than 138 000 people were reported killed or missing, eight million people were affected and thousands of homes were destroyed.

Impacts: During the decade 2001-2010, more than 370,000 people died as a result of extreme weather and climate conditions, including heat waves, cold spells, drought, storms and floods, according to the data provided by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED). This was 20% higher than 1991-2000.  This increase is due mainly to the 2003 heat wave in Europe and the 2010  in Russia which contributed to an increase of more than 2000% in the global death toll from heat waves (from less than 6000 in 1991-2000 to 136 000 in 2001-2010).

On the other hand, there was a 16% decline in deaths due to storms and 43% decline in deaths from floods, thanks mainly to better early warning systems and increased preparedness and despite an increase in populations in disaster-prone areas.
According to the 2011 Global Assessment Report, the average population exposed to flooding every year increased by 114% globally between 1970 and 2010, a period in which the world’s population increased by 87% from 3.7 billion to 6.9 billion. The number of people exposed to severe storms almost tripled in cyclone-prone areas, increasing by 192%, in the same period.

Much research is being conducted into whether it is possible to attribute individual extreme events to climate change rather than natural variability. Scientists increasingly conclude that the likelihood of an event such as the 2003 European heat wave was probably substantially increased by rising global temperatures. It is therefore important to develop this research to strengthen climate science and to use it to improve climate services to help society adapt to climate change.


Decadal global combined surface-air temperature over land and sea-surface temperature (°C) obtained from the average over the three independent datasets maintained by the HadCRU, NOAA-NCDCand NASA-GISS.The Horizontal grey line indicates the long term average value ( 14°C).
Impact of Extreme events during 2001-2010 compared with 1991-2000. Total number of loss of lives

Notes to Editors: Climate data and information used in this report was provided by a number of international, regional and national institutions. Most of the data on impacts caused by extreme events was provided by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. Details on data sources, contributors and references are included in the full report


The World Meteorological Organization is the United Nations System’s authoritative voice on Weather, Climate and Water
For more information, please contact:
Clare Nullis, Media Officer, Communications and Public Affairs, Tel: +(41 22) 730 8478; 41-79) 7091397 (cell)
Website: www.wmo.int


Monday 29 July 2013

So Barnaby Joyce is in the Clarence Valley today



Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce, the Coalition’s candidate for New England at the forthcoming federal lower house election, while clinging on to his senate seat until the last possible moment is down in the Clarence Valley today opening fellow Nationals Kevin Hogan’s Grafton campaign office.

It is a wonder Joyce would show his face in the Valley, given he sat on the Senate RRAT Committee inquiry into additional water supplies for south-east Queensland where he made it plain at that time that he was not adverse to any proposal to steal Clarence freshwater so that his Queensland mates could continue their unsustainable irrigation practices [April-August 2007].

He also voted against The Greens motion in the Senate which read in part:

"That the Senate:....(b) calls on the Federal Government to: (i) abandon plans for damming the Clarence, Tweed, Richmond and Mann Rivers;" [C'wealth Hansard,Senate,proof issue,19 August 2007,p.p. 33-34].

He was still including mention of the Clarence catchment in his discussions on water supply in 2008:

"You can't create water with money. That means you have to think about bringing it from somewhere else, like the Gulf or the Clarence." [The Land, 13 August 2008]

While according to The Clarence Valley Review on 20 February 2013 the leaked  ‘100 Dams’ draft consultation paper mentioned the Clarence River catchment area:


Joyce has this to say about these latest dam proposals:


Jay Inslee’s new BFF in Australia


Over the last couple of weeks Clarrie Rivers has been on the receiving end of emails emanating from the U.S. To be precise, the emails have come from a bloke named Jay Inslee. 

Who's Jay Inslee?

Inslee, or Jay Robert Inslee to give him his full handle, is the Governor of the State of Washington.


As readers will well imagine, Clarrie is absolutely over the moon to have been chosen by Inslee to be his BFF in Down Under.

Ok, so readers want to know what gems the emails contained. Here are a couple of samples:

I'm happy to report that Sunday I was able to sign a new operating budget for the state of Washington and avert a partial government shutdown.
It is unfortunate it took this long to reach a budget agreement, but I am pleased that we delivered on many of the key principles you and I fought for during my campaign. ... 
But today I want to thank you again for standing by us, making your voice heard, and keeping up the fight for the working Washington we're building together.
We're going to need you again in the weeks and months to come, and I'm proud to have you by my side.
Let's go get 'em.
Very truly yours,
Jay Inslee
Governor


 This year's legislative session proved one important point: the Working Washington Agenda that we brought to Olympia is very different than that of the Republican controlled state Senate.
 With your support we said, "no" to continued cuts to our most vulnerable citizens. And, together we said, "no" to policy that would have hurt working families and our environment. ...
 Having you standing with me made that possible. ...
Your support today will give us the resources we need to get things done. Thank you for your tremendous support every day. Together we can accomplish hard things.
Very truly yours,
Jay Inslee
Governor

(emphasis added)

Now, here's the rub ... First, Inslee asked Clarrie to spread the word on him using Facebook. And, if that wasn't enough, he also asked Clarrie for a donation. Inslee was even thoughtful enough to provide a link to enable the donation to readily flow his way.

Readers, eat your hearts out! Clarrie is quite chuffed!


Credit: Images from Google Images

The Abbott policy that now dare not speak its name


One of Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s mining policies which will resurface if he wins government in 2013.

Australian Mining 5 April 2013:

The Federal Opposition plans to keep part of Labor's mining tax package in play, saying it will generate billions of dollars in the decades ahead.
Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey told The West Australian that the coalition would keep the Government's extension of the petroleum resource rent tax to onshore projects.
Until Labor’s introduction of the mining tax last year, the PRRT only extended to offshore oil and gas projects including the North-West Shelf and Bass Strait.
By extending it to incorporate onshore reserves, the PRRT will capture massive amounts of tax from the expanding coal seam gas sector in Queensland and NSW.
Treasurer Wayne Swan commented this morning saying the move would be a “staggering backflip” for the Opposition.
“They've adopted holus-bolus a substantial part of the MRRT package,” he said.
“It just shows a level of hypocrisy in the Liberal Party that is simply breathtaking.”……

All twitter and bistered on one Lower Clarence Facebook page


They are getting all twitter and bistered over at Lower Clarence Ratepayers, Residents, Business Owners – much to the amusement of North Coast Voices administration and contributors.


I don’t think Ms. Beeby has forgotten her final running score on this blog’s Clarence Valley Council Election 2012 Scorecard:

Jane Beeby Independent -4 + -4 + -2= -10 Jane is of the opinion that it is not her job to tell voters what she can do for [insert name of town] and happily told Yamba residents exactly that last Monday night  (-4). Her continual behind the scenes complaints about legitimate community debate in local newspapers earns her further demerits points (-2).

Sunday 28 July 2013

Spot the difference


Ginger Meggs in The Daily Examiner (27/7/13)

Ginger Meggs at Gocomics.com (25/7/13)


Boomerang Festival, Friday 4 to Sunday 6 October 2013 - Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay NSW



Tickets can be purchased online here

Old news re-churnalized to fill online & print columns


This is an online article carried across various APN mastheads on 16 July 2013 and basically it is a reworking of the contents of a number of old, publicly available media releases with direct quotes inserted from two of these:

THE Queensland and New South Wales governments have a stake in the coal seam gas industry, as well as significant responsibilities when it comes to keeping the industry in line.
In Queensland the State Government has created an independent statutory body called the Queensland GasFields Commission.
Commissioner John Cotter said the commission's most important role was to ensure that both agricultural landholders and mining companies had the factual information they needed to negotiate good outcomes.
He said the State Government had identified mining and agriculture as key pillars of the state's economy.
"Come hell or high water I'm going to ensure that these two industries work to the benefit of themselves and to the benefit of the Queensland economy and community," Mr Cotter said.
Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said the coal seam gas sector was pumping billions of dollars into the local economy and would generate significant royalty revenue, however he cautioned that it "must co-exist with the agricultural sector and better work with the rural landholders and regional communities that we depend on for food and fibre". [Seeny media release 27 November 2012]
In NSW the State Government has formed the Office of Coal Seam Gas and a website to better inform the community about coal seam gas.
It also introduced new regulations on drilling for gas within 2km of residential zones and proposed future residential zones, as well as excluding drilling from critical industrial areas.
"Once finalised, the policy will ensure CSG exploration and production activities cannot occur in country towns, suburbs, villages and critical industry clusters across NSW," Planning and Infrastructure Minister Brad Hazzard said. [Hazzard 24 March 2013 media release]

Saturday 27 July 2013

Australian Opposition Shadow Treasurer tries to cast doubt on the independence of Treasury & Finance advice


As the federal electrion date looms ever nearer, this is Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey attempting to cast doubt on the independence of Treasury’s advice.

Sky News 26 July 2013:

The federal opposition says it won't rely on Treasury's numbers to work out how much its policies cost.
Instead shadow treasurer Joe Hockey says they have used the Parliamentary Budget Office, state government colleagues and independent advisers…..
'What I can say emphatically is that our numbers will be more reliable than anything the government publishes.'
He says the government is trying to 'bully' Treasury into delivering a certain set of numbers….
Mr Hockey has previously said the coalition would detail costings of its policies once the PEFO was released.
But now he's casting doubts on its independence….

This was Joe Hockey 36 days previously as he formed part of a unanimous vote expressing full confidence in Department of the Treasury and Department of Finance and Deregulation advice.

Hansard 20 June 2013 at approximately 1.28pm:

Department of the Treasury and
Department of Finance and
Deregulation

Debate resumed on the motion:
That this House expresses full confidence in the:
(1) Department of the Treasury and Department
of Finance and Deregulation;
(2) Treasury Secretary, Dr Martin Parkinson and
Finance Secretary, David Tune; and
(3) following words by Treasury Secretary,
Martin Parkinson: 'I can say on behalf of David
Tune, the Secretary of the Department of Finance
and myself—and get this right—were PEFO [the
Pre Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook] to
have been released on the 14th of May, it would
have contained the numbers that were in the
budget.'
The SPEAKER: The question is that the
motion by the member for Lyne be agreed to.
Question agreed to. [my bolding]

The more things are said to change for women, the more things stay the same

AFP, Kabul 13 July 2013
A court in Kabul ordered the early release of three people convicted over the torture of a child bride, an official confirmed Saturday, in a move denounced by activists as a blow for women's rights.

Sahar Gul, who was 15 at the time her ordeal, was burned, beaten and had her fingernails pulled out by her husband and in-laws after she refused to become a prostitute in a case that shocked the world.

She was found in the basement of her husband's house in north eastern Baghlan province in late 2011, having been locked in a toilet for six months prior to her rescue by police.

Her father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law were sentenced to prison for 10 years each for torture and attempted murder, though her husband remains at large.

“But after the court reviewed their case, it found out that they were only involved in family violence,” Supreme Court spokesman Abdullah Attaee told AFP.

The court did not have enough evidence against them, he said, adding a fresh prosecution would be launched .

“For now, the court has ruled that the time they have spent in jail is enough for them,” he said, though he could not say when the ruling was made or whether the trio had yet been freed.

Afghan rights groups expressed indignation over the early releases, calling it a step back in time for Afghanistan's women......

Friday 26 July 2013

Abbott's Turn Back The Boats Policy OR The Boat Phone Lives!


This was Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in election year 2010

The Courier Mail 16 August:

TONY Abbott will personally make any decision to turn around boats carrying asylum seekers if he becomes prime minister.
As another asylum seeker boat arrived at the weekend - the 152nd since Labor won office - Mr Abbott revealed yesterday how his pledge to turn back the boats would work.
"In the end it would be a prime ministerial decision," he said.
"It would be the Government's call based on advice of the commander on the spot."
Mr Abbott said the phone call from sea would come to him - on the boat phone - and it would be his choice whether or not to turn a boat back if it was safe to do so……

This was Tony Abbott in election year 2013


If elected, a Coalition Government will initiate Operation Sovereign Borders which will be led by a senior military commander of 3 star ranking.
We will ask the Chief of the Defence Force to recommend the appointment of the 3 Star commander, as well as a command and control model for this major operation. 
The commander will report directly to the Minister for Immigration, who will have portfolio responsibility for Operation Sovereign Borders. 
Operation Sovereign Borders will be directed by a Joint Agency Taskforce involving all agencies with direct involvement in border security.
In the first 100 days of a Coalition government, Operation Sovereign Borders will undertake key initiatives including:
·         Establishing the Operation Sovereign Borders HQ and creating the joint agency taskforce;
·         Finalising and issuing protocols for Operation Relex II, to turn back boats where it is safe to do so;
·         Increasing capacity at offshore processing centres; and
·         Lease and deploy additional vessels to relieve patrol vessels of passenger transfers.

The Australian 25 July:

TONY Abbott is risking the ire of the nation's defence establishment by forcing a three-star military commander to answer directly to his immigration minister under a dramatic command and control overhaul to stop asylum boats..….
Mr Abbott said General Hurley had been consulted about the policy this morning, along with the Indonesian ambassador, as a matter of courtesy.
However, General Hurley made it clear the policy did not carry his imprimatur.
"Contrary to media reporting today, the Chief of the Defence Force, General David Hurley, has not provided advice or recommendations to Opposition Leader, Mr Tony Abbott with respect to Coalition policy on asylum seeker issues," his office said in a statement.
"Defence understands that the Chief of the Defence Force would be consulted regarding any future policies affecting Defence to be implemented by a future government."

An ABC AusVotes interview on 25 July with Retired Major General Jim Molan elicited the information that the proposed Operation Sovereign Borders chain of command is Prime Minister -> Minister for Immigration -> Three Star Commander.

Molan supported Abbott at the announcement of this new policy on 25 July:



It would appear that Tony Abbott is seeking to subvert the normal practice of the peacetime defence force which keeps in the chain of command a degree of operational separation between politicians and itself.

This is the Australian Constitution applicable since 1901 and the defence forces oath.


The command in chief of the naval and military forces of the Commonwealth is vested in the Governor-General as the Queen’s representative.



Oath or affirmation for enlistment of member

I, (insert full name of person) swear that I will well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her Heirs and Successors according to law, as a member of the (insert Australian Navy , Australian Army , or Australian Air Force ) (insert for the period of (number of years) , and any extensions of that period, or until retiring age, ) and that I will resist her enemies and faithfully discharge my duty according to law.
SO HELP ME GOD!
I, (insert full name of person) promise that I will well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her Heirs and Successors according to law, as a member of the (insert Australian Navy , Australian Army , or Australian Air Force ) (insert for the period of (number of years) , and any extensions of that period, or until retiring age, ) and that I will resist Her enemies and faithfully discharge my duty according to law.

Other related policy.


Australia is a sophisticated liberal democracy with one of the longest histories of democratic government in the Asia-Pacific region. Our military forces are committed to upholding the Constitution, to the subordination of the military to the Government, of the Government to Parliament and of Parliament to the people. This means that Australia’s use of armed force must be subject to the test of legitimacy, in that the Government must have the capacity to demonstrate to the Parliament and the electorate that there is adequate moral and legal justification for its actions.
This adherence to legitimacy and the democratic nature of the Australian Nation State is a particular strength for the ADF….

Since 2006 the ADF’s contribution to civil maritime security has been provided under Operation RESOLUTE. Defence assets are assigned under operational control to the Commander Border Protection Command (BPC) who manages this tactical force through the employment of a Joint Task Force. BPC comprises officers from the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the ADF, together with embedded liaison officers from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority and the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service. Identified maritime threats include: illegal activity in protected areas; illegal exploitation of natural resources; marine pollution; prohibited imports and exports; unauthorised maritime arrivals; a compromise to bio-security; piracy, robbery or violence at sea; and maritime terrorism. Generally, BPC
provides an onwater tactical response at the request of other Australian Government agencies.


Operation RESOLUTE is the ADF’s contribution to the whole-of-government effort to protect Australia’s borders and offshore maritime interests.
It is the only ADF operation that currently defends homeland Australia and its assets.
The Operation RESOLUTE Area of Operations covers approximately 10% of the world’s surface and includes Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone which extends up to 200nm around the mainland, Christmas, Cocos, Keeling, Norfolk, Heard, Macquarie and Lord Howe Islands.
Commander BPC, Rear Admiral David Johnston, RAN, is the overarching operational authority that coordinates and controls both Defence and Customs assets out of his headquarters in Canberra.
Located in Darwin, the Deputy Commander of Operation RESOLUTE, Air Commodore Ken Watson, is responsible at the frontline for ADF assets operating under Operation RESOLUTE......

This is the Australian Defence Force operation which contributes to the whole of government program to detect, intercept and deter vessels transporting unauthorised arrivals from entering Australia through the North-West maritime approaches.
Op RELEX II is currently based on a Task Group comprising one major fleet unit, an AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, Navy patrol boats and an army security element. A standby AP-3C Orion is available to deploy to provide a surge capability if required.
Operation Relex II includes units from all three services and supports Coastwatch and Customs.

Guess which documents the High Court of Australia is likely to take notice of if an Abbott-led government tried to implement this plan to position Abbott as de facto head of the armed forces and a citizen made an application to the court?