Cansdellgate - more than a mistake

Locals continue to comment on the disgraced former Member for Clarence.

Source: Letters, The Daily Examiner, 25/10/11

Nats' candidate for Clarence ... business interests ...???

A search of the facilities provided by the Australian Business Register shows that the name Gulaptis is associated with a number of business entities with the postcode 2463 (Maclean, NSW). A couple of the other names that the Gulaptis name is associated with are, hmmmmm, interesting, to say the least.

Click on image to enlarge

Punters left in dark about Nats' Clarence pre-selection processes

Where was candidate #7? Quite clearly there was no evidence of Cleary.

Leading up to the Nationals' big event yesterday all the reports were that seven hopefuls would face the starter's gun. However, today's Daily Examiner carries a page 3 report "Nats pick Gulaptis" accompanied by a photo of hopefuls. But one thing is missing from the photo, there's no Jason Cleary.
Local punters are asking, "Was he a late scratching? Was he nobbled?"

Source: The Daily Examiner, 17/10/11

Who is Nats' Mr Bashful, a candidate in its preselection ballot in Clarence?

Okay, so who is Jason Cleary?

Cleary nominated for National Party preselection for the by-election in Clarence, which has resulted from scandal-ridden Steve Cansdell's resignation. However, Cleary quite clearly is not an every day name in River Street Maclean.
The Daily Examiner, which is usually in the picture, described Cleary as"a Maclean businessman, who resides on Woodford Island", but it's been unable to provide its readers with any further details about the mystery man.
When NCV asked a couple of Maclean locals about Cleary they shrugged their shoulders and remarked, "Never heard of him ...  suspect he's a johnny-come-lately... reckon he's another bl**dy blow-in."

 Image credits: The Daily Examiner and Disney.wikia.com

Nationals' pool of talent for Clarence by-election

Seems the north-south battle lines in the Clarence by-election referred to previously will be preceded by a preliminary internal north-south bout in the National Party's camp.

Today's Daily Examiner reports that Karen Toms, a Clarence Valley councillor, has been encouraged by party members in the electorate's southern quarters to contest the election. Among Toms's supporters are former Grafton mayor and Nationals stalwart, Shirley Adams, and chair of the Grafton branch of The Nationals, Peter James. 

Karen Toms

James, a Grafton solicitor, features prominently in a piece in today's Sydney Morning Herald about the former, and now disgraced, member for Clarence Steve Cansdell being provided with heavily-discounted office space prior to the March election.

Results of the ReachTel polling conducting in Clarence yesterday can't come quick enough for some. However, Toms must be hoping she is more successful when she puts her own name forward than she was at the Clarence Valley Council's  mayoral elections held yesterday. Toms seconded nominations for Ian Tiley and Margaret McKenna in the ballots for mayor and deputy mayor, respectively. Both Tiley and McKenna were runners-ups in their ballots.

More details about the Clarence Valley Council's mayoral elections can be read in The Daily Examiner's report here. 

On a lighter side, according to The Examiner's report, "Tiley's bid for mayor was defeated five votes to four last night in a secret ballet [sic]." Ballet!

Photo credits: Clarence Valley Council and The Daily Examiner

Update on the National Party's very friendly Port Macquarie newspaper

Comments flowing from National Party sources about the independence of  The Port Paper don't stack up.
Although the paper parades with the banner "Your 100% locally owned and totally independent newspaper" some very elementary investigations reveal that the paper's website is owned and administered by Rob Nardella, who (like the paper's editor Sharon Davidson) has serious form in The Nationals' camp.

 Nardella, a former councillor on Port Macquarie Council, is now a policy adviser for NSW Nationals leader Andrew Stoner. 

The information Nardella provided when setting up the domain portpaper.com reveals he's not real strong in Australian geography. He located Port Macquarie in the Australian Capital Territory!


PS Stoner has a few problems of his own on his plate. Stoner had a prominent member of the local branch of the National Party fast-track his solar bonus scheme application. Read a report in today's edition of a Sydney newspaper about that scandal here.

How could anyone believe anything that appears in this cellar-dwelling rag

Thanks, ABC North Coast Radio, for alerting listeners to a very bodgy newspaper that had a free, below the belt, shot at Rob Oakeshott, the independent member for Lyne.

The piece in the rag was written by its editor Sharon Davidson.

Davidson has extensive form in The Nationals' camp. She spent a bit of time at a desk at a Grafton local newspaper, but she's spent a lot more time in the company of  North Coast National MPs.
Davidson's CV lists, among others,

1. Former MP for Page Ian (Bull) Causley

2. The do-nothing MP for Clarence, Steve (One-Too-Many-Trips-to-the-Boxing-Ring) Cansdell, who said  Davidson was one of his "gals" in his inaugural speech , and

3. Luke (Tilting at Windmills) Hartsuyker

Late development: Nationals Steve Cansdell leans even further to the right

The camera doesn't lie.

Nationals MP Steve Cansdell has a paid-for how-to-vote in the free (throw-away) local paper the Clarence Valley Review that indicates he's bending over backwards to keep extreme right wingers onside.

Here's a pic of the ad:

Source: Clarence Valley Review, 32/3/11, page 5

Political candidate plays pocket billiards

Letter in The Daily Examiner (11 August 2010)

Who's letter writer Simon Kinny - it pays to read between the lines

Simon Kinny of Lismore had a letter to the editor in Saturday's Daily Examiner.

Funnily enough, Kinny forgot to mention that he's Dr Simon Kinny and he just happens to be the Nationals' Page Electorate Council Chairman and features on National Kevin Hogan's web page

Kinny can be contacted at St Vincents Hospital in Lismore at Suite 11, Level 3, St. Vincent's Specialist Medical Centre,
20 Dalley, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia
Ph: (61 2) 66 21 4177
Fax: (61 2) 66 21 4186

Kinny can also be contacted via his email address at ski66335@bigpond.net.au

And for those who need Kinny to reply to their concerns very promptly, his mobile number is 0407 065 566

Nationals' candidate for Richmond bows out

Murdock quits: I've had enough
Northern Star
Murdock pulls out of election
Tweed Daily News

Tania Murdock will not be standing as a National Party candidate for Richmond in the next Federal election. Mrs Murdock accused some in her own party of ‘having their own agenda’ and also said her personal reputation had been unjustifiably attacked by Liberal candidate Joan Van Lieshout.

Mrs Murdock told The Northern Star:

"She (Ms Van Lieshout) flatly refused (to work in together) which was a bit of a surprise seeing we are both on the same side of politics.

“She then made inaccurate claims and deliberately created a negative impression about me personally.”

While conceding that she had made some novice mistakes since winning nomination in December, Mrs Murdock said many of these were blown out of proportion by her enemies within the party.

“Some internal people who have their own agendas politically have jumped on any little mistake they can,” she said.

Sources: The Northern Star and Tweed Daily News

Colourful National Party character will be back on the road again

(with apologies to Willie Nelson)

District Court Judge James Black has changed a sentence for drink-driving handed down early this year to Nationals stalwart Murray Lees.

Lismore's Northern Star reports:

Judge Black yesterday set aside Murray Lees’ eight-month suspended prison sentence, handed down by Magistrate Michael Dakin at Murwillumbah Local Court in January for Lees’ fourth drink-driving offence in five years.

Mr Dakin had also banned Lees, 44, of Dulguigan, north of Murwillumbah, from driving for three years.

Lees, who ran the Nationals’ Page campaign in 2007, stepped down from his leadership positions within the party while he dealt with issues around depression and drinking.

Yesterday’s decision will let Lees get back behind the wheel on September 17 – a year after he blew 0.085 after being stopped by police while racing to get to his brother-in-law, who had just been in a bad traffic accident.

Judge Black allowed Lees to enter the interlock program, which would allow him to drive so long as he fitted a device to his car that forced him to pass a breathalyser test before starting the engine. He won’t be allowed to drive without the device for two years from September 17.

The court heard Lees had been celebrating his birthday and was waiting with his wife for a taxi to go out to dinner when the couple got a call from Mrs Lees’ brother, who had just been in a traffic accident.

The couple jumped in the family car, with Lees behind the wheel, and drove off to help, but ended up being stopped by police.

Sources: The Northern Star and absolutelyrics.com

National Party candidate cannot be serious

ON the day Tania Murdock announced she would nominate as the National Party candidate for the federal seat of Richmond (in northern NSW), she was at Tweed Heads Local Court trying to pass herself off as a Queenslander to avoid a driver’s licence suspension.

The Tweed Daily News report continues:

The Roads and Traffic Authority had caught the Pottsville pharmacy manager driving on a Queensland licence under her parents’ Runcorn address when her New South Wales licence was suspended.

Mrs Murdock attempted to appeal the suspension on Tuesday on the grounds she was a fit and proper person to hold a licence.

But Magistrate Michael Dakin was quick to dismiss the application when it was revealed the 40-year-old had accumulated 26, mostly speeding related, traffic offences in Queensland between 1988 and 2008.

Her NSW record was not publicly available.

The long-time campaigner for extra police resources on the Tweed was forced to apologise yesterday.

“I am sorry,” Mrs Murdock said in a statement sent to the Tweed Daily News.

“While I never caused any accidents or drove under the influence, an accumulation of demerit points, particularly over double demerit weekends, has led the RTA to suspend my driving privileges until next April.”

She claimed she transferred to a Queensland licence earlier in the year when she temporarily lived with her parents in Brisbane.

“I looked for legal means to avoid losing my driving licence, and with hindsight now regret that too.”

“Like many local working mums, I do a lot of driving and I just didn’t give myself enough time to get from one place to another.”

“I fully support the road rules, accept the court’s decision and hope this will serve as a reminder to others that you really do have to keep a very close eye on your speed.”

The RTA sent a letter to Mrs Murdock’s Queensland address stating it had banned her from driving in NSW and she took up the option to appeal the decision at court.

“The RTA was advised you have transferred your licence to another state ... in view of the demerit points that have accrued for an offence committed by you while your former NSW driver’s licence was subject to good behaviour conditions, the RTA has determined that it will take action in respect to your driving privileges in this state (NSW),” the letter, which was submitted to the court, said.

“Driving privileges which allow you to drive in (NSW) while the holder of a driver’s licence in another jurisdiction will be withdrawn.”

Mrs Murdock said she hoped the incident would help others avoid the same fate.

“There is a silver lining in every cloud. In this case, I hope some of the people reading about this will take the foot off the pedal and avoid suffering a similar fate.”

Mrs Murdock is the president of the Pottsville Beach Business Association and narrowly missed election to the Tweed Shire Council last year.

If her nomination is accepted by the National Party on December 6, she will be up against former Tweed mayor Joan van Lieshout and current Richmond MP and sitting member Justine Elliot.

Mrs Murdock and her husband Colin have three young boys and have operated pharmacies at Pottsville for 14 years.

Source: Tweed Daily News

What's-his-name: the invisible leader of the Nationals

If you don't know who the leader of the Nats is, don't worry, because you have plenty of mates.

95% of Australians have no idea who he is.

Source: The Age, 16/9/09

Who is this bloke?

95% of Australians have no idea who he is.

And, I suspect, the other 5% wish they didn't.

He is invisible to women: only 2% could name him compared with 7% of men.

The Age's Michelle Grattan writes, "An astonishing 95 per cent cannot correctly name the leader of the Nationals.

For almost all voters, Warren Truss is the man who isn't there. An Age/Nielsen poll has found that only 5 per cent of voters can correctly name the Nationals leader - a far cry from the high profile of, say, Tim Fischer, even in opposition.

Mr Truss doesn't even register in the non-metropolitan areas: only 6 per cent of those outside the capitals named him, compared with 4 per cent of capital cities voters.

Unsurprisingly, 3 per cent believed the party's flamboyant Senate leader, Barnaby Joyce, had the top job. If those who couldn't get his name exactly right were added in, the figure increases to 4 per cent.

Swinburne University politics professor Brian Costar said that ''with lots of caveats'', he thought the Nationals should make Senator Joyce leader, although there was the problem of finding him a lower house seat. ''He's the sort of leader the followers want. Some of the parliamentary party would raise their eyebrows, but many of the branch members and supporters would think it was heaven on a stick.''

Heaven on a stick! Cripes, Barnaby reminds me of something on a stick, but it's certainly not heaven!

pic credit: The Age

Q: What's a 2830?

A: A dubbo, of course.

As reported yesterday, a couple of Dubbo Zoo inmates, oops that should read Dubbo City Councillors, who previously resided in the Clarence Valley, are making big impressions in the local government arena in central western NSW.

Richard Mutton (left) and Peter Bartley (right), who are councillors on Dubbo City Council, have done their level best to demonstrate how effectively the National Party performs.

At Monday night's meeting of council a motion, moved by Mutton, that Bartley had breached the council's code of conduct, should be counselled and should apologise to the council was carried.

So who are Mutton and Bartley?

1. Mutton

When Gerry Peacocke retired as the State National Member for Dubbo in 1999 a swing of 19.4% was required if the Nationals were to lose the safest seat in NSW. With its remarkable collective wisdom the Nationals saw fit to preselect Mutton as their candidate. The rest is history ... Mutton suffered a humiliating defeat and lost the seat to the independent Tony McGrane.

2. Bartley

Bartley is chairperson of the Nationals Dubbo electorate council.

Gee, the Nationals are a weird breed of cattle.

Pics from Dubbo City Council

Electricity privatisation: NSW Speaker opposes it

The Member for Northern Tablelands and Speaker in the NSW Legislative Assembly, Richard Torbay, has put his cards about the privatisation of electricity on the table.

The Armidale Express reports Torbay said, "I am still opposed to the electricity privatisation and have not heard any arguments to convince me otherwise.

“Short term it will inevitably lead to loss of jobs and poorer services in country areas. But in long term the policy of selling off public assets may be seen as short sighted.

“The debate we should be having is the lack of government investment in public infrastructure over a long period and whether the people would be better served through reversing this position.”

Torbay said the power privatisation debate debased political standards in NSW and both the government and opposition had misled the people.

Although Torbay gave both the Government and Opposition serves for the position they have taken on the power issue, he made a stinging attack on National Party MPs.

According to Torbay, the Nationals had publicly opposed the sell off and told their constituents they were against it, but caved in at the last minute and fell in line with their Coalition partners.

“It’s like dairy deregulation and firearms legislation. The Nationals say one thing in the electorate and then go back to Parliament and vote against it,” he said.

With all its duck shoving, manoeuvring, number crunching and backflipping it has been an exercise in sheer hypocrisy and the worst I’ve seen since entering Parliament,” he said.

“The vital component missing in this debate has been the interests of the people.

“They have been misinformed and misled from start to finish.

“Although it looks as if we have a done deal on the privatisation, very few people in regional NSW have any idea of how it would impact on them or whether it is a sound long term decision. That is the debate we should have had.”

Mr Torbay said the Labor government went to the 2007 election with a commitment not to privatise the state’s public electricity assets and despite internal divisions now seemed set to push it through.

After sitting on the fence throughout the debate, the Liberals and Nationals had given their support this week based on conditions that were simply a face saving device to mask growing political division within the parties.

Rudders steps in steaming meadow cocktail

Well, we were all just waiting for it weren't we?
You can't cobble together a summit born out of a media sound byte without quickly throwing around money to smooth the way.
* $60,000 to the wife of a ministerial staffer for the family company to handle summit media relations
* $284,5000 to Melbourne University for the loan of Professor Glyn Davis as summit convenor
* $71,000 for Australia 2020 website design and development
Rudders is walking around Canberra with a load of manure adhering to his heels.
Good one, mate. Really let's us know that the economy is in good hands, and that transparency and accountability are still the order of the day.

And Ernie Bennett demonstrates why NSW Nationals should not gain government in the next decade

The Tweed Daily News shows that Nationals Ernie Bennett is on his pet hobby horse again - the abolition of the states and the creation of 20 NSW super councils, with his favorite scenario being one fiefdom which stretches from Clarence to the Tweed containing advisory boards mirroring existing local government boundries.
Enrie obviously hasn't done the maths on any annual revenue required to support a super council.
With all the pressing issues that face the coast it is a pity that he is wasting his time as president of the Northern Rivers Regional Organisation of Councils in this way.

How dumb is Liberal Frontbencher Christopher Pyne?

Answer: As dumb as proverbial dog sh*t!

Today's Age reports that Pyne, the Liberal Party Federal Member for Sturt (SA), holds the view that the electoral system should be changed so that if a member of the House of Representatives retired, his [sic] party could choose a replacement to see out the term.

What a coincidence! Pyne is running with this line at a time when a number of coalition rats are gearing themselves up to jump ship despite having stood before their electorates not so long ago and declared their intentions of representing those electorates for the term of the current parliament.

Yes, Christopher, the election was only as far back as 24th November 2007.

Already, Peter McGauran, a Nationals' MP, has pulled the plug and created a vacancy in the Victorian seat of Gippsland.

Who'll be the next rat? Will it be Pyne's fellow crow eater, the out-to-lunch Member for Mayo, Alexander (of fishnet tights fame) Downer? Or, will it be the Nats' Mark Vaile, who has already done a spot of moonlighting?

Sorry, Christopher, but if your colleagues are not prepared to go the distance of a full term in Opposition and you would have electorates saved the expense of a by-election then a more palatable solution could be to have the candidate who finished second in the election fill the vacancy.

Of course, we could always require retiring MPs to fork out and contribute towards the expenses of the by-election.