2011 Clarence By-election Scorecard. Part Two - tit for tat

NSW Nationals candidate Chris Gulaptis in the media this week:

In a campaign flyer mailed out across the Clarence electorate - we are already delivering on our election commitments in the Clarence electorate, such as the $3.7 million upgrade to Casino Public School.

Present as a photo opportunity only when -  NSW Minister for Health Jillian Skinner has acknowledged three years after the Garling report highlighted a $70 million shortfall in funding for North Coast health services the deficit is still not being met by the State Government. Mrs Skinner was in Yamba to announce the O'Farrell Government would contribute $1.2 million toward a community health centre for the town. She said the NSW Government had lodged an application for $4.8 million in funding toward the project from the Federal Government's Health and Hospitals fund.

Present as a photo opportunity only when - JILLIAN Skinner has accused the Health Services Union of steering a campaign by paramedics calling for more staff and resources.

Clarence Valley paramedics have told The Daily Examiner the new business plan for the NSW Ambulance Service could result in delayed response times which could lead to deaths. But the NSW Health Minister said the union was encouraging members to highlight their concerns to the media.

"The Health Services Union is conducting a campaign right across the State at the moment," Mrs Skinner said.

She said she accepted the ambulance service, like the health service, could do with more funding, but she said a review of the service that was under way could see positive changes for paramedics.

On a Clarence Valley jobs summit - I have asked for a meeting with the chamber of commerce to see if we can organise a job summit for Grafton that will include all three levels of government as well as local businesses and residents. I will be happy to take these recommendations down to Parliament if I am lucky enough to be elected in November.
"It is only by putting minor differences aside and working together that this electorate can begin to thrive again."

NSW Country Labor candidate Peter Ellem in the media this week:

On Grafton Hospital - Peter Ellem (pictured) today joined Opposition Leader John Robertson and local nurses to demand State funding for orthopaedic surgery and equipment at Grafton Base Hospital. "The O'Farrell Stoner Government must fund orthopaedic surgery and equipment to complement the new federally-funded operating theatres at Grafton Base Hospital," Mr Ellem said. and "The O'Farrell-Stoner Government needs to invest at least $900,000 into refurbishing the pathology unit to ensure the future provision of these services at Grafton Base Hospital."

On the proposed Yamba Health Centre - "I am extremely concerned the O'Farrell-Stoner Government is trying to take local residents for a ride with its bungled funding announcement for the Yamba Community Health Centre," Mr Ellem said. "There wasn't one single cent allocated for this multi-million dollar project in the Budget which was released only one month ago. "The O'Farrell-Stoner Government only wrote to the Commonwealth last week asking them to fund the majority of this poorly planned project. To add insult to injury, the O'Farrell-Stoner Government is only pledging an unbudgeted $1.2 million for a $6-million project.
"The Health Minister has even admitted she has not allocated any future funding to actually provide health services and staff at the centre, should it ever be built.
"As a Yamba resident, I fully support the creation of a Yamba Community Health Centre, but they need to get fair-dinkum about this important project.
"If there is no funding allocated in the Budget and no recurrent funding for services, how does this Government propose to deliver our community health centre?"

On the Grafton meatworks  and Grafton Gaol - Meanwhile, Labor's candidate for Clarence says the State Government must rule out closing the Grafton Jail.

Peter Ellem says the Attorney-General was quizzed about his plans for the state's prisons in Parliament this week.

Mr Ellem says the response left alarm bells ringing. "Well in budget estimates yesterday, the Attorney-General Greg Smith refused to rule out closing further prisons across NSW and Grafton is one of the oldest in NSW," he said. "We've had a jail in Grafton since 1862 and with the closure of the abattoirs, we can't afford another job loss."

NSW Greens candidate Janet Cavanaugh on Facebook and a blog this week:

In the Clarence Greens blog - “One of the key issues we are worried about is the threat posed by mining to our precious water supplies. There is the risk posed by antimony mining on the Dorrigo Plateau to the Coffs-Clarence regional water supply and our estuarine fisheries, and the potential for coal seam gas exploration to drain and poison groundwater reserves as well as wreck important farming land and wildlife habitat.
“Mining needs to be better regulated, to limit these potential impacts. The Greens have introduced a bill to create a 12 month moratorium on coal seam gas exploration across NSW and are calling for a ban on mining within important water catchments.
“The major parties seem unable, or unwilling, to act to protect our land and our water. This by-election is an opportunity for voters to voice their disapproval by casting their vote elsewhere.
The dangers of arsenic and antimony are well documented. “Antimony and many of its compounds are toxic, and the effects of antimony poisoning are similar to arsenic poisoning.... in small doses, antimony causes headaches, dizziness, and depression.’ Wikipedia. According to a 1999 study by the National Academy of Sciences, arsenic in drinking water causes bladder, lung and skin cancer, and may cause kidney and liver cancer. The study also found that arsenic harms the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as heart and blood vessels, and causes serious skin problems. It also may cause birth defects and reproductive problems.
Anchor Resources a Chinese company is proposing to reopen the Wild Cattle Creek mine with a one and a half km open cut. Wild Cattle Creek flows into the Nymboida River, part of the Clarence River system which supplies water from Sawtell to the Clarence estuary. Antimony is found with arsenic. Once antimony and arsenic are leased from the ore and clays they are carried by the high rainfalls of this area to the sea. These elements enter the groundwater in higher than normal concentrations and there are no guarantees they will be permanently contained by ponds or dams at mine sites.

On Facebook - Come on Clarence vote 1 The Greens and let the Government know we don't want CSG wrecking our valleys and water supply!

Independent Wade Walker has made no public statement this week.

Christian Democratic Party candidate Bethany Camac has not made any public statement in the media as yet.

Assessment:

1. Chris Gulaptis continues down a dangerous path. This week his claim that the Nationals delivered $3.7 million in funding to Casino Public School was exposed as merely honouring an existing building contract signed off on by the former NSW Labor Government in 2010 and, the positive announcement of some funding towards a Yamba Health Centre appeared to get little traction within the target community.

While lining up to be included in the frame when a NSW minister does a little union bashing is not a good look and talk of a jobs summit, while probably well-intentioned, had echoes of an earlier Labor campaign.

Relying on the NSW Health Minister to put a Yamba Health Centre media release online rather than doing this himself could be seen as rather lazy.

2. Peter Ellem continues to demonstrate that he understands how to communicate and is to some degree setting the political debate agenda.

3. Janet Cavanaugh is taking her candidature to social media and the local monthly markets. Which at this stage is probably a sensible use of limited resources.

4. Wade Walker by saying nothing (except in the comments section of The Daily Examiner where he goes under a pen name) does himself no good.

4. Bethany Camac remains an enigma wrapped in a mystery, so her status since the March 2011 state election remains unaltered to date.

Rolling Scorecard

Gulaptis -1.5

Ellem 2

Cavanaugh 1.5
Wade Walker 0
Bethany Camac 0