Australia Day in South Korea

Chalk up another success for a Yamba export.

No, Yamba prawns were not on the menu when the Australia Chamber of Commerce celebrated Australia National Day at the Grand Ambassador hotel in Gangnam, southern Seoul, on Friday.

But, another Yamba product, in the shape of Wayne Golding, whom The Korea Herald described as ""an Australian culinary wizard", prepared the feast. Golding is executive chef at the Grand Ambassador.

Golding told The Korea Herald that he wanted everyone to feel that they were eating a traditional Australia Day meal.

Participants were greeted with a Down Under theme as cabanas decorated one side of the room and Aussie favorites like fish and chips and meat pies were served. No day marking the country’s birthday would be complete without a good old fashion Aussie barbeque.

Paul Matthews provided this review of Golding for 10mag.com :

When I step into The King’s Premium Live Buffet at the Grand Ambassador Hotel, I’m overwhelmed. Confronted by mountains of seafood, roast ducks and a walk-in dessert cabinet, I want to dig in straight away. But I resist, since the main attraction here is Australian Executive Chef Wayne Golding, who has transformed this thirty-five-year old restaurant into something extraordinary.

Hailing from the small town of Yamba in New South Wales, Golding started out in his father’s footsteps as a fisherman. He worked nights on the boats and studied during the day. After flirtations with carpentry, metal fabrication and architecture, he turned to the kitchen, rising up the ranks at a breakneck pace. From Yamba, he went to Sydney, then onto Dubai and Hanoi, before he found himself at the Paradise Hotel in Busan and his Korean career really began. He has been living here for the past seven years and has been working at the Grand Ambassador since 2009.

He is committed to making King’s the best buffet in the country, and he is bringing some exciting new ideas to the dining table. At King’s, everything is “live,” meaning that instead of lukewarm trays filled with congealed sauces, you can expect your food freshly cooked to order in front of your eyes. He has assembled a crack team of chefs to assist him, including a Chinese station complete with a dim sum expert, a roast meats master and a wok specialist. He has also ensured that seafood fans can get oysters all year round and that all the produce at King’s is the freshest it can be.

It wasn’t always that easy to source exotic fresh ingredients in Korea, and Chef Golding remembers when he used to have to scour the department stores in order to source the best products available. However, his job is a little easier now and he has even managed get a supply of fresh shrimp for the restaurant. As a fisherman’s son, he knows that there’s a big difference in taste between fresh and frozen.

The King’s Premium Live Buffet is in good hands with this Yamba boy, who knows the importance of “live” food and treats his customers to one of the best hotel buffets in Seoul.

Credits: The Korea Herald and 10mag.com

Member for Clarence says, "I didn't lie"

Chris Gulaptis, the Member for Clarence, says a group claiming he'd said the O'Farrell Government had set aside $300 million for a new Grafton bridge either misunderstood what he was saying or didn't understand the budgetary process.

"If they think I have lied to them I apologise for that, but I certainly didn't lie to them," he said. [Daily Examiner, 31/1/12]

Seems the message sent from the mouth of the MP and the message that arrived at the ears of members of the group was not one and the same thing. Who do you believe?

Read today's Daily Examiner report here.

By a modest margin Australian electorate wants Gillard Government to run full term

The Essential Report 30 January 2012:

This report summarises the results of a weekly omnibus conducted by Essential Research with data provided by Your Source.
The survey was conducted online between the 25th and 29th January 2012 and is based on 1,033 respondents.

Click on table to enlarge

The big fella explained with a little help from trick cycling

Found at comicsreporter.com

On the subject of verballing - just how stupid does Meeja Tart Abbott and Poodle Pyne think Aussie punters are?

“I’ve been verballed!” cries Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. “He’s been verballed!” cries Manager of Opposition Business Christopher Pyne. “Julia dun it and the police should help us make political capital out of this!” they both yell in the meeja.

So what do we have here as the basis for a politically motivated police investigation into who said what and when?

On Thursday 26^th January 2012 one of the Prime minister’s media advisers was allegedly informed by a journalist of what Abbott said about the Aboriginal Tent Embassy’s relevance and future. It is possible that the journalist expanded on these remarks.

The advisor informed a union official, stating where Abbott was attending an function. The official in turn informed another at the Embassy and also pointed to where Abbott could be found.

People at an Australia Day event at the Embassy reacted and attempted to confront Abbott at The Lobby restaurant shortly afterwards.

Police appear to have been called to the rowdy demonstration at around 2.30pm.

Accepting the dubious proposition that Abbott really was verballed (and leaving aside the possible involvement of his own media advisers), who did this alleged verbally first?

Was it members of the Prime Minister’s staff?

Nah, it was the mainstream meeja that the Leader of the Opposition so assiduously courts– and here’s the visual evidence which was online on the 26^th January beginning at 10.35am with what was probably an item drawn from the the Australian Associated Press news feed:

Snapshot of Perth Now AAP report at 10.35am on 26th January 2012
Click on image to enlarge

Snapshot of Sky News report at 1.03pm 26th Jaunary 2012
Click on image to enlarge

Snapshots of The Telegraph online AAP report at 1.35pm on 26th January 2012
Click on images to enlarge

So before either Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott arrived at the restaurant for the National Emergency Services Medal ceremony, an inflammatory version of Abbott's remarks had been spread across Australia coast to coast - without any help from prime ministerial staff.
And all the Coalition political spin in the world won't change that fact.

* Thanks to Clarencegirl for the snapshots

Member for Clarence careless with the truth

 Today's Daily Examiner's front page reports:

Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis has either lied to The Daily Examiner or to the Concerned Citizens Group in relation to funding for a second Grafton bridge.

CCG member Lynne Cairns said Mr Gulaptis had told her and three other members of the group, at a meeting on December 7, that the O'Farrell Government had $300 million set aside for the new bridge. Her claim was backed by fellow CCG members Kim Dahl, Sue Hillery and Lynne's husband, Bob.

But, fielding questions from The Examiner on Friday, Mr Gulaptis emphatically denied he made such a revelation.

"There's funding for planning ... but there's no funding set aside in this budget," he said. "Our commitment is that it will be physically started in this term (before March 2015).

"I apologise if people have misunderstood."

Mr Gulaptis said he understood if the community was sceptical about the bridge being started anytime in the near future, considering Bob Carr made a similar promise in 2002.

"But we will have an option in place by the middle of this year, Bob Carr didn't have that, so we are well on our way."

Various members of the CCG, a group opposed to a new bridge coming into central Grafton, also expressed disappointment at Mr Gulaptis' apparent shift in stance on the issue of where the new crossing should be.

"Before the election he was emphatic that all the heavy traffic needed to be moved out of town and now he's saying it should be left to the experts," Mr Dahl said.

"He's really mucked us around with his position," Mrs Cairns said.

Mr Gulaptis said he would not speculate as to which option the RMS would select as the preferred route but said each one required further technical investigations.

He said there was no point speculating on the options unless you were a technical expert.

Source: The Daily Examiner, 30/1/12

Let Steve Cansdell take his lumps in silence

Click on image to enlarge

The Daily Examiner published an opinion piece last Friday suggesting disgraced former Nationals MP for Clarence, Steve Cansdell, should keep a low profile.

Something that is not likely to happen as it seems Cansdell has plans to re-enter politics and is rumoured to have his eye on the federal electorate of Page, which is currently held by Labor's Janelle Saffin.

I suspect that keeping public accolades (like the tribute dinner) coming is not something his lawyers are averse to either as Cansdell faces the possibility of having to answer before the courts for his admitted wrongdoing.

Do you know the truth or do you read the tabloids?

News Limited is rapped over the knuckles by the Australian Press Council:

Adjudication No. 1515: Jamie Benaud/The Daily Telegraph (December 2011)

Document Type:

Complaints

Outcome:

Adjudications

Date:

22 Dec 2011

The Australian Press Council has considered a complaint about three articles in The Daily Telegraph on 9 June, 17 June and 6 July 2011 concerning aspects of the National Broadband Network (NBN). The articles appeared with the headlines shown below, although the first article also appeared in other News Limited newspapers under a different headline.

“Australian taxpayers’ latest NBN horror show”

Jamie Benaud complained this article understated the number of customers who had taken up NBN offers and accordingly overstated the ratio of NBN staff to customers. He also said the claim that during the trial period customers and internet service providers (ISPs) were accessing NBN services without charge was not true in Tasmania. The newspaper said the customer figures were based on the latest available to it at the time of publication and that free access applied in all mainland States.

The Council considered the newspaper should have made greater efforts to get up-to-date customer figures, although the error did not substantially affect the point being made. It considered the assertion about the staff/customer ratio was misleading and unfair as the company was at a very early start-up stage. These errors may well have been considered minor in themselves but the Council noted the forceful nature of the headline and concluded that the complaints about this article should be upheld.

“Join the NBN or you’ll be digging deep”

Mr Benaud complained this article implied inaccurately and unfairly that customers who do not sign up for NBN at the outset would have to pay an "estimated" $900 a day to get the cable laid to their house at a later date and then up to $140 per month to get an ISP connection. He pointed out that NBN said the later cable-laying would still be free "for standard installation" and that ISP connection costs might be as low as $30 per month. The newspaper agreed its statement about cable-laying costs may have been misread (publishing a clarification as a result) but defended mention of only the upper ISP price as being fair and a common practice.

The Council considered the statement about the cable-laying cost was clearly and seriously inaccurate. It noted the newspaper had attempted later to clarify the matter even though it believed residents had been given the reported information. However, in so doing, it implied incorrectly that the $900 would have to be paid to an ISP. The Council also considered that describing the ISP connection fee as “up to $140” was unfair and misleading when the range was as wide as $30-$140, and the minimum fees had also been well known. Accordingly, the complaints against this article are upheld.

“Low interest in high speed internet”

Mr Benaud complained about this article comparing a particular consumer’s current internet costs of $39 per month with what it said would be $53 to more than $130 per month if he signed up for NBN services. The latter range was actually for a combination of internet and phone services, not internet alone, and, as the consumer has a phone service, he would currently be paying much more than $39 in total for internet and phone. The newspaper said that the customer himself had no issue with the accuracy or portrayal of his words.

The Council considered that, by omission of the costs for combined phone and internet services, the comparison was misleading. Accordingly, the complaint against this article was upheld.

The Council expressed concern that within a short period of time three articles on the same theme contained inaccurate or misleading assertions. It considers that this sequence of errors should not have occurred and that they should have been corrected promptly and adequately when brought to the newspaper’s attention.

Note (not required for publication by the newspaper):
This adjudication applies the Council’s General Principle 1: “Publications should take reasonable steps to ensure reports are accurate, fair and balanced. They should not deliberately mislead or misinform readers either by omission or commission”. It also applies General Principle 2: "Where it is established that a serious inaccuracy has been published, a publication should promptly correct the error, giving the correction due prominence”.

Adjudication No. 1517: Penny Campton/Northern Territory News (December 2011)

Document Type:

Complaints

Outcome:

Adjudications

Date:

22 Dec 2011

The Australian Press Council has considered a complaint about words on the front-page of the Northern Territory News on 5 August 2011. The words, ASYLUM SEEKERS THREATENED TO KILL AUSSIES, COURT TOLD, were a pointer directing readers to an article on page five about the sentencing of an asylum seeker who “threatened to kill Australians” days before stabbing two security guards in a detention centre.

Penny Campton complained that the words in the pointer were inaccurate and unfair because they implied that a number of asylum seekers had made the threats, whereas the article itself mentioned only one such person. She sought an apology and a retraction of the pointer.

The newspaper said that the use of the plural in the pointer was an error made in the production process. It said that the newspaper encouraged compassion towards asylum seekers and cited an editorial from 22 July and subsequent articles in support of that contention. The newspaper thought the error was not sufficiently serious to warrant a correction or an apology, but it offered to publish a letter from the complainant. She declined on the ground that the newspaper itself should admit and correct the error.

The Council concluded that the pointer was clearly a serious inaccuracy demanding an immediate correction, accompanied by an expression of regret. Offering to publish a letter from the complainant was not considered to be sufficient for this purpose. Accordingly, the complaint is upheld and the Council calls on the newspaper to take the remedial action that should have been taken immediately after it became aware of the mistake.

Note (not required for publication by the newspaper):
This adjudication applies the Council’s General Principle 1: “Publications should take reasonable steps to ensure reports are accurate, fair and balanced. They should not deliberately mislead or misinform readers either by omission or commission”. It also applies General Principle 2: "Where it is established that a serious inaccuracy has been published, a publication should promptly correct the error, giving the correction due prominence” and part of Principle 6 "... headlines and captions should fairly reflect the tenor of an article ...".

Cansdellgate isn't going away

Yet another Clarence valley resident has commented on the scandalous matters associated with disgraced former Member for Clarence Steve Cansdell.

Hard to digest

It is not only Labor hackles which have been raised (''Dinner for disgraced MP raises Labor hackles'', January 22). There are a lot of people in the Clarence electorate including myself who feel disgusted with this whole affair. NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell was quick to pick up the phone to the Police Minister, who then contacted the police chief when the Craig Thomson affair surfaced. However, nothing has occurred in respect to the Steve Cansdell affair. Come on O'Farrell, pick up the phone.

Lyne Dobson, Waterview Heights

Source: The Sun Herald, 29/1/12

The spirit of the World Christian Fundamentals Association* marches on

Just when one imagines that a certain all pervasive, narrow, fundamentalist world view couldn’t grow more absurd -  American society proves the opposite.

Los Angeles Times 16 January 2012:

Texas and Louisiana have introduced education standards that require educators to teach climate change denial as a valid scientific position. South Dakota and Utah passed resolutions denying climate change. Tennessee and Oklahoma also have introduced legislation to give climate change skeptics a place in the classroom.

In May, a school board in Los Alamitos, Calif., passed a measure, later rescinded, identifying climate science as a controversial topic that required special instructional oversight.

The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) looks at the background to these changes being fostered by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC):

ALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, behind closed doors, corporations hand state legislators the changes to the law they desire that directly benefit their bottom line. Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on all nine ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. They have their own corporate governing board which meets jointly with the legislative board. (ALEC says that corporations do not vote on the board.) Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. Participating legislators, overwhelmingly conservative Republicans, then bring those proposals home and introduce them in statehouses across the land as their own brilliant ideas and important public policy innovations—without disclosing that corporations crafted and voted on the bills. ALEC boasts that it has over 1,000 of these bills introduced by legislative members every year, with one in every five of them enacted into law. ALEC describes itself as a “unique,” “unparalleled” and “unmatched” organization. We agree. It is as if a state legislature had been reconstituted, yet corporations had pushed the people out the door.…..
More than 98% of ALEC's revenues come from sources other than legislative dues, such as corporations, corporate trade groups, and corporate foundations. Each corporate member pays an annual fee of between $7,000 and $25,000 a year, and if a corporation participates in any of the nine task forces, additional fees apply, from $2,500 to $10,000 each year. ALEC also receives direct grants from corporations, such as $1.4 million from ExxonMobil from 1998-2009. It has also received grants from some of the biggest foundations funded by corporate CEOs in the country, such as: the Koch family Charles G. Koch Foundation, the Koch-managed Claude R. Lambe Foundation, the Scaife family Allegheny Foundation, the Coors family Castle Rock Foundation, to name a few. Less than 2% of ALEC’s funding comes from “Membership Dues” of $50 per year paid by state legislators, a steeply discounted price that may run afoul of state gift bans.

* World Christian Fundamentals Association

Slow as pitch

Queensland Uni’s School of Mathematics and Physics ‘owns’ what is probably one of the oldest continuous science experiments in existence today.

Set up in 1927 it is 85 years old and still going strong.
Here is the webcam of pitch ( a tarlike substance obtained by distilling coal tar) ever so slooooooooooooowly oozing.

Table 1 Record of pitch drops.

      Year               Event

      1930               The stem was cut

      1938(Dec)          1st drop fell

      1947(Feb)          2nd drop fell

      1954(Apr)          3rd drop fell

      1962(May)          4th drop fell

      1970(Aug)          5th drop fell

      1979(Apr)          6th drop fell

      1988(Jul)          7th drop fell

      2000(28 Nov)        8th drop fell

 

In which NSW North Coast residents continue to have their say regarding Steve...

Digitally created image sent in anonymously

Fine tribute

COME on Mr Cansdell and Mr Gulaptis and the other National Party members, get real.

Take a deep breath and a deep look at the situation you are creating.

You are aiding and abetting rewards for breaking the law.

Mr Cansdell has admitted he was dishonest by falsifying a statutory declaration to escape a speeding fine.

Something obviously happened.

So, after doing a bit of research, he came forward and resigned.

This in turn enabled him to get his pension.

If he had been sacked he would have missed out.

This electorate has a lot of crime problems at present and as far as I am concerned this incident is setting a bad example for this area.

If Mr Cansdell and his National Party mates had any decency at all they would abandon the dinner and pay the cost of the by-election.

If Mr Cansdell does not go to jail, then why did Justice Einfeld go?

COL BROWN

South Grafton [Letter to the Editor published 26 January 2012]

By suffernofools from Maclean on 26/1/2012 at 8:30AM

Ursula, don't get your knickers in a knot about it darlin', it's not like a civic reception or a street parade where they are imposing themselves upon us. They will be safely out of view of the general public...discreetly patting each other on the back and saying how good a job he did and he was a bit unlucky. They will never get it. No matter how much you jump up and down and scream blue murder, they are so out of touch at how disgusted we are, they would think you are cheering FOR them. Ignore them and maybe the silence will resonate louder than a political protest could. Or just leave your placards out the front of the racecourse with a note attached saying you had left due to lack of interest in the whole thing. [The Daily Examiner online]

By yambaman from Yamba on 26/1/2012 at 8:37AM

Well I usually support the conservative side of politics but a "tribute" dinner for a confirmed liar turns my stomach! Have these faceless politicians no shame, would any self-respecting citizen really attend? I'd expect it from the ALP (aka Craig Thomsen) but from the Nats, who'll I vote for next? [ibid]

By swingingvoter from Palmers Channel on 26/1/2012 at 12:47PM

Could someone from Chris Gulaptis' office advise if his staff are involved in organising this dinner during the hours they are being paid to perform duties for the citizens of Clarence and NSW? Are people paying their $50 during office hours? If so, what other citizens are entitled to use his office in this manner?
Will this MP sign a Statutary Declaration to say his office and staff are not being used in this manner........sorry, I forgot, Stat. Decs. are just playthings these days. [ibid]

By MurrayLees from Murwillumbah on 24/1/2012 at 6:37AM

Two words for John Robertson and Labor: Craig Thompson [ibid]

By UrsulaTunks from Grafton on 24/1/2012 at 8:46AM

Murray Lees you goose this isn't ABOUT POLITICS ! This is about integrity! Are you the same campaign manager who was telling anyone who'd listen during the by election that Cansdell would have a conviction not recorded against him & be the next Federal National Party candidate for the electorate of Page? Have you already negotiated the outcome with the Police? How could you know that before anyone else in the community ? Are you the same National Party member who has been belittling my friend Kath Palmer & her bravery for coming forward? The same Murray Lees who appears to be two or three decades behind the rest of Australia when it comes to the treatment of whistleblowers? THIS IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS - you can't put spin on it based on party politics. If anyone in any party breaks the law the law deals with their transgression - NOT the party spin doctor! & while you're at it tell you're mates to stop defaming me - YES I supported Kath in her submission to ICAC & I would again tomorrow for anyone who needed that support to act lawfully - regardless of who the alleged offender was! And Murray that includes you - if you ever needed my help to do the right thing I'd be here to support you if you . Remember Murray it's an offence under the ICAC legislation to know of an offence committed by a public official and NOT report. So Kath and any others who've come forward over this period are doing what is required of them by law. [ibid]

Rain makes local frogs loud and amorous

For the last seven days all up and down the NSW North Coast the night time air has been loud with the sound of frogs and toads seeking mates.

In some urban backyards the sound has made it difficult to hear television programmes as male frogs on the prowl call incessantly.

Here is one happy snap from Bev Metcalf’s home at South Grafton.

Photograph The Daily Examiner January 27, 2012

Q&A: what Tony Abbott actually said on Australia Day

For the record - because the mainstream media is beginning to subtly alter what was said.

A question & answer taken from a  Doorstop Interview with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in Sydney. Posted on Thursday, 26th January 2012 at his own website http://www.tonyabott.com.au/:

"QUESTION:

Mr Abbott, today is also the 40^th anniversary of the Tent Embassy in Canberra. Is the Tent Embassy still relevant or should it move?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, I can understand why the Tent Embassy was established all those years ago. I think a lot has changed for the better since then. We had the historic apology just a few years ago, one of the genuine achievements of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister. We had the proposal which is currently for national consideration to recognise indigenous people in the Constitution. I think the indigenous people of Australia can be very proud of the respect in which they are held by every Australian and yes, I think a lot has changed since then and I think it probably is time to move on from that."

And this is how the The Telegraph originally reported this on the same day:

"FEDERAL Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says it's time to move the Aboriginal tent embassy in Canberra, 40 years after four indigenous activists camped at the site opposite Old Parliament House....

Mr Abbott said he understood why the tent embassy was set up "all those years ago" However, it was time it was disbanded, he said."

Abbott fleeing from one of his many his blunders

Just in case you missed the edifying sight of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in full flight on Australia Day 2012.............

Video of a gracious Prime Minister rescuing a snide Abbott; http://youtu.be/pndFC1c1SwQ

NSW Police, Steve Cansdell and those intriguing "technical legal issues"

The Daily Examiner 25 January 2012:

POLICE have moved a step closer to laying charges against former Clarence MP Steve Cansdell for falsifying a statutory declaration.

Detective senior sergeant Peter O'Reilly, the officer investigating the matter, said he had sent a brief of evidence to the NSW Police Legal Services section who were working through some "technical legal issues".

He said the case was then likely to go to the Department of Public Prosecutions considering Cansdell's "standing in the community"…...

It is over four months since disgraced former Nationals MP Steve Cansdell admitted breaking the law in order to have a “clean slate” in the lead up to the 2006 state election; the Clarence by-election is over and the new Nationals MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis is safely sworn-in.

Now NSW Police raise the possibility of "technical legal issues" further delaying the day Cansdell faces court.

A term which perhaps hints at overlapping jurisdictions because of a complaint/s to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption concerning Steve Cansdell's time in Parliament.

One has to hope that these technical legal issues are genuinely the delaying impediment that has been implied, or NSW Police will lose all credibility and be seen as mere puppets of an O’Farrell Government determined to bury Cansdell's actions under a mountain of spin until time past sees the matter fade from memory.

U.S. Pesidential Election 2012: middle-aged wealthy farts show they have enough money to race

In 2010 Barack and Michelle earned US$1.7 million, Newt and Callista earned US$3.1 million and Mitt and his mittette Ann earned US$21.6 million. With effective tax rates of 26%, 31.6% and 13.9% in the order of mention.

The Washington Post
Click on image to grow
those dollar signs

This week the Los Angeles Times told the world that; "the Romneys expect to pay $3.2 million on $20.9 million in income for the 2011 tax year, for an effective tax rate of 15.4%".
No wonder Mitt didn't want to show and tell!

And here's the 2011 IRS tax rates for ordinary Americans.......

Are we seriously considering this fool as our next prime minister?

On one of the most politically sensitive days in Australia’s public events calendar that feckin’ eejit Tony Abbott opens his gob wide:

“FEDERAL Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says it's time to move the Aboriginal tent embassy in Canberra, 40 years after four indigenous activists camped at the site opposite Old Parliament House. “

And this is what happens.....

The Australian: Gillard, Abbott escorted under guard amid Aboriginal Tent Embassy protest

The Sydney Morning Herald

Down memory lane on Australia Day.....

Remembering Mum's vanilla ice cream made with Gold Medal Condensed Milk, served with Aeroplane Jelly and seasonal fruit grown in the backyard

http://youtu.be/GSBizeS62IM

'Steve' Gulaptis MP and Deb Newton share the love........

Gulaptis and Newton...............

The Daily Examiner 23 January 2012

 

CLARENCE Valley Nationals planning a tribute dinner for former Member for Clarence Steve Cansdell have dismissed claims the dinner is a slap in the face for taxpayers.

Critics claim taxpayers forked out hundreds of thousands of dollars for a by-election for the seat when Mr Cansdell resigned last September after he admitted to falsifying a statutory declaration to escape a speeding fine.

Mr Cansdell's successor in the seat of Clarence, Chris Gulaptis, said "there is a lot of love out there" for his predecessor......

Grafton resident Col Brown was more succinct in his criticism.

If you you've got a kid who misbehaves and you give him a lolly instead of a smack, he'll just keep on going the same way," Mr Brown said.

"This is offensive to me, Justice Einfeld copped jail time for doing something similar to this."

 

The Sydney Morning Herald 22 January 2012

 

THE National Party has been accused of profiting from the misdeeds of MP Steve Cansdell.

A ''tribute dinner'' has been arranged to honour Mr Cansdell, who quit the seat of Clarence in September after being forced to admit he falsified a statutory declaration to avoid losing his driver's licence. He faces possible criminal charges.

Up to 200 people are expected to attend the $50-a-head function at Grafton on February 4. The organiser, Deb Newton, Mr Cansdell's former campaign manager, said it was ''not really a fund-raiser'' but any money left over would go to the Nationals' local electorate council. ''There is still a lot of love out there for Steve and a lot of forgiveness,'' she said.

The Opposition Leader, John Robertson, said: ''Fund-raising off the back of the resignation of a disgraced state MP who stood down so his generous parliamentary pension would not be cut off is an insight into the real values of the government.''

The rest of the world.....................

 

The Daily Examiner 24 January 2011

 

PROTEST AGAINST THE CANSDELL TRIBUTE DINNER

Public Event · By Ursula Tunks

• When Saturday, February 4, 2012
• Time  6:30am until 9:30am
• Where  Outside the Clarence River Jockey Club, Powell Street , Grafton, Australia

By waterhen from Waterview Heights on 24/1/2012 at 6:36AM

So the new local Member, Chris Gulaptis states Cansdell made a mistake. Gee, last I knew it was a crime to lie when swearing on a Statutory Declaration and I am sure the Parliamentary Secretary for the Police knew that as well. Cansdell is costing the taxpayer big time by way of salary whilst he covered up his lie, pension for life and the cost of a by-election.
Are there any takers out there for a protest rally at the gates of the venue?
Why should we be saying to our children it is O.K. to lie as the National Party believe it is and when is this matter going to be heard in court?

Oi, oi, oi!

Northern Territory News 25th January 2012

January 2012 is luverly weather for ducks on the NSW North Coast - rain, river heights & roads info

Mann River at Cangai from The Daily Examiner

Latest River Heights for the NSW Mid North Coast

Issued at 6.15am on Wednesday, 25th January 2012

Latest River Heights for the NSW Northern Rivers

Issued at 6.15am on Wednesday, 25th January 2012

North Coast LGAs Regional Road information
Regularly updated

At 10:47 am EDT on Tuesday 24^th January 2012 the Bureau Of Meteorology said:

Flood Warnings are current the Bellinger Nambucca and Orara Rivers

At this stage there is a greater than 70% chance of Minor to Moderate flooding as well as local flash flooding along the following river valleys from Monday onwards:

1.Tweed River

2.Richmond & Wilson Rivers

3.Clarence River

4.Macleay River

5.Hastings River

This Flood Watch means that people living or working along rivers and streams must monitor the latest weather forecasts and warnings and be ready to move to higher ground should flooding develop. Flood Warnings will be issued if Minor Flood Level is expected to be exceeded at key sites along the main rivers for which the Bureau of Meteorology provides a flood warning service. Across NSW, about 75% of Flood Watches are followed by flooding.

Bellinger River from ABC News

UPDATE:

Latest Image Received at: 00:12 UTC/GMT Wed 25 Jan 2012

WST	CST	CDT	EST	EDT
08:12am	09:42am	10:42am	10:12am	11:12am
Wednesday	Wednesday	Wednesday	Wednesday	Wednesday

Issued at 10:55 am EDT on Wednesday 25 January 2012.

Weather Situation:

"Heavy rain and possible thunderstorms which may lead to flash flooding are forecast for the Northern Rivers forecast district, as well as eastern parts of the Northern Tablelands and northern parts of the Mid North Coast forecast districts.

In the six hours to 11am today the heaviest falls occurred in the Tweed Valley area, with 116 mm of rain recorded at Kingscliff, 105 mm at Murwillumba, and 101 mm at Chillingham. Slightly lower falls were recorded further south.

A Flood Watch is current for the Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Nambucca, Macleay and Hastings river valleys.

Flood warnings are current for the Bellinger, Orara, Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Nambucca and Clarence Rivers.

For latest flood warning information, refer to www.bom.gov.au/nsw/warnings/"