The Rise Of The Oligarchs: all men [sic] are created equal but some are more equal than others

 

ABC News, 20 January 2024:

Two hundred and four billionaires were created, an average of almost four a week [in 2024].

The five richest people last year, according to Forbes, were:

1. Elon Musk

2. Jeff Bezos

3. Bernard Arnault and family

4. Larry Ellison

5. Mark Zuckerberg

"The crown jewel of this oligarchy is a billionaire president, backed and bought by the world's richest man Elon Musk, running the world's largest economy," said Oxfam Australia chief executive Lyn Morgain.

Australia's 47 billionaires make an average $67,000 an hour, according to the report — a figure 1,300 times higher than that of the average Australian worker.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart remains Australia's richest, and the world's 56th richest, person, with a net worth of $47.3 billion.

Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest is Australia's second richest, worth $29.2 billion and real estate developer Harry Triguboff is third, worth $25.3 billion.

The report finds that last year Australia's total billionaire wealth increased by more than 8 per cent, or $28 billion, at a rate of $3.2 million per hour.

Oxfam Australia's Ms Morgain notes the "rampant growth" of billionaires' wealth in Australia "was the legacy of colonisation", with 35 per cent of billionaire wealth inherited.....

Oxfam Australia's Ms Morgain notes the "rampant growth" of billionaires' wealth in Australia "was the legacy of colonisation", with 35 per cent of billionaire wealth inherited.....

"There is a relationship between this concentration of wealth and extractive industries in Australia. There's a particular historical context to this in Australia and it's that all our billionaires dug their wealth out of the ground," she says.

OXFAM, Takers not Makers: The unjust poverty and unearned wealth from colonialism, 16 January 2025:

Billionaire wealth has risen three times faster in 2024 than 2023. Five trillionaires are now expected within a decade. Meanwhile, crises of economy, climate and conflict mean the number of people living in poverty has barely changed since 1990.

Most billionaire wealth is taken, not earned - 60% comes from either inheritance, cronyism and corruption or monopoly power. Our deeply unequal world has a long history of colonial domination which has largely benefited the richest people. The poorest, racialized people, women and marginalized groups have and continue to be systematically exploited at huge human cost. Today’s world remains colonial in many ways. The average Belgian has 180 times more voting power in the World Bank than the average Ethiopian. This system still extracts wealth from the Global South to the superrich 1% in the Global North at a rate of US$30million an hour. This must be reversed. Reparations must be made to those who were brutally enslaved and colonised. Our modern-day colonial economic system must be made radically more equal to end poverty. The cost should be borne by the richest people who benefit the most....

A TWO TIER WORLD: THE FACTS

• In 2024, total billionaire wealth increased by US$2 trillion, with 204 new billionaires created. This is an average of almost four new billionaires per week.

• Total billionaire wealth grew three times faster in 2024 than in 2023.

• Each billionaire saw their fortunes grow by US$2million a day on average. For the richest 10 billionaires their fortunes grew by US$100 million a day on average.

• Last year Oxfam forecasted a trillionaire within a decade. If current trends continue, there will now be five trillionaires within a decade.

• Meanwhile, according to the World Bank, the number of people living in poverty has barely changed since 1990.

• 60% of billionaire wealth comes from either inheritance, cronyism and corruption or monopoly power.

• In 2023, more billionaires were created through inheritance than entrepreneurialism for the first time.

• In 2023, the richest 1% in the Global North were paid US$263 billion by the Global South through the financial system–over over US$30 million an hour.

• Of the US$64.82 trillion extracted from India by the UK over a century of colonialism, US$33.8 trillion went to the richest 10%; this would be enough to carpet London in £50 notes almost four times over.

DEVELOPMENT FRANCE-OXFAM, THE COMMITMENT TO REDUCING INEQUALITY INDEX 2024, Overview/Executive Summary, 16 October 2024, excerpts:

Now in its fifth edition, the Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index (CRI) assesses the commitment of 164 countries and regions to fighting inequality. The CRI 2024 offers powerful new evidence on whether governments are acting to reduce inequality through policies on public services, fair taxation and labour rights. It reveals negative trends in the vast majority of countries since 2022. Four in five have cut the share of their budgets going to education, health and/or social protection; four in five have backtracked on progressive taxation; and nine in ten have regressed on labour rights and minimum wages. Nine out of ten countries have backtracked in one or more area, meaning without urgent policy actions to reverse this worrying trend,economic inequality will almost certainly continue to rise in 90% of countries.

As in previous editions, the top performers in this CRI are all high-income OECD countries led by Norway (see Table 02). Due to their labour policies, these countries start from much lower wage inequality. They have high social spending and collect more tax revenue, allowing widespread coverage of public services and the greatest impact on inequality.

However, even these top performers are lagging in many indicators. For example:

An average of 5% of their citizens face catastrophic out-of-pocket healthcare costs.

Many have less progressive tax policies than they should. For instance, many do not have measures to make very high value added tax (VAT) less regressive, while corporate income tax (CIT) rates are generally low, except in Japan. High earners also pay a lower effective tax rate than most other citizens: in Denmark, the effective tax rate paid by the richest 1% has fallen by five percentage points over the last two decades.

Coming third overall, Australia scores poorly on labour rights. It has very short fully paid parental leave, currently 11 weeks.....

He's back

 

TIME's new Inauguration cover: Donald Trump's disruption is back https://t.co/f6thgzBMCY pic.twitter.com/LwsTz8sMyl

— TIME (@TIME) January 19, 2025

 

There are no words.....

 

 

20 JANUARY 2025: The day the music died...

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibWJO02nNsY

For the second time, 78 year-old Donald John Trump will be inaugurated as president of the United States of America shortly after noon on a Monday, 20 January.

This 47th swearing-in ceremony of a president will begin shortly after 4am Sydney time tomorrow morning, Tuesday 21 January 2025.

This is unchartered territory for America, having recently elected as its president an individual with thirty-four felony convictions for fraud against his name for acts occurring during the 2016 presidential campaign and one who had fomented violent insurrection on Capitol Hill, Washington DC on 6 January 2021. 

It is also unchartered territory for America's trading partners and political allies, having to deal with a president and administration whose actions after 20 January 2025 the US Congress appears to have little to no ability or desire to mitigate or constrain.

To be continued......

KOALA EXTNICTION CRISIS STATE OF PLAY 2025: Dean Caton's felling koala feed trees in Tuckers Nob State Forest from 9:00 am Monday 9th December 2024 and 6:00 pm Monday 30th June 2025

 

In 2020, the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Koalas found that koalas will become extinct in the wild before 2050 if urgent action isn't taken to protect their habitat. 2050 is a mere 25 years away......

Forestry Corporation, 9 December 2024

Partial closure of Tuckers Nob State Forest

NO ENTRY

FORESTRY REGULATION 2022 - SECTION 6 & 7 CLOSURE OF PART TUCKERS NOB STATE FOREST

  

FORESTRY CORPORATION OF NEW SOUTH WALES HAS RESERVED THE AREA DESCRIBED BELOW AS 'THE CLOSED AREA' FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF ITS CONTRACTORS, SUPPORT AND SUPERVISING STAFF CARRYING OUT HARVESTING OPERATIONS DURING THE PERIOD DESCRIBED BELOW AS 'THE CLOSURE PERIOD'.

THE ENTRY OF ALL PERSONS INTO THE CLOSED AREA DURING THE CLOSURE PERIOD, OTHER THAN PERSONS AUTHORISED IN WRITING BY THE FORESTRY CORPORATION OF NEW SOUTH WALES, IS HEREBY PROHIBITED.

PERSONS ENTERING INTO OR REMAINING IN THE CLOSED AREA DURING THE CLOSURE PERIOD WITHOUT FORESTRY CORPORATION OF NEW SOUTH WALES' PERMISSION ARE LIABLE TO PROSECUTION, MAXIMUM PENALTY $2,200 PER OFFENCE.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CLOSED AREAS

That part of Tuckers Nob State Forest No. 612 enclosed by the boundary commencing at the State Forest boundary adjacent to the intersection of Gleniffer Road and Roses Road (marked point 'A' on the map); then moving in a clockwise direction around the closure area, in a generally south-easterly direction following the State Forest boundary running parallel to the Gleniffer Road to the intersection with 27/1 Trail (marked point 'B' on the map) NB. Gleniffer Road remains open; then in a generally westerly direction following 27/1 Trail to the intersection with an un-named drainage line (marked point 'C' on the map), then in a generally south-westerly direction following the un-named drainage line to the State Forest boundary (marked point 'D' on the map), then in a generally north-westerly direction following the State Forest boundary adjacent to the intersection of Gleniffer Road and Roses Road (marked point 'A' on the map).

DESCRIPTION OF THE CLOSURE PERIOD

Between 9:00 am Monday 9th December 2024 and 6:00 pm Monday 30th June 2025

BY ORDER OF FORESTRY CORPORATION OF NEW SOUTH WALES, by its delegate:

Dean Caton

REGIONAL MANAGER - NORTHERN

FCNSW COFFS HARBOR [sic]

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmnP7MQ-Uzc

 KoalaMashUp

Tim Cadman

Jan 17, 2025 #Koala #NSWForestry #NSWGovernment

A composite of two nights of drone flying over compartments 10, 12 and 18 in Tuckers Nob State Forest - all areas zoned 'plantation' by #NSWForestry, and slated for clearing. 

The results shows that this is one of the densest populations of wild #Koala in New South Wales. 

Yet these forests are excluded from the #NSWGovernment's so-called 'Great Koala National Park - which is why we need a #GreaterKoalaPark - free from logging, because #PlantationsAreHabitatToo!

 

CLIMATE CHANGE 2025: There is no longer any room left in Australia's national discourse for self-indulgent disbelief, denial or scepticism when it come to anthropogenic global warming

Australia, both as an ancient island continent and a society predicated on a federation of states in a representative democracy, entered 2025 with the following two hundred & fifty-eight year climatic background which every single person needs to seriously consider as they navigate this federal election year and what remains of this decade.

Because the decisions made now will affect if or how our own communities, friendship groups and families will cope — because the Australian and global overarching climate and seasonal weather patterns that we grew & prospered under down the generations are quickly disappearing never to return for millennia.

State of the Climate 2024: Report at a glance, excerpts:

Key points

Australia

> Australia's climate has warmed since national records began in 1910.

> The oceans surrounding Australia have also warmed. Chart of the temperature anomaly relative to the 1961 to 1990 average, in degrees Celsius, from 1910 to 2023, for temperatures over Australia and for sea surface temperatures in the Australian region.

> Australia’s climate has warmed by an average of 1.51 ±0.23 °C since national records began in 1910.

> Sea surface temperatures have increased by an average of 1.08 °C since 1900.

> The warming has led to an increase in the frequency of extreme heat events over land and in the oceans.

> In the south-west of Australia there has been a decrease of around 16% in April to October rainfall since 1970. Across the same region, May to July rainfall has seen the largest reduction, by around 20% since 1970.

> In the south-east of Australia, there has been a decrease of around 9% in April to October rainfall since 1994.

> Heavy short-term rainfall events are becoming more intense.

> There has been a decrease in streamflow at most gauges across Australia since 1970.

> There has been an increase in rainfall and streamflow across parts of northern Australia since the 1970s.

> There has been an increase in extreme fire weather, and a longer fire season, across large parts of the country since the 1950s.

> There has been a decrease in the number of tropical cyclones observed in the Australian region since at least 1982.

> Snow depth, snow cover and number of snow days have decreased in alpine regions since the late 1950s.

> Oceans around Australia are becoming more acidic, with changes happening faster in recent decades.

> Sea levels are rising around Australia, including more frequent extreme high levels that increase the risk of inundation and damage to coastal infrastructure and communities.

Anomalies (departures from the mean for the 1961–1990 standard averaging period) in annual mean sea surface temperature, and temperature over land, in the Australian region. Sea surface temperature values (data source: ERSST v5, psl.noaa.gov) are provided for a region around Australia (4–46°S and 94–174°E).

Global

> Concentrations of all major long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to increase. Global annual mean carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations reached 419.2 parts per million (ppm) in 2023 and the CO2 equivalent (CO2-e) of all greenhouse gases reached 524 ppm. These are the highest levels on Earth in at least 2 million years.

> Global fossil fuel CO2 emissions, the principal driver of the growth in CO2 concentrations, are continuing to increase. Overall anthropogenic CO2 emissions, including fossil fuel and land-use change emissions, have levelled off over the last decade after increasing for more than a century prior to the 2010s.

> In 2022 and 2023, the amounts of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), both greenhouse gases, in the atmosphere increased rapidly.

> Globally averaged air temperature at the Earth’s surface has warmed by about 1.2 °C since reliable records began in 1850. Each decade since 1980 has been warmer than the last, with 2011–2020 being around 0.2 °C warmer than 2001–2010. 2023 was the warmest year on record globally.

> The world’s oceans, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, have taken up more than 90% of the extra energy stored by the planet (as heat) arising from enhanced greenhouse gas concentrations.

> The ice sheets and ice shelves of Antarctica and Greenland are losing ice due to a warmer climate, and contributing to global sea level rise.

> There has been an abrupt decrease in Antarctic sea-ice extent since 2015, after a small increase over the period from 1979 to 2014.

> Around half of all CO2 emissions from human activities are absorbed by land and ocean sinks, which act to slow the rate of increase in atmospheric CO2.

> Global mean sea levels have risen by over 22 cm since 1900; half of this has occurred since 1970.

Future

In the coming decades, Australia will experience ongoing changes to its weather and climate. The changes are projected to include:

> Continued increase in air temperatures, with more heat extremes and fewer cold extremes.

> Continued decrease, on average, in cool season rainfall across many regions of southern and eastern Australia, which will likely lead to more time in drought.

> More intense short-duration heavy rainfall events even in regions where the average rainfall decreases or stays the same.

> Continued increase in the number of dangerous fire weather days and a longer fire season for much of southern and eastern Australia.

> Further sea level rise and continued warming and acidification of the oceans around Australia.

> Increased and longer-lasting marine heatwaves that will affect marine environments such as kelp forests and increase the likelihood of more frequent and severe bleaching events in coral reefs around Australia, including the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef.

> Fewer tropical cyclones, but with higher intensity on average, and greater impacts when they occur through higher rain rates and higher sea level.

> Reduced average snow depth in alpine regions, but with variations from year to year.

Changes in weather systems and climate influences

Australia’s weather systems are changing. Southern Australia receives much of its rainfall during the cooler months of the year from low-pressure systems and cold fronts to the south of the subtropical high-pressure ridge. During recent decades, these systems have become less common over southern Australia, and are less likely to produce rainfall when they do occur, contributing to declines in cool season rainfall. Mean sea level atmospheric pressure is increasing over Australia, and there has been an increase in the number of high-pressure systems over southern Australia, which bring dry, clear weather and little rainfall. This increase in atmospheric pressure across southern latitudes is a response to climate change.

There is large variability in the frequency of individual weather systems between individual months and years. Many of these trends are consistent with simulations from climate models, which demonstrate that increased greenhouse gas levels lead to fewer low-pressure systems in southern Australia and a stronger subtropical ridge, but an increase in the intensity of heavy rainfall, including from thunderstorms.

Australia’s climate is also influenced from year to year by various broadscale climate influences, such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). SAM shows a sustained trend towards more positive conditions from 1950 to the present day, particularly in summer.

The level of ENSO activity over the past 50 years is higher, with more significant El Niño and La Niña events than in the years between 1920 and 1970. However, there is no clear indication that recent activity levels are outside the long-term range of variability, with evidence of high levels of ENSO activity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There is low confidence in the long-term trends in the IOD, particularly prior to the 1960s, although paleoclimate data indicate that the recent frequency of strong positive IOD events is high in the context of multi-century variability.

The full report can be read & downloaded as a pdf at

http://www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/

CLIMATE CHANGE 2025: when the weather gods wake up on the wrong side of the atmospheric bed

ECHO, 14 January 2025, p1:

Warnings of the possibility of thunderstorms occurring across New South Wales began to build on the morning of Wednesday,15 January 2025 and by the afternoon these warnings began to increase, by way of a mix BoM bulletins, broadcast news and social media.

Stay safe Sydney.. In fact NSW.. massive storm front smashing from Scone to Ulladulla on its way east .. keep your pets inside! ⛈️ 🙈🐾🐾 pic.twitter.com/StgmkN6D12

— Caroline (@CaroSearcc) January 15, 2025

On the morning of Thursday 16 January many New South Wales communities woke to either hear the news of severe storms elsewhere across the state or to survey by light of day the damage caused by the violent weather they had just experienced.

ABC News, 16 January 2025:

Severe storms battered large parts of the state overnight.

The state emergency service has received more than 2,250 requests for help in the past 24 hours, and one man in his 80s died in Cowra when a tree fell on his car.

100,000 homes remain without power on the Ausgrid network, which encompasses Sydney and the Hunter Valley.

NSW SES has received more than 2,250 calls for assistance and responded to more than 1,800 incidents as severe weather battered the state overnight.

Severe thunderstorm cells hit across Sydney and parts of the state's north-east, north-west and central west Thursday morning, including Newcastle and Wollongong.

More than 140,000 homes have been without power at some point in the last 24 hours.

A home at Mudgee in the central west was completely destroyed by a fire, after a downed power pole landed on the property.....

In Dubbo, fire crews were called to Eden Park where it's believed lightning struck a tree near a leaking gas pipe.

The area was closed for an hour while fire crews managed to bring the blaze under control, and the power company isolated the gas leak.

Cheryl Clydsdale is a farmer at Rouchel in the Upper Hunter and said the storm demolished a hay shed at her property....

Elsewhere in the Hunter, a roof at Cessnock High School was torn off, as well as a roof at the NSW Port Authority at Honeysuckle in Newcastle....

Line of storms

Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) senior meteorologist Christie Johnson said the wild weather was produced by a cold front that triggered a "massive line of storms".

"At one stage we basically had a line of storms extending from almost the Queensland border down to Tasmania," she said.

"We did see some super cells, those super-strong thunderstorms and they did develop along the line.

"Sometimes they can actually suck the energy out of the storms around them ... so you can get one area that is really badly hit, and then just down the road you get maybe just a normal thunderstorm coming over."

Wind gusts of 120 kilometres per hour were recorded at Williamtown, north of Newcastle, but gusts in excess of 100kph were recorded in areas scattered across the state including Kurnell (117kph) Scone, Dubbo and Cowra (107kph), Wagga Wagga (106kph) and Tamworth (102kph).

Then heaviest rain fell at Eurobodalla, on the south coast, where 127mm was recorded in the 24 hours to 9am.

"About 57mm of that fell in about half an hour, and about 85 in an hour," Ms Johnson said.....

Read the full article here.

A massive storm went over Sydney last night. Spent a few hours capturing these bad boys #SydneyStorm

*No retouching or editing on any of these. pic.twitter.com/tMiefV9XRb

— Jarv (@JarvFromOz) January 16, 2025

The warnings did not stop coming on Thursday.....

⛈️Thunderstorm FORECAST for TODAY (16/1): Storms possible over north-east #NSW.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS possible (🟡) in the far north-east & likely (🔴) over the #NorthernRivers. Risk of damaging winds, large hail & heavy rainfall/flash flooding.

Warnings: https://t.co/Ss766eSCrL pic.twitter.com/90L3DBQtqk

— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 16, 2025

Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) as of 2:22am 17 January 2025:

Warnings current:

• Marine Wind Warning Summary for New South Wales,

• Severe Weather Warning for Mid North Coast and parts of Hunter, Metropolitan, Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes and Plains Forecast Districts.,

• Coastal Hazard Warning for parts of Mid North Coast, Hunter, Metropolitan and Illawarra Forecast Districts.,

• Hazardous Surf Warning for New South Wales,

• Warning to Sheep Graziers for Mid North Coast, Hunter, Northern Tablelands, Illawarra, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, Snowy Mountains and Australian Capital Territory forecast districts,

• Flood Watch for parts of the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast, Hunter and Central Coast,

• Initial Minor Flood Warning for the Cooks River,

• Final Flood Warning for the Weir River (QLD).

This afternoon. pic.twitter.com/60OxTCwbED

— Nick Raschke (@R101Nick) January 16, 2025

The Hunter Coast, NSW Mid-North Coast, 16 January 2025

VIDEO: Nick Raschke, Newcastle

 

About 9:40am on 14 January 2025 the Northern Rivers Region Enforcement Squad assisted by officers from Richmond & Coffs police districts, a Domestic Violence High-Risk Offender Team & the Dog Unit attended a residence in Casino to effect an arrest & search premises

 

NSW Police News

26 charges over alleged property, traffic and drug offences - Casino

Wednesday, 15 January 2025 03:29:00 PM

A man has been charged with 26 offences following an extensive investigation into property crime in the Northern Rivers.

Between Tuesday 26 November 2024 and Monday 2 December 2024, the Northern Rivers Region Enforcement Squad (RES) investigated several property and traffic offences they believe were linked.

The incidents are alleged to have occurred along the north coast from Woolgoolga to Kingscliff.

Following extensive inquiries by Northern Rivers RES – assisted by Richmond Police District, Coffs Harbour RES, North Coast DVHROT, Dog Unit and Police Rescue – officers attended a home on Oak Avenue, Casino, about 9.40am yesterday (Tuesday 14 January 2024).

A 20-year-old man was arrested at the home and was served a Firearms Prohibition Order and a Digital Evidence Access Order.

A search warrant was also executed at the property, with police allegedly locating and seizing items including a machete, hammer, mobile phone, cannabis, and keys to a stolen vehicle.

The man was taken to Casino Police Station where he was charged with 26 offences,

• Aggravated break and enter and commit serious indictable offence-armed (four counts)

• Drive conveyance taken without consent (three counts)

• Unlicensed for Class, Class C, R, LR or MR (three counts)

• Be carried in conveyance taken without consent of owner (two counts)

• Attempt aggravated break and enter with intent - armed (two counts)

• Armed with intent to commit indictable offence (two counts)

• Aggravated break and enter and commit serious indictable offence - people there

• Aggravated break and enter dwelling etc in company steal

• Break and enter house etc steal

• Assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company of other(s)

• Stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm

• Police pursuit - not stop - drive at speed

• Police pursuit - not stop - drive dangerously

• Possess prohibited drug

• Goods in personal custody suspected being stolen, and

• Recruit child to carry out/assist criminal activity.

He was refused bail to appear before Lismore Local Court today (Wednesday 15 January 2025), where he was formally refused bail to appear before Coffs Harbour Local Court on Tuesday 11 March 2025.

NSW landholders can now lawfully take up to 100,000 litres of surface/ground water each year and store it in a tank or dam for future firefighting purposes.

Commonsense approach to bushfire preparedness

Published: 13 January 2025

Released by: Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Water

The Minns Labor Government is reducing red tape which has in practice stifled farmers’ ability to fight fires on their own property.

During a fire emergency, a landholder can now take water from surface water and groundwater sources on their land without needing to have a water licence and water use approval. This includes streams, creeks and rivers abutting the boundary.

This commonsense exemption has been made via amendments to the Water Management (General) Regulation 2018.

The water can be used by landholders on their property and adjacent land to fight fires. It can also be used for training and controlled burning when it is carried out by or under the authority of a firefighting agency such as the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), and for the testing and maintenance of firefighting equipment.

Landholders who wish to prepare for the threat of bushfires can now also lawfully take water and store it in a tank or dam for future firefighting purposes. The maximum volume for each property is 100,000 litres (0.1 ML) per year.

The NSW Government will carry out targeted periodic surveys of landholders to understand how the exemption is being used and to identify the extent and scale of water use.

While landholders are not required to submit reports, they are encouraged to log the volume of water they take under the exemption, for their own records.

Find further information on the exemptions.

Acting Minister for Water Jodie Harrison said:

“Rules to protect the state’s water security are important – but the fact is, when there is a fire, no one should need to stop and think if they are allowed to access water to keep themselves and their property safe.

“This is a common-sense decision, and it is great to see these amendments now in place in time for summer. When fire threatens life and property, landholders need fast and easy access to water to protect their properties and themselves.

“These changes make it easier and cheaper for farmers and property owners to access water to prepare for and respond to emergency fire situations.”

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

“When it comes to emergencies, landholders can play an important role in bushfire response, and this change further empowers them to act when their properties are under threat.”

“The NSW Government has been proactive in finding common sense ways to make it easier for landholders to fight fires on their properties, which also includes a trial to make it easier for farmers to keep firefighting vehicles on their properties.”

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

What are the new rules?

The exemptions cover specific uses of water:

• to prepare for and fight fires to protect life and property, and

• to take and store water (e.g. in a tank or dam) for future fire fighting needs. Water taken and stored is subject to a 100,000-litre limit per fiscal year.

The exemptions also support fire preparedness activities such as training and controlled burning (by or under the authority of a fire fighting authority), maintenance of fire fighting equipment, and wetting down buildings and land surrounding buildings whenever a fire is threatening a property.