This blog is open to any who wish to comment on Australian society, the state of the environment or political shenanigans at Federal, State and Local Government level.
Showing posts with label #standup4forests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #standup4forests. Show all posts
Oakes https://t.co/iNbKWUodtJ via @YouTube#NSWForestry may log this. The folly, reminds me of Prospero's speech in The Tempest: The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces...shall dissolve..We are such stuff as dreams are made on and our little life Is rounded with a sleep
A
message from the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
9
August 2022
The
ePetition "End Public Native Forest Logging" has closed for
signatures and has been presented in the Legislative Assembly by Mrs
Shelley Hancock.
The
ePetition text in full is:
To
the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly,
Public
native forest logging is pushing iconic species like the koala, swift
parrot and greater glider towards extinction.
The
2019/20 Black Summer bushfires burnt over 5 million hectares of
forest and have left them more vulnerable to the impacts of logging.The
Natural Resources Commission (NRC) and the Environmental Protection
Agency have recommended that in bushfire affected areas logging
should cease entirely or face tighter restrictions, as current
logging practices may cause irreversible damage to ecosystems and
wildlife.
Logging
of public native forests is tax-payer subsidised. Forestry
Corporation’s Hardwood Division has been operating at a significant
loss for the past decade. In 2020/21 it ran at a loss of $20 million,
with predictions that it will face losses of $15 million until 2024.
Reports
also show our state forests can generate far more income through
their protection than from logging, through recreation, tourism and
carbon abatement.
The
Western Australian and Victorian Governments have already committed
to ending this industry and have developed transition plans to
support affected workers and businesses.
The
petitioners ask the Legislative Assembly to:
1.
Develop a plan to transition the native forestry industry to 100%
sustainable plantations by 2024.
2.
In the interim, place a moratorium on public native forest logging
until the regulatory framework reflects the recommendations of the
leaked NRC report.
3.
Immediately protect high-conservation value forests through gazettal
in the National Parks estate.
4.
Ban use of native forest materials as biomass fuel.
The
ePetition received 21046 signatures and has been sent to the NSW
Government for a response.
You
will receive an email with a link to the response when it is
received.
As
the ePetition received more than 20,000 signatures, it will also be
debated in the Legislative Assembly at 4pm on 15/09/2022.
Nature
Conservation Council (NSW),
media
release,
30 June 2022:
75
hectares of habitat lost each day in NSW
Latest
land clearing data shows 75 hectares of wildlife habitat is bulldozed
or logged every day in NSW, almost twice the average annual rate
recorded before the Coalition overhauled nature laws in 2016. [1]
The
annual Statewide Land and Tree Study (SLATS) data shows 27,610
hectares of native forest were destroyed for farming, forestry and
development in 2020.
“This
astounding rate of deforestation is a disaster for wildlife and the
climate. We call on the government to take urgent action to reverse
the trend,” Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris
Gambian said.
“In
just one year we have lost an area of native forest nearly double the
size of Royal National Park. It is simply unsustainable.
“Using
widely accepted data on wildlife population densities, clearing on
that scale would have killed up to 4.6 million animals - mammals,
birds and reptiles – in just 12 months. [2]
“Native
forests in NSW can absorb up to 44 tonnes/hectare of C02 annually
[3].
“Protected
from logging, NSW public native forests could store an additional 900
million tonnes of CO2 - equivalent to six years of NSW emissions.
“These
forests are a critical carbon sink that we need to protect to pursue
meaningful action on climate change.
“After
the government weakened land clearing laws in 2016, deforestation
rates doubled and have remained at these dangerously high levels ever
since.
“The
Coalition promised it’s new laws would enhance protections for
bushland and wildlife.
“These
figures, and the rising number of threatened species, shows the laws
completely fail to deliver on that promise.
“More
than 1,040 plants and animals are now threatened with extinction in
NSW, about 40 more than when the scheme was introduced.
“The
government must stop uncontrolled deforestation on private land and
in state forests if it is going to tackle the extinction crisis.”
The
SLATS data show a 43% increase in the amount of vegetation cover lost
in production forests, presumably due to the 2019-20 Black Summer
Bushfires.
“Native
forests in NSW can absorb up to 44 tonnes/hectare of C02 annually,”
Mr Gambian said.
“Protected
from logging, NSW public native forests could store an additional 900
million tonnes of CO2 - equivalent to six years of NSW emissions.
“These
forests are a critical carbon sink that we need to protect to pursue
meaningful action on climate change."
[3]
Green Carbon report, The Wilderness Society, 2008 (figure of 44
tonnes/hectare of CO2 arrived at by multiplying the figure of 12
tonnes of Carbon a year by 3.67)
Breaking: Girard state forest defended! A NSW blockade on Jukembal land today to prevent the logging of native forest. https://t.co/KGBFI2mtWd Girard state forest is one of the last significant wildlife corridors between the Border Ranges NP and Bundjalung NP#worthmorestandingpic.twitter.com/JCPFxn09Xd
— Australian Forests and Climate Alliance (@AFCA_Forests) April 26, 2022
Logging truck in the Brooman State Forest less than a year after NSW 2019-20 bushfires destroyed more than 80 per cent of the Shoalhaven's bush. IMAGE: The Bush Telegraph, 12 October 2020.
NSW
PARLIAMENT,
retrieved 25 February 2022:
LEGISLATIVE
ASSEMBLY - Signing ePetition - End Public Native Forest Logging
To
sign the ePetition, confirm you are a resident of New South Wales and
enter your title, first name and last name. Once you click ‘submit’
you will have signed the ePetition and will be re-directed to the
Legislative Assembly’s ‘ePetitions open for signature’ page
End
Public Native Forest Logging
To
the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly,
Public
native forest logging is pushing iconic species like the koala, swift
parrot and greater glider towards extinction.
The
2019/20 Black Summer bushfires burnt over 5 million hectares of
forest and have left them more vulnerable to the impacts of logging.
The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) and the Environmental
Protection Agency have recommended that in bushfire affected areas
logging should cease entirely or face tighter restrictions, as
current logging practices may cause irreversible damage to ecosystems
and wildlife.
Logging
of public native forests is tax-payer subsidised. Forestry
Corporation’s Hardwood Division has been operating at a significant
loss for the past decade. In 2020/21 it ran at a loss of $20 million,
with predictions that it will face losses of $15 million until 2024.
Reports
also show our state forests can generate far more income through
their protection than from logging, through recreation, tourism and
carbon abatement.
The
Western Australian and Victorian Governments have already committed
to ending this industry and have developed transition plans to
support affected workers and businesses.
The
petitioners ask the Legislative Assembly to:
1.
Develop a plan to transition the native forestry industry to 100%
sustainable plantations by 2024.
2.
In the interim, place a moratorium on public native forest logging
until the regulatory framework reflects the recommendations of the
leaked NRC report.
3.
Immediately protect high-conservation value forests through gazettal
in the National Parks estate.
4.
Ban use of native forest materials as biomass fuel.
This
is the image of a former child actor who became Australian Prime
Minister, Scott John Morrison. Right now Scott wants Australian voters to believe that he
will help save the Koala from extinction.
IMAGE: Courier Mail, January 2022
However, Morrison is less a prime minister than he is a second-rate performance artist and right now he is playing a set piece role with this particular koala as a prop.
Here in New South Wales we have some experience of how once the
photographers and television cameramen have departed the scene Scott Morrison
doesn’t give a damn about koalas - it's called theRegional Forest Agreement.
The
recently announced $50 million emergency fund for koalas by the
Federal Government has been called a ‘smokescreen’ by
environmental group North East Forest Alliance (NEFA).
The
funding comes from the federal government’s $2 billion bushfire
relief fund that was announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on 6
January.
Announcing
the koala funding Treasurer Josh Frydenberg referred to the Black
Summer fires that raised approximately 10 million hectares of land,
with 8.4 million hectares saying that ‘This has been an ecological
disaster, a disaster that is still unfolding. We know that our native
flora and fauna have been very badly damaged’ (ABC).
A
NSW Parliament report in 2020 identified that koala populations
across parts of Australia are on track to become extinct before 2050
unless ‘urgent government intervention’. This gives Australian’s
now less than 30 years to turn this koala extinction threat around.
However,
NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said that Scott Morrison’s
announcement of $50 million for koalas is just a smokescreen to
cover-up his Government’s approval for increased logging and
clearing of koala habitat, while allowing climate heating to run
amok, threatening the future of both koalas and the Great Barrier
Reef,
‘Without
good policies on habitat protection and climate change no amount of
money will save koalas,’ said Mr Pugh.
‘If
Scott Morrison was fair dinkum about protecting koala habitat the
first thing he would do is to stop their feed and roost trees being
logged and cleared. Money is no good for koalas if they have nowhere
to live.
Climate
action needed
‘The
second is to take urgent and meaningful action on climate heating, as
koalas and their feed trees have already been decimated by
intensifying droughts and heatwaves in western NSW, and bushfires in
coastal areas. If the Morrison Government doesn’t take urgent
action on climate heating then neither koalas nor the Great Barrier
Reef will have a future.
Regional
Forest Agreement
‘When
the Morrison Government issued an indefinite extension to the
north-east NSW Regional Forest Agreement in 2018 they agreed to
remove the need for Forestry Corporation to thoroughly search for
koalas ahead of logging and protect all identified Koala High Use
Areas from logging.
‘They
also agreed to overriding the NSW Government’s own expert’s panel
recommendations, supported by the EPA, to retain 25 koala feed trees
per hectare in modelled high quality habitat, by reducing retention
down to just 10 smaller trees.
‘Thanks
to the Morrison Government we now have a shoddy process where a few
small trees are protected in inaccurately modelled habitat, while
loggers rampage through koala’s homes, and if a koala is seen in a
tree then all they need to do is wait until it leaves before cutting
its tree down.
‘Now
Scott Morrison is allowing the Forestry Corporation to log identified
refuges in burnt forests where koalas survived the fires.
‘The
situation on private lands is just as dire. Morrison did nothing to
save koala habitat when his State National Party colleagues declared
war on koalas in mid 2020 and forced his Liberal colleagues to agree
to remove protection for mapped core koala habitat and to open up
protected environmental zones for logging. This too is covered by
Morrison’s Regional Forest Agreement.’
‘If
he really cared about the future of koalas the first thing Morrison
needs to do is amend the Regional Forest Agreement to ensure there
are surveys by independent experts to identify core koala habitat for
protection before clearing or logging…...
‘The second thing is to stop new coal and gas projects, because to have any chance of saving koalas and the Great Barrier Reef we must act urgently to reduce our CO2 emissions, rather than increasing them.....
#Antarctica just registered its 2nd lowest November sea ice extent in the satellite era (43 years), amid our planet's 4th warmest November in 142 years of records.
Bungabbee Forest sits midway between Lismore, Casino and Kyogle – right near Bentley. Bungabbee is a little known environmental gem of the Northern Rivers.
Bungabbee is home to many threatened species. It forms part of the Mackellar Wildlife Corridor, connecting to the World Heritage Border Ranges. It is an area of outstanding biodiversity value in an extensively cleared landscape.
"The North East Forest Alliance was formed in 1989 as an alliance of groups and individuals from throughout north-east NSW, with the principal aims of protecting rainforest, oldgrowth, wilderness and threatened species. NEFA has pursued these goals through forest blockades, rallies, court cases, submissions, lobbying, and protracted negotiations"[https://www.nefa.org.au/about_nefa]
On
30 July 2021 the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) lodged its latest case in
the Federal Court against the Commonwealth and NSW Governments.
If you live anywhere on the NSW North Coast, want to preserve our unique, biodiverse forests for future generations and are considering making a donation, go to:
Environmental
Defenders Office (EDO),Latest News,
4 August 2021:
NSW
Forest Logging Agreement Faces Legal Challenge over Climate,
Biodiversity
In
a legal first, Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) is heading to the
Federal Court to challenge a New South Wales Regional Forest
Agreement (RFA).
The
North East RFA covers logging in the coastal area between Sydney and
the Queensland border. It exempts logging in native forests from
federal biodiversity law.
Originally
signed between the Commonwealth and New South Wales in 2000, it was
renewed in 2018 for another 20 years with rolling extensions that
could continue indefinitely.
In
the summer of 2019-20, devastating bushfires ripped through native
forests in the RFA region, including areas of the World
Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.
On
behalf of client the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA), EDO will
argue that when the North East RFA was renewed, the Commonwealth did
not have regard to endangered species, the state of old growth
forests or the impacts of climate change, as the EDO will argue it
was required to do.
NEFA
is asking the Federal Court to declare that the North East RFA does
not validly exempt native forest logging from federal biodiversity
assessment and approval requirements (EPBC Act).
NEFA
is acting to protect native forests, which provide critical habitat
for vulnerable and endangered species such as koalas and greater
gliders and to ensure that the laws that regulate logging in these
forests are up-to-date and fit for purpose. It is the first legal
challenge to an RFA in New South Wales.
Senior
Solicitor Emily Long has carriage of this case under the supervision
of Andrew Kwan.
EDO
is grateful for the assistance of Jeremy Kirk SC and James Johnson
and Claire Roberts of counsel who are briefed to appear in this
matter.
EDO
Chief Executive Officer David Morris said:
“We
are challenging the Federal Government over its failure to assess how
another 20-plus years of logging, against a background of a changing
climate, will impact our forest ecosystems, endangered species and
old growth forests.
“The
Commonwealth didn’t want to incur the costs of conducting a proper
assessment, waving through a 20-year extension of native forest
logging without proper scrutiny.
“Under
the current system, if a population of koalas is being threatened by
a new development, the project needs to be assessed at the Federal
level. But if the same population of koalas is being threatened by a
logging project, it’s been rubber stamped on the basis of
20-year-old environmental assessments.
“We
have known for years that as the climate changes, fires will follow.
And yet the North East RFA was renewed without an assessment of how
climate change will impact the health and resilience of our native
forest ecosystems. Less than 12 months later, fires began ravaging
native forests across the region.
“This
RFA is a powerful instrument that allows the forestry industry to
bypass Federal biodiversity assessments. To be robust, these
agreements must be founded on the latest scientific knowledge on
climate and the state of our forest ecosystems.”
20-year
Extension of Native Forest Logging
Myrtle State Forest Courtesy of NEFA
Regional
Forest Agreements are signed between the Commonwealth and the states,
allowing forestry operations to be exempt from assessment and
approval under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC ACT).
There
are ten RFAs in force around Australia. The North East RFA is one of
three in New South Wales, the others are the Eden RFA and Southern
RFA.
Image: NSW Environment Protection Authority
The
North East RFA encompasses a huge area spanning from NSW’s Central
Coast to Queensland’s Gold Coast. It encompasses critically
endangered ecosystems such as Central Hunter Valley eucalypt forest,
New England Peppermint Grassy Woodlands, as well as Lowland and
Littoral rainforests.
The
ecosystems under the agreement include vital habitat for vulnerable
and endangered species such as the grey-headed flying fox, the
greater glider, the spot-tailed quoll.
In
order for an RFA to exempt native forest logging from the usual
federal biodiversity assessment and approval requirements, when the
Commonwealth enters into an RFA it is legally required to have regard
to assessments of environmental values – including endangered
species and old growth – and the principles of ecologically
sustainable management. EDO will argue for NEFA that when the North
East RFA was renewed in 2018, the Commonwealth was required to, but
did not assess climate change, endangered species or old growth
forests.
In
the subsequent 2019-20 bushfire season, the Black Summer bushfires
devastated these ecosystems and the species that call them home,
changing native forests in these regions beyond recognition.
According
to the Natural Resources Commission 2020 report, 2019-2020 Bushfires:
Extent of impact on old growth forest2, 28% of the Upper North East
section of the North East RFA was fire affected, with over 65% of the
forest canopy in that area being either totally or partially burnt.
23% of the Lower North East section of the North East RFA was fire
affected, with 52% of the forest canopy in that area being either
totally or partially burnt.
On
behalf of NEFA, EDO will argue that the lack of crucial assessments
before the 2018 renewal means the decision to extend the North East
RFA was not made in accordance with the relevant legislation. As a
consequence, the Federal Court should find the North East RFA does
not lawfully exempt logging in the north east RFA region from federal
biodiversity assessment and approval requirements.
In
our quest to combat climate change, it seems that political
philosophy and denial, spurred on by vested interests, are our
greatest impediment to successfully avoiding an unmanageable outcome.
Recently
the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, warned that
the planet is on track to be 3 to 5 degrees warmer within 80 years.
That’s more than double the warming that scientists believe we can
safely endure.
In
fact, it is now predicted that the manageable 1.5 degree maximum
warming could be reached as early as 2024, after which, continued
inaction will likely have catastrophic consequences.
With
this dire warning front and foremost, one would think there would be
some degree of urgency to address the situation, but no, instead,
some Australia politicians are advocating for Clean Energy Finance
Corporation money to be used to fund new coal-fired power stations,
arguably the greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
On
the other side of the equation, forests across the globe, one of
nature’s most efficient carbon depositories, are being cleared at
increasing rates for agriculture, and more recently to be burned to
generate electricity. Apparently, the term “renewable” is being
manipulated to imply it is somehow “clean” and acceptable, and
that’s given denialists the opportunity to promote the use of
‘biomass’ here in Australia.
The
escalation of biomass use is so great, that a group of over 500
international scientists have written to the Presidents of the US,
the European Council, the European Commission, and South Korea, as
well as the Prime Minister of Japan, asking them to intervene to end
the practice of industrial scale wood-burning for energy production.
They rightly argue that the practice is seriously undermining
efforts, not only to address climate change, but to protect
biodiversity as well.
Native
forest timbers are already being burned to produce electricity here
in Australia, although not yet at the industrial scale occurring
overseas. However, Australian forest timber is already being exported
as biomass, referred to as ‘biopellets’, to Japan and elsewhere,
for burning to generate electricity.
The
insanity continues!
John
Edwards
According
to the Australian Government Dept.
of Agriculture, Water and the Environment“there is
potential to expand Australia’s bioenergy sector to increase the
use of wood residues from forest operations for electricity and heat
generation and transport biofuel production”.
The
now idle Redbank coal-fired power station at
Warkworth, NSW, near Singleton, announced it expects to covert to
biomass sometime this year and, in April 2021 is marketing this move
as clean, green energy.
Since
2020 Hunter Energy has been seeking
expressions of interest for timber from across north-east NSW
to fuel this recommissioned power station.
In
March 2021 SA port operator T-Ports has announced it had reached an
agreement with Mitsui Bussan Woodchip Oceania, Kangaroo Island
Plantation Timbers (KIPT) and HarvestCo to export timber biomass.
Australia-based
Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers has been awarded a $5.5 million
bushfire recovery grant from the Australian government to support the
development of a biomass pellet plant and small-scale biomass power
plant.
The
facilities will be located on at KIPT’s timber processing hub at
Timber Creek on Kangaroo Island, a region that experienced a
devastating bushfire in December 2019. The island is located off
Australia’s southern coast approximately 550 miles northwest of
Melbourne.
Once
operational, the pellet plant will be capable of accepting
fire-damaged logs and any other logs that cannot be sold into export
markets. Pellets produced at the plant are expected to be exported
using the chip-handling facility at the proposed Kangaroo Island
Seaport at Smith Bay.
The
project will also include a small-scale power plant to support the
pellet mill. That facility will be capable of dispatching base-load
power to the electricity grid.
KIPT
said due diligence work is underway on the pellet proposal with
project partners. The company said it expects to achieve internal
approval for the project during the first half of this year, subject
to regulatory consent.
In
Albany Western Australia, the Plantation Energy Australia (PEA)
is running a wood pellet production plant which exports up to 125,000
tonnes of wood pellets every year, mainly to Belgium
for use as energy.
The
Australian endemic bee, Pharohylaeus lactiferus (Colletidae:
Hylaeinae) is a rare species that requires conservation assessment.
Prior to this study, the last published record of this bee species
was from 1923 in Queensland, and nothing was known of its biology.
Hence, I aimed to locate extant populations, provide biological
information and undertake exploratory analyses relevant to its
assessment. Pharohylaeus lactiferus was recently rediscovered as a
result of extensive sampling of 225 general and 20 targeted sampling
sites across New South Wales and Queensland. Collections indicate
possible floral and habitat specialisation with specimens only found
near Tropical or Sub-Tropical Rainforest and only visiting
Stenocarpus sinuatus (Proteaceae) and Brachychiton acerifolius
(Malvaceae), to the exclusion of other available floral resources.
Three populations were found by sampling bees visiting these plant
species along much of the Australian east coast, suggesting
population isolation. GIS analyses used to explore habitat
destruction in the Wet Tropics and Central Mackay Coast bioregions
indicate susceptibility of Queensland rainforests and P. lactiferus
populations to bushfires, particularly in the context of a fragmented
landscape. Highly fragmented habitat and potential host
specialisation might explain the rarity of P. lactiferus. Targeted
sampling and demographic analyses are likely required to thoroughly
assess the status of this species and others like it.
The
greatest threats to ecosystems and species worldwide are habitat
loss, fragmentation and degradation (Vie et al. 2009). Australia has
already cleared over 40% of its forests and woodlands since European
colonisation, leaving much of the remainder fragmented and degraded
(Bradshaw 2012). The vast majority of clearing has occurred on
freehold and leasehold land and for animal agriculture (Evans 2016).
In particular, Queensland is a contemporary land-clearing hotspot and
is responsible for more than half of all land-clearing in Australia
over the past four decades (Evans 2016). It is a failing of state and
federal government policy and regulation that land clearing in
Queensland continues at rates that should be of concern both
nationally and internationally (Reside et al. 2017).
Despite
the ecological importance of Australian native bees, we know very
little about their biology (Batley and Hogendoorn 2009) or
conservation status. North Queensland hosts high species richness and
endemism (Crisp et al. 2001; Orme et al. 2005; Hurlbert and Jetz
2007) and several bee genera that are found nowhere else in Australia
(Houston 2018; Smith 2018). These restricted bee genera include:
Ctenoplectra Kirby (Apidae: Apinae), Nomada Scopoli (Apidae:
Nomadinae), Mellitidia Guérin-Méneville (Halictidae: Nomiinae),
Reepenia Friese (Halictidae: Nomiinae), Patellapis Friese
(Halictidae: Halictinae) and Pharohylaeus Michener (Colletidae:
Hylaeinae).
Pharohylaeus
has only two described species: P. papuaensis Hirashima & Roberts
in Papua New Guinea and P. lactiferus (Cockerell) in Australia
(Houston 1975; Hirashima and Roberts 1986). Both species are
relatively large (9–11 mm), robust, mostly black with distinctive
white facial and body markings, and have the first three tergal
segments enlarged and enclosing the others. The former is known only
from two females which were collected on Syzygium aqueum (Burm.f.)
Alston (Myrtaceae) in 1982 (Hirashima and Roberts 1986). No published
records of P. lactiferus have been made since the third of January
1923, when three males were collected in the Atherton Tablelands; in
May of 1900 a male and a female were collected in Mackay while
another female was collected in Kuranda prior to 1910 (Cockerell
1910; Houston 1975). However, the collection localities of these
specimens are imprecise and no biological data were recorded.
Due
to the dearth of biological information on P. lactiferus prior to
this study, I aimed to locate extant populations and contribute
biological information as part of a broader bee survey. Because of
this, much of what follows are exploratory analyses of the potential
risks for P. lactiferus and suggestions for future research. Hence, I
undertook a series of post-hoc analyses in order to provide insights
into the biology, ecology and potential extinction risks associated
with P. lactiferus. I provide insights into the circumstances of the
rediscovery of P. lactiferus and what is now known of its floral and
habitat associations. I also explore spatial data relating to P.
lactiferus (vegetation association, potential fire risks and
occurrences) and my sampling methods (for potential biases). The
possible floral and habitat specialisation along with the rarity of
P. lactiferus raises concerns about its conservation status. I
further highlight the need for preservation of remnant vegetation and
better arthropod-diversity monitoring, particularly for at-risk and
phylogenetically important species.
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
[Adopted and proclaimed by United Nations General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948]
Hi! My name is Boy. I'm a male bi-coloured tabby cat. Ever since I discovered that Malcolm Turnbull's dogs were allowed to blog, I have been pestering Clarencegirl to allow me a small space on North Coast Voices.
A false flag musing: I have noticed one particular voice on Facebook which is Pollyanna-positive on the subject of the Port of Yamba becoming a designated cruise ship destination. What this gentleman doesn’t disclose is that, as a principal of Middle Star Pty Ltd, he could be thought to have a potential pecuniary interest due to the fact that this corporation (which has had an office in Grafton since 2012) provides consultancy services and tourismbusiness development services.
A religion & local government musing: On 11 October 2017 Clarence Valley Council has the Church of Jesus Christ Development Fund Inc in Sutherland Local Court No. 6 for a small claims hearing. It would appear that there may be a little issue in rendering unto Caesar. On 19 September 2017 an ordained minister of a religion (which was named by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in relation to 40 instances of historical child sexual abuse on the NSW North Coast) read the Opening Prayer at Council’s ordinary monthly meeting. Earlier in the year an ordained minister (from a church network alleged to have supported an overseas orphanage closed because of child abuse claims in 2013) read the Opening Prayer and an ordained minister (belonging to yet another church network accused of ignoring child sexual abuse in the US and racism in South Africa) read the Opening Prayer at yet another ordinary monthly meeting. Nice one councillors - you are covering yourselves with glory!
An investigative musing: Newcastle Herald, 12 August 2017: The state’s corruption watchdog has been asked to investigate the finances of the Awabakal Aboriginal Local Land Council, less than 12 months after the troubled organisation was placed into administration by the state government. The Newcastle Herald understands accounting firm PKF Lawler made the decision to refer the land council to the Independent Commission Against Corruption after discovering a number of irregularities during an audit of its financial statements.The results of the audit were recently presented to a meeting of Awabakal members. Administrator Terry Lawler did not respond when contacted by the Herald and a PKF Lawler spokesperson said it was unable to comment on the matter. Given the intricate web of company relationships that existed with at least one former board member it is not outside the realms of possibility that, if ICAC accepts this referral, then United Land Councils Limited (registered New Zealand) and United First Peoples Syndications Pty Ltd(registered Australia) might be interviewed. North Coast Voices readers will remember that on 15 August 2015 representatives of these two companied gave evidence before NSW Legislative Council General Purpose Standing Committee No. 6 INQUIRY INTO CROWN LAND. This evidence included advocating for a Yamba mega port.
A Nationals musing: Word around the traps is that NSW Nats MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis has been talking up the notion of cruise ships visiting the Clarence River estuary. Fair dinkum! That man can be guaranteed to run with any bad idea put to him. I'm sure one or more cruise ships moored in the main navigation channel on a regular basis for one, two or three days is something other regular river users will really welcome. *pause for appreciation of irony* The draft of the smallest of the smaller cruise vessels is 3 metres and it would only stay safely afloat in that channel. Even the Yamba-Iluka ferry has been known to get momentarily stuck in silt/sand from time to time in Yamba Bay and even a very small cruise ship wouldn't be able to safely enter and exit Iluka Bay. You can bet your bottom dollar operators of cruise lines would soon be calling for dredging at the approach to the river mouth - and you know how well that goes down with the local residents.
A local councils musing: Which Northern Rivers council is on a low-key NSW Office of Local Government watch list courtesy of feet dragging by a past general manager?
A serial pest musing: I'm sure the Clarence Valley was thrilled to find that a well-known fantasist is active once again in the wee small hours of the morning treading a well-worn path of accusations involving police, local business owners and others.
An investigative musing: Which NSW North Coast council is batting to have the longest running code of conduct complaint investigation on record?
A which bank? musing: Despite a net profit last year of $9,227 million the Commonwealth Bank still insists on paying below Centrelink deeming rates interest on money held in Pensioner Security Accounts. One local wag says he’s waiting for the first bill from the bank charging him for the privilege of keeping his pension dollars at that bank.
A Daily Examiner musing: Just when you thought this newspaper could sink no lower under News Corp management, it continues to give column space to Andrew Bolt.
A thought to ponder musing: In case of bushfire or flood - do you have an emergency evacuation plan for the family pet?
An adoption musing: Every week on the NSW North Coast a number of cats and dogs find themselves without a home. If you want to do your bit and give one bundle of joy a new family, contact Happy Paws on 0419 404 766 or your local council pound.
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