Waterhole betting on Gulaptis low key but colourful

Maud Up The Street tells me that her young 'uns swear that at one Maclean wateringhole locals are not betting on who will win the Clarence election this Saturday - after all that's a lay down misere.
Given that North Coast Nats all seem to be poured from the same mold, what they're betting on is how long the Gulaptis marriage will last once he relocates to Macquarie Street.
Fair dinkum, those blokes must've been bored that day!

A win on the board for Labor's Peter Ellem and local nurses regarding O'Farrell Government's health funding offer

It is highly likely that people in the Clarence Valley would still be waiting and, Grafton Base Hospital still be without sufficient staffing levels to open its new orthopaedic beds in 2011-12 if Labor’s candidate in the 19 November Clarence by-election Peter Ellem (with the help of local nurses) had not managed to make it an election issue.

In The Casino Times online on 24 October 2011:

COUNTRY Labor candidate for the Clarence by-election, Peter Ellem today joined Opposition Leader John Robertson and local nurses to demand State funding for orthopaedic surgery and equipment at Grafton Base Hospital.
"The O'Farrell Stoner Government must fund orthopaedic surgery and equipment to complement the new federally-funded operating theatres at Grafton Base Hospital," Mr Ellem said.
"The Commonwealth-funded theatres are a massive boost for Grafton Base, but the O'Farrell-Stoner Government down in Sydney needs to back this up with State-funded orthopaedic surgery and equipment.
"The National Party has been far too timid in their approach to Grafton Base Hospital – I am demanding the immediate funding of orthopaedic surgery for the hospital."

From a NSW Health Minister media release on 14 November 2011:

The NSW Government has allocated $1.7 million of recurrent funding to support the establishment of an Orthopaedic Surgery Service at Grafton Base Hospital, the Minister for Health and Minister for Medical Research, Jillian Skinner, announced today…..

“This funding will allow additional nursing staff, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist to be recruited to treat orthopaedic surgery patients,” Mrs Skinner said……

This $1.7 million allocation will complement the redevelopment of the Grafton Base Hospital operating theatres and the establishment of dedicated orthopaedic surgery beds, which have been jointly funded by the Federal and State Governments.

Although, given how the O'Farrell Government and its candidate Chris Gulaptis fudged their earlier health announcements, one may have to wait and see if this claimed new funding isn't actually Federal Government money being announced by the NSW Coalition as its own.

The Greens zero in on Hapless Gulaptis

You’ve gotta enjoy the way Gulaptis’ chicken words quickly come home to roost after they fly from his mouth. Here are The Greens taking him to task in his self-appointed role of the defender of mainstream values against those dastardly interest groups in "We all benefit from the achievements of 'noisy' minorities":

Chris Gulaptis appears to have a problem with 'noisy' minorities.

Some of the achievements of noisy minorities:

• voting rights for women
• the end of child labour in the U.K.
• the end of open slavery
• the protection of the Franklin River
• the end of cigarette advertising in the media

Do you belong to a noisy minority?

If a state election was held today the Nationals would gain 6% of the state's primary vote. The Greens would gain 14%. (Latest Newspoll- The Australian, November 10)

Nationals Chris Gulaptis continues to align himself with admitted lawbreaker

Some aspiring politicians kiss babies, help little old ladies find a seat and shake the hands of old soldiers.

Not the NSW Nationals' candidate in the Clarence by-election, Chris Gulaptis.

He keeps buddying up to former disgraced MP Steve Cansdell who had to resign his seat because he had been outed for signing a false statuatory declaration in which he lied in order to keep his driver's license after repeat speeding infringements.

The snapshot of Chris and Steve (above) comes from a Gulaptis campaign leaflet being delivered across the Clarence Valley this month.

UPDATE:

He confessed, so why delay the arrest? Could the police be dragging their feet for political reasons, asks the Herald Sun on 13 November 2011.

Clarence By-Election: Remembering that Gulaptis Grand Tanty of 2007 & the Fiji Dictatorship

This letter to the editor in The Daily Examiner last Saturday reminded voters that Chris Gulaptis can throw a spectacular sulk.

Vowed never to return

I'm not sure whether G Dobbin (DE Letters) is a passionate Labor supporter with deep concerns for Peter Ellem's dress sense or a National Party stooge, but whatever it was that prompted his or her letter to the editor they got one thing dead right; Labor still has integrity.

So much so, in fact, that Chris Gulaptis, despite his desperate attempts, couldn't make it onto the Labor membership books and get the ALP pre-selection he thought would lead to a seat in parliament.

What a shame the Nationals, unlike the ALP, can't spot political opportunism when it's staring them in the face.

If they could, we poor voters would have been spared the odious situation of being saddled with a National Party candidate who had the hide to vent his spleen on the people of Grafton, simply because they failed to vote for him at the Federal elections.

And the National Party would not now be stuck with someone they prefer to keep hidden rather than out on the campaign trail.

Chris Gulaptis stormed out of Grafton after his Federal election loss vowing never to return.

What a shame he didn't stick to his promise.

BILL O'DONNELL

Maclean

What the letter didn't mention was the fact that he also ratted out ratepayers because he was still a Clarence Valley councillor with another 10 months on the clock when he lost at the 2007 federal election - months in which he was an absentee representative working overseas for much of the time.

And that after the Australian democratic process chewed him up and spat him out he first worked in a South Pacific dictatorship run by Josaia Voreqe 'Frank' Bainimarama before settling in Queensland. Indeed, Gulaptis said "his work overseas was more of a priority" than Clarence Valley local government.
The Bainimarama totalitarian regime obviously approved the resort he worked on as it still hosts the company's job vacancy advertising.

So while the ordinary people of Fiji were suffering the ongoing effects of a coup which stripped them of democratic rights (and saw people physically intimidated, sexually assaulted, beaten to death, detained, tortured, spied on, deprived of free speech) Gulaptis was helping to bring into being this foreign-owned Fijian island resort for the rich and famous:

"Small plates are the order here, with seven-course meals of smartly proportioned gourmet dishes. The airy, colonial-style Plantation House contains a fine-dining restaurant, a lounge and an impressive wine cellar. (Premium wines can be had at an additional cost, starting at $55 and going as high as $1,280 for a 1995 Château Mouton Rothschild Premier Cru.) At the Seagrass Lounge, the fare is Asian-fusion. The Beach Bar grills a mix of meat, seafood and vegetables; the clifftop Rock Lounge is best for sunsets, cocktails and savory bites; and the Pool Bar offers an addictive tuna carpaccio with French-fried zucchini and wasabi dipping sauce.
Service at Fiji’s better resorts has always been wholehearted, but it has also been famously slow. Not so at Laucala. With a staff of 360 and a guest count below 80, a call for coffee produces a smiling employee carrying a steaming pot in three minutes flat. One recent guest, out for an early round with New Zealand golf pro Tony Christie, came upon a perfectly set table near the fourth hole. Someone had decided they might like breakfast with their game.
Accommodations begin at $3,800 {a night} for two people." Or as Gulaptis likes to brag "ranging from $4000 to $30,000 per night".
This is definitely an 'invitation only' resort.

Update:
Gulaptis admits he missed five meetings from April 2008 to the council elections in September 2008.

I know! Why not make it hard for voters in Yamba?

The Clarence Valley Review would have Yamba voters rock up to meet the 8 Clarence byelection candidates long after the polls have closed and in 2013 to make this Monday the 19th!
For those living in real time I'm pretty sure the candidates expect to see a crowd on Monday 14th November 2011 at 6pm.

2011 Clarence By-Election Scorecard. Part Four - the field begins to spread out

NSW Nationals candidate Chris Gulaptis in the media this week:

FEARS up to 50 jobs would be lost in the Clarence Valley under the State Government's planned new tender process for road works were "a storm in a teacup", Nationals candidate for Clarence Chris Gulaptis said. “All it means is that instead of the tender going to council, contractors can bid for the work," he said…..

Greens MLC Jeremy Buckingham last week called on the government to fast track a Regional Land Use Policy for the North Coast, which was not yet even budgeted.

Mr Gulaptis agreed.

"There is no reason we should be last in any area of government expenditure ... we've been doing it tough so if anything we deserve special consideration."

Responding to a challenge issued by Mr Buckingham for the National Party to choose between its rural constituents or big mining companies, Mr Gulaptis said the Greens' attempt to polarise the election on one issue was over-simplistic.

But Nationals candidate and former Page electorate hopeful Chris Gulaptis has been very quiet. Since he was announced as the party's candidate on October 16 we have seen only about three media releases from Mr Gulaptis.

As a candidate he is free to choose how to run his campaign and his campaign team might believe he has sufficient profile from his former mayoralty of Maclean Shire and his tilt at the Federal seat to see him through. But it is an unusual and risky approach, even for a frontrunner.

People expect to hear from the candidates, and in a State election campaign when we are about to lose 200 jobs from the local abattoir they deserve to know how they would deliver new jobs or improve the other areas of State responsibility such as roads, bridges, education, tourism, policing, health or the environment.

We have heard little of that. [The Daily Examiner Campaign on the quiet 10 November 2011]

NSW Country Labor candidate Peter Ellem released his first campaign flyer this week covering promises to fight for more jobs and better health services in the Clarence electorate particularly the Lower Clarence Valley, more police resources, a safer Pacific Highway, a second Grafton Bridge which doesn’t destroy Dovedale; and fight against any move to divert water from the Clarence River or privatise Grafton Goal.

He also sent out a very targeted media release on 10 November which took the fight up to the Nationals candidate concerning coal seam gas:

"I'm calling on the O'Farrell-Stoner Government to immediately suspend all Coal Seam Gas exploration licenses before irreparable damage is caused to ground water and aquifers in the Northern Rivers," Mr Ellem said.

"I'm also demanding the O'Farrell-Stoner Government cease issuing Coal Seam Gas extraction licenses and refuse any applications to expand existing operations.

"Coal Seam Gas has the potential to damage our local rivers, drinking water, prime agricultural land, fishing industry and tourism industry.

"The NSW Labor Opposition believes that until a regulatory framework is in place based on independent scientific research and conclusive evidence, we should not be allowing Coal Seam Gas mining to proceed freely.  

NSW Greens candidate Janet Cavanaugh put a number of media releases out this week including this strong statement:

“The Greens have a good track record when it comes to electricity privatisation,” Ms Cavanaugh said.
“We opposed it under Labor and we are opposed to it now under the Liberal/ National Coalition Government.
“It doesn’t make sense, particularly when it comes to the poles and wires which deliver electricity to our region and our households. These are an essential service and a natural monopoly. They should not be run for profit.

Janet also scores a small advantage because her supporters are enthusiastically getting her message out, including about a Clarence River Catchment anti-antimony mining rally to be held at Karangi Dam on 12 November 2011 at 11am. As well as for a clever use of buses as mobile advertising and showing a sense of humour by posting this; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy90ylMRjLY.

Independent Wade Walker in the media this week:

I think it's about time we move forward in developing the Clarence electorate right across the board - areas like health facilities, sport facilities and renewable energy,"……….Among Mr Walker's other key policies is more of an emphasis on renewable energy in the Clarence and also a halt to coal-seam gas exploration and antimony mining in the Clarence area until more is known about their environmental and health-related impacts.

Christian Democratic Party candidate Bethany Camac has no media presence this week.

Outdoor Recreation Party candidate Clinton Mead has no media presence this week.

Australian Democrat candidate David Robinson has no media presence this week.

Independent Stewart Scott-Irving has no media presence this week.

Assessment:

1. Chris Gulaptis appears dismissive of local fears about more job losses on the NSW North Coast and his attempt to straddle the fence on coal seam gas and antimony mining doesn’t engender much trust. However, it is his attempt to deny that he had once approached the ALP concerning pre-selection which means that his minus score doesn’t mark time – it grows.

2. Peter Ellem continues to echo community concerns in relation to a number of issues, but still displays a strange reluctance to take a strong stand against antimony mining which is perhaps a more immediate threat to the south-eastern section of the Clarence electorate than is coal seam gas mining. His score moves forward from last week.

3. Janet Cavanaugh remains more adept at the use of social media than the rest of the field and her policy statements generally do not disappoint. She adds to her score.

4. Wade Walker has found his voice and gets his first run on the scoreboard for briefly mentioning some of the most pressing issues concerning the Clarence River catchment. Although it is hard to see his idea for four Clarence Advisory Teams made up of community leaders, senior citizens and also senior high school students in Casino, Evans Head, Maclean and Grafton, to raise important community issues ever getting off the ground. His publication of a campaign advertisement with no authorization, when a simple read of his candidate information pack would have shown him what pitfalls to avoid means he doesn’t score well. Swings and roundabouts for Wade.

5. Bethany Camac is virtually mute and her score doesn’t change.

6. Clinton Mead – Clinton Who? He can write a letter to the editor in his far distant home town but can’t be bothered putting pen to paper up here. Loses points.

7. David Robinson remains a puzzle as he is yet to tell the electorate what he is about. Losing ground.

8. Stewart Scott-Irving obviously doesn’t care about the Clarence electorate or its voters, as he is not speaking to them in any meaningful way. Enters minus territory simply because he can’t be bothered.

Rolling Scorecard

Gulaptis -3

Ellem 3.2

Cavanaugh 3.5
Wade Walker 0.5
Bethany Camac -3

Clinton Mead -2

David Robinson -0.5

Stewart Scott-Irving -0.5

Clarence By-Election: Ellem puts Gulaptis on the CSG spot

Ellem (left centre) and Woods (right centre) on the banks of the Clarence River

Media Release Thursday, 10 November 2011

COUNTRY LABOR CALLS FOR SUSPENSION
OF COAL SEAM GAS EXPLORATION

ELLEM AND WOODS TEAM UP TO PROTECT OUR RIVERS

Country Labor candidate for the Clarence by-election, Peter Ellem today called on the O'Farrell-Stoner Government to suspend all current Coal Seam Gas exploration licenses to protect the Clarence and Richmond rivers.

Mr Ellem was joined by the former Member for Clarence, Harry Woods who has come out of retirement and thrown his weight behind Peter's by-election campaign.

"I'm calling on the O'Farrell-Stoner Government to immediately suspend all Coal Seam Gas exploration licenses before irreparable damage is caused to ground water and aquifers in the Northern Rivers," Mr Ellem said.

"I'm also demanding the O'Farrell-Stoner Government cease issuing Coal Seam Gas extraction licenses and refuse any applications to expand existing operations.

"Coal Seam Gas has the potential to damage our local rivers, drinking water, prime agricultural land, fishing industry and tourism industry.

"The NSW Labor Opposition believes that until a regulatory framework is in place based on independent scientific research and conclusive evidence, we should not be allowing Coal Seam Gas mining to proceed freely.

"The National Party has let the people of country NSW down on Coal Seam Gas – Andrew Stoner isn’t willing to put our rivers and prime agricultural land first."

Former Member for the Clarence, Harry Woods backed the Country Labor stance on Coal Seam Gas and demanded the Nationals' candidate Chris Gulaptis reveal his position to the community.

"Chris Gulaptis is a fly-in, fly-out candidate who will be back on a plane to Queensland quick smart if the going gets tough," Mr Woods said.

"I'd like to hear what Mr Gulaptis will do to protect our river, considering his involvement with the mining industry during his time in Queensland.

"Mr Gulaptis talked about how he loved being ‘back in a community where mining was big’ during his time in Mackay. I think local residents deserve to hear about what his plans are to deal with Coal Seam Gas in Clarence.

"This by-election is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to send a message to the O'Farrell-Stoner Government about Coal Seam Gas on behalf of all country people."

MEDIA CONTACT: COURTNEY ROCHE 0413 055 189

What a Political Whopper!

Has to be the biggest political whopper so far in the battle for the seat of Clarence, and I don’t mean from the pen of Bill O‘Donnell……..

“NATIONAL Party candidate for the Clarence by-election Chris Gulaptis has described as "lies" claims he had ever sought preselection for the Labor party.”

Oh, and the way I’ve always heard it from political insiders over the years, it was Chris who approached the ALP not the other way round as he is now claiming.

Gall-aptis also forgets that the truth has been out there on Teh Intenetz, reading to haunt him:

Chris cross

THERE is an old Turkish saying that goes something like this: "If you don't tell the truth make sure you have one foot in the stirrups."

The level of fiction in the Chris Gulaptis letter (DE March 22) almost guarantees he'll shortly be in the market for a good horse.

Probably about the time Janelle Saffin, and not Steve Cansdell, delivers on Grafton Base Hospital.

But it's the last paragraph of his letter that really should have Chris Gulaptis galloping off into the sunset.

He's on pretty shaky ground when he starts accusing people of being something they are not.

I've been around the Labor Party a long time and I wouldn't know Craig Howe if I fell over him.

The Gulaptis story, however, is a little different. His claim to be National Party first, last and foremost is a road to Damascus conversion and came after he couldn't get what he wanted from the ALP.

He shed plenty of sweat chasing a position with Labor, right down to travelling to Sydney to meet with the then NSW general secretary, Mark Arbib, former minister Harry Woods and Harry's chief of staff Mike Fleming.

His comment that Steve Cansdell won seven primary votes to every one of Craig Howe's only proves he knows how to use a calculator.

The fact that Janelle Saffin is now in Federal Parliament proves that what the ALP thought of Chris Gulaptis was spot on.

Terry Flanagan

Orara Way

Much better to stick with the uncomfortabe truth, Chris. You should recall from 2007 that we all have long memories of the incredible length to which your nose can grow.

Clarence By-election: Independent candidate failed Political Advertising 101

A how-to-vote advertisement placed in a local paper by an independent candidate contesting the Clarence By-election suggests the candidate who secured the donkey vote position on the ballot paper is a bit of a donkey himself.

The candidate's ad shows no signs of authorisation, which is a dead-set requirement. The Electoral Commission of NSW's advice to candidates isn't all that difficult to read and comprehend.

The Commission's website clearly states "once the Writs have been issued all electoral material (advertisements, how-to-vote cards, handbills, pamphlets, posters or notices) must include details of the name and full address of the person authorising the printing of the material, and the name of the printer and the full address at which it was printed.

If the electoral material is to be distributed on election day, it must also clearly identify the person, political party, organisation or group on whose behalf the material is to be distributed.
It is acceptable for electoral material not originally including this information to be amended by writing, stamping or overtyping the necessary details.
It is also necessary for any electoral material displayed on electronic billboards, digital road signs and the like to contain visible, legible characters indicating the name and address of the person who has authorised the display."

 

Source: The ad is in The Clarence Valley Review, 9/11/11

George Wagener Dislikes Coal Seam Gas Mining

George Wagener (left)

Greenridge, Casino NSW

Grazier

ex-Nationals member

Fighting Coal Seam Gas Mining

Supporting The Greens

according to J. Buckingham MLC (right)

Picture found at  yfrog.com/h3pivkhkj

Nationals candidate Chris Gulaptis forced to play third wheel?

Can Chris Gulaptis’ humilation get any deeper?  Rarely let outside his front gate without a minder and obviously not allowed to open his mouth in front of the media unless absolutely necessary. These pictures clearly show he has been reduced from the NSW Nationals' Clarence By-election ‘star’ to a mere cypher they hope to foist on the electorate before voters find out how little he knows about either politics or policy.

Gulaptis (centre in white shirt) plays third fiddle to the Clarence Valley Mayor

Gulaptis (far left) plays second banana to NSW Health Minister

Gulaptis (face obscured) plays passive casting extra in crowd scene

Not the sort of reaction Premier O'Farrell and What's-iz-Name expected

Poor old Hapless Gulaptis can’t take a trick. The biggest political heavy he could draw into his campaign to win the Clarence election and this is fairly indicative of the media response on the day of the visit - barely concealed laughter.

Jules Faber in The Daily Examiner 4th Novemeber 2011

Premier laughs off gaffe by Rodney Stevens on 4th November 2011

“AFTER spelling his candidate's name wrong on a twitter post about visiting Grafton, NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell walked the streets of the Jacaranda city yesterday showing his support for Chris "Galuptis".

Almost two hours after arriving at Mr Gulaptis' Prince St campaign office dressed in a tie, after soaking up Jacaranda Thursday celebrations, Mr O'Farrell held a press conference, sans tie at Market Square.

Mr O'Farrell laughed off the spelling gaffe, saying it was probably auto-correct that resulted in Mr Gulaptis' name being spelt wrong...”

Comments

By blind-freddie from Iluka on 4/11/2011 at 8:03AM

O'Farrell's 'slip of the lip' makes me wonder if he sees his colleague-to-be as a bit of a galloper- and on a heavy track, stuck in mud, being harshly ridden, under the whip, only worth a long shot bet, a bit spavined, running for second place, heading for the glue factory, or even a touch of Fine Cotton. Or is the race fixed, a done deal, a one horse race, with only the gallop down the home strait needed for victory.

Is Gulaptis a real friend of public education or does he sing from O'Farrell's song sheet?

In TV ads promoting Chris Gulaptis as the Nationals candidate for Clarence Mr Gulaptis is seen standing near public schools. He sent his children to public schools and is quick to remind the electorate that he was the president of the Maclean High School Parents & Citizens Association.  

Mr Gulaptis should read Dick McDermott's letter to the editor of The Coffs Coast Advocate (see below) and then come out and tell the Clarence electorate where he really stands in relation to public education in November 2011.

Schools sold out

I've been a teacher for 38 years. I retire next year. I never believed I would see the day any State Government, be it Labor or conservative, would stoop to a level so low that they would hold their teachers to ransom rather than negotiate a new award which would allow wages to keep pace with inflation.

From January 1, 2012, public school teachers' salaries will be reduced annually unless they agree to measures that would relieve the government of the responsibility to fully fund the learning conditions of pupils in public schools.

Incidentally, there are no such conditions placed on teachers in private schools

What the latest O'Farrell legislation amounts to is asking the state's teachers, those who deliver the service, to finance the very service they are providing.

What the O'Farrell Government, of which local member Andrew Fraser is a member, is clearly doing is attempting to run down public education, the only education open to those most in need.

One in two people with children in public schools must have actually voted for Mr Fraser in the last election never having been told this was his agenda.

The O'Farrell Government is masking its deceit, attempting to hide this abrogation of responsibility by cloaking it in terms of what they call local autonomy.

By kidding parents that giving local school communities the choice to run their public schools the way they want, the government is slyly absolving itself of the responsibility to run our public schools the way they should be run.

This local autonomy push is a great "con" perpetrated by politicised bureaucrats and those who would be.

Don't fall for it mums and dads; it is yet another case of a national asset being flogged off or driven into the ground in the name of privatisation, but this time it will directly affect your kids.

Please see through the spin, join with teachers and resist.

Dick McDermott

Source: Letters, Coffs Coast Advocate, 5/11/11

Is the Coalition's own polling beginning to worry O'Farrell in the lead up to the Clarence by-election?

The Federal seat of Page and the state seat of Clarence sit squarely in the middle of NSW Nationals country.

In Australian electoral history Labor has only won Page at four general elections and Clarence at three elections – one a by-election.

In 2007 the Nationals Chris Gulaptis stood in Nationals safe federal seat of Page which had been held by the Ian Causley for six years until his retirement – and lost it with a -7.83% swing against him.

In October 2011 the Nationals once again picked Gulaptis to stand in the Nationals safe state seat of Clarence held by Steve Cansdell for eight years until his resignation in September 2011. In March this year Cansdell had been re-elected with a +19.8% swing towards the Nationals.

Since Gulaptis’ most recent nomination a number of Clarence Valley residents tell me they have been phone polled twice by ReachTEL, the North Coast Nationals favoured opinion pollster.

Co-incidentally the Nationals have twice gone public with statements such as these:

· "I predict a swing against us which is why Chris will have to shake as many hands as possible and knock on as many doors as possible to secure his role as a member of government that will be in for at least two terms," Mr Stoner said.

· Describing Mr Gulaptis' chances in the by-election, Mr O'Farrell said Clarence was "an absolutely tough seat". But he said the coalition had a good candidate in Mr Gulaptis to retain Clarence. "I sat in state parliament when a Labor member of parliament represented solidly this seat. "We take nothing for granted, in politics 51% is a win, I'll settle for 51%."

Gulapatis himself has been reduced to a racing analogy:

"A [ballot] draw's a draw, everybody is in the same boat," he said. "It's a big field, it's a wet track and we will see what happens at the end of the day."

One could be forgiven for thinking that the polling results sitting on Barry O’Farrell and Andrew Stoner’s desks in Sydney are not favorable to their candidate and that the Nationals are looking at losing quite a few percentage points off their very comfortable 31.4% tpp margin in this seat - something NSW Labor would not let them forget in a hurry.

When and where to meet The Greens candidate, Janet Cavanaugh, during the 2011 Clarence by-election campaign

Photo of Janet Cavanaugh from Google Images

The Greens Janet Cavanaugh is a candidate in the 19^th November 2011 Clarence by-election.

Here are some of the places you can say hello to her:

Tuesday 8th November:  4.45 pm at the Lower Clarence Teachers’ Association meeting, Maclean RSL, River Street Maclean.

Wednesday 9th November: Clarence Greens campaign office in the Casino Centre Arcade, Walker St Casino in afternoon;  5.30pm at the Casino RSM, Canterbury Street Casino,  when the Casino Chamber of Commerce and Industry is holding a meeting to which they've invited by-election candidates.

Saturday 12th November: Maclean Monthly Markets, Centenary Drive Maclean in morning; 1.30pm at the Clarence Valley Women's Inc. AGM at the Country Women’s Association Rooms, River Street Maclean.

Monday 14th November: In Grafton with John Kaye MP.

6pm at the Meet the Candidates Forum, Yamba Bowling Club, Wooli Street Yamba.

Wednesday 16th November:  6pm at the Meet the Candidates Forum, South Grafton Ex-Servicemen's Club, Wharf Street South Grafton. 

Camac tries to wrap her political gaffe around The Cross of Ages

Bethany of The Cross would've been wiser to leave her gaffe to sink to the bottom of the bowl. Instead she went to The Daily Examiner Editor:

In his story on Monday, Mr Deefholts quoted Ms Camac as saying if displaced abattoir workers did not want a job in Casino and preferred to "sit around and whinge" they could do that.

"If they want to get off their bums and get a new job they can do that," she was quoted as saying.

Ms Camac said that as the abattoir's human resources manager she had been caring for employees for the past two years.

"I continue to be concerned for their employment and their future opportunities for continued employment," she said yesterday.

"But even more importantly, as a Christian candidate, care for people and their families is absolutely central to my whole way of life.

"As a Christian I stand to defend the rights of the underprivileged and those who have been treated unfairly as evidenced clearly by my volunteer work in India and other places.

"I now find myself at the centre of public accusations of un-Christian behaviour by Grant Courtney, the leader of the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union, based on an entirely false report by Mr Deefholts, accusing me of doing this as a 'cheap political stunt'. This has got to stop…..

Mr Deefholts yesterday stood by his original report.

He said that, realising her comments were potentially inflammatory, he had repeated her comments back to her and asked if they were accurate.

"I was surprised she said it, which is why I read it back to her," he said.”

If she keeps this up the only vote Camac is likely to get from the Clarence Valley is the donkey vote.

What will Hapless Gulaptis do?

The Federal Government and COAG committed to a course of action in February 2011 which resulted in the National Health Reform Agreement. The NSW Government at the time was led by Labor’s K-K- Keneally.

This agreement sees NSW receive federal health funding under the National Partnership Agreement on Improving Public Hospital Services. Specifically this state will get $526 million in New Subacute Beds Guarantee Funding from 2010-11 to 2013-4.

Because there is a byelection in the Clarence electorate and the Nats candidate Chris Gulaptis got caught out telling funding pork pies, the O’Farrell Government’s Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Health Melinda Pavey fronted the media instead to announce that the new subacute beds planned for Maclean District Hospital were part of the Nats grand plan for the Clarence Valley.

I wait in breathless anticipation for Chris to break loose from his minders, tunnel under the media fence and announce to the world that in fact those extra 14 hospital beds planned for Maclean were due to his good offices – after all he’s already claimed credit on behalf of the Nats for a private bequest to Maclean Hospital!

Clarence By-Election 2011: Nominated candidates in ballot paper order

http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/elections/clarence_state_by-election_19_november_2011/candidates

 Click on image to enlarge

When even your fearless leader can't get your name right.....

barryofarrell Barry O'Farrell

off to catch a flight to Grafton to support The Nationals' Chris Galuptis in this Clarence month's by-election

Oi Bazza! It’s Gulaptis. G*U*L*A*P*T*I*S

Or as many locals like to fondly call him; Halpless Gulaptis, Galapagos, Gulapticus, Gulapaduck, Gall-aptis, Batman or Chris Corruptus.

# A chapeau lift to Clarencegirl for sending me this tweet.