The ePetition 'Critical Koala Habitat in Port Macquarie' was formally debated in the NSW Legislative Assembly on 17 February 2022.

NSW Parliament, YouTube: "On Thursday 17 February 2022, the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales debated an ePetition presented to the Parliament by Tamara Smith, Member for Ballina, on critical koala habitat in Port Macquarie. The petition called on the Legislative Assembly to direct the Government to purchase critical koala habitat in Port Macquarie. If an ePetition gains 20,000 signatures, it is debated in the Chamber. Debates feature members who speak to the petition including the relevant Minister." 

The e-petition Purchase Critical Koala Habitat in Port Macquarie closed on 23 November 2021. It was only open to signatures of New South Wales residents and 24,970 people responded.

As a result the NSW Government purchased 194 hectares of prime koala habitat located adjacent to the Lake Innes Nature Reserve, south-west of Port Macquarie.

However, the state government's record on protecting New South Wales koala populations is a poor one, heavily influenced by the demands of property developers as well as those of forestry & mining industries and agricultural land clearing.  The Koala remains in danger of extinction by 2050.

Last night’s talking point at the table of knowledge

There’s no prize for correctly guessing the main item of discussion at the table of knowledge at the local watering hole last night.

Basil: “The voting for/against the bill to decriminalise abortion in the NSW Legislative Assembly on Thursday night was 59 Ayes and 31 Noes. My simple understanding of arithmetic says 59+31= 90, but there are 93 members of the Assembly, so what happened to the other three votes?”

Albert: “Well, I suspect the Speaker in the Assembly, Jonathan O’Dea, the Liberal Party MP for Davison, wasn’t required to exercise any right to vote, so had a very silent and private vote which he kept very close to his chest.”

Basil: “Okay, that accounts for 91, but what about the other two votes?”

Paddy (he’s our deep thinking member who knows a thing or two about just about everything but isn’t one to burst onto the scene and steal someone else’s thunder): “Seriously, fellas, it was just a simple matter of ticking the names of those who voted off a list of the names of all MLAs. According to my add-ups, take-aways and gazintas ... .”

Frank (interrupting): “Yes! My inspection of the names listed under the Ayes and Noes revealed the absence of two MLA’s names, Mark Coure (Liberal MP for Oakley) and Sonia Hornery (ALP MP for Wallsend).”

Charlie: “Hey, my mate who knows someone who knows someone told me that Ms Hornery had previously shown her hand as a prospective Aye in earlier votes in the debate and had also spoken along those lines. However, she was unwell and not in the Assembly when the final vote was taken, so it’s a pretty fair call to say she would have been an Aye.”

Basil: “Okay, but what about the other vote, that of Mark Coure?”

Errol: “Who’s Mark Coure?”

Paddy: “Exactly! Nuff said!”

Footnote: to be fair to Mr Coure, anyone with information about him in relation to this matter is asked to provide that information in the comments section below