While I was away........

After a prolonged absence from blogging due to illness, here is a little catchup from the period July to December 2015.

* NSW Premier and Liberal MP for Manly Mike Baird puts "lipstick on a pig" by calling for an increase in the Goods & Service Tax (GST) to 15 per cent. 

* The community consultation dialogue between ratepayers and Clarence Valley Council over proposed consecutive rate rises every year for the next five years remained as colourful as ever:

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* One of Australia’s most influential women, former Federal Labor MP for Page Janelle Saffin announced she will be standing against sitting Nationals MP Kevin Hogan at the 2016 federal election. [Echo Netdaily, 23 September 2015]

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* Clarence Valley Council changed its logo to:

And not everyone was happy.               

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* Coal seam gas company Metgasco Limited finally bowed to people power and walked away from its exploration leases on the NSW North Coast with a state government compensation cheque totaling $25 million in its back pocket:

http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20151204/pdf/433l1v4zvxvk8v.pdf

http://search.asx.com.au/s/search.html?query=mel&collection=asx-meta&profile=web

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* The NSW Nationals used Twitter to take credit for Metgasco’s capitulation – which saw a predictable response:

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* The strength of NSW gun laws was demonstrated to a retiree living on Palmer's Island in the Clarence Valley:

Full decision at https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/567386b1e4b05f2c4f04a307.

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* On 17 December 2015 The Daily Examiner published an article titled The 600 major companies that paid less tax than you, but neglected to tell its readers that it was owned by one of these very same companies, APN NEWS & MEDIA  LTD, which had an income of $310.3 million in the 2013-14 financial year.  A total of $21.2 million of this was considered taxable income, yet this company had no tax payable listed for that financial year.

http://data.gov.au/dataset/c2524c87-cea4-4636-acac-599a82048a26/resource/237d7ede-3a63-4b9b-9434-2f79b9d70ce8/download/2013-14-Corporate-Report-of-Entity-Tax-Information.xlsx

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* That one-time darling of the Liberal-Nationals federal government, Kathy Jackson, got her comeuppance:

The disgraced union leader declared bankruptcy in June, on the opening day of HSU Federal Court proceedings which resulted in her being ordered to pay $1.4m to the union as compensation for up to $2.5m misappropriated from members while she was its national secretary between 2008 and February this year.

But her discharge from bankruptcy will only remain in place for three years, meaning the HSU may be able to continue to recoup some of the money she owes after that time.

On Tuesday, Ms Jackson's bill increased by $997,349, when judge Richard Tracey ordered she pay $554,215.67 in interest, $356,500 in legal costs and $86,633.81 in appeal costs.

Brisbane-based commercial barrister Gavin Handran, listed in the most recent Doyles Guide as one of Australia's leading insolvency and reconstruction junior counsels, said Ms Jackson solicited bankruptcy too early.

"The order for costs, circa $350,000, made by Justice Tracey on 21 December is not a debt provable in her bankruptcy even though it relates to a damages award made before bankruptcy," Mr Handran said. "The HSU may accordingly enforce that order against her, perhaps resulting in her again becoming bankrupt or surrendering any assets she acquires in the interim, after her current bankruptcy ends." Mr Handran said the law applied differently to interest and costs. "She might be safe with the interest," he said.

"I suspect what Kathy Jackson did, like so many in her troubled circumstances, was that she ran off on first day and filed for bankruptcy. That was premature.

"It's particularly important for the HSU workers to understand that she's not out of the woods. The sword still hangs over her head." "Not only does she face the real prospect of re-entering bankruptcy after she emerges from this period, but there's also the possibility that the HSU, depending on a cost-benefit analysis, may examine her under oath in the Federal Court, with the assistance of the bankruptcy trustee, to ascertain whether she's transferred any assets to a third party or (her partner, Michael) Lawler." HSU national secretary Chris Brown said the union was "alive to the possibility" of Ms Jackson facing a second round of bankruptcy, or interrogation over the transfer of assets. The union was still determining how it would approach the matter. [The Australian, 24 December 2015, p.5]

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* NSW Coalition Premier Mike Baird thought his ability to waste $500,000 of taxpayers' money deserved a tweet or two:

Go to http://www.stonersloth.com.au/ to see the Australian version of Reefer Madness that Baird signed off on.

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There were 222 industrial disputes in Australia during the year ended September 2015, involving 78,000 individuals in a workforce of est. 11.7 million people. The majority of these ‘strikes’ appear to have lasted 2 days or less.

This low level of disputes does not please former prime minister Tony Abbott who, living in a time long past, argued in December 2015 for a tougher approach to breaking up illegal union pickets, saying police forces “around our country” had to be prepared to “uphold the law and not simply keep the peace … A lot of police forces have been traditionally reluctant to break picket lines where picket lines have been preventing people from going about their ordinary lawful business”.

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* Royal Commissioner Dyson Heydon delivered his discredited final report on union governance and corruption to the Australian Governor-General on 28 December. The full report can be found at: https://www.tradeunionroyalcommission.gov.au/reports/Pages/default.aspx.

It came as no surprise that Dyson Mr.Apprehended Bias 2015 Heydon decided that Kathy Jackson was really a hero who just happened to embezzle over $1.4 million dollars:

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* The independent Q&A Review Final Report released in December 2015 appears to have discovered that this ABC program is skewed in favour of the government of the day:

Conservative flying monkeys dropped from Australian skies in shock.

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* WorkChoices Mark 2 appears to be forming on the horizon ahead of this year’s federal election:

http://www.afr.com/news/politics/scott-morrison-flags-taking-industrial-relations-reform-to-next-election-20151215-gloika

Former workplace relations minister Eric Abetz says the Fair Work Commission cannot ignore calls to reduce Sunday penalty rates, if as expected the Productivity Commission recommends the move on Monday.

Senator Abetz was the workplace relations minister until the Liberal leadership change and cabinet reshuffle in September.

Speaking ahead of the Productivity Commission's release of its final report into the industrial relations system, he told Fairfax Media the review must be respected by the Fair Work Commission which sets wages and entitlements. [The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 December 2015]

The recommendations — laid out in the commission's final report into workplace relations released on Monday — would affect workers in the entertainment, hospitality and retail industries, if adopted.

The commission did not recommend any changes to overtime penalty rates, night penalty rates or shift loadings, nor changes to rates for nurses, teachers or emergency services workers.

"Penalty rates have a legitimate role in compensating employees for working long hours or at asocial times," it stated.

"However, Sunday penalty rates for hospitality, entertainment, retailing, restaurants and cafes are inconsistent across similar work, anachronistic in the context of changing consumer preferences, and frustrate the job aspirations of the unemployed and those who are only available for work on Sunday.

"Rates should be aligned with those on Saturday, creating a weekend rate for each of the relevant industries."

Announcing the report's findings, Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said the Government would examine the recommendations and, if the case for sensible and fair changes to workplace relations were outlined, they would be taken to the next election. [ABC News, 21 December 2015]

ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja said the Coalition should argue for a cut in Sunday penalty rates at next year's election.

"The Productivity Commission has done some really important work here," Senator Seselja he said.

"I think that we should be looking to put some policies to the next election which make incremental reforms in this area that go down the path the Productivity Commission is recommending.

"In the hospitality industry, in particular, that's where I hear the most from business owners, that's where I think the reforms should be occurring, and I think that's the sort of thing that we could develop a policy to take to an election." [ABC News, 21 December  2015]

Pharmacists in Australia have voted to launch industrial action for the first time, starting Christmas Eve, as a national pharmacy chain moves to slash penalty rates. It comes amid tense debate over a proposed Australia-wide rollback of Sunday penalty rates for workers in hospitality, retail and entertainment jobs, following an inquiry by the Productivity Commission. Pharmacists employed at dozens of National Pharmacies sites across Victoria and South Australia will now become the first in their profession to take action against an employer, as anger rises over threats to their penalty rates. From Thursday, pharmacists will embark on a campaign against National Pharmacies, authorising strikes of up to 24 hours that could force the temporary closure of some sites if the deadlock continues. The campaign this week will begin with pharmacists refusing to perform a range of work duties. National Pharmacies is attempting to cut pharmacists' penalty rates by as much as 50 per cent for certain hours on Saturday shifts. Double-time Sunday rates would remain in place. The company also wants to lower overtime pay, freeze the wages of existing pharmacists and introduce a two-tiered pay scheme, according to the union. In a statement, National Pharmacies said the pressures of a competitive and uncertain marketplace had forced a need to align with the rest of the industry. [The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 December 2015, p.4]

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* It became obvious that local thoughts had begun to turn to the 2016 election of councillors:

   

                                                             
Excerpts from Clarence Valley Rate Payers, Residents and Business Owners Facebook page - featuring Deputy Mayor Cr. Craig Howe & the artwork of a ratepayer.

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With the national terrorism threat level still fixed as "PROBABLE" by the Turnbull Government, DIBP and presumably many in Border Farce took an eleven day Chrissie holiday:

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On 29 December The Guardian reported that the Turnbull ministry is three and a half months old and already there are two casualties. One looks fairly straightforward. The other, not so. In both cases, Malcolm Turnbull is well rid of them under the circumstances….

Jamie Briggs resigned after he “interacted” with a female public servant in an “informal manner” in a late night bar on an overseas trip. She complained he had acted inappropriately…..

The other casualty was Mal Brough, the former special minister of state. This is more opaque and the stink has a potential to linger given Brough has promised only to step aside, not resign…..

Background on Mal Brough “stink” by barrister Ross Bowler.

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The Daily Examiner makes unforgivable factual error

The myriad of typos over the years one can laugh at – after all who doesn’t suffer from fat thumb from time to time.

However, errors of fact are a different matter.

In both its print and online version of the newspaper The Daily Examiner asserted this on 24 February 2015:

[my bolding]

This is sloppy reporting at best and at worst a deliberate distortion of fact. Quite frankly I’m hoping is was some off-site subbing which caused this blunder.

It was only two days before that The Daily Telegraph, not known to favour Labor, reported:

The indexation change was announced in the May budget. Welfare groups and Labor argue it will cut pensions by $80 a week within 10 years. According to the Parliamentary Budget Office, this amounts to a $23 billion cut to the cost of the age pension by 2023. [my red bolding]

A leading seniors advocate COTA Australia issued a media release on 21 August 2014 which stated:

“If only the CPI had been used since 2009 the Pension would already be $30 per week or $1,560 per year less, and that gap grows to over $80 per week / $4,160 per year in 10 years, and keeps growing. That’s a huge amount for Pensioners who already often have to make choices between heating, decent food, medications and a basic gift for their grandchild’s birthday. “This measure is extremely harsh and goes beyond even that which was recommended by the Commission of Audit….” [my red bolding]

On 22 May 2014 The Guardian reported:

The report, A Budget that Divides a Nation, says pensioners on aged and disability support payments would lose about $80 a week by 2024 after having their payments indexed to CPI. [my red bolding]

The Daily Examiner is telling its readers that pensioners will only lose $8 dollars a year when in fact the change in indexation reduces the value of the aged pension by an est. $416 in 2017 when the change come into effect and, this increases to an est. $4,160 per year by 2025.

Clarence cricket clubs can be their own worst enemies

Most sports organisations appreciate the free publicity local newspapers provide them with so it both surprising and annoying to repeatedly see the manner in which some cricket clubs in the Clarence valley submit the results of their matches to The Daily Examiner. Too often incomplete score cards are submitted. The Examiner provides written reports to accompany most matches but it cannot be expected to work magic with the information some clubs supply.

Come on, local cricket clubs, lift your game. It cannot be too difficult for scorers who don't the names of the opposing team's members to ask who it was that caught a catch, made a stumping, bowled a batsman ...

 This post penned by Clarrie Rivers

Congratulations, commiserations and condolences

The lads at the table of knowledge at the local watering hole were in all sorts of moods this afternoon. Some were over the moon that galloper Protectionist won the big event while others were terribly upset about the tragic demise of the race favourite.

To lighten the mood, Eric produced a copy of today's Examiner.

Eric, who's just a little bit longer in the tooth than other table members, had a real decent cackle about the typo in the Backward Glances column in today's DEX (see below). Eric  recalls his wife attending the 'elite" deportment school course but is adamant there was never any mention of young, or for that matter, any wine being part of the show.

Eric is now asking a lot of questions.

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NIKON-WALKLEY COMMUNITY/REGIONAL PRIZE 2014 - Winner is photographer Adam Hourigan from The Daily Examiner, Clarence Valley

NIKON-WALKLEY COMMUNITY/REGIONAL PRIZE 2014

Adam Hourigan, The Daily Examiner, “Images from The Daily Examiner”

Eric Lyons and the iconic caravan on the Yamba Rd at Palmers Island 

Adam Hourigan shows strong skills and creativity in a body of work that is both emotive and well-executed. From horse racing at the Clarence River Jockey Club to a lucky escape on the Pacific Highway and a 60th wedding anniversary snuggle in the cinema, Adam’s portfolio shows his commitment to providing a small regional newspaper with exceptional imagery.

Judges for the 2014 Nikon-Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism were: Stuart Hannagan, Jon Reid, Renee Nowytarger, David Dare Parker and Jack Picone.

Letter Writing 101: never indulge your phantasies in a letter to the editor

The Daily Examiner carried this interesting exchange in its letters columns on 24 and 25 September 2014:

Congrats Debrah

Sincere congratulations to Debrah Novak for her 20 years at The Daily Examiner.

In my now 15 years of residence in retirement in the Clarence Valley, Debrah has always been incredibly honest and painstakingly fair on any project we worked together on. She possesses a genuine interest in all things and all people and causes in the Clarence Valley.

When she did a photographic essay on an island within the river, near Maclean, on which certain original inhabitants of our Valley were confined five decades ago producing some of the state's finest fruit and vegetables, this basic inequality really affected Debrah and I was privileged to be one of the few in Maclean with whom she shared some of her most private thoughts on past inequalities.

John Berlin¹

Vivid imagination

John Berlin must have a vivid imagination to believe he and I have worked on projects together or that I have done a photo essay of Ulgundahi Island.

John Berlin and I have never worked on any project and I would never work with him on anything.

I have only spoken to this man on two occasions and not at any length. One of those times was when he was being arrested for impersonating a police officer, something he was later found guilty of.

Debrah Novak

1. The Daily Examiner, 24 August 2011, Fraudster put behind bars

Find the Howlers Competition (sponsored by The Daily Examiner)

We've all misplaced things at times. However, yesterday's Daily Examiner excelled itself (well, sort of) when it had trouble placing a comma and an apostrophe in a letter to the editor from a correspondent .

Find the howlers in the letter below and then forward them and your details to the Examiner.

"What is Joe playing at?" asks The Daily Examiner editor

David Moase, editor of The Daily Examiner echoes popular sentiment in this opinion piece on 15 August:

I’m convinced Joe Hockey is a good man, a highly intelligent man.

Which makes his recent comments - highlighted by this week's "the poorest people either don't have cars or actually don't drive very far in many cases" - so difficult to understand.

That comment is not just a one-off, either. Recently, the treasurer was arguing the rich deserve more benefits from the budget because they pay more tax.

It seems he is struggling with the concept that has underpinned Australia's taxation system for, well, forever - the rich should be paying more of the burden because they have more.

In the case of his car comments, there are three enormous problems - apart from the small detail that if you are talking about what the rich and poor would pay in excess as a percentage of their income, he is just plain wrong!.

Firstly, most people who are less well off, and particularly those in country areas in the Clarence Valley, do own cars and don't have any alternatives but to use them.

Secondly, there is an economic theory my Year 12-student son tells me is Marginal Propensity to Consume. It indicates how much of your income you are likely to spend and save.

Poorer people have to spend more of their income to survive than the rich, and as a result, any extra costs affect them more than those who are better off.

Thirdly, of all the rotten aspects of Coalition Budget that Joe Hockey and his colleagues are struggling so badly to sell, the fuel excise impost is probably one of the more unremarkable, but Mr Hockey has now put it into the spotlight.

What confuses me is trying to understand what audience Mr Hockey is playing to. Surely, if his Budget is to have any chance of being accepted, it is rural residents and those in working class suburbs who he has just insulted that he most needs to get onside.

APN Newspapers: spot the fast disappearing news content

The Northern Star newspaper must have a death wish, because wall-to-wall advertorials replacing news content on "Local News" pages in its issues is not a good look and won't encourage readers to handover their money for a copy of this 138 year-old paper.

It's 155 year-old stablemate, The Daily Examiner appears to have a similar urge to alienate readers by filling pages with thinly disguised advertising. However, at least this newspaper placed this particular example in the business section.

* Thanks to Clarrie Rivers for supplying these e-paper snaphots

Another Spot the Difference

The Daily Examiner (and probably all its stablemates in the APN network) provided readers with a bit more brain food with its presentation of Ginger Meggs on Thursday July 10.

Daily Examiner

GoComics

Remember, send your entries to The Daily Examiner. Surely the Examiner can find a few prizes for its keen-eyed readers.

Credits: The Daily Examiner and GoComics.com

Déjà vu ... The Daily Examiner

Question: What do economics exams and the weekend quiz in The Daily Examiner have in common?

Answer: Both use questions previously asked but change the answers.

The weekend quiz in Saturday's Daily Examiner was a re-run of the same questions asked last week (see below).

However, some bright spark had the answers associated with the quiz questions that should have been printed appear below the questions asked again this week.

Last week's (and this week's) quiz questions (part only)

Last week's answers

This week's answers

Digital images from DEX 14/6/14 and 21/6/14

Ginger's howler

Today's Daily Examiner has provided its readers with another opportunity to test their spelling.

Credit: Digital edition of DEX, 21/6/2014

Oh what a difference a year makes!

Clarence Valley Council then......

Clarence Valley Council now......

It would appear that some attitudes change when there is only sixteen months left before the next local government election.

* Snapshots from The Daily Examiner online

Ex-serviceman takes cravenly anonymous letter writer to task

The convention has always been that in the print media, as opposed to the anonymity allowed on digital platforms, one must correctly identify oneself by name and town.

This is John Edwards response on 29 April 2014 to one cravenly anonymous letter writer given space by The Daily Examiner in its letters to the editor section:

STOP THE PRESS: Yamba has an airport!

This is what happens when a regional newspaper fails to keep its journalists moving around the the area it circulates and, becomes locked into a city focus.

Its deputy-editor apparently decides that the relatively small coastal village of Yamba, bounded on three sides by ocean and river with one road into town, has an airport.

the people won't come when they can drive a relatively short distance to either Yamba or Coffs Harbour and get competitively priced flights with more convenient flight times. [The Daily Examiner, 5 April 2014, p. 11]

* Hat tip to the eagle-eyed Clarrie Rivers who spotted this blooper gem. 

Finger pointed at local cricket officials who should lift their game

Local newspapers usually bend over backwards to give local organisations, including sport, publicity and the Clarence valley's Daily Examiner is no exception. Consequently, it's disappointing to see publicity officers provide newspapers with grossly inadequate information.

Over recent weeks the Examiner has endeavoured to keep its readers informed about cricket matches played on the lower Clarence. However, the paper has not been assisted by clubs (it seems one club in particular is a regular offender) - scoreboard details provided to to the paper have been scant in detail.

Examples of offending scoreboards published appear below.

Credit: The Daily Examiner

No credit for offending cricket club officials

News, opinion or advertisement?

I wonder if the businesses involved in this type of advertising fudge realise the badwill they create in the hearts of quite a few newspaper readers?

Dressing the family up in white won't undo any negative opinions formed.

Snapshot from Page 7 of The Daily Examiner, 12 February 2014

Click on image to enlarge

UPDATE

The identical advertorial and photograph was published in a rival newspaper, The Clarence Valley Review, on the same day - again it was being passed off as a news article on Page 6.

Daily Examiner's policy on letter writers' names?

Was Grafton's Daily Examiner pulling its readers' legs last Wednesday?

The Examiner kicked off with a photo on its front page that featured youngsters who shared the same given name and then referred its readers to a piece on page 7 about baby's names. (See below)

Then. lo and behold, it printed a letter to the editor that displayed only the writer's given name.

C'mon DEX, lift your game!

This week's 'Spot the Difference'

Due to overwhelming demand, NCV provides readers with this week's copy of APN's competition.

Remember, entries should be sent to your local APN production. Clarence valley readers can send their entries to the The Daily Examiner.

1. APN's effort

2. GoComics

Images from The Daily Examiner (digital edition, 18/1/14) and GoComics.com

Spot the difference

Readers of APN newspapers, including The Daily Examiner, are very excited because the publications are running their "Spot the Difference" competition again. 

Here's DEX's effort (Saturday 11/1/2014) :

And here's GoComic's version:

Readers' entries can be sent  to DEX's editor at newsroom@dailyexaminer.com.au

Images from DEX digital edition and Gocomics.