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.
Indigenous
Leaders Launch Australia’s First Indigenous Political Party
Uncle
Owen Whyman, a Paakindji man from Wilcannia, has brought together a
group of nine Indigenous people from across NSW to start the first
political party in Australia that centres the concerns and rights of
Indigenous people: the Indigenous Party of Australia.
The
Indigenous Party of Australia has already recruited over 750 members,
both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. The 9 members on the executive
are Indigenous people from Dareton, Broken hill, Wilcannia, Mutwinji,
Newcastle and Central Coast of NSW.
Mr
Whyman has run for parliament twice before as an independent and is
now formalising his vision of an Indigenous party run by Indigenous
people to tackle crucial community and environmental issues at the
federal level.
The
party’s strong environmental focus begins with their campaign
Barka-Darling River. Emblematic of the ecological issues facing
Australia, the drought impacted and now climate and farming impacted
river has no flow of water; the river is stagnant and algae is
growing, damaging the local community who depend on it for their
lives.
Mr.
Whyman says it’s time for Indigenous issues to take the centre
stage.
"As
a national Party, the Indigenous Party of Australia, has to cover a
lot of ground and that takes funds. We must get the word out, from
Fremantle to Darwin to Port Adelaide to Melbourne and Sydney, that
Indigenous incarceration, the highest in the world, must end. Our
rivers, like the Baak are ready to break as the natural waters are
plundered and sacred sites destroyed. We need free homework centres,
everywhere, that run every afternoon for Indigenous and
non-Indigenous kids so they can have help with homework, improving
reading, getting some fresh fruit. There is a lot of work to be done
but we can make it with your help and support. "
Federally,
a core element of the party’s platform will be re-designing the
approach to education within Indigenous communities, emphasising that
equal opportunities must be given to all young Australians, and
matching the needs of students to a curriculum and structure that
meets them where they are.
To
make matters worse the link supplied in the Murphy article led to a
bowdlerized
comparison graph bearing little resemblance to past Scanlon
Foundation social
cohesion mapping graphs.
The
Murphy article stated that the initial survey findings had been released on
Thursday, 24 December 2020, which was a misleading statement.
On
26 December 2020 no
initial finding were displayed on the Scanlon Foundation’s website,
nor that of Monash University or ANU
Social Research Centre.
In
addition, as
background
Ms. Murphy cited a 2009
social cohesion survey pool of 3,000 individuals, when in fact that
year the
national
pool stood
at 2,000 individuals with another 6
local-level surveys with a combined total of 1,800
individuals.
It’s
seemingly small facts relating to methodology which give clues as to
how reliable are comparisons between annual surveys.
In
fact in refining the national survey the number of respondents has
gone both up and down over time and the number of local-surveys has varied across the years since
2007. While questions
on the
questionnaire form have
been altered, as
well the form changed
in length with
different
interview duration.
What
readers of The
Guardian
articles of 17 and 26 December 2020 could not know at the time of publication is what methodology changes may have occurred in the
initial findings for “Mapping
of Social Cohesion 2020” because
there was no full disclosure of these finding by the newspaper.
This is the graph that The Guardian published on 17 December 2020:
It leaves the reader to guess what percentages should be consigned to "Only some of the time", "Almost Never" and "Refused/don't know".
This is the more informative graph supplied by the Scanlon Foundation in 2019:
The Guardian articles of 17 and 26 November 2020 appear to be telling readers that national trust in the federal government to generally do the right for the Australian people has risen by 25 per cent between 2019 and 2020.
Alas, this reader must remain unsure until such time as the Scanlon Foundation’s "Mapping of Social Cohesion 2020" is finally published.
Then
there is the case of the somewhat conflicted columnist
Meet
Ms. Parnell Palme McGuiness, columnist
in Fairfax-Nine
publications.
Managing
director of Thought
BrokerPty
Ltd
and managing director of Agenda
C Pty
Ltd.
Both companies being in the business of developing targeted,
traditional and digital media campaigns to create maximum impact for their
clients and both operating from the same business address.
And
who are their clients? Well that is not disclosed on
company websites.
However,
Ms. McGuiness did
admit
to having the Liberal
Party of Australia
as a client at one point and Austender reveals that over the last 18 months Agenda C has been granted three limited tender federal government contracts which appear to have been aimed at facilitating the Morrison Government's social media presence.
Agenda C states of itself; "What’s even better than telling your story yourself? Having someone else tell a story about you! We understand what makes you interesting to the media and work with it to make you interesting to the world..... Agenda C assesses, plans, acts and measures to steer you through tough times. Our experienced traditional and digital media teams work together to take control of the narrative so you’re back in control."
Thought Broker says of itself; "Thought leaders offer a distinctive point of view by linking their subject matter expertise with wider debates, and in doing so, they present a credible and authoritative voice.
Over time, they come to be sought out as an expert in their field and asked to weigh in with their experience.
A thought leader communicates intelligently with people who can make a difference in business and public life, setting the agenda or shifting the debate by introducing a new perspective. Each of our thought leadership campaigns is based around a bespoke strategy which answers our clients’ business problem and supports their advocacy requirements."
Ms. McGuiness obviously sees no conflict of interest in being both a columnist whose subject matter is frequently political in nature and a director of two businesses (dedicated to using mainstream and social media to manipulate public perceptions), one of which derives income from federal government contracts.
In my opinion she is deluding herself if she believes everyone else see her self-proclaimed independence in the same light.
ABC News, 17 July 2020: We may be on the cusp of a revolution.
What if everything we thought we knew about public finance over the past 40 years has been wrong? A new economic theory has emerged that could rewrite our understanding of how governments create and spend money and what type of society we can afford to build. And if it is correct, people may be furious. Because it could show that Australia's political elite can afford to spend far more than they are on public health and education, social housing, scientific research and green energy schemes, while eliminating unemployment. And yet they're not — either from a misunderstanding of government finances or because they don't want to. However, to embrace this radical economic theory you will have to forget what you've learned about budget deficits (that they're bad) and government debt (that it burdens future generations). Why?
Because proponents of the theory say that far from being a problem, budget deficits are often a good thing — they can be the source of healthy economic growth. They argue a country like Australia that controls its own currency doesn't need to tax or borrow before its national government can spend money — the government can create all the money it needs to fund itself … within limits. It all sounds too good to be true, which is why critics warn the theory is naive, simplistic and potentially dangerous. But supporters of the theory — who are growing in number — say many of the world's problems today (extreme wealth inequality, poorly funded public hospitals and schools, chronic underemployment, stagnant wages) are a consequence of misunderstanding government financing. They say macroeconomic theory — which looks at the bigger picture of how the national economy works — has got too many major questions wrong.
So what are we talking about? Let's take a closer look.... The theory is called Modern Monetary Theory (MMT).
It is challenging the neoliberal economic orthodoxy that has dominated policymaking in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and many other countries since the mid-1970s.
The reigning orthodoxy assumes a couple of things. Firstly, it assumes every country has a "natural rate" of unemployment and it's unwise to try to force the jobless rate below the natural level because inflation (and wages) will rise too quickly. Therefore, it assumes it's better to accept a certain amount of unemployment to keep prices stable (and to keep wage demands weak).
At the moment, Australia's natural rate of unemployment is assumed to be somewhere between 4 and 5 per cent. Secondly, the economic orthodoxy holds that the national government needs to collect taxes, or borrow from savers, before it can spend money.
Politicians repeat this point incessantly. When you hear a politician saying the government must "live within its means," what they're really saying is the government mustn't spend more than it collects in taxes or borrowings.
However, MMT economists want to turn these orthodoxies on their head, among others...... The people who developed it have been working on the body of theory for decades, quietly, in countries such as Australia and the United States, but their ideas have recently burst out into the open as global leaders search for fresh ideas to deal with the unprecedented economic crisis of 2020, and the lingering effects of the global financial crisis in 2008-09. MMT economists make several claims: Firstly, they say we've been thinking about budget deficits incorrectly. They say budget deficits are not always bad. In fact, deficits are often necessary and beneficial. A budget deficit is merely evidence of extra government spending, and government spending boosts the wealth of private sector businesses and households. They say it depends what deficit spending is used for. Increasing the deficit to finance a war is not the same thing as increasing the deficit to build more hospitals and schools. They argue investments that will enhance productivity through better health, greater knowledge and skills, improved transport and the like are worth funding, even if it results in a budget deficit. Secondly, MMT economists say we've been thinking about government spending incorrectly. They say the argument (promoted famously by British prime minister Margaret Thatcher) that national governments must tax or borrow before they can spend is wrong. MMT argues it's the other way around — national governments have to spend money into the economy before they can tax or borrow. Government spending actually precedes taxation.
Accepting this proposition is key to embracing MMT. Thirdly, they say taxes are necessary, but not for the reasons you may think. They say government taxes can be used to keep inflation under control, to control our behaviour (via fees and levies and rates), and to get us to produce things the government needs. MMT economists draw on the ideas of chartalism to make this last point. They say governments use taxes to create demand for their own currency — that is, if a citizen has to pay tax then they're going to have to work to earn the currency to pay the tax in that currency. Essentially, governments use taxes to put everyone to work. "At the end of the day, a currency-issuing government wants something real, not something monetary," writes Professor Stephanie Kelton, one of the highest-profile MMT economists and a senior adviser to Bernie Sanders in both his 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential primary campaigns. "It's not our tax money the government wants. It's our time. "To get us to produce things for the state, the government invents taxes or other kinds of payment obligations." Fourthly, MMT economists say countries that issue their own fiat currency can afford to buy anything that's available for sale in their own currency, and they can never go bankrupt in their own currency. "Fiat" money is government-issued currency that isn't backed by any commodity, such as gold. It's paper or digital money that has no intrinsic value. We'll return to this point later too. Fifthly, MMT economists say "full employment" is not only possible, it's a moral imperative. Anyone who wants a job should have one. They say we must prioritise genuine full employment and governments should spend whatever is necessary to achieve it — no matter the debt or deficit. Sixthly, MMT economists say the national government should run a permanent "Job Guarantee" (JG) program to provide a job to everyone who wants one. They say it could be linked to other economic and social programs, such as a "Green New Deal" — a policy advocated by MMT proponents linked to the US Democratic senator Bernie Sanders, to create jobs by shifting to zero-emissions technologies....... Read the full article here.
*
Much
like the saplings in her hand, Hayley Talbot is hoping her idea to
help local bushfire-affected areas will sprout and grow tall.
Ms
Talbot, through her business Blanc Space, and project partner
ex-professional surfer Daniel Ross have created the Caring for the
Clarence project, in which 5000 trees will be planted to help rebuild
the local koala population ravaged by bushfires.
Partnering
with the NSW Government’s Save Our Species program to fund the
initiative, Ms Talbot said she wanted to contribute to the area in a
tangible way.
“I
wanted to do something that has some longevity, that would help us as
a community and help our homeland heal,” she said.
While
the effort to plant 5000 trees on private properties around the
Mororo and Woombah area may seem like a mammoth task for a group
reduced in numbers by COVID-19 restrictions, Ms Talbot said they
worked at it one tree at a time.
“I
really feel like it’s been a great example of what any community
member can do if they’re passionate and energetic,” she said.
Guided
by conservation scientists and using trees of local provenance, the
program used data from Google Earth combined with information on
koala sightings to plant areas of use to sustain the population.
“From
there it was about engaging with local property owners because every
tree we’ve planted has been on private land,” Ms Talbot said…..
[The
Daily Telegraph,
1 July 2020]
*
Clarence
Valley local government area now eligible for federal government
drought
support
administered by St. Vincent de Paul until end of 2020. [Queensland
Country Life,
2 July 2020]
One
of the largest capital works programs ever seen in the Clarence has
passed through council, and is set to provide a $70.6 million
investment in local roads and infrastructure during this financial
year.
At
Clarence Valley Council’s June 23 meeting councillors voted to
adopt the 2020-21 budget, paving the way for a significant economic
boost to the region.
“A
significant capital works program totalling $70.6 million has been
agreed for the 2020/21 financial year,” Clarence Valley Council’s
general manager Ashley Lindsay said.
“The
key features are $22 million to road and bridge infrastructure
projects and approximately $32 million allocated to open spaces,
community facility and building projects.” Mr Lindsay said an
additional $5.2 million will be generated from the final year of a
three-year special rate variation which commenced 2018/2019.
“The
majority of these funds will be spent on roads and infrastructure
asset renewals.
“This
is the final year of council’s four-year financial improvement plan
adopted in June 2017, which lays the foundations for the long-term
financial well being of the organisation, and the services,
facilities and infrastructure it provides for the community,” he
said…. [The
Daily Telegraph,
3 July 2020]
COVID-19
Pandemic
*
44% of all those in residential aged care who caught COVID-19 and 9%
of older people receiving care services in the home died as a result
of this viral infection [Australian Dept. of Health, 5 July
2020]
* COVID-19 growth rate graph
[ABC News, 9 July 2020]
Liberal
Party Politics
*
Finance
Minister Mathias Cormann, the man who revived Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
“economic girly man’’ insult in the Australian political
lexicon and privately called Scott Morrison “narcissistic” is set
to quit politics sparking a cabinet reshuffle.
Australia’s
longest serving Finance Minister has denied growing speculation he
will quit politics for months, but has responded with notable silence
to three reports in the last month that he plans to resign.
But
his departure also is set to remind voters of the ongoing leadership
fallout within the Coalition over the ascension of Prime Minister
Scott Morrison and his increasing popularity, dominance and control
of the government in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last
month, there was even speculation that he might return to Europe in a
diplomatic posting for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development.
But
the Belgian-born Liberal senator told friends he is more attracted to
making some money in the corporate sector. [News.com.au,
3 July 2020]
*
By the
end of this year we will be half-way through this current term of
government.
Having
decided not to recontest the next election, I can confirm that I have
advised the Prime Minister that the end of this year would be an
appropriate time for an orderly transition in my portfolio.[Australian
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, Statement,
4 July 2020]
*
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY: It's only taken PM Scott Morrison a little over 23
months to quietly push Dutton-supporter Mathias Cormann out of the
Australian Parliament. Who is next?[@no_filter-Yamba,
5 July 2020]
*
The NSW Liberal Party has appointed a former ICAC executive to
investigate claims the minutes of the local branch of Prime
Minister’s right-hand man Alex Hawke were doctored to secure his
power base.
In
the most significant development
since the scandal was first revealed by News Corp almost two years
ago, the party office has confirmed in an email sent to affected
branch members on Friday that it has enlisted the former head of the
corruption watchdog’s investigations unit, Michael Symons, to head
up the internal inquiry.
Liberal MP Alex Hawke. Picture: Kym Smith
The
party head office has been in internal turmoil since being made aware
of allegations that Mr Hawke’s factionally-aligned heads of the
Baulkham Hills branch in his electorate of Mitchell changed the
minutes to block the memberships of 10 new conservative members.
Had
the new members been recorded accurately at the meeting — held in a
western Sydney funeral home — Mr Hawke’s Centre Right faction
would have lost control of the branch, potentially putting his
preselection in jeopardy.
Control
of branches is critical
in influencing Federal, State and local government preselections. At
a State level, the Baulkham Hills branch is critical for NSW Police
Minister David Elliott. [The
Daily Telegraph,
5 July 2020]
Eden-Monaro
Federal By-election
*
At 7:30pm on Saturday 4 July 2020, when First Preference vote
counting ceased for the night in the NSW Eden-Monaro federal
electorate, it was apparent that an est. 62,22%
of voters were not having a bar of Scott Morrison & his hard
right Lib-Nats government. [Australian
Electoral Commission,
4 July 2020]
At
the same time in bushfire ravaged little Cobargo at least 59.68%
of local voters refused
to give the Morrison Government candidate their First Preference
vote.
Even
after they appear to have been not so subtly threatened:
the
residents of Cobargo – the centre of a tragedy in January – swung
to the Liberals on Saturday night. Perhaps
this is a bushfire effect in the sense locals accepted the
government’s core message during the campaign: the fire clean up
will move much faster if you send Fiona Kotvojs to Canberra, rather
than a member of the opposition. [The
Guardian,
5 July 2020]
*
By
early
Sunday
evening
61.71% of all voters in Eden-Monaro who cast a formal vote had
refused
to give the Morrison Government’s candidate their First Preference
vote. So the inevitable happened…..
I'm pleased and honoured to be elected the next Member for Eden-Monaro.
Research
economist discovers ‘Scotty From Marketing’ Morrison’s economic
playbook
So,
a short recession’s not enough. You want to create a prolonged
depression, right?
Perhaps
you run businesses that specialise in disaster capitalism. Maybe you
want to suckle at the teat of a dying fossil fuel industry for a
little longer. It could be that you miss the social division and
inequality of the Victorian era. Maybe you’re just a jerk.
Whatever
your motivations, this guide will take you through the basic steps of
pushing an already struggling economy into a full-blown crisis…
Read
the full article here.
[The
New Daily,
5 July 2020]
About
endangered flying foxes
“Their supermarket has been destroyed...and there isn’t another one within flying distance”. The Grey-Headed Flying Fox is being threatened with extinction by the effects of climate change, their future looks grim. 📸 #AnnetteRuzickaPhotographypic.twitter.com/zDGac9XrQJ
The
orange roughy fishery, which some have dubbed the "posterchild
of fishery mismanagement", has been the subject of debate since
the 1990s when stocks collapsed after just 20 years of commercial
fishing.
It's
a fish that can live for more than 140 years and can't breed until
around 30 — and conservationists say its unusual biology should
make it off-limits to commercial fishing.
But
industry groups say they've learnt from past mistakes and can harvest
orange roughy sustainably.
Now,
acting on behalf of an Australian trawl-fishing interest group,
US-based consultancy MRAG Americas Inc has recommended the fishery be
given sustainability status.
The
consultancy handed down its recommendation last week to MSC, an
international non-government organisation that certifies the
sustainability of fisheries based on the sustainability of the
exploited fish stocks, maintenance of the fishery ecosystem, and
responsible management.
Objections
were raised by the Australian Marine Conservation Society and
conservation group WWF but were dismissed on a technicality,
according to AMCS spokesperson Adrian Meder.
Mr
Meder said the report contains a number of flaws that show a lack of
understanding of the biology of the species and fishery.
"It's
the shonkiest piece of greenwashing I think I've seen in my entire
career. It gets the basics wrong on so many levels," Mr Meder
said…..
Orange
roughy facts
Researchers
have caught orange roughy up to 149 years of age, making them one of
the longest-lived fish species. It's estimated that individuals may
live up to 200 years.
They
don't reach sexual maturity until around 30 years of age and by fish
standards, don't produce a lot of offspring.
Orange
roughy live between 700 metres and 1500 metres deep. They roam
across seabeds but congregate on underwater shelves and seamounts to
breed, meaning they can be easily caught in large numbers.
The
fish are caught by bottom trawling, usually across seamounts.
They
live in cold water, and in Australia are mostly found off Tasmania,
Victoria and the Great Australian Bight.
Commercial
fishing for orange roughy began in earnest in the 1970s, with the
biggest extractions taking place in New Zealand waters followed by
Australia.
They're
also found in the waters of Namibia, Chile, in the Atlantic and
south Indian Ocean, however stock data is limited in many of these
places.
The
flesh is pearly white and delicate. [ABC
News,
5 July 2020]
Pauline
Hanson labelled residents in the nine public housing estate towers
"drug addicts" and "alcoholics" who can't speak
English, in an interview this morning on Channel Nine's Today Show.
After
widespread backlash across the morning, Channel Nine released a
statement to announce that Hanson won't be joining the Today Show in
the future…..
The more than a little petty and spiteful, Messrs.
Lim Kim Hai, John Sharp, Lee Thian Soo, Neville Howell, Chris Hine, James
Davis and
Ronald
Bartsch remain
firm in their refusal to continue to fly Rex Express small passenger
jets into Grafton Airport in the Clarence Valley.
Australian Prime Minister and Liberal MP for Cook Scott Morrison uses the old excuse that 'Jen & the girls deserve a break' to bolt out the backdoor once again * It appears that 'Scotty From Marketing' has been away on holidays for most of the last six days and intends to keep holidaying for another six to seven days.
IMAGE: Found on Twitter
* "As you know, it is a school holidays and Jenny and the girls will be taking some time on the outskirts of Sydney....We have technology where I can be with them and continue to take briefings, calls and meetings in dealing with the situation whether it be Victoria or the other situations in the country.
"As a dad, I will take some time but at the same time I can assure you we will remain absolutely focused on the things we need to focus on next week." [9 News, 10 July 2020]
Morrison holidaying in a crisis *again* proves he doesn't regard it as a serious job. He's there for the power, not the service.
That he's not getting chased with cameras says a similar thing about our political press.
Scott Morrison was ALREADY on holiday with the family and Twitter busted him AGAIN. Not that you heard anything from the MSM. Now he has been busted, he says he won’t be with them full time in wish washy words. I call BS. #auspol
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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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