March In March: Australians United For Better Government. In the Northern Rivers on Saturday 15 March 2014 - Part One

Lismore

Grafton

All images found at Twitter and Facebook

SA Liberal Opposition Leader tells electors to "vote Labor" when they go to the polls in the state election

It would be impossible to dream up such a political gaffe….

http://youtu.be/NDmBvYMMTmo

'like a cane toad in a rose garden'

Sydney Morning Herald columnist Mike Carlton has provided some wonderful imagery in a piece he wrote about Chris Kenny, a scribe who pens pieces for The Australian.

In today's Herald Carlton wrote (in part):

The Tories and their army of media toadies wage their war on the ABC with increasing fury, sniping here, a charge from the big battalions there.
Whimpering in the trenches is one Chris Kenny, once a factotum to Lord Downer at the peak of his global glory, now a minor columnist for The Australian and a hugely unwatched talking head for Sky News. As he tells anyone who'll listen, he is much insulted by a Chaser comedy sketch on ABC TV last September which showed him Photo-shopped, pants down, apparently in carnal congress with a canine.

.......

Queensland's finest legal mind, the saponaceous George Brandis, is also up in arms. As federal Attorney-General, he is outraged by the ABC's mockery of Kenny. But, perversely, he remains bent on removing section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act, thus clearing the way for Melbourne's village idiot, Andrew Bolt, to resume his racist sneering at indigenous Australians. So it's OK to rubbish black academics but not Murdoch hacks.
It was hilarious watching Soapy bluster his way around this daft contradiction on Q&A last Monday. Seated next to the fragrant Lisa Wilkinson, squat and unblinking, he looked like a cane toad in a rose garden. No doubt he would defend to the death my right to say this.

Sauce Source: SMH, 15/3/14

Metgasco Limited, then NSW Minister for Resource and Energy Chris Hartcher & Co, NSW Police and those missing letters

The plot thickens concerning the anti-coal seam gas protests at Glenugie on the NSW North Coast.

The Greens (NSW) Media Release

"Missing" letters from Metgasco finally released

12th March 2014 5:33 pm

Four "missing" letters from Metgasco Ltd to Government Ministers have finally been released indicating what Greens MP David Shoebridge has long been speculating, that a high level of political interference took place during police protest operations at Glenugie last year.

Metgasco CEO Peter Henderson wrote to the then Minister for Resource and Energy, now ICAC embroiled, Chris Hartcher as well as the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure Brad Hazzard, Minister for Police and Emergency Services Michael Gallacher and the Attorney General Greg Smith requesting "greater legal reinforcement" for their operations.

Henderson also expressed concern about the "excessively lenient legal system" and its "unwillingness" to harshly penalise activists with "anti-development agendas." Henderson's suggestion to the Government in how to deal with protesters was to impose mandatory sentences.

The content in these letters now raises questions as to why the Government failed to hand over these documents following numerous GIPA requests lodged by David Shoebridge.

Both former Minister Hartcher and Police Minister Gallacher advised in a GIPA (FOI) Notice of Decision that no information or documents existed relating to these protests, and upon further GIPA requests only one of the letters was released.

Greens NSW MP and Police Spokesperson David Shoebridge said:

"What we have now are documents being released that the Government bizarrely denied having any record of in the first place.

"These letters not only indicate a clear directive issued by the Metgasco's CEO, but that the Government actually obeyed.

"The charges against these protesters were thrown out in court and we see now were only laid following direct political interference.

"It is simply unacceptable for resource industries to be effectively directing the operational activities of police in NSW." Mr Shoebridge said.

Four letters and attachments dated between December 2012 and February 2013 are now available online which Metgasco Limited asserts are the missing letters.

In these letters (below) Metgasco Limited requests more police to secure its Northern Rivers drilling sites, complains that police were initially not prepared to arrest protesters, complains about the lenient legal system, and, requests mandatory sentencing of any protester arrested at its drilling sites and found guilty of an offence.

Letter bundle includes an unsigned statement by a contractor which has not been witnessed and is unverified.

Subsequent to the commencement of this correspondance the NSW Public Order and Riot Squad was sent north to attend Metgasco's Glenugie drilling site and, in total an estimated 159 local, regional and other area police officers worked approximately 3,234 hours during the protest operations.

Letters from Metgasco Limited CEO Peter Henderson to NSW Government Ministers between December 2012 and Feb...

Quote of the Week

“This tells women who were raped … that they should have thought ahead and planned for it,”… “Make no mistake, this is anything but a citizens' initiative. It’s a special interest group’s perverted dream come true.” [Michigan Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer quoted in Huff Post Politics on the subject of new state insurance legislation which forces women to take out separate medical insurance for abortion]

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

Comparing the Rudd-Gillard Governments' Fair Work Act 2009 with the Abbott Government's Fair Work Amendment Bill 2014

This is not a comprehensive comparison of the Fair Work Act 2009 and changes to this act found in the Fair Work Amendment Bill 2014.

Rather it is a brief comparison of certain differences (including the fact that overtime rates, penalty rates, allowances and leave loading are now potentially part of any flexibility arrangement between employer and employee), which hopefully may encourage concerned citizens and employees to look closely at the Abbott Government’s amendments which are currently before the Australian Parliament.

* Untaken annual leave at time of employment termination

Rudd & Gillard Governments

Abbott Government

* Individual flexibility arrangements

Rudd & Gillard Governments

144 Flexibility terms

Abbott Government

Rudd & Gillard Governments

Abbott Government

* Mandatory terms of enterprise agreements

Rudd & Gillard Governments

Abbott Government

Rudd & Gillard Governments

Abbott Government

* Right of entry

Rudd & Gillard Governments

Abbott Government

* Unfair dismissal

Rudd & Gillard Governments

Abbott Government