Northern Star hears a phantom call from new political party

The Northern Star today published a Page Three article about the newly-fledged, Northern Rivers based, Stop CSG Party.

In this article the journalist stated that the party was still calling for a candidate to stand in the Page electorate.

Something tells me that the print newspaper may have to retract that statement tomorrow, because the online version of the article makes no mention of looking for a Page candidate.

It is my understanding that Stop CSG is intending to only stand candidates for Senate seats at the September 2013 federal election.

So this is where Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott wants to increase population density? Oh, dear......

Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott stated on 21 June 2013:

A Coalition government will put in place the policies and plans to develop Northern Australia’s potential with more investment, infrastructure, jobs and services…..

If elected, a Coalition government will produce a White Paper on the development of Northern Australia within 12 months of the election…..

Looking to build on existing key urban zones – such as Darwin, Cairns, Townsville and Karratha – with the aim of substantially increasing the population in these areas. To this end, the efficacy and targeting of current relocation incentives and personal and business tax incentives could be reviewed.      

So, under an Abbott-led government there would be sustained population expansion into prime cyclone/flood regions.

What might the experience be like for anyone relocating in the hope of tax incentives? Well it could possibly involve this……

Northern region cyclone tracks and details

Image below: Tropical cyclone tracks for cyclones that formed or moved through the Northern region from 1970 - 2004. (See also: Tropical cyclones since 1906: Search for cyclones by season and location.)

Tracking tropical cyclones for 106 years.

Australian Bureau of Meteorology WA Cyclone History:

The Pilbara coast experiences more cyclones than any other part of Australia. Since 1910 there have been 48 cyclones that have caused damaging wind gusts in excess of 90 km/h in the Karratha, Dampier and Roebourne region. On average this equates to about one every two years. About half of these cyclones have an impact equivalent to a category one cyclone. Ten of these: 1925, 1939, 1945, 1954, Shirley 1966,Sheila-Sophie 1971, Trixie 1975, Chloe 1984, Orson 1989 and John 1999 have caused very destructive wind gusts in excess of 170 km/h*. [my bolding]

Click on graphs to enlarge

Flooding is also a regular seasonal phenomenon in Northern Australia.

Australian Geographic 29 January 2013:

9-17 February 1927 - Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville, QLD 
47 deaths, 16 homes destroyed, an estimated £300,000 in damages
A tropical cyclone hit north of Cairns, causing major rainfall through Queensland, reaching as far as Toowoomba. The torrential rain led to the deaths of 47 people, damaged roads, railways, bridges and buildings - and completely destroyed 16 houses. There was also widespread loss of livestock. The estimated costs reported at the time were in the region of £300,000.

Cairns 1948

Barron River Cairns, flood map 1979

RAINFALL
Town             February Av           6pm (19/2/08)
Cairns           448mm                 394mm
Atherton        304mm                 422mm
Cooktown      354mm                 268mm
Innisfail        595mm                 629mmMareeba       311mm                 439mm

Flooding in Karratah region 2011

Townsville storm surge 2011

Townsville  2012

Darwin 2011

ABC AM 29 December 2011:

The main road linking the Top End of the Northern Territory to southern Australia is expected to re-open later today after serious flood damage on the Stuart Highway.
But it could take months before it's known what kind of environmental damage has been caused by toxic copper concentrate spilt when a freight train was derailed by the floodwaters.
The derailment and spill has prompted questions over the safety of transporting toxic substances including uranium during bad weather in the tropics.

All of which begs the question: How many thousands of dollars each year will the average household/business have to pay in additional taxes to subsidize the basic infrastructure required to accommodate these new northern populations and effect the constant need to repair storm/flood/cyclone damaged road/rail/power/water/telecommunications/community infrastructure?

Aunty ABC telling NSW something it's known for yonks - Telstra's copper wire is stuffed!

This was Aunty on the 23rd June 2013:

“Unions have told the ABC that Telstra's copper network is in a state of disrepair, with workers at the coalface of the infrastructure using plastic bags to protect cables from water.

The telecommunications pits have been nicknamed 'bag-dad' by contractors because of the plastic bags, that are in theory supposed to keep the water out.

The copper network is a crucial element of the Opposition's alternative broadband plan.”

It’s London to a brick that a quick phone survey across NSW regional areas would show that dodgy internet connections during heavy rainfall are par for the course.

On the North Coast the air would be blue in response because even landlines begin to get temperamental in the wet.

Abbott’s cut price version of the NBN will have us all paying higher prices for zero improvement to our internet connections.

Home and business electricity price increases begin to slow in 2013

Review of Regulated Retail Prices for Electricity (IPART Final Report June 2013)

From 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2016:

The average regulated price increases in 2013/14 are substantially lower than

those in recent years. This is due to:

 Much lower changes to network costs in this year, following 4 years of large

network price increases. Network costs (excluding the climate change fund

levy) in 2013/14 will decrease in real terms in the Ausgrid3 and Endeavour

Energy area, and decrease in nominal terms in the Essential Energy area.4 We

expect that revised policy and governance arrangements will result in

moderate network cost changes over the medium term.

 Relatively stable green scheme costs, following the one-off effect of the

introduction of the carbon pricing mechanism last year. Costs associated with

the carbon pricing mechanism and the Renewable Energy Target are broadly

stable in this year. We expect the costs associated with the small-scale scheme

under the Renewable Energy Target will fall over the coming years as the

impact of generous solar subsidies in the past declines. However, the costs

associated with the large-scale renewable generation under the Renewable

Energy Target are likely to continue to rise.

As Figure 1.1 shows, the main drivers of the average price changes for 2013/14

are higher retail costs (including the costs of customer service5 and the costs of

acquiring and retaining customers in the competitive market) and lower

generation costs. However, this partly reflects a reallocation of costs from the

generation to the retail cost categories.

The result of these changes in costs will add around 1.7% to average prices across NSW.

3 EnergyAustralia is the Standard Retailer in the Ausgrid network supply area.

4 Including the climate change fund levy, the Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy network charges will increase in nominal terms by 2.5% and 0.86% respectively, and the Essential Energy network charges will fall by 2.95%.

5 For example, this includes the costs of billing and handling customer inquiries........

While on the campaign trail Abbott brazenly promises to reinvent the wheel

Australian Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott campaigning in the Shoalhaven on 13 June 2013:

“Well, in the case of the Federal Government we are going to have this organisation, Infrastructure Australia, which will do its best to rationally and as scientifically as you can look at various infrastructure projects and rank the best on public cost benefit - then all levels of governments will be able to fund what they choose to be the one that makes most sense.”

The problem for Mr. Abbott is that Infrastructure Australia is already an established federal government entity:

Media Release

AA004/2008

21 January 2008

Joint release with:

The Hon Kevin Rudd MP

Prime Minister

Federal Cabinet today formally approved the establishment of Infrastructure Australia, a key driver in the Rudd Government's plan to fight inflation.

Infrastructure Australia will help fight inflation by boosting the economy's productive capacity, unlocking infrastructure bottlenecks like clogged ports and congested roads.

Infrastructure Australia represents a dramatic shift in national economic policy, bringing national leadership to infrastructure development for the first time since Federation.

Legislation establishing Infrastructure Australia will be introduced during the first session of the new Parliament.

The Rudd Government will develop a strategic blueprint for Australia's infrastructure needs and ensure future projects are determined by economic, social, and environmental needs - not short-term political interests.

Infrastructure Australia will be a statutory advisory council with twelve members drawn from industry, government and local government. This will include five from the private sector, one of whom will be the chair. Infrastructure Australia will:

  ·   Conduct audits to determine the adequacy, capacity and condition of nationally significant infrastructure, including transport, water, communications and energy.

  ·  Develop an Infrastructure Priority List to guide billions of dollars of public and private investment.

  · Provide advice to governments, investors and owners of infrastructure on regulatory reforms that can improve the utilisation of our infrastructure networks.

Infrastructure Australia's immediate task will be to audit the nation's infrastructure shortfalls and produce an Infrastructure Priority List to guide billions of dollars of public and private investment.

The first Infrastructure Priority List will be completed within 12 months. In developing the List, Infrastructure Australia will assess projects in terms of specific goals, such as:

  · Meeting water and energy needs;

  · Saving time for commuters battling traffic congestion in our major cities

  · Efficiently moving freight from regional areas to our ports.

  · Meeting the challenge of climate change

Infrastructure Australia will also review the extent to which governments can better facilitate infrastructure investment, including through public-private partnerships as well as better planning and approval processes.

The task ahead for Infrastructure Australia is considerable.

The OECD ranks Australia 20^th out 25 countries when it comes to investment in public infrastructure as a proportion of national income.

For 11 years the Howard-Costello Government failed to act on Australia's infrastructure needs.

The Rudd Government is committed to investing in Australia's future and addressing our nation's long-term infrastructure bottlenecks.

Media Contacts

  o   Albanese's Office - 02 6277 7744

The Sydney Morning Herald does right with its letters policy in the lead-up to the 14 September 2013 Federal Election

And with politics becoming so intense, we ask anyone who is a member of a political party to declare their affiliations in their letters. It is only fair to readers. Any offenders will be sin binned until after the election, and be warned: we are tougher than those State of Origin refs.

Julie Lewis Letters co-editor [22 June 2013]

Hopefully NSW North Coast newspapers will decide to implement that same policy for the duration.

At the moment voters in at least one Northern Rivers electorate are in the ridiculous position of reading a politically motivated letter by a very active member of a political party (and former local government election candidate) being published under this legend:

Abbott and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

Paul Bongiorno Wikipedia biography.

Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse website.