Mining Exploration without Social Licence in 2019: Castillo Copper expects to make an announcement in respect of the status of its exploration tenements on Monday, 4 March 2019

The Daily Examiner, 19 February 2019:

Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis has told an anti-mining group he does not support short-term mining that risks the environment of our area.

It comes while Castillo Copper has again requested an extension to the voluntary suspension of its securities on the Australian Security Exchange.

This is the third time they have requested an extension following their initial suspension on December 27.

The initial suspension came after the NSW Resources Regulator suspended two exploration licences near Cangai, northwest of Grafton.

Resources Regulator director of compliance operations Matthew Newton said action was taken to suspend the operations due to a number of serious compliance issues being identified at a recent inspection.

“The contraventions related to alleged non-compliance with conditions of both exploration licences, which were uncovered during an inspection on November 22, 2018,” Mr Newton said.

Castillo’s letter said their board remained in active engagement with the Regulator as it continued its inquiries.

Meanwhile, representatives from the Stop Cangai Mine group and the Gumbaynggirr Nation met with Nationals MP Mr Gulaptis in Grafton on Monday to voice their concerns about Castillo Copper’s optimistic reports to shareholders that could lead to a mine in the Clarence Valley.

“The hype promising jobs for locals when the exploration licence was first reported in 2017 was misleading,” Stop Cangai Mine’s Karen von Ahlefeldt said.

“Any mining jobs gained will be at the loss of jobs in fishing, farming and tourism.

“We need more inspectors, paid for by exploration licence fees to enforce contractors compliance. Self-regulation does not work.”

The group told Mr Gulaptis they were concerned there could be plans to ship tailings from the old Cangai Mine to China for processing, which would fund the development of an open-cut cobalt mine, but Mr Gulaptis said an approval to do so would require a development application to be lodged and at the moment the exploration activities had been suspended.

“I was glad that their exploration licence was suspended by the NSW Resources Regulator for breaches of their licence,” Mr Gulaptis said.

“The whole purpose of having a Resources Regulator is to ensure mining companies comply with the terms of their licence and if companies breach their licence conditions then they should answer for it.”

The group said that both Greens state candidate Dr Greg Clancy and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate Steve Cansdell had publicly announced their strong opposition to the mine.

Castillo Copper informed the Australian Stock Exchange on 4 February 2019 that it had completed remedial work at the exploration site and awaits notice of NSW Resources Regulator approval to recommence mining exploration at Cangai. 

On 18 February it applied for a third voluntary trading suspension pending an announcement in respect of the status of its exploration tenements which Castillo expects to make on Monday, 4 March 2019.

Ulmarra community puts a win on the board concerning Pacific Highway blackspot

The Daily Examiner, January 2018: "Coffs/Clarence Local Area Command duty officer Acting Inspector Darren Williams said the collision was between two Queensland registered B Double trucks at 10.15pm Tuesday night when the northbound heavy vehicle collided with the other heavy vehicle heading south while attempting a left-hand bend near the beginning of the 50kmh speed zone."

Ulmarra is a picturesque Clarence Valley village which was established in 1857 and which served as a river port in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of its buildings are heritage-listed.

Unfortunately for the folk who live there the busy Pacific Highway runs through one section of this village and the lives of residents in that section are dominated by the movement of heavy road transport vehicles – and will continue to be so since it was revealed that the Ulmarra Bypass (due for completion in 2020) will not remove B-Double trucks and 'semis' from what will then be the old Pacific Highway.

This year the village successfully campaigned for an extension of the lowest speed limit and a speed camera to slow these big trucks down….

The Daily Examiner, 17 November 2018, p.4:

January 3

Two trucks collide on the southern end of Ulmarra the night before. From a visit to where one of the trucks has come to rest within metres of a home, it’s clear how lucky a young family are to be alive. That afternoon, The Daily Examiner team decides to launch the Let’s Not Wait campaign.

January 5

Ulmarra residents meet with The Daily Examiner at the latest crash site to share years of horror stories from living beside the Pacific Highway. The Daily Examiner Let’s Not Wait campaign is officially launched.

January 10

Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis comes out in support of Ulmarra residents and begins discussions with the Minister for Roads and Maritime Services Melinda Pavey.

January 23

A front-page photo of Ulmarra resident Ryan Brown holding up a speed radar gun gets the attention of national media and the campaign is thrust into the national spotlight when Channel Nine’s Today show visits the village.

January 26

Following increased media attention, Mr Gulaptis and Roads and Maritime Services representatives meet with Ulmarra residents to discuss long and short-term solutions.

January 30

A tirade of threats and vulgarity is directed at Ulmarra residents through both online bullying and rogue truck drivers intentionally sounding their horns while passing through the village at night.

February 21

Coffs/Clarence Highway Patrol increase their patrols in and around the township to keep driver behaviour in check.

May 14

Clarence MP Chris Gulatpis announces the extension of the 50km/h speed limit zones following a review conducted by Roads and Maritime Services.

June 18

Another truck crashes at the notorious black spot. This time the accident comes within metres of the Brown family home and causes a power outage from Brushgrove, to Tucabia and South Grafton.

June 19

Clarence candidate Steve Cansdell calls on the NSW Government to do more to protect residents and motorists at the notorious black spot.

June 22

More members of the Clarence Valley community rally behind Ulmarra, including former ambulance officer Wade Walker who calls out RMS for failing in their duty of care to the Brown family.

July 23

Ulmarra resident John Leask accuses RMS of gross negligence in its handling of the Ulmarra black spot in a scathing email sent to various government officials.

Another collision occurs the same day, with two cars and a truck involved, near the southern end. No one is injured.

July 25

Coffs/Clarence Highway Patrol stop another potential crash when they find a fatigued driver after pulling over a southbound truck reported as swerving along the road.

August 17

Residents capture CCTV footage of a truck driver deliberately sounding their horn while travelling from one end of the village to the other and this reignites online debate over who is to blame for the behaviour.

September 5

Two truck drivers are caught by Highway Patrol, one for speeding, and the other for sounding their horn for a sustained period of time.

October 5

The truck driver captured on CCTV footage in August deliberately sounding the truck’s horn while travelling from one end of the village to the other is identified and charged by police.

November 16

The speed camera is switched on by residents of the Ulmarra community.

The gall of this disgraced former NSW Nationals politician takes my breath away

Feigning ignorance Steven Rhett Cansdell seeks to re-enter politics.....

The Daily Examiner, 14 June 2018. p.1:

Former Clarence MP Steve Cansdell’s return to public life began with an apology.

“Firstly I want to nip things in the bud,” Mr Cansdell began when he spoke yesterday at the Grafton Hotel to reveal why he would stand for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party at the 2019 NSW Election.

“Seven years ago I stuffed up through ignorance, but ignorance is not an excuse,” he said.

“I had to resign. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, to resign from parliament, and the people I served and expected things from me, to let them down.

“To them I apologise.”

Mr Cansdell resigned from Parliament in September 2011 after he revealed he had illegally signed a statutory declaration six years earlier to avoid a speeding ticket and loss of his driver’s licence.....

The Shooters Fishers and Farmers party MLC Robert Brown said the party had recruited Mr Cansdell about two months ago.

“Somebody who knows him knew he was thinking of having another crack,” Mr Brown said.

“So they put him in touch with us.

“We met with him in Sydney two months ago then we danced around it a bit because I don’t think he’d made up his mind yet and we hadn’t made up our mind.

“As we got to know him we decided if we’re going to have a go in the Clarence, this is the sort of bloke we’d campaign for and we think he has a shot.”

Why Brown and Cansdell appear to believe that his past bad behaviour will matter little to voters in the Clarence electorate is something of a puzzle.

"Let them sail on to Coffs Harbour" seems to be a frequent shared sentiment expressed by Lower Clarence residents when told of the NSW Berejiklian Government's plans for a cruise ship destination on the Far North Coast

On 21 November 2017 Clarence Valley Council's ordinary monthly meeting considered the issue of giving in principle support for the NSW Government’s plan to designate the Port of Yamba a cruise ship destination and possibly build an international cruise ship terminal within the Clarence River estuary.

The motions and debate which occurred during consideration of Item 14.126/17 were illuminating.

It began at approx.1:50 pm with Clr. Baker immediately jumping in with a motion which was possibly intended to short arm any anti-cruise ship sentiment, but as it was not the first listed it fell to another to get that first word in.

Clr. Clancy’s motion which would exclude council support for a cruise ship terminal (see below) was then read and seconded by Clr. Novak.

Clr. Williamson immediately foreshadowed a motion amending Clr. Clancy’s motion. This amendment excluded dot point one, ie. “Is supportive of infrastructure strategies, initiatives and improvements which promote and well-being of local communities and businesses but specifically exclude the option of the development of a “cruise terminal” for Yamba due to adverse practical, cultural, environmental and social impacts.” The amendment was seconded by Clr. Kingsley.

With a slight rewording by Clr. Baker this eventually became the very truncated resolution adopted by Council (see below), which threw consideration of environmentally sustainable economic development, sustainable growth, the wellbeing of existing businesses and local communities to the wind.

Along the way.......

Clr. Williamson put in his “two bob’s worth” in favour of a broad submission to government and after almost twelve years in local government suprisingly went on to admit to having “zero clue” about any possible practical, cultural, environmental and social impacts an international cruise ship terminal might have, but at the same time insisting he “hadn’t seen any” – presumably because no government report had come his way yet – and that there could be “very strong positives” for supporting the cruise ship industry while supplying fellow councillors with no facts to back this position.

Clr. Clancy observed that the amendment “leaves the door wide open for a cruise port” and attempted to read into the record a letter from a former manager of Goodwood Island Wharf (see text of letter below). Cr. Williamson spoke up to block this.

Clr. Clancy listed local government’s environmental responsibilities under Australian legislation and international treaty. The risk to commercial and recreational fishing. He also canvassed the increased risk of marine pests and the negative effects of dredging for cruise ship access and berthing, including fish and crab disease brought about by a disturbed river bed and raised sediment levels in the water. 

Clancy addressed the genuine community concern with regard to the Yaegl peoples' cultural interests. He told fellow councillors that "Clr. Lysaught said no-one's suggesting dredging. Well I'm sorry, if you're going to have a cruise ship terminal you would have to dredge and you would have to dredge a lot" and “we need to listen to the people of the valley and oppose any suggestion of a [cruise] port which won’t bring any financial value to the valley”.

At one point Clr. Clancy also commented on the tone of the debate and thought it "sad that the only arguments that Clr. Baker's got are based on trying to denigrate local people...I'm lucky because I've got thick skin, I'm used to it, but some of the people out there who are  genuinely concerned about a [cruise] port in Yamba really have good reasons".

Richie Williamson’s glove puppet and seemingly part-time participant in local government Clr. Lysaught gave his opinion - mocking any suggestion that dredging would be needed or could have negative effects and stating he felt assured that all relevant legislation would be obeyed in any future development.

Clr. Ellem gave his take on the Berejiklian Government’s plan for the Port of Yamba; “Well I don’t know who dreams up this stuff, Sydney-based bureaucrats in concert with multinational cruise ship companies……..passengers spend very little money onshore unless they are in  Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney. This is a state government-driven initiative by a government which is ploughing money into Sydney and turning it into grid lock. I think people in Yamba that I speak to wonder what this is all about. Is it throwing out a kite flying project to the people up there to see what kind of response they’d get?  ….I won’t link it to the Mega Port but it’s a similar thing, it causes a lot of concern and angst in the community….if you go onto the website of the draft strategy you punch in “cruise terminals”, “Yamba” nothing comes up – plenty of opportunity for feedback but very scant information on the actual proposal itself. But overseas in Britain and Europe you can call… to book your passage [with] Nobel Caledonia for an Australian Coastal Odyssey, 22 nights from 11,000 pounds….the Caledonian Deck Superior for sole use that’s 15,500 pounds sterling per passenger….their itinerary takes you from Cairns you know down to Melbourne and on or about the morning of October 24 2018 you’ll be landing on Day 16 …in Yamba. “Over breakfast we arrive at the mouth of the Clarence River and the popular holiday resort town of Yamba famed for its spectacular beaches and local seafood. ‘ So we will be retracing the steps of the “explorer Mathew Flinders who visited Yamba in 1799” and we might a look at the Lighthouse no cost and we might go into “the Yamba Historical Museum” gold coin donation or we can duck over to the “Iluka Nature Reserve” no cost and be back on the boat for lunch. Because they trap all of your money, these multinational cruise companies. But that’s what’s going to happen. We’ve had politicians walking along – photo opportunities – and this is the scheduled visitation to Yamba. With no community consultation whatsoever, no feasibility study of whether it is practical or not…..I’ve spoken to retailers in Yamba, they already say they are having a bumper couple of years with the road works that are going on, the bridge works and the amount of tourists coming here by road…. I just think this is a state government overlaying a cookie cutter approach to sort of international, elite tourism and it is quite inappropriate for a small sea port like Yamba but might be appropriate in a place like Eden which has and deep harbour or Coffs which doesn’t have the difficulties of crossing the bar and the lower drafts ….our staff has specifically put this out so this has to be knocked down…let them sail on to Coffs Harbour…..”

Clr Novak described the cruise ship proposal as “a thought bubble” which first came to her attention when earlier this year the NSW Deputy Premier Barilaro announced cruise ships for Yamba and pointed out that the proposal “didn’t really have any social license". She went on to say that no-one "had done any community consult at all around having the bigger ships through here” and that it was incorrect to use the term “further consultation” as she couldn’t recall there being any all consultation at all. Clr. Novak stressed "it’s really important that we actually go to our community and ask them what they want, what they want to see for the future" and, if there is a business case to eventually have these ships entering the port, then council needs to have all adverse practical, environmental, and cultural information before it in order for councillors to make an informed decision.

Clr. Kingsley demonstrated the art of straddling a fence when he urged; "Let's not get lost in all of this because I think it's a bit broader than just cruise ships and I too have concerns about the environmental and in particular the cultural impacts of any potential cruise ship operations.." and then went on to vote for the final motion leaving the door open for cruise ships in the Clarence estuary to be in the final version of the NSW Government sea transport strategy. 

Lastly,  Clr. Simmons admitted receiving “a dozen or so emails” with but all one expressing concern and asked councillors not to support the officer’s recommendation and “that there had been no consultation with the community up ‘til now”. In spite of these admissions he blithely voted to open the door wide to a sea transport plan for Yamba that has no boundaries or limitations due to its deliberate vagueness.

I cannot finish this post without pointing out Clr. Baker’s expressed desire to fill those “irrational”, “hysterical, screeching” Lower Clarence residents and two of his fellow councillors with “a boatload of calm down pills”, maybe even more than one boatload. His continuing efforts to establish a full-blown conspiracy theory was worthy of a Donald Trump. While his assertions of a phantom cruise ship sailing into the Clarence River and parking there for the last two years and an indefinable cruise terminal already in existance were both masterpieces of absurdity. 

“We are already a cruise terminal, ships that are capable already come in……we should not simply fall over because there is fifteen or twenty people who have listened to Clr. Clancy or whoever instructs him to carry these messages to say; stop everything, do not allow anything to even be considered…We don’t have to say to the state government that they’ve gotta be environmentally sustainable – that’s all covered, forget that. It might be great soapbox stuff but for this council it is a non-event….we should just leave this....There has been a cruise ship in the Clarence Valley for two years, parked variously at Palmers Island and at Harwood*”. Clr. Baker was also in a mood “to calm the horses” and decried community concerns saying “That people who go out at this stage on some imaginative opposition are misleading people, they are trying to make themselves relevant…”

*Not so coincidentally Palmers Island have a waterfront site owned by a shipbuilder and Harwood has a commercial slipway where unladened yachts, small day cruise ships, island ferries, barges and small cargo ships have from time to time been laid up for repair, repaint or refit (see images below taken at Harwood Slipway). Boats such as these are of course not what is coming into Port of Yamba next year on its maiden voyage into the Clarence – it will be a 4,200 gross tonnage, 90.6m long,15.3m wide, five decks high, foreign-owned ocean-going cruise ship with up to 114 passengers. A ship which has already done irreparable damage to a pristine reef earlier this year.

You can listen to much of what Clancy, Ellem, Baker, Novak and others said here at https://soundcloud.com/clarence-valley-council/ordinary-council-meeting-21-november-2017-part-1#t=2:00:39.

What became apparent during the debate was that only Greg Clancy, Peter Ellem and Debrah Novak had given some thought to the issues, listened to Lower Clarence residents and voted against opening the door to the international cruise industry. These three councillors recognised that any council decision made on 21 November would be based on a complete absence of planning information and no prior consultation. 

What has become obvious over the last few weeks is that very few people trust the Berejiklian Government's intentions with regard to the Port of Yamba and, this appears to include some of those councillors who actually voted on 21 November to invite the state government to continue to move forward with its plans. 

What has also has come to light after the Future Transport 2058 communications team visited Grafton for the day on 27 November 2017 is that the Berejiklian Government intends to fully exercise its power over New South Wales waterways and, expects to proceed with the creation of a cruise ship terminal no matter what position local government, local communities and traditional owners might hold.

It appears that to a distant Liberal-Nationals government down in Sydney the people living within the Clarence River estuary matter far less than the commercial goals of multinational cruise lines.

Perhaps Premier Berejiklian should think back on what went down - politically and on the ground - when her predecessor supported Metgasco Limited's push to create gas fields across the Northern Rivers region. Then cast her mind a few years futher back to what happened when the federal government supported a proposal to dam and divert water from the Clarence River system.

See any gas fields or a huge new dam and pipeline, Premier? 

BACKGROUND

THE OFFICER RECOMMENDATION

That Council tender a submission to the Draft Future Transport 2056 Strategy which includes the following points:

Clarence Valley Council:

* is supportive of infrastructure strategies, initiatives and improvements which promote sustainable economic and environmental development, and support the growth and well-being of local communities and businesses. In particular, the development of a “cruise terminal” for Yamba should be of an appropriate scale pertaining to the boutique port, the capacity of local physical, economic and social infrastructure, and sensitive to the local Aboriginal cultural beliefs.

* requests further consultation and engagement with Council and the broader community for those projects within the Future Transport 2056 Plan which are identified for investigation.

THE FINAL WORDING OF CR. CLANCY’S MOTION – seconded by Cr. Novak & supported by Cr. Ellem

That Council tender a submission to the Draft Future Transport 2056 Strategy which includes the following points:

Clarence Valley Council:

*       Is supportive of infrastructure strategies, initiatives and improvements which promote environmentally sustainable economic development, and support sustainable growth and well-being of local communities and businesses but specifically exclude the option of the development of a “cruise terminal” for Yamba due to adverse practical, cultural, environmental and social impacts.

*      Requests further consultation and engagement with Council and the broader community for those projects within the Future Transport 2056 Plan which are identified for investigation.

THE FINAL WORDING OF CR. BAKERS’S MOTION* – seconded by Cr. Williamson

That Council tender a submission to the Draft Future Transport 2056 Strategy saying that:

Clarence Valley Council requests further consultation and engagement with Council and the broader community for those projects within the Future Transport 2056 Plan which are identified for investigation.

* This motion became the adopted Council resolution

TEXT OF THE 20 NOVEMBER 2017 LETTER NOT READ INTO THE RECORD ON 21 NOVEMBER 2017

“I spent 22 years in the shipping industry based at the port of Yamba running Yamba Shipping with Captain Ron King.

We spent our time attracting whatever cargo and pleasure vessels we could in order try and expand and promote the port. We invariably had to cut our

ideas down to size due to the vagaries of dealing with a river port which

was constantly silting up and governments both state and federal which did

not understand the needs of the commercial shipping industry.

One of the avenues we tried was to attract small and specialist cruise

vessels here particularly during the nineties and early part of this

century.

At all times the companies that we approached required the following:

- Safe berth - the only berth is Goodwood island which is owned by the RMS

and controlled by the Yamba Port Authority. It is possible that a ship could

anchor in the river but there are restrictions. This would have to be

checked with the Port personnel.

- Customs facilities - officers would have to come from Coffs Harbour to

clear people in if it was allowed - that is not guaranteed. Obviously if a

ship has been cleared inward prior to arriving at the port that would

assist. Maybe you would only deal with small Australian vessels.

- Minimum draft of 4 metres is likely to be required. Those vessels would be

small and it may not be economic for them to bring small numbers of

passengers to Yamba. As I remember the maximum allowable draft would 3 to 3.5 metres plus the height of tide.

- What would the people do here? - what is there right on our doorstep that

would attract people to come? Most cruises have essential ingredients - big

cities; amazing countryside;  challenging adventure sports etc etc.

Yes this is a beautiful area but you need to be able to transport the

passengers very quickly and efficiently to different attractions.

It is unrealistic to think you can bring in larger vessels which would

provide the economies of scale. They would be too big to enter the port both in length, breadth and draft.

- we endeavoured to get the rock reef removed at one time during the late

nineties in order to get vessels of 6 metres draft plus into the port but

after some investigation and discussion with the politicians of the time

from Mayor Joy Matthews to Steve Cansdell and federal politicians we decided we had to back off because of the damage it would cause to the relationship with the indigenous people of the Clarence Valley.

-dredging would undoubtedly be required just to remove siltation at the bar

and the other notorious areas such as Goodwood Island reach and the

environmental considerations that have to be gone through before that can

happen are enormous. It is also an extremely expensive operation.

If you tried to anchor vessels off shore and bring passengers in by barge

you would need very calm conditions which are rare.

My belief is that it is a waste of time to pursue this idea. Hope this

helps.”

DAY CRUISE SHIP “D’CRUISE” NEAR HARWOOD SLIPWAY IN 2014

Photograph supplied

SYDNEY HAROUR CRUISE SHIP "MV CAPTAIN COOK'S EXPLORER" AT HARWOOD SLIPWAY

1,050 tonnes, 52.5m long, 11m wide with a draft of 1.2m

Photograph found at Harwood Marine

Moggy Musings [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]

A doin' a donges musing: In Clarence Valley Council's May 2015 CG&W business paper a favourite ploy has been brought into play by a management eager to get its own way - summarise the 48 submissions received regarding the Coldstream-Yamba intersection roundabout so that the authentic voice of Yamba residents is not entered into the public record. Tsk, tsk.

A taken to the court again musing: In April 2015 it was Kerry Maree Durrington v Clarence Valley Council in the District Court at Coffs Harbour, in May it is Janie Terese Emms v Clarence Valley Council in the District Court at Grafton.

An it's been going for yonks musing: Geoffrey William Good Leviny is back in court on 12 May 2015 for a mention at Maclean Local Court (criminal jurisdiction) in the matter of NSW Police v Geoffrey William LEVINY.

A he said what?! musing: Local government watchers in the Clarence Valley will have no difficulty in recognizing who it was that allegedly said this to a worker exiting the toilet - I don't pay you to pee on my time.

An expensive GM musing: There is a rumour doing the rounds that in 2015 the poor management practices of a certain NSW North Coast general manager have cost the local government council he works for an IR court-approved payout of tens of thousands of dollars in a matter brought on behalf of a member by the United Services Union, the largest local government union in NSW.

An iVote musing: According to the NSW Electoral Commission only 2,491 voters out of 54,474 registered voters in the Clarence electorate used the digital iVote system at the 28 March 2015 NSW state election. Of these, 53 digital ballot papers contained errors and were therefore declared Informal.

A Gawd, not another political party! musing: On 24 February 2015 ex- Palmer United Party senator Jacqui Lambie applied to the Australian Electoral Commission to form the Jacqui Lambie Network.

A did you know musing: The Abbott Government's Commission of Audit wants the Minimum Wage to grow by less than the CPI for the next ten years, so that by 2025 it will be only 44% of national average weekly earnings instead of the 56% it is today.

A new nickname musing: Well that didn't take long! Only nine days since News Corp brought into APN News & Media and north of the Rio Tweed they are now calling these regional newspapers the feral murdochs :-)

A what a load of whoppers musing: Slyvester the tom cat who patrols a section of Yamba Road tells me that his hoomin was telling friends that the Nats Chris Gulaptis must hold the Clarence candidate record for telling the most political fibs over this election campaign. Apparently they flow effortlessly from his lips.

A scary fact musing: In 2014 Facebook gave Australian government agencies information about 1,032 people with Facebook pages.

A wheels of the bus go round and round musing: NSW Industrial Relations Commission Court list for : 16/03/2015 11:00am Report Back and Further Compulsory Conference IRC14/833 - USU & Clarence Valley Council re alleged treatment of member.

A hand me the Jaws of Life musing: I'm still laughing over this description of the Clarence Valley Council General Manager's 'open door' policy - you have to use a tin opener to get in to see him.

An it must be galling musing: I wonder how a NSW North Coast local government general manager feels knowing that a former councillor, who contested a code of conduct complaint and won handsomely with costs awarded, is now living the good life on a fine 1,000ha plus rural property with a large very attractive farm house, while this administrator is facing the prospect of legal action against yet another council which employed him?

A your vote or no bridge musing: This is the position Nationals MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis takes on the second Grafton Bridge in the Clarence Valley - The NSW Coalition has committed to building a second bridge in Grafton and we have reserved $177 million from Restart NSW to its construction. The $177 million is currently listed as unallocated on the Statement of Uncommitted Funds released by NSW Treasury. The Coalition would have to be re-elected to ensure the $177 million was allocated to the construction of the Grafton Bridge.

I hope Clarence Valley voters are noticing the admission that there is no $177 million allocated in the 2014-15 NSW Budget or forward estimates. Apart from the $429,275 covering the quality assurance contract won by Geolink this year there appears to be no guaranteed money and any further funding to actually progress and build the new bridge may not be in the 2015-16 budget – or in the budget the year after that or the year after that or the year after that……

An arrogance personified musing: After the first Clarence Valley Council meeting he attended an angry little local pollie, elected by default in 2015 and with a little over one year's past experience in local government 27 years ago, is reportedly "pleased with the overall performance" of his fellow councillors – all of whom have represented their communities for far longer than he. Happy to plead 'new chum' status to avoid sitting on more than one committee, but willing to try and bully the meeting when it went on too long for his liking. Oh, dear. This does not bode well for the future.

A candidate who? musing: Rumours are circulating that former Nats MP for Clarence Steve Cansdell was thinking about standing at the March 2015 NSW election – until the Nationals allegedly threatened him with looking into his false statutory declaration again. Surely not!

A questioning musing: What was one of Adani Mining Pty Ltd's company cars doing parked at the corner of Victoria & Prince streets in Grafton on or about 29 January 2015? Apparently once this car was sighted around 20 metres from Nationals MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis' electoral office speculation began about what a representative of this multinational Indian mining company was doing in the Clarence Valley.

A telling it like it is musing: In the Sunshine Coast Daily on 31 January 2015 - “News Corp's biased coverage during the campaign was appalling. Its agenda was clear with the front page headlines claiming bikies were backing Labor, followed up by a front page endorsement of Mr Newman last Sunday. The growth of social media, and alternative, independent news sources meant the paper's view mattered little in the end.”

Steve Cansdell avoided humiliating defeat at the ballot box by not nominating

Disgraced former Nationals MP for Clarence, Steve Cansdell, attempted to spin his second thoughts in The Daily Examiner on 21 January 2015:

Click on image to enlarge

In the end when nominations closed there was only one candidate, so the by-election was cancelled and, the only nominee was elected by default.

Popular opinion is that people were not putting up their hands to serve as an elected councillor because democracy had finally died within Clarence Valley Council in October 2011 and, no-one wanted to be involved with what is perceived locally as dysfunctional decision making.

Disgraced former Nationals MP Steven Rhett Cansdell wants to enter politics once more?

On 2 December 2014 The Daily Examiner reported that sixty-four year old Steven Rhett Cansdell is considering standing at the March 2015 Clarence Valley Council by-election.

This would not be his first foray into politics and voters need to think long and hard if his name turns up on the by-election ballot paper.

Cansdell previously served on Grafton City Council over a ten-year period commencing in 1993. 

This council was notorious for living well beyond its means - by 1999 it had used $1.722 million of internal reserves to fund current operating costs and was still running in deficit in June 2003. It disappeared in the forced amalgamation which saw the creation of Clarence Valley Council in February 2004.

After leaving local government Cansdell then stood at the next state election and entered the NSW Parliament on 22 March 2003 as the Nationals MP for Clarence.

He successfully stood for re-election in 2007 and 2011.

On 4 May 2011 Cansdell became Parliamentary Secretary for Police under the Minister for Police and Emergency Services Liberal MLC Mike Gallacher.

He resigned from Parliament on 16 December 2011 in the midst of questions concerning a statutory declaration and allegations that he (rather than one of his staff) was driving a speeding car caught by a traffic camera.

Twenty-two weeks after the state election Clarence electorate voters had to participate in the subsequent by-election. Based on the NSW Electoral Commission’s cost projection for the 2011 state election, the total bill for the two Clarence ballots would be in the vicinity of $903,000.

Politically, Cansdell appeared to sink from public sight after that by-election.

However, the details of Mr. Cansdell’s admitted wrongdoing and the local reaction lived on.

Political cartoon in The Daily Examiner on 24 January 2012:

Letter to the Editor in The Daily Examiner on 14 March 2012:

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on 19 January 2013:

LESSONS FROM POLITICAL HOUDINI

The award for the most outstanding public escape act of recent times must surely go to the former member for Clarence, Steve Cansdell. 

You recall Cansdell: he was the former professional boxer and parliamentary secretary for police who became the O'Farrell government's first political casualty only months after it took office. 

The then 60-year-old quit Parliament after his admission that he had falsified a statutory declaration to claim a staff member was driving when his car was snapped by a speed camera.
Cansdell was trying to avoid losing his driver's licence. Despite the incident occurring back in September 2005, he fell on his sword in September 2011, amid a chorus of sympathy from his Nationals colleagues. 

Cansdell was "paying a very heavy price for a lapse of judgment six years ago", the leader of the Nationals and Deputy Premier, Andrew Stoner, said at the time. 

Only later did it emerge that shortly before Cansdell put his hands up, the staff member in question, Kath Palmer, had blown the whistle on the episode to the Independent Commission Against Corruption. 

So if Cansdell was not quite pushed - he claimed he quit to save the government and the party from embarrassment - he was very firmly nudged. 

Not only had Palmer alleged the statutory declaration fraud, she alleged that Cansdell had also rorted a parliamentary staffing allowance by wrongly claiming it for the period she worked on the 2010 campaign of a Nationals colleague, Kevin Hogan, who was contesting the federal seat of Page. 

And so began a very strange - many would say disturbing - series of events involving the ICAC, the police and the Speaker of the NSW Parliament that remain unresolved to this day.
In October last year, just over a year after Cansdell walked into Grafton police station with his lawyer to make his admission, police announced they had concluded their investigation into the statutory declaration matter. 

"NSW Police Force will not instigate criminal proceedings," they said in a statement. 

What had happened? The statement explained police from the Coffs-Clarence local area command had identified the woman who signed the declaration but that "she declined to be interviewed by officers". 

Futhermore, it added, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions had said it was "not satisfied there are reasonable prospects for conviction for a Commonwealth offence".
For the NSW police, that was the end of the matter. But they omitted a couple of key details. 

While it was true Palmer, through her lawyer, had refused to be formally interviewed, she had offered to make what is known as an "induced statement" - one given in return for indemnity from prosecution. 

According to Palmer's lawyer, Mark Spagnolo, the police had earlier made it known they intended to charge Palmer with perverting the course of justice for her role in the false statutory declaration. Any admission in an interview was likely to lead to her being charged. 

Police deny she was threatened with a charge but their decision to refuse her offer to supply an induced statement was rather ambitiously twisted to become Palmer "declined to be interviewed". 

Second, the Commonwealth DPP claimed it had been verballed. It said it had simply advised the NSW police that they were not satisfied it was a Commonwealth offence - a subtle but important difference. 

Things became even more intriguing when it emerged the ICAC had referred the allegation that Cansdell had rorted his parliamentary allowance to the Speaker of the NSW Parliament, Shelley Hancock, who was technically Palmer's employer. 

The ICAC referred the matter "for action as considered appropriate". But no action was taken for a year by Hancock, until Spagnolo released the letter publicly through Fairfax. 

After that Hancock, who is also the Liberal member for South Coast, promised that parliamentary officers would "review the material" sent by the ICAC. This included a spreadsheet containing the dates on which Palmer alleged Cansdell submitted claims for the allowance that differed from the days she worked. That was last October. 

What has happened since then? Hancock passed the matter to the executive manager of the Department of Parliamentary Services, Rob Stefanic, who responded that he was "unable to reach any conclusions regarding the veracity of the claims made by the former electorate officer". 

Stefanic added that because, in his opinion, the allegations were "of minor significance", that so much time had elapsed and that both Palmer and Cansdell had resigned, no further action should be taken "in the absence of more conclusive information". (Never mind that the allegations, if proven, are similar to those which saw two former Labor MPs, Angela D'Amore and Karyn Paluzzano, branded corrupt by ICAC.) 

When Hancock was asked if the Parliament would contact Palmer to request "more conclusive information", she said it would not. 

"As Ms Palmer did not make a complaint directly to the Parliament, the Parliament will not be contacting the complainant for further information." 

So, 18 months since Palmer made her official complaint, there the matter lies: a tangled mess of contradictory claims, dead ends and official inertia. 

Palmer is understood to be considering whether to pursue the matter with Parliament or drop it altogether to get on with her life. 

Spagnolo has called for an inquiry into the police handling of the matter. The silence has been deafening. 

Cansdell now says he has gone bankrupt. 

And, while there is no suggestion he is implicated, the man he is alleged to have helped out by fiddling his taxpayer-funded entitlements, Kevin Hogan, has won Nationals preselection to contest Page at this year's federal election. 

As a lesson in the frustrations of being a political whistleblower, it doesn't get much more instructive than that.