Taxation loathing unites us

Death and taxes are considered inevitable and our loathing of the latter appears to jump income levels and political persuasion.

From this week's Essential Report:

61% think Australians pay too much tax and 28% think Australians pay about the right amount.

72% of full‐time workers think we pay too much tax but there were no significant differences by income level.

Labor and Liberal/National voters also gave similar responses.

...those opposed to increasing the GST outnumbered those in favour...

Increasing GST to pay off national debt was strongly rejected (66%).

Let my cyberspace go!

"The internet needs to be free. It needs to be free the way we have said the skies have to be free, outer space has to be free, the polar caps have to be free, the oceans have to be free. They're shared resources of all the people of the world."
US ambassador Jeffrey Bleich

Tony Kelly & West Yamba: none so blind as those who will not see

Yamba in flood in May 2009
West Yamba shown in the top half of the photograph from The Daily Examiner

Planning Minister Tony Kelly claims he has reviewed all the evidence before approving the development of West Yamba. Did he consider the Yamba Floodplain Risk Management Study (Webb, McKeown and Associates Pty Ltd July 2008) commissioned by Clarence Valley Council? If he did, he is ignoring the following:

 The height of land in West Yamba "generally lies between 1.0m and 1.5m AHD" (p.36) and the 1:100 ARI (once in a hundred years) flood level is 2.34m. The study goes on to say that 'an average of 0.8m of fill across the site is required to meet current Council guidelines'. (That figure itself is conservative, as it implies that the average height of land is 1.54m AHD, somewhat more than the stated 1.0m - 1.5m AHD.)
 1.3 million cubic metres of fill will be required to bring the land to 2.34m AHD (page 37).
 The study acknowledges that it is unlikely that dredging for such a large volume of fill would be approved. Therefore the fill would have to be brought by truck.
 This equates to a 20 tonne truck trip every six minutes (including return) for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year for 9.5 years (page 37).
 The Clarence Valley Draft Local Environmental Plan 2010 recommends a floor level of 1:100 ARI plus 0.5 metre freeboard.
 The additional 0.5m freeboard would bring the floor levels for buildings in West Yamba to 2.84m AHD. Even if the whole area is not filled to that level, it is clear that something of the order of 1.8 million cubic metres of fill will be required. It follows that bringing 1.8 million cubic metres will take something in excess of 13 years.

The impact of 270,400 (give or take a few) 20 tonne truck trips on local roads, traffic and the community has also been ignored by the Minister. So has the obvious point that the water which inundates the West Yamba area in times of flood will have to go somewhere – but where? (It should be noted that sea level rise associated with climate change has NOT been included in the consultant’s calculations. CSIRO estimates a rise of up to 0.91 metres by the end of the century – that is, in old terms, another 3 feet!)

Truly there are none so blind as those who will not see.

Gary Whale
Yamba

* GuestSpeak is a feature of North Coast Voices allowing Northern Rivers residents to make satirical or serious comment on issues that concern them. Posts of 250-300 words or less can be submitted to ncvguestspeak at live.com.au for consideration.

Concrete matters in the Clarence Valley

Questions many in the Clarence Valley and elsewhere on the NSW North Coast ask themselves as unsteady legs or failing eyesight make negotiating those sloped grass strips, laughingly called footpaths, more of an obstacle course than an easy stroll:

Walking in Grafton can be dangerous

I WAS recently visiting a family member in Riverdale Court, Grafton, when I could not believe my eyes?

In this completely brand new homes-built area, I had to wait to park my car. Why?

Because there was an elderly lady walking herself (and her dog) with the use of her 'walking frame' for assistance, that's right, a walker come chair on wheels, on the road because some idiot forgot to include footpaths in this new development area.

Is this now common practice for the new-age CVC (Clarence Valley Council) members?

The grassed 'home fronts' are not 'walker' friendly, and how long will it be before someone sues the CVC for such a bungling oversight?

In this 'new century', the CVC has neglected to include 'pavements' for pedestrians on which to walk.

One can understand older parts of Grafton that do not have 'pavements' for pedestrians, but brand new subdivisions without pavements, it's very hard to believe in 'today's day and age'.

What exactly are those in the CVC responsible for when it comes to OH&S with regards the safety of pedestrians, and why does the CVC spend ever-increasing income from rates on 'superficial' gardens and street gardens that are 'not essential' to the care and well-being of Grafton citizens/folk?

JOSEPH GOLDEN, Summerland Way

[Letter to the Editor, The Daily Examiner, 20 April 2010]

Is this your river island dream house? Mapping predicted sea level rise (7)

Google Earth mapping showing the effects of a 1 metre sea level rise in a river delta area on the New South Wales coast, which would possibly see water encroaching on the idllyic river island property pictured above.
The 2009 Federal Government report Climate Change Risks to Australia's Coasts contains a 'worst case' scenario involving a 1.1 metre sea level rise along the NSW coast sometime within the next 90 years.

Revenge of the Sons of Gwalia

Despite the rather colourful name of the now defunct mining company and associated court case, Sons of Gwalia v Margaretic, the Rudd Government's legislation has the rather dun-colured title of Corporations Amendment (No.2) Bill 2010.

Anyone wanting to have their say on the exposure draft of this bill can do it here.

Sons of Gwalia Limited has a rather fascinating early history and a very complicated one since. There is apparently some $1.2 billion in claims admitted by Sons of Gwalia administrators. About a third of these claims were lodged by shareholders and this legislation may cause them some angst if it muddies the legal waters.

Exposure Draft - Corporations Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2010

Tony Abbott continues his love affair with his own image

Oz Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has posted 26 pics of himself on Flickr (mostly decked out in lycra) and then tweeted the world about it.

Maud up the Street reckons his camera pose is getting a bit of a pelvic thrust to it.

Lest We Forget

ANZAC DAY 2010

THE MOUSE THAT ROARED: est. 80% of Yamba says no to McDonald's Australia

Yamba chamber vice-president Tania Williams, Janet Purcell and others present petitions to council general manager Stuart McPherson. "Eighty per cent of Yamba's population and a majority of the chamber of commerce members are saying no to McDonald's," Ms Williams said.

Yamba residents have posted on Facebook, blogged, written letters to editor, taken out newspaper ads, worn their opposition on T-shirts, signed petitions in their thousands and made submissions to Clarence Valley Council by the 23 April 2010 deadline, in order to oppose the McDonald's Australia development application for a 24 hour eat-in and drive-through fast food outlet in Treelands Drive, Yamba.

There is at least one site inspection, planning committee meeting and a monthly council meeting to go and, as yet it is still not clear that those shire councillors who have been quietly supporting McDonald's (and its politically connected backers) have even paused to think what around 80 per cent community resistance means for the future of local government in the Lower Clarence.

With only eight of the nine shire councillors eligible to consider this application, Mayor Richie Williamson will also be risking his reputation and possibly any political future he may hope for if the ballot is so tight that he must use his casting vote.

As more than one former shire councillor would be able to recall - Yamba never forgets.

Photograph from The Daily Examiner

Abbott's warmongering ways show he's just another pollie willing to advance his own interests on the backs of the fallen

It's almost obscene the way Opposition Leader Tony Abbott seeks every thoughtless opportunity to get his phizog on the screen or his name in print.

Nicely timed in the lead-up to Anzac Day, Phony Tony had this to say to a Lowy Institute audience:
"It's no secret that the Americans would like additional Australian forces in Afghanistan and have refrained from making a formal request only because they have been told that it would be unwelcome. The Government should explain why it's apparently right that NATO countries should commit more troops but not Australia. Putting more troops at risk is not a decision that any Australian government should lightly make but the near certainty of higher casualties has to be weighed against the consequences of failing to shoulder extra responsibilities and the ramifications of any collective loss of nerve by Western powers. How fair is it to leave Australia's security so much in the hands of other countries' soldiers or to expect America and Britain to do nearly all the free world's heavy lifting? If satisfied that the role made strategic sense and was compatible with our other military commitments, a Coalition government would be prepared to consider doing more.
Should it be made, a commitment to do more in Afghanistan would be one sign that Australia is entirely serious about its overseas responsibilities. It would build on the reputation Australia established during the Howard years as a power that well and truly "punched to its weight". "

Yeah, not content with his War on Wimmin, Dole Bludgers and Boat People, Tony lusts to spill some more real blood if he gets into The Lodge and like most pollies the blood he wants to let will not be his own.
Not content that 90,000 international defence personnel from 46 countries are currently deployed in Afghanistan, this poor excuse for a pollie even slips in a suss question about why NATO's supposedly bearing the burden of increased troop commitment in Afghanistan.
NATO of course is quite clear as to why it's in Afghanistan. It took command of the very un-UN International Security Assistance Force in 2003 after the Coalition of the Willing had finished with its invasion of that country and its member countries were expected to increase troop numbers on the ground in order to impose political and social order.
The same day that Abbott posted his p#ss horn speech on the Liberal Party website, the NATO foreign ministers were announcing their intention to hand back more power to the Afghan Government and its own military.

Oh and by the way, cobber. Australia has been punching above its weight in war and peace keeping missions and doing a great deal of heavy lifting ever since we first sent military contingents overseas to assist Britain and her allies.
Just go ask those marching in remembrance today.