King Canute gets to his feet in the House of Representatives

The majority of residential and commercial development at Wooli is located along a narrow sand spit which separates the Wooli River from the Pacific Ocean. The sand spit has been actively subdivided and developed over the years, with a significant number of dwellings erected close to the beachfront. Approximately 90 dwellings, the public school, voluntary rescue and storage facility, public hall, playground and RSL cenotaph are located on land fronting the beach. Wooli Beach suffered severe storm damage in 1954 and 1974. Also, in the mid 1990’s and during the last few years, the frontal dune along Wooli Beach has been severely eroded leaving a high, steep escarpment along much of the beachfront. The escarpment has continued to recede during this time with successive ocean storms, in particular a recent storm event during late May 2009. [Wooli Beach/Village Review of Coastal Hazards Report]

I know I’m maligning the historical figure of Canute by playing to the error that he really did try to turn back the ocean, but that myth perfectly fits the Nationals Member for Cowper, Luke Hartsuyker who is trying to make political capital out of the woes of residents in the coastal village of Wooli on the NSW North Coast by promising the impossible.

This is his effort recorded in Hansard on 16 November 2010:

Another important issue I raise relates to the future of the village of Wooli in the Cowper electorate. Wooli is a small coastal community of a few hundred people, and it is confronting the challenges of sand erosion. After years of erosion, many houses are potentially under threat. The Clarence Valley Council has released a draft plan of management which proposes a progressive retreat from the site of the original village. The plan tables the option of allowing landowners in the foreshore area to swap properties for crown land near the Wooli sportsground. This proposal is causing grief in the Wooli community. I recently met with Bruce Bird from the Wooli Chamber of Commerce and Margy Hewetson to discuss their concerns. They highlighted to me how important it is that every effort be made to protect these threatened properties and retain the current village precinct.

If the draft plan is implemented, all land south of the Wooli Bowling Club could be sacrificed. That includes the Wooli Public School. As the residents explained to me, there are other options available which could protect properties in the area, and I believe it is incumbent on the council to thoroughly investigate all options. The residents are concerned that the erosion problem will not receive adequate attention, given the small size of the Wooli village. I believe that Wooli residents deserve treatment equal to that of other ratepayers in the area, which is why I welcome the opportunity to place this matter on record in the federal parliament. Wooli is a beautiful village, and the land is very valuable. All reasonable efforts must be made to protect the village from erosion into the future.

and this is what he said to the national media:

Mr Hartsuyker says he will not let people's homes fall into the ocean.

Will not let people’s homes fall into the ocean? How on earth does he expect to stop the relentless wave action erosion process and effects of storm surges, when at their basis are the increasing impacts of climate change?

Mr. Hartsuyker would be more believable if he had ever confronted his party and leader over the total lack of support for any legislative change which would effectively mitigate against global warming over time. According to Hartsuyker, his party’s lack of support is a win for regional Australia.

Elsewhere in the local media this wordy MP expressing dissatisfaction with the degree of hydraulic modelling applied to the problem – cheerfully ignoring Clarence Valley Council’s own commissioned 2010 Wooli Beach / Village Review of Coastal Hazards and the 2007 CSIRO study Projected Changes In Climatological Forcing For Coastal Erosion In NSW which specifically looked at modelling for Wooli.

The sad fact of the matter is that Wooli primarily built its houses on a thin strip of sand between two tidal bodies of water with predictable results.

Google Earth image of Wooli with a 1 metre predicted sea-level rise

From North Coast Voices in 2007: Clarence Valley Council admits there is little that can be done for property owners in the face of 'inevitable' coastal erosion

Every wondered what the Americans were doing while Julian & Chas 'trashed' APEC in 2007?

Wikileaks excerpt from U.S. diplomatic cable transcript:

S E C R E T STATE 152317

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2027
TAGS: PARM PREL
SUBJECT: POST REQUESTED TO FOLLOW UP ON ONGOING MATTERS OF PROLIFERATION CONCERN RAISED AT APEC BY PRESIDENT BUSH

REF: (A)STATE 071143, (B)STATE 073601, (C)STATE 72896, (D)BEIJING
5361, (E) STATE 148514

CLASSIFIED BY EAP DAS THOMAS J. CHRISTENSEN: 1.4 (B) AND (D).

¶1. (S) URGENT ACTION REQUEST: IN SEPTEMBER DURING THEIR MEETING AT THE APEC SUMMIT IN SYDNEY AUSTRALIA, PRESIDENT BUSH DISCUSSED WITH CHINESE PRESIDENT HU STRONG CONCERNS RELATING TO THE ONGOING TRANSSHIPMENT VIA BEIJING OF KEY BALLISTIC MISSILE PARTS FROM NORTH KOREA TO IRAN'S MISSILE PROGRAM. PRESIDENT BUSH PLEDGED TO RESPOND TO PRESIDENT HU'S REQUESTS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. EMBASSY SHOULD ON NOVEMBER 3 AT THE MOST EFFECTIVE LEVEL POSSIBLE, DELIVER THE NON-PAPER IN PARA 8 WHICH RELATES TO SPECIFIC, TIME-SENSITIVE INFORMATION ABOUT AN IMMINENT TRANSSHIPMENT. IN ADDITION, AT THE EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY POST SHOULD DELIVER THE NON-PAPER IN PARA 9 TO MFA AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL POSSIBLE, PREFERABLY BY THE AMBASSADOR SINCE THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO PRESIDENTIAL-LEVEL DISCUSSIONS.......

Earlier that same year U.S. diplomatic sources had this to say:

Equally important is an active U.S. leadership
role in the international community. The UK is ham-strung
by its colonial past and domestic politics, thus, letting them
set the pace alone merely limits our effectiveness. The EU is
divided between the hard north and its soft southern
underbelly. The Africans are only now beginning to find
their voice. Rock solid partners like Australia donQt
pack enough punch to step out front and the UN is a
non-player. Thus it falls to the U.S., once again, to take
the lead, to say and do the hard things and to set the agenda.

Wikileaks Cable Viewer.

* While the U.S administration makes overt threats against Wikileaks and veiled threats against those who republish, the mainstream media reports in articles such as the Washington Post's WikiLeaks's unveiling of secret State Department cables exposes U.S. diplomacy and, the online comments this attracts are sometimes appalling:

The trouble with K-K-Kristina

Premier Kristina Keneally may have been the worst state planning minister in recent memory, been installed as head patsy during troubled times for the NSW Labor Government in the hope that her gender would add a fillip to a tired and toxic political cocktail, be way too close to unpopular factional warlords, in a my cojones are bigger than your cojones sh*t fight with the unions and all the rest of it.
But the reason K-K-Kristina won't win the fickle heart of the state-wide electorate in March 2011 will probably be due to none of the above.
Because if you apply the local pub test, what she's seen as first and foremost (in spite of that politically expedient citizenship certificate) is as a brassy, pushy Yank.
It may not be all that fair, but the sentiment appears to be heartfelt after a few beers loosen tongues.

Gabba - Day 5 - Oz selectors need to show some gumption

Yes, the scoreboard said the match ended in a draw, but anyone with a modicum of common sense knows the Poms had a solid points victory and will head to Adelaide for the Second Test (it starts on Friday) with their heads held high while a few of the Oz mob must be wondering about the security of their spots. Honestly, some of the Oz lot are so deep in the doldrums they need to be sent back to state duties with specific instructions to improve their game or take the big step and advise selectors that their dance cards have expired and will not be renewed.

The Poms piled on record after record performance.

The Poms declared at 1/517 in their second innings - enough said!

Now who has been loose with the facts in the Clarence Valley rate debate??

Was poor Truth murdered by the Colonel in the conservatory, the Rector in the library or the Cook in the kitchen?
I leave those who know the local personalities involved to make up their own minds.

Excerpt from The Great Divide, Graham Orams, The Daily Examiner, 18 November 2010, Page 1:

Councillor Craig Howe strongly disagreed, stating the Valley already had parity in water, sewerage and waste collection rates.

He went on to say it was unfair that a Grafton business valued at $150,000 paid $2776 in rates, whereas a business in Maclean paid just $1138, and only $848 in the tourist mecca of Yamba.

"This issue is causing divide in the Clarence Valley community and needs to be addressed in a real way that achieves a fair outcome for all businesses," he said.

Excerpt from former Maclean Shire councillor Bill Day's letter to the editor, The Daily Examiner, 26 November 2010, Page 12:

In your November 18 front page story, "The Great Divide", you quote councillor Craig Howe as saying it was unfair that a Grafton business valued at $150,000 paid $2776 in rates, whereas a business in Maclean paid just $1138, and only $848 in the tourist mecca of Yamba.
This is a deliberate distortion of the real issues......

Excerpt from Clarence Valley Shire councillor Craig Howe's letter to the editor, The Daily Examiner, 29 November 2010, Page 10:

At no point did I ever refer to Yamba as "the tourist Mecca". I would not be so flippant or inflammatory with such a serious matter, don't take my word for it, ask the journalist for a copy of what I said.....

Cartoon figure from CrystalXP

B#gger, b*gger, b^gger! Our Tony just won't shut up

I honestly thought, with the 2010 Australian Federal Parliament in its last dying days playing legislative catchup before the Chrissie break, that I wouldn’t find Opposition Leader Tony Abbott saying something quite so stupid as this comment on the pending marriage of a young British couple:"something as natural and as fitting as the marriage of an appealing man and an attractive woman".
Although most of the print media tried to save Tony from himself by omitting the “fitting” from published quotes on Sunday, ABC News gave the game away with its televised sound bites from his speech at the national conference of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy in Sydney on Saturday, 27th November.
Fitting? Wot? It’s unnatural and improper for socially inept, cauliflower-eared blokes like myself to pull a sheila who’s attractive? Strewth, Tones, you live in a weird and dispiriting world!
#Snapshot of Abbott with foot-in-mouth on 27.11.10

Ashes Test at Gabba - day 4 - Poms turn it on

Boy, oh boy, what a difference a day makes! The Poms really gave the Oz XI something serious to think about on Day 4.
Pommy openers Strauss and Cook put on 188 before skipper Strauss departed for a very solid 110. Cook had another Big Day Out and at day's end was 132 not out - his 67 in the first innings was obviously an entree.
The Poms go to Day 5 with an overall lead of 88, so they can be expected to grind away at the expense of an Oz bowling attack that looks like it's been to the blood laboratory and had it confirmed that it currently lacks venom.
Heading the lengthy list of visitors from Old Blighty at the Gabba is the Royal Family.

 And for those who think/hope/wish the Barmy Army will fade away in the not too distant future, they're in for a big disappointment. Young BA offspring were at the Gabba in big numbers!

NCVs had a yarn with a couple of Pommy brothers who were beside themselves about their prospects for the the rest of the series.

Remember, the only Oz who took a wicket on Day 4 was Marcus North and his hold on a position in future Test sides is indeed most tenuous.Reckon that says it all.

Congratulations to all 2010 Heywire winners

HEYWIRE is a space and a competition where young people create and share their stories, ideas and opinions…..
Anyone can upload stories to this website, but you have to be aged between 16 and 22, and live outside Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide or Perth, to be eligible to win the Heywire Competition. Each year in September/October the best stories that have been uploaded throughout the year are chosen to be broadcast across the ABC. The roughly 40 winning entrants get the chance to go to Heywire Youth Issues Forum in Canberra in February.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and a special mention to Alexandra and Elizabeth from the NSW North Coast!
Their winning entries were The Ag plot and But it is Normal.

Complete list of winners:

New South Wales

Alexandra Neill: Grafton

Bubli Rawat: Shell Harbour

Elizabeth Kennedy: Murwillumbah

Benjamin Vella: Tamworth

Janet Brown: Wagga Wagga

Brendon Reynolds: Pambula

Jack Stanley: Broken Hill

Northern Territory

Skye MacFarlane: Mataranka

Kylie Sambo: Tennant Creek

Queensland

Jack Piggott: Rolleston

Nicolette Worth: Cairns

Clair Ryder: Townsville

Lucy Hanson: Crow's Nest

Emily Lohse: Brooweena

Luke Chaplain: Boomarra Station

Ria Garside: Clermont

South Australia

Annie Rudiger: Karoonda

Talisha Queama: Fregon

Tameika Schultz: Streaky Bay

Tasmania

Sophie Chandler: Crabtree, Tasmania

Jeremy Stingel: Burnie, Tasmania

Victoria

Taylor Smith: Geelong

Jakob Quilligan: Bendigo

Robert Colgrave: Moe

Razia Gharibi: Shepparton

Alanna Pasut: Red Cliffs

Amber Brimley: Edenhope, Victoria

Bethany Evans: Timboon

Western Australia

Joel Weston Jackson: Karratha

Sean Painter: Pithara

Jarrod Offer: Cunderdin

Dana Harrold: Eaton

Samantha Fielder: Kalgoorlie Boulder

Australian airport security. It sounds a lot more civilized, but....

The mainsteam media and blogosphere is full of stories about intrusive, embarrassing and sometimes downright abusive body searches of airline passengers at international airports overseas.
Underwear and breast prosthetic ordered to be removed during separate searches, urostomy bag dislodged during rough 'patdown', small child 'groped', working mother ordered to submit pumped breast milk to irradiation by x-ray as supposed security measure - the list goes on and on.
However the question remains, are security measures that much better in Australia when your granny with a metal pin in her hip has to be subjected to a "frisk" body search or worse?
On balance Australians probably fare better going though national airports, but I wonder how long that advantage may last.
See Australian Government airport security screening video.

Security Screening Video - Transcript [DOC: 25 KB]

With all these over-the-top rights to intrude into the personal sphere (across the world and it seems this nation) government employees and officious agents of government policy are fast becoming little bullies with big mouths who don't like to be crossed.
As an example - recently I was told of one North Coast Area Health Service employee who gratuitously and without permission divulged medical information about a constituent to a staff member of a local MP.

Day 3 - Ashes Test at the Gabba

Day 3 started early and finished late, making for a very long day, especially for the Poms in the field and your correspondent who left at sparrow's to get to the ground on time and then had to take a different bus home  after hours which meant he had to trek up hill and down dale across tortuous tiger territory to get to his destination.

Resuming at 5/220 and still 40 runs in arrears Oz batsman Hussey 81 and Haddin 22 found the going rather hard for the first hour or so.

Then the pair started stacking on the runs and produced a partnership of 307 - a record high for an Oz partnership at the Gabba.

Eventually Haddin, who reached his three figures with a six, went for 136 and then Hussey departed a bit later when just 5 short of a double-ton.

Gee, you'd have to feel for Mitch Johnson who sat, padded up, in the sheds for over 24 hours while his team mates Hussey and Haddin enjoyed themselves. Truly, it was little wonder Johnson departed the scene without troubling the scorers. But, honestly, captain Ponting must take the blame for Johnson's demise- rumour has it that Johnson had a very severe case of rashes on his legs due to the length of time his leg movements were restricted due to him being continuously padded up (sources at the ground say he slept in his pads).
 
Question: Who scored 114 runs at the Gabba today?
 Ok, you've looked at the Gabba Test scoreboard and you reckon I'm crackers.
Well, have another look.
At the start of play Hussey was on 81 and Haddin was on 22. Hussey added 114 to finish with 195 while Haddin added 114 to end up with 136.
That's one for the trivia buffs, especially the lot that put the quiz questions on the inside of tops of beer bottles. Ok, beer barons, forward the royalty cheques this way when you use that one!