McGauchie's definitely not in the brass razoo stakes

"Telstra's multi-millionaire chairman has hit back at the "hysterical" public outrage over executive pay, defending corporate Australia against the growing "bosses are bastards" mentality.

Donald McGauchie - who approved a multi-million dollar golden handshake for Telstra's soon-to-depart chief executive Sol Trujillo - said the outcry of "us versus them" in response to job cuts is helping no one, as companies do all that they can to protect their employees and shareholders.

McGauchie, who was paid $602,500 last year for his role as chairman, owns nearly $500,000 worth of Telstra shares. Last year he attended nine board meetings - earning $66,000 per meeting.

Including his fees for board roles at James Hardie Industries and Nufarm, he earned a total of nearly $900,000 last year as a non-executive director."

Well that's nice work if you can get it.

I specially like the fact that Donald G. McGauchie AO (former National Farmers Federation president) was on the board of James Hardie Industries Ltd where his director compensation for 2008 was a lordly $189,192.00.

Was that before or after James Hardie tried to bilk asbestos victims? Oh, it went way back to during!

And is he the same McGauchie that SourceWatch claims tried to break the maritime unions, was once lauded by Li'l Johnnie Howard as an heroic figure for that same union busting and is still on the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia. [Sing Amen]

Why just last week McGauchie warned of tough economic times ahead - just not for him.

**Donald McGauchie's board affiliations according to Business Week.

I'm rather surprised to find Kevin Bacon missing from this list........

Maud up the Street reckons the well-connected Donald's probably a member of The Australian Club in The Big Smoke, but I'm betting on The Melbourne Club further south myself.

Queensland election: will the LNP re-introduce duck and quail shooting?

Brisbane's Westender reports: Rumours abound that Queensland's pro-hunting lobby has persuaded the LNP to re-introduce duck and quail shooting if it wins government after March 21.

The LNP has not been forthcoming to organisations like Birds Queensland about its intentions and the Greens are concerned that the LNP will attempt to sneak into government without releasing policies like its approach to hunting native animals.

Greens MP Ronan Lee, who led the original move to ban duck and quail hunting, said the LNP should immediately dispel these rumours by stating publicly the laws against duck and quail hunting will not be altered.

"There is a widespread feeling in the community that these practices are cruel and inappropriate and Mr Springborg should be prepared to clarify his policy," Mr Lee said.

pic Westender

Harmony Day in Grafton, 27 March 2009

GRAFTON MIGRANT WOMENS GROUP

HARMONY DAY 2009

12PM - 1.30PM FRIDAY 27 MARCH

MARKET SQUARE, GRAFTON

PERFORMANCES
LOCAL SERVICE INFORMATION STALLS
$2.00 LUNCH - Satays + plain rice or Noodle dish or Fruit salad.

Clarence Valley Council will provide 2 small marquees, tables and chairs to be shared by local service providers. Other information stands are welcome. Please RSVP by 20 March 2009. Community Development Officer Tim Shearman Ph:66450232 or tim.shearman@clarence.nsw.gov.au

A Special Kind Of Vision: contemporary indigenous art on the NSW North Coast

On 5 March Arts Northern Rivers and the Retrospect Galleries hosted the launch of a full-colour book showcasing contemporary indigenous art titled A Special Kind Of Vision.

An exhibition of the same name is running at the gallery featuring the work of:
Albert Digby Moran / Alison Williams / Bevan Skinner / Brenda Webb / Frances Belle Parker / Garth Lena / Gilbert Laurie / Graeme Walker / Jacqui Williams / Joanne Lapic / Karla Dickens / Kim Healey / Lelarnie O’Sullivan / Les Evans / Lewis Walker / Lexie Donovan / Mark Deamon Noter-Browning / Michael Philp / Noel (Charlie) Caldwell / Oral Roberts / Penny Evans / Peter Robinson / Priscilla Sutor Anderson / Robert Appo / Timothy Ives.

Where: Retrospect Galleries, 52 Jonson Street, Byron Bay

When: Opening 6pm Friday March 6, exhibition runs till Thursday March 26

Time: Open 7 days, 10am to 6pm

More info: (02) 6680 8825 or www.retrospectgalleries.com

Painting is Alison Williams' Belonging from Arts Northern Rivers e-news

Copies of the book are available at Arts Northern Rivers and Retrospect Galleries for RRP $38.50

The Prim Minister and Senator Conjob go sensoring

With their national broadband plans languishing (will there or won't there be an announcement on Friday 13th) and the Great Firewall of Australia still not legitimately live trialled, I was amazed to see the Prime Minster's monkey Senator Conroy announce his burning desire not to produce "dumb projects":
THE federal Government is considering mandating that all major new infrastructure projects such as bridges, roads and railways have smart sensors built into them to monitor maintenance and help prevent disasters like the Minnesota bridge collapse.
Minnesota bridge collapse?
Yeah that's a big bridge. In America.
But most of our bridges are smaller ones dotted over the country and maintained by local government on shoestring budgets.
Will the Rudd Government's grand smart sensor implant hype plan actually come with increased funding for local councils so that they can boost the rate of upgrading and why isn't any of this proposed smart technology going into aging infrastructure like the 7,000-odd wooden bridges in NSW many of which are on the North Coast?
Surely the most vulnerable of bridges deserve the highest level of monitoring.

Water, water, everywhere....

Sitting here on the NSW North Coast congratulating myself on the blessed good fortune which meant that the weather has not dealt our region a really bad hand so far this year, it is hard to imagine the extremes experienced elsewhere.

This is the Burdekin Dam, northern Queensland in February 2009.

Thanks to Andrew, Monica, Samantha and Connor for the pics.

Best blog legend found this week

From Monbiot:

"Tell people something they know already and they will thank you for it.
Tell them something new and they will hate you for it."

Best blog comment found this month

From Deltoid:

The Washington Post would decide that George Will is entitled to s*domise puppies live on national TV if they thought they could make money off of it.
Posted by: Dunc February 27, 2009 11:34 AM

Queensland election: LNP candidate a ''serial carpark squatter''

Brisbane's Courier Mail reports that Michael Palmer, Lawrence Springborg's representative for Nudgee, knows a thing or two about bludging.

Palmer, described by the Mail as a "billionaire spawn", has been branded "an arrogant little sod" and a "serial carpark squattter" by a South Brisbane oral surgeon.

The 18-year-old aspiring pollie, and son of the state's richest man Clive Palmer, yesterday plonked dad's golden Mercedes outside the Hope St specialist - where he had no appointment - and wandered off for several hours.

The LNP Nudgee candidate has done this repeatedly in his campaign car, copping a written warning each time, Dr Matthew Voltz told Confidential.

"I thought enough is enough," he said.

When Palmer finally returned, the surgeon approached the Merc to discuss the issue.

But the young man in a hurry "reversed his vehicle away from me, almost driving over me in the rush to escape", Dr Voltz said.

"He saw me coming ... he gave me a wave and I thought, 'You arrogant little sod'.

"I pointed to the sign and said, 'Next time you'll get towed'."

When Confidential contacted Palmer, he said the specialist was "just taking things all a bit too dramatic (sic)".

"It's true that he did knock on the window there but I wasn't really sure what it was about," he said.

"I received the notice there and then I just drove away."

Asked if he'd return to the car space, Palmer spun us a yarn about making an appointment for the specialist next week since he had not been to a dentist in six months.

"I've had a few friends call me and, you know, word of mouth is that they're a pretty good outfit," Palmer said.

Yeah, right, Michael.

They're an oral surgery, not a dental clinic, so you can't make an appointment - you need a referral.

Grocery Choice staggers on

During the entire time the Rudd Government's Grocery Choice has been operating it has only received 68 comments and some of these were from the good folks at Choice who are taking over this website.

If you want to have your say on what information the new look Grocery Choice should contain you can post a comment here.

The latest grocery price breakdown for north-east NSW.
Click to image enlarge.

Teh Ecunomy: Are we scared yet?

Stephen Mayne of The Mayne Report gives us a "chronological version of the losses revealed by ASX-listed companies on Friday, February 27, the very last day of the worst profit reporting season in history" and says that "There's never been a flood of red ink quite like this before."
(Though none of that red appears to be flowing from Pacific Brands which is sacking Aussie and Kiwi workers left, right and centre while sending its famous clothing lines offshore. So come on Cashie give up those Bonds undies!)

Still, despite waking up yesterday morning to a murder of crows yelling RECESSION! on the radio and Malcolm Turnbull acting all coy, I rather think that most of us are as laid back about the economy as Crikey's First Dog On The Moon.

We know it will happen but it doesn't seem that much of a bogey man - yet.

Cancer treatment a scandal on the NSW North Coast

Over the years I have almost become inured to the fact that when one looks at epidemiology data it sometimes appears that there is a causal relationship between where you live and mortality rates.

This week The Far North Coaster brought this possibility home:

Many people in the Far North Coast are missing out on life-saving radiotherapy treatment, so the Cancer Council NSW is asking the public to share their radiotherapy experiences in a one-month call-in to the Cancer Council's Helpline.

In NSW, less than 40 per cent of cancer patients received radiotherapy in 2008, which falls significantly below the internationally accepted benchmark of 52 per cent, the council said.

The Cancer Council estimates that approximately 5000 cancer patients each year do not receive the treatment they require.

It said NSW lacks the capital equipment and radiotherapy workforce needed to meet current or future needs, placing strain on the existing system.

This means some cancer patients are not able to start radiotherapy treatment within the clinically recommended standard of 21 days.

"In many areas, geographical distance creates additional problems for people living in areas without radiotherapy treatment centres," Dr Andrew Penman, CEO at Cancer Council NSW, said.

"The burden of travel, accommodation away from home and out-of-pocket expenses can cause a great deal of stress during an already difficult time."

In some parts of the State, there are only private radiotherapy centres.

Patients without private health insurance either face personal costs of thousands of dollars, or have to travel further from home for treatment that typically ranges from three to six weeks.

Currently there are no radiotherapy services available on the Far North Coast and residents have to travel to Brisbane or Coffs Harbour for radiotherapy treatment in a public hospital.

Consequently, many patients are choosing not to undergo treatment due to transport difficulties.

During the Radiotherapy Call-in, experienced health professionals trained in oncology who staff the Cancer Council NSW's Helpline will answer calls throughout March as part of an initiative to better understand the radiotherapy experiences of cancer patients and their families.

Cancer Council's Radiotherapy Call-in launches on 3 March 2009 and is open weekdays throughout the month, from 9am – 5pm. Callers can contact the Call-in by ringing Cancer Council's Helpline on 13 11 20.

WHAT: Radiotherapy Call-in to Cancer Council's Helpline
WHO: Cancer specialists and health professionals
WHEN: Tuesday 3 March 2009 – Tuesday 31 March 2009, 9am-5pm
WHERE: Across New South Wales. Cancer Council's Radiotherapy Call-in can be accessed from anywhere across the state for the cost of a local call on
13 11 20.

An den iz sed - cats out number p@rn on the Internet?

Salon and Sarah Hepola via a link from Larvatus Prodeo:

For what it's worth, I didn't mean to be a cat person. I grew up with a healthy, sneering disdain for the painfully middlebrow antics of "America's Funniest Home Videos," for the "Hang in there!" posters of kittens clinging precociously to a tree limb. But there was this orange tabby, and blah blah blah, and suddenly my clothes are covered in stubborn fur. Thing is, to be a cat person is something of a private affair. We don't meet at the park and throw sticks. We don't parade our animals down the block or stand around, chatting awkwardly while our pets sniff each others' rear ends. Whatever your cat does -- the way he curls up like a croissant and snores, the way he pads frantically about the bed at 4:30 a.m., paw to your face -- is largely between you and the torn furniture. Which is another reason I think cat culture erupted online, the same reason people get pets in the first place: It's nice to know you're not alone. Other people's cats do this stuff, too.........

In fact, I would submit that cats and kittens might outnumber porn at this point.

"You're probably right about that," says Scott Lamb, a senior editor at the trend-spotting site Buzzfeed. "That might be for the very prosaic reason that producing anything involving kittens is just so much easier than producing porn." After all, we're a nation of shutterbug narcissists, and cats are the closet thing at hand. "Panda ownership is not so common," he says, "but perhaps if it were, panda videos would be even more popular."

Hear that Senator Conroy? We're all probably more interested in kittehs than ti - well you get the picture.

WTF - you can defame a religion now?

The United Nations is a body I have a lot of time for and I'm sorta proud that we Aussies did a lot to get it off the ground and running, and until John Howard came along we continued to fully support its existence and authority.
But.........

This presumably non-binding resolution 62/154 Combating defamation of religions is just a tad too much.
I will happily accept that I would be breaking the law if I defamed a person or incited religious hatred or violence against a person or group; that I cannot do, say or write stuff that racially vilifies or discriminates.
But I'll be b*ggered if I will agree that any religion, philosophy or idea should be treated as a legal person with human rights and that I should mind my Ps and Qs when strongly criticizing the political activities of religious institutions.
If the UN had its way even Good News Week would have to bite its collective tongue on the basis that religious ideology can be defamed in the context of humour.
Half the local pubic bar would have to button lips too because a little blasphemy might get a bloke into trouble - no more Jaysus f**king Christ!

The resolution started life as; "A draft resolution on Combating defamation of religions (document A/C.3/62/L.35) would have the Assembly express deep concern about the negative stereotyping of religions and manifestations of intolerance and discrimination in matters of religion or belief, still in evidence in some regions of the world. The Assembly would further note, with deep concern, the intensification of the campaign to defame religions and the ethnic and religious profiling of Muslim minorities in the aftermath of the tragic events of 11 September 2001. It would also emphasize that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which should be exercised with responsibility and may therefore be subject to limitations according to law and necessary for respect of the rights or reputations of others; protection of national security or of public order, public health or morals; and respect for religions and beliefs."
The UN member countries vote went 95 in favour to 52 against, with 30 abstentions.
Thankfully Australia did not vote for this resolution, but under the Rudd Government is happily shaping up to support it in another form of wording while the UN considers how to implement this daft resolution.

Transcript: UN resolution 62/154 Combating defamation of religions
Still on the subject: The Becket Fund For Religious Liberty.

Update:
The 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism (Durban II) will be held April 20-25.
The draft document to be considered by this conference still includes clauses concerning the defamation of religions and goes even further by including the concept that holy books, scriptures and symbols can also be defamed.