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!

Urban etiquette in regional Australia. Animalia......(7)

Although we don't always notice, there are rules of etiquette which apply whenever we leave the house and enter public spaces in urban areas or when denizens of those same public places enter our homes.
On the New South Wales North Coast (as elsewhere in regionl Australia) these rules take on a distinctive flavour.

Basic Rules

• Never argue with a snake. It almost always wins any territorial dispute and the losers sometimes find themselves in A&E at the local district hospital.
• Estuary waters and the ocean are the natural home of sharks not humans, so be polite and don't disturb them at dawn and dusk by swimming in their living rooms.
• A Maned Wood Duck usually crosses the road on foot to get its small brood to the other side, so drivers should slow down and keep eyes open for fledglings if an adult bird is sighted on the bitumen.
• Spur-Winged Plovers always have undisputed right of way on a footpath when they are taking their young out on that first excursion into the big wide world, and they will tell you so - loudly!
• Magpies won't like you during breeding season if you haven't politely introduced yourself to the family when they first moved into the neighbourhood. A friendly word in passing pays dividends later on.
• Spiders are not your friends, but neither are they your enemies - recognise that most are merely passing the time of day and don't whack them with that rolled up newspaper or deploy the fissionable material you keep under the sink.
• Small birds often fall from nests during storms. If a parent bird isn't near or the fledgling is just too young to make it into a bush or tree - call WIRES for help.
• Possums in the roof space may be a nuisance, but they are not committing a capital offence.Trap and release these furred offenders elsewhere, don't poison them.
• Don't steal flowers and native plants from the wild - be honest and pay for specimens at the local plant nursery. Most plants ripped from natural habitat die when replanted in the average garden anyway.
• Never be polite to a mosquito - it is always looking for new ways to bite and annoy you.
• Bush flies must be endured with stoicism if you want to be seen as a true blue Aussie.
• Cane toads are the spawn of Satan so give no quarter.
• Keep your pet cat in the house between dusk and dawn and don't let your dog roam free.
• PICK UP THE POOP WHEN YOU WALK THE DOG!

ABC1 "Family Confidential" episode on the Mundine Family of Baryulgil at 8pm on 20 December 2010

At 8pm on 20 December 2010 ABC1 will televise a documentary on:

Australia’s most high-profile Aboriginal family, the Mundines, whose members include boxing legends Tony and Anthony ‘Choc’, are cursed from a source that once gave them power and unity.

A remarkable act of charity 60 years ago gave the Mundines an extraordinary advantage over many others in their community. The owners of a NSW cattle station, where the Mundines lived and worked, gave the family 50 acres of land to call their own.

Having this property saved the family from untold suffering and dispossession by the Aboriginal Protection Board. It was a gathering place for the clan, and the children who grew up in its bushland came to cherish ‘The Square’ as it became known, and the roots it gave them. There were even jobs for all the Mundine men when a mine opened and operated right next door.

A new generation grew up with the confidence and wherewithal to move to the city and build exciting new futures. Leading the charge was Tony Mundine who became a world champion boxer – and put the family, and Baryulgil, on the map.

But gradually the Mundines became aware that for all their success, something was terribly wrong. In an ironic twist, the land that had given them so much was slowly but surely killing them.

Now, the Mundine women, who’ve held the family pain for over 30 years, are finally telling their story. They’ve lost hundreds of their family and many are still getting sick and dying. Led by Tony and the most famous of them all, his son, ‘Choc’, the family is facing the fight of their lives. [ABC Television online promotion]

Day 2 @ Gabba - promised much, but disappointed

Who gave Michael Clarke the all-clear fitness wise to play in the First Test? If he/she is a registered medico he/she should be struck off. Clarke struggled all the way as he dribbled to a grand total of 9 measly runs while he occupied the crease for an excruciating 81 minutes. An in-form Clarke is a delight to watch, but his performance at the Gabba causes one to recall, "They shoot horses, don't they?"
Truly, Clarke was pathetic.
And, honestly, head honcho Punter Ponting, who preceded Clarke, wasn't much better. Ponting, who scrambled to 10, was never in tune and it was only a matter of time (34 minutes - 26 balls) before he fell over.
Marcus North, who specialises in ducks or tons, did his level best to maintain that record, but failed miserably. He managed a mere solitary single, occupying the crease for just 6 minutes (8 balls).
Honours for the day went to Mr Cricket (aka Mike Hussey), who was 81 not out when rain and bad light forced umpires to call an early halt to the day's proceedings. Second in line for Oz honours was opener Simon Katich (50).
The Pom's bowling attack was, overall, efficient but not something to write home about. Broad extracted a lot of bounce, but was too short too often to pose any real threat. Swann, who went for 30+ off his first 4 overs,  finished with 1/59 off 20 overs but it must be noted that his single wicket was that of North whose tenure on the number 6 spot must be under review. (I heard a wag sitting near me at the Gabba suggest Australian Cricket ought to call for tenders for the position.)

Political opportunism continues in relation to loose talk concerning any Clarence water diversion

From A Clarence Valley Protest on 26 November 2010:

Fringe parties still making hay with Clarence water talk

August and November 2010 sees political opportunism continue.........

# The following is on the website of the fledgling political party the Citizens Electoral Council of Australia:

Newly elected National Party MP for Riverina, Michael McCormack, described the plan as "a guide to depopulate inland Australia". Although this was said in passing, it reflected our material, and was the most truthful thing any Federal MP has said about the implications of the plan. He also asked what effect this is having on our kids, as they hear their parents talk about the meaning of the plan……………………..

What we lead with in one meeting, we find is raised more in questions at the subsequent meeting, ie repealing the Water Act, or the Wentworth Group. Circles discuss it, and raise it at the next one. An Italian farmer talked about the Clarence River scheme, and had our leaflet from Griffith on him when he asked the question.

The LYM spoke to a Hay councillor who recognised the CEC, and was very responsive on water projects, the Clarence and Bradfield, saying we should've done this a long time ago. All of the MDB Fraud DVDs were distributed, to a very good response.

* Michael McCormack is on the parliamentary committee currently inquiring into the regional social/economic impacts of the proposed Murray Darling Basin Plan and probably looking at interbasin water transfer.

# The Agmates website indicates that another fringe political party Climate Sceptics Party of Australia is also out in the Basin stirring up support for interbasin water transfer:

Climate Sceptics candidates Steve Davies (Barker) and Leon and Nathan Ashby (Senate) will tour Murray river towns early next week explaining their policy on water.

The party believes there is plenty of water in Australia and it would not support a water buy back policy for the River Murray but rather support diverting water from Northern Australian rivers as the solution for extra water to SA. It would be a vastly improved Bradfield scheme something proposed over 70 years ago by the designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, John Bradfield. Lead Senate candidate Leon Ashby says "Rivers such as the Clarence, Tully, Herbert, Burdekin, and Flinders in northern Australia have vast amounts flow into the sea during floods.
These floods could be diverted to flow to many places inland including down as far as Murray Bridge via gravity fed pipelines and channels."

# The Murray Darling Basin Authority is noting this discussion:

The Authority heard:
•That the MDBA should consider the need for extra dams.
•That the Lake Mejum scheme should be reconsidered as an option for storing water for irrigation.
•Support for building the Clarence river scheme.
•That the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme being built to generate power but also for irrigation and to look after the environment – it was straight forward, why are we moving away from this?
•There is a need for real works and measures to water the environment.
•Concern that vast amounts of water are lost to evaporation.

Under "Abbott" in the 'Nothing Would Surprise Me' File

You just can’t trust these people, Alan.
Tony Abbott to Alan Jones on 16th November 2010

Something of a rake’s progress appears to be underway in Abbottsville and it's being reported from Sydney to Alice Springs to Darwin to Brisbane and onto Canberra (sometimes, perhaps).

The Sydney Morning Herald on 3rd March 2010:

"Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott got lost in the central Australian outback and was forced to send a text message to his press secretary: "WERELOSTNEARFOSSILCREEK".
While Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was gearing up for a big health announcement, his opposite number was yesterday contemplating a cold and uncomfortable night, lost and sleeping rough, before being saved.
Just before lunchtime yesterday, Mr Abbott set off with a small party on "quad" four-wheeled motorbikes to ride deep into Watarrka country in search of Aboriginal sacred sites.
Six hours later, separated from his "guide and guru", local Aboriginal entrepreneur Ian Conway, and with sundown approaching, Mr Abbott and his companions were seriously concerned about their situation: stuck in unfamiliar country, with no idea of the way out and no way of communicating with the outside world."

The Punch on 5th March 2010:

"Back in October last year, I promised a group of Aboriginal stockmen that I would soon return to observe progress in the re-establishment of an Aboriginal cattle industry in the Northern Territory. It was not a promise that I considered I could break just because I now had a different job. The problems of indigenous Australia need to be taken seriously by Australia’s leaders and not just by the ministers and shadow ministers with special responsibility for them.
That’s how I came to be on a quad bike, low on fuel, following tyre tracks in the gathering dark earlier this week."

Alice Springs News on 19^th August 2010:

“Country Liberals heavies appear to have been scheming to sacrifice Leo Abbott – highly unlikely to win Lingiari – to get at Labor’s Damien Hale who is on a knife’s edge in the seat of Solomon (Darwin).
This is suggested by an email exchange leaked to the Alice Springs News……
The apparent schemers behind the attempted dumping include former Chief Minister Shane Stone, CL director Peter Allen and treasurer Graeme Lewis.
Mr Lewis said to 10 addressees: “I doubt that disendorsement is a legal option – voting has started.
“But we need to put petrol on the issue to fix Hale right up.”

Eureka Street on 8^th November 2010:

“But there is something I find deeply disturbing in the way he carries out his public role. Charming and disarming as he can be, I find myself wondering wherein lies his moral core. Not long after his election as leader of the Liberal Party, Abbott was trying to explain away statements from his past claiming that he sometimes makes 'unreliable statements' in the 'heat of discussion.' At that time I thought that the way to get a handle on Tony Abbott was to realise that he was like a high school or university debater. He would say anything to win an argument, confident that there would be no consequences to his actions.”

ABC Darwin on 12^th November 2010:

“We know that pollies are prone to bending the truth, but if you want to believe that sometimes they straight out lie....read on. Our Territory can be pretty daunting, mysterious and foreign for those who don't know her well...and it seems that Tony Abbott exploited those ideas to generate a bit of publicity. In fact, the allegation from one person in the know, is that this story was a complete beat up! Lies!”

Audio clip http://blogs.abc.net.au/nt/2010/11/tony-abbotts-territory-lie.html?site=darwin&program=darwin_drive

Alice Springs News on 18^th November 2010:

“Former Country Liberal Party (CL) candidate Leo Abbott would not confirm nor deny that he was offered a government job, if the Liberals won, on condition that he withdrew from the candidacy.
Mr Abbott was standing in Lingiari in this year’s Federal election amidst a bitter party dispute over allegations against him of domestic violence.
Despite a boycott from members of his own party, Mr Abbott made significant inroads into the votes of long-term sitting member, Warren Snowdon, in the formerly safe Labor seat.
Reports of the job offer come from well informed sources.
The offer is alleged to have been made by NT Opposition Leader Terry Mills and his Federal counterpart, Tony Abbott (no relation to the candidate). Tony Abbott’s office said the story “is totally incorrect”.
A spokesman for Mr Mills said he “won’t be feeding the rumour mill on this matter”.

The Sydney Morning Herald on 25^th November 2010:

“The Northern Territory's attorney-general is seeking an investigation into claims Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and his NT counterpart tried to bribe a candidate not to run in the 2010 federal election.

NT Attorney-General Delia Lawrie has tabled in the NT parliament her letter asking the Australian Electoral Commission to investigate allegations that Tony Abbott and NT Opposition Leader Terry Mills had offered Country Liberal candidate Leo Abbott a job if he withdrew from the election……

She wrote that she was "very concerned" that "inducement was offered to the Country Liberal candidate for Lingiari Leo Abbott to withdraw his candidacy".

"It is asserted that this offer was made by the Leader of the Federal Liberal Party, Mr Tony Abbott, and Leader of the Northern Territory Country Liberal Party, Mr Terry Mills," the letter said.”

Club Troppo on 26^th November 2010:

No doubt governments frequently make such offers to induce lame-duck MPs or candidates to walk away quietly, but they’re invariably done behind closed doors with only loyal insiders present. However in the current situation there’s a disaffected former CLP Management Committee member by the name of Steve Brown who apparently claims to have been present during the phone hookup when the offer was made. Brown is gunning for the political carcass of the party’s current parliamentary leader Terry Mills and seems prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve it. Brown is rumoured to have significant support within CLP ranks in Alice Springs though less so in Darwin.

The possibility that these yokel machinations might even inadvertently pull down Tony Abbott as collateral road kill should not be completely discounted. Some may remember that former NSW Liberal Premier Nick Greiner lost his job in not dissimilar circumstances in 1992, though corruption charges against him were later dismissed. Terry Mills has kept his head down to date, and as far as I can tell the story hasn’t yet registered with the Canberra Press Gallery so Abbott hasn’t been questioned.

Gabba hat-trick - Siddle's ace performance

Broad falls LBW to Siddle, providing the birthday boy with his magic hat-trick

Aussie bowler Peter Siddle celebrated his 26th birthday in style at the Gabba in the Ashes First Test, taking a hat-trick. Siddle's hat-trick wickets were Cook (67), Prior (a duck) and Broad (a duck).

Earlier, England had been travelling reasonably well at 4/197 before Siddle struck and, in the wink of an eye lid, they slumped to be 7/197. Not long after Siddle took his hat-trick, Swann (10) also fell to Siddle giving the Victorian pace bowler his sixth wicket. Siddle finished with the impressive figures of 6 wickets for 54 off 16 overs. He was easily Oz's best bowler. Oz test debutant Xavier Doherty wrapped up the innings with the wickets of Bell (76), who was England's best batsman, and tailender Anderson (11), who fell playing a shot that would, at best, be described as somewhat unorthodox, and is something Anderson ought not to attempt to replicate any day soon - it was a shocker.

Playing before a crowd of 35,389 (although some media reports reckon 46,000 tickets were sold) Australia ended the day at 0/25 after dismissing England for 260.

After winning the toss and electing to bat on a Gabba track that has no real demons England should be licking their wounds and wondering why their wheels fell off. Honestly, the Poms should have gone on to get 350-plus runs and be in the box-seat.

Image: Personal effort of the author (yes, he ought to undertake a photography course!)

Skewed Australian response to climate change - fight coastal erosion not carbon pollution

YESTERDAY:

URGENT action to cope with the impact of rising sea levels needs to start now, including improving evacuation routes for coastal communities during extreme storms and flooding.

As well, a sweeping federal parliamentary report calls for an overhaul of the building code to make homes more resilient and for the legal liability for future property losses to be sorted out.

Warning that ''the time to act is now'', the bipartisan report brought down last night states that thousands of kilometres of coastline have been identified as at risk from the threat of rising sea levels and extreme weather events caused by climate change.

The committee, led by Labor's Jennie George and with the Liberal Mal Washer as co-chairman, wants the Government to take a far greater role in preparing coastal towns and cities to adapt to the impact of sea level rise.

Their report recommends a new intergovernmental agreement on the coastal zone to be worked out between Canberra, the states and councils to set out actions and guidelines on the enormous coastal challenges from climate change. [The Sydney Morning Herald on 27 October 2009]

Climate Change Risks to Australia's Coasts report released with prediction of 1.1 metre sea level rise for New South Wales in ‘worst case’ scenario. [C’wealth Dept of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency on 14 November 2009]

The Labor government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) was defeated for the second time in the Senate. Under the new coalition rule of Tony Abbott, only two liberal senators crossed the floor and voted with their opposition for the ETS legislation - they were Senators Sue Boyce and Judith Troeth. At 33 votes for to 41 against, their votes were not enough to pass the bill. [Sustainability Matters on 3 December 2009]

TODAY:

WOOLI residents have met to discuss their fightback against a proposal to let rising sea levels inundate threatened areas of their village.

More than 90 residents took part in a meeting in the Wooli Hall on Saturday afternoon to plan submissions to Clarence Valley Council protesting against a council draft proposal to allow the sea to flood around 45 houses on a section of land between the Wooli beach and river. [The Daily Examiner 19 October 2010]

The Federal Government has committed to a national strategy to help communities affected by coastal erosion.

The Independent member for Lyne Rob Oakeshott says it is a landmark initiative for the North Coast.

Mr Oakeshott says the government has responded to 47 recommendations from the bipartisan 'Jennie George' report on the impact of climate change on coastal communities.

He says the government recognises the need for national leadership and coordination to manage coastal erosion issues.

Mr Oakeshott says key government commitments include establishing an Intergovernmental Agreement on the Coastal Zone.

A proposal will also be developed with the states and territories to investigate insurance-related issues for affected stakeholders.

The government has also agreed in-principle to an inquiry regarding legal issues, including liability concerns for property owners, councils and governments. [ABC News on 24 November 2010]

TOMORROW:

Yamba on NSW North Coast at 1 metre and Sydney NSW at 2 metre sea-level rise

Threatened species, wildlife crimes and marine protection

The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) came into effect on 23 November 2010 after the Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Secretary-General of ICPO-INTERPOL, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the President of the World Bank and the Secretary-General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) have signed a Letter of Understanding which includes this:

HEREBY agree, within the context of their respective responsibilities, capabilities, and priorities to:

• highlight within their institutions the importance of the fight against wildlife crimes and other related violations and promote ICCWC among governments of States, through inter alia, relevant international fora;
• assist countries in reviewing their current responses to wildlife crimes and related violations, facilitate national multi-agency interaction and cooperation, and encourage effective responses throughout the justice system;
• develop a joint work program that will include joint activities in the fields of capacity building, operational support and coordination of transnational interdiction efforts;
• disseminate existing, and jointly develop new, capacity building materials and tools to enhance the knowledge and skills of national agencies in combating wildlife crime and related violations;
• undertake research into the causes, nature, scale and value of wildlife crime and related violations and propose innovative ways to prevent and discourage such crime and related violations, for example, through the provision of socio-economic incentives which encourage local communities to use natural resources in a lawful and sustainable manner and to participate in related monitoring and control efforts;
• assist in promoting best practice in the fields of natural resource conservation and management; and where appropriate, seek donor support to enable the provision of such services in the form of joint projects and programmes.

We further agree that our agencies, when collaborating together, will work under the title, the ‘International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime’.

Meanwhile this month, the Gillard Labor Government’s Fisheries Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2010 finished wending its way through both Houses of the Australian Federal Parliament.

According to the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry this bill will:

provide strengthened arrangements to combat illegal fishing both in our remote sub-Antarctic territories and closer to home. The first set of amendments will address a technical issue that currently permits foreign fishers to traverse the Australian fishing zone to fish illegally in state and Northern Territory coastal waters. The second set of amendments will implement an international agreement with France, allowing cooperative fisheries law enforcement activities in our respective Southern Ocean maritime zones. Both amendments are to the Fisheries Management Act 1991 and will strengthen Australia’s fishing and maritime security.

The first set of amendments to the bill will address a technical legal issue in fisheries management legislation which currently allows foreign fishers to traverse the Australian fishing zone to illegally fish in coastal state and Northern Territory waters. It is important that this matter is rectified quickly lest foreign fishers take advantage of this situation and change their methods of operation to avoid prosecution. The second set of amendments will address illegal fishing in Australia’s remote southern maritime territories……

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is a concern for the Australian government. Illegal fishing on the high seas is a highly organised, mobile and elusive activity undermining the efforts of responsible countries to sustainably manage their fish resources. International cooperation is vital to effectively enforce Australia’s national laws in our remote and expansive maritime territories.

Additionally this month Humane Society International (HSI) announced that is has been successful:

in having southern bluefin tuna (SBT) formally protected under Australia’s national environment laws as a threatened species.

HSI submitted a nomination for SBT to be protected under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in December 2006 and Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has just announced that protection will be given.

Previous environment ministers rejected our earlier nominations on grounds HSI considered a cover for concerns over the economic and political fall out of protection for this highly lucrative species, even though the Minister’s own science advisers had previously determined the species to be ‘endangered’.

Even today, SBT has not been listed in the category it qualifies for – critically endangered – because that would put a stop to the commercial exploitation and export of SBT from Australia[i]. The SBT population has been reduced to 4.6% of its unfished biomass. IUCN lists the species as critically endangered.

Instead, Minister Burke has opted for the lesser ‘conservation dependent’ listing which is the lowest protection available for a threatened species and which allows for continued fishing and exports.

Also in November the ever hypocritical Government of Japan began its 2010 Antarctic whaling season and once its government-funded 'research' fleet reaches the Southern Ocean it is expected to kill for commercial sale at least 1,000 whales, including an endangered cetacean species and possibly for the first time since the 2007 agreement, humpback whales.