Hazzard sent north to placate the locals while NSW Resources and Energy Minister Hartcher hides down south

 

Minister for Planning and Infrastructure Brad Hazzard addressing the Lismore meeting

Thomas George MP seated on his left

 

Yesterday the Hon. (Brad) Bradley Ronald Hazzard, BA, DipEd, LLB(NSW), LLM(Syd) MP, NSW Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Infrastructure NSW, Leader of the House and Member of the Liberal Party was part of the O’Farrell Government response to growing concerns about the potential impacts of coal seam gas mining on Northern Rivers residents, communities and regional economies.

 

It should of course have been the Minister for Resources and Energy, Chris Hartcher, who fronted this ‘information’ meeting as it is he who has been scattering petroleum exploration licences across the Northern Rivers since the last state election.

 

It would be an understatement to say that local opposition to coal seam gas mining was expressed forcefully, however the minister’s audience was not violent in any way.

 

Mr. Hazzard, the MP for Lismore Thomas George and senior public servants from Mineral Resources, Office of Sustainable Agriculture & Food Security, Office of Water and the Department of Planning & Infrastructure left the Lismore meeting to a sustained chant of No Mean No!
 

Rather predictably, Minister Hazzard who apparently came north prepared to politely talk at rather than with the community chose to portray the meeting as having been taken over by people who organised a demonstration - rather than see the audience response as evidence of regional frustration with a coal seam gas mining policy which deliberately sidelines landowners and communities.

ABC North Coast NSW audio recordings of the meeting:

Download this mp3 file

CSG meeting part one

CSG meeting part two

CSG meeting part three

CSG meeting part four

CSG meeting part five

CSG meeting part six

CSG meeting part seven

CSG meeting part eight

 

All images found on Twitter and The Northern Star

Looking at energy consumption on the NSW North Coast in 2011-2012

 

The inaugural NSW Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority’s Regional State of the Environment 2012 report has been published for local government areas on the NSW North Coast, with electricity consumption showing mixed results .

 

On a per capita basis, it would appear that electricity consumption across all local government areas is still well above the 2001-02 national level of 2,761.2kWh per person.

 

 

 

 

Has a misinformation campaign begun ahead of public exhibition of proposed linemarking intended to replace a 'stolen' section of the Regional Cycleway on Yamba Road?

On walking out of the 13 November 2012 Clarence Valley Council Committee Meetings one local resident was of the opinion that the attitude of the dominant clique to requests to replace a section of the Yamba Road Cycleway (which was removed without notice or community consultation) would likely see letters begin to appear in the local media presenting a distorted history of these requests.

It may be a coincidence, but this strangely ill-informed letter to the editor was published in The Daily Examiner on the morning of the 20 November council ordinary monthly meeting:

Leave road alone
CAN someone please explain to me why Clarence Valley Council is considering removing a perfectly good access and median strip in Yamba Rd? My elderly aunt and uncle feel very safe using the new access point on Yamba Rd but now a cyclist (who can ride on the road anyway) wants three cycle paths in the location - one on each side of the road and one on the road - and wants the council to spend more money undoing the great job they just did.
Residents along Yamba Rd near Freeburn St be aware, if this goes through, you are just about the lose your bus stop, street parking and the safe pedestrian access point along Yamba Rd all because the cyclist refuses to use the road, which they are able to do under the laws of the road.
On behalf of my elderly aunt and uncle and the safety of the locals, please just leave it alone.

John Wilcox

Bent Street

 

A direct response to Mr. Wilcox of Grafton (who is a big fan of the mayor*) was not published, but this letter to the editor set out below did make it onto the pages of The Daily Examiner on 23 November 2012:

 

Call for answers on lost cycleway
Nobody suggests the much-needed and absolutely necessary pedestrian refuge crossing recently installed on Yamba Rd at the Freeburn St intersection be removed.
But why has Yamba lost 150m of its Yamba Rd cycleway during construction when there was an abundance of land space available to widen the road and allow the cycleway to continue?
The Yamba Rd cycleway forms part of the regional cycleway that has safely served the community for decades.
The unnecessary loss of the section of cycleway has dangerously exposed cyclists of all ages and ability to the fast-moving heavy Yamba Rd traffic.
The erection of signs diverting all cyclists onto the Yamba Coastal Walkway - now called the "shared use pathway" - has placed the safety of pedestrians at risk.
The coastal walkway was partly funded by the NSW Government ($418,500) and was not designed for prolific cycle usage.
What's more, council is fully aware the pathway does not comply with its own safety standards, thereby deliberately breaching its "duty of care" responsibilities, which are to provide safe public facilities.
The destruction of the Yamba Rd cycleway occurred over six months ago, but still our mayor, Cr Williamson, avoids an explanation.
In fact, the subsequent erection of signage diverting all cyclists onto what is now called a "shared use pathway", knowing the pathway does not comply with council's own safety standards, suggests an attempt to cover up council's mismanagement and waste of public funds.
It's about time Mayor Williamson displayed some courage and provided a public explanation for council's waste of funds.

Ray Hunt

Yamba

 

* With all the numbers in, not only in the Clarence Valley, but on the North Coast, it is worth pointing out that Richie Williamson is the most popular councillor on the North Coast.

Not another candidate (or group even) got near the 6975 primary votes that Mr Williamson received.
Mr Williamson has always served our community with our best interest at heart and the community thanked him for this dedication on Saturday.
Congratulations Richie! [John Wilcox 10 September 2012]

Julie Bishop happily admitted meeting with "a self-confessed faudster". How does she feel about meeting with an alleged rapist?

 

The Australian on 27 November 2012 reported on the activities of Federal Liberal MP Julie Bishop:

 

Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop says she held a brief meeting with self-confessed union bagman Ralph Blewitt last week as part of her search for documents relating to Julia Gillard's work history….

Asked if he seemed like a trustworthy character, Ms Bishop replied: "No, he's a self-confessed fraudster".

 

One wonders how she feels about these headlines three and four days later:

 

THE CHILLING TRUTH: Ralph Blewitt raped his sister

VEXNEWS

FIRST ON 7NEWS: Pennelope Lennon is the sister of Ralph Blewitt, the self-confessed fraudster at the centre of the AWU slush fund affair, but she wishes she wasn't. She has spoken exclusively to 7News, warning of dark secrets in the past, and says she ...

 

AWU fraudster's sister goes public

The West Australian

FIRST ON 7NEWS: Pennelope Lennon is the sister of Ralph Blewitt, the self-confessed fraudster at the centre of the AWU slush fund affair, but she wishes she wasn't. She has spoken exclusively to 7News, warning of dark secrets in the past, and says she ...