Underwater with the fish at Julian Rocks

Posted in appreciation of Kieren Curry and friends who made this video at Julian Rocks NSW on January 4, 2013.

Perfect Byron Day from kieren curry on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/59269647

NSW Police at their worst while protecting Metgasco Limited's interests

Photograph of Gareth preparing to 'lock on' from EchoNetDaily

On 26 February 2013 an unnamed police officer used capsicum spray against a defenseless protester at coal seam gas exploration company Megasco Limited's Doubtful Creek test drilling site:

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/am/201302/20130228-rnam-spray-protest.mp3

Excerpt from transcript:

TONY EASTLEY: New South Wales Police are investigating why an officer used capsicum spray on a protester who was chained to a truck.

The man was protesting against Metgasco's coal seam gas exploration site in the north of the state.

The Lock the Gate alliance which organised the protest says it will be lodging a complaint against the police.

A spokesman for the group says the use of spray on a passive protester amounts to assault.

David Mark reports.

DAVID MARK: A group of protesters have been attempting to disrupt test drilling by the company Metgasco at their coal-seam gas site near Kyogle since January.

On Tuesday one of the protesters, a 45 year old man named Gareth, locked himself to one of the company's trucks as it attempted to leave the site.

Scott Sledge, the president of the protest group the Northern Rivers Guardians, was close by.

SCOTT SLEDGE: They have a pipe which has a bend in it and both hands go into the pipe. And then it locks with clips onto a chain which is attached to the wrist so you can't actually pull that arm out of the metal sleeve.

DAVID MARK: Scott Sledge didn't see what happened next. He says he was on the other side of the truck. But he later spoke to Gareth.

SCOTT SLEDGE: He told me a policeman came under the truck and said, "Let go now and get out from under the truck or I'll spray you in the face." And he was holding a little canister, a spray canister. And he said, "I can't let go, I'm locked on".

And then he got sprayed in the face and it was burning. I heard him yell "I've been maced!" I yelled out then, "You can't do that, he's locked on, he's defenceless, that's torture."

DAVID MARK: New South Wales Police have released a statement confirming police did use capsicum spray on a 45 year old man while he was attached to a truck.

He was arrested but not charged......

DAVID MARK: Police guidelines say capsicum spray can only be used on three occasions: to protect human life; as a less lethal option for controlling people where violent resistance or confrontation occurs; or as protection against animals.....

Clarence Valley Council strips local workers of penalty rates on 3 days this year

This turned up in the comments under a Daily Examiner story last week about Grafton’s Jacaranda Festival losing its very trad Thursday half day public holiday:

"Clarence Valley Public Holidays
Council has applied to NSW Industrial Relations for the following:
1.Event Day after noon on Wednesday 17 April 2013 - Maclean Show Day to be observed within the Police Patrol Districts of Maclean, Yamba and Iluka. A map showing the Police Patrol Districts is available by clicking here.
2.Public Holidays after noon till 5.00 pm on Wednesday 10 July 2013 - Ramornie Race Day - and on Thursday 11 July 2013 - Grafton Cup Day to be observed within the City of Grafton. A map of the City of Grafton is available by clicking here.
3.Event Day after noon on Thursday 31 October 2013 - Jacaranda Thursday to be observed within the City of Grafton. A map of the City of Grafton is available by clicking here.
.Council's application is awaiting the consideration of the Minister.
We expect the outcome by the end of February 2013.
Enquiries to Governance Coordinator, Brian Lane 6641 7203."

Come again? What’s this “events day”? Oh, that’s a day which is supposed to act like a public holiday, but one where workers don’t get penalty rates if they’re rostered on to work - because it’s legally NOT a public holiday.
Who said Work Choices is dead?
This comment sounds pretty near the mark, seeing this council is run by the North Coast Nats and the local let 'em get cake business community:

Spokesperson for Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research finally admits that its Antartic operation is about commercial whaling

 

The Japan Daily Press 27 February 2013:

 

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said that there will probably no end to whaling in Japan, in spite of the sometimes violent objection from conservationists. He believes that the criticism of the whaling practice is “a cultural attack, a kind of prejudice against Japanese culture”.
 
Australian Environment Minister Tony Burke in The Age 28 February 2013: 

How absurd has the argument become, if Japan is now arguing that it has a traditional cultural practice of travelling from one side of the planet to the other to kill whales in a whale sanctuary.

 

Glenn Inwood of Omeka Public Relations and SpinItWide, as a spokesperson for the Institute of Cetacean Research, makes an admission that commercial whaling is a stand alone reason for the Japanese Government sponsored annual whale kills in Antarctic waters.

 

Excerpt from ABC TV 7.30 program 27 February 2013:

 

LEIGH SALES: Say then I take you at your word. If this really was for just scientific research given the enormously bad PR that whaling delivers for Japan, why not just leave the scientific research to somebody else?

GLENN INWOOD: Yes, that's perfectly right but Japan wants to undertake more than just scientific research on abundant whale stocks in the Southern Ocean. It wants to undertake a limited, very limited commercial hunt on abundant whale species for food for Japanese people. There's lots of arguments going on and around this. At the end of the day this is Japan's right under the international law, under the international convention for the regulation of whaling. It is their right to do this and that's what they want.

LEIGH SALES: We will be interested to see what the ICJ says about that. Glenn Inwood thank you very much for joining us.