Friday 16 September 2016

Meet the new Clarence Valley Council


Candidates in order of election to Clarence Valley Council from 16 September 2016:

Richie WILLIAMSON (incumbent), 
Andrew BAKER (incumbent)
Karen TOMS (incumbent)
Peter ELLEM
Jason KINGSLEY (incumbent)
Debrah NOVAK
Jim SIMMONS  (incumbent),
 Arthur LYSAUGHT (incumbent)
Greg CLANCY.
Clarence Valley Council - Party or Group and Candidates Result Report
Candidates to be Elected: 9
Counts Required: 19
Quota: 2,971
The margin between the last elected candidate CLANCY Greg and the last un-elected/excluded candidate TIBBETT Brett is 68.

Candidates in Ballot Order
Elected / Excluded
Position Elected / Excluded
Elected / Excluded at Count
NOVAK Debrah
ELECTED
6
14
SAUNDERS Ian
EXCLUDED
6
9
CLANCY Greg
ELECTED
9*
19
ROGERS Peta
EXCLUDED
7
10
TIBBETT Brett
**
TOMS Karen
ELECTED
3
10
TUNKS Ursula
EXCLUDED
2
5
KINGSLEY Jason
ELECTED
5
14
HAGGER John
EXCLUDED
8
12
ELLEM Peter
ELECTED
4
14
WILLIAMSON Richie
ELECTED
1
1
WELLS Marty
EXCLUDED
3
6
ELLEM Trevor
EXCLUDED
10
14
DE ROOS Joy
EXCLUDED
5
8
BATES Keith
EXCLUDED
1
3
HUGHES Sue
EXCLUDED
9
13
SIMMONS Jim
ELECTED
7
18
RIGGALL John
EXCLUDED
4
7
LYSAUGHT Arthur
ELECTED
8*
19
McKENNA Margaret
EXCLUDED
11
18
BAKER Andrew
ELECTED
2
2

* Candidates elected at final count without reaching quota.
** The distribution of the total votes of Candidates would not change the elected candidate(s), therefore their exclusion did not proceed.

Elders quitting Australian live export trade


Read full Live Export Update and Full Year Earnings Guidance at http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20160912/pdf/43b3gbnf4xt53g.pdf.

Not a good look for Australia's Deputy-Prime Minister


 Deputy-Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is probably the National Party’s own worst enemy.

ABC News, 11 September 2016:

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has refused to reveal the cost-benefit analysis of moving a Canberra-based agricultural agency to his electorate.
Mr Joyce has pushed ahead with plans to relocate the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority from the capital to Armidale, in northern NSW, despite concerns from farming groups and staff.
He has told the ABC's Insiders program a study revealed there were positives and negatives to the move.
"The cost-benefit analysis is complete and in some areas it's indeterminate some areas. It's saying yes, it's sort of a benefit here, other areas it's saying it's marginally not of benefit," Mr Joyce said.
Insiders' host Barrie Cassidy asked if the Deputy Prime Minister would release the analysis, to which he replied: "No, I don't think I will at this stage."
"Because the decision has been made, the decision's been made by the Australian people," he added.
Mr Joyce announced the decision in June, ahead of the federal election in July.

The Guardian, 11 September 2016:

During the election campaign Joyce had announced the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority would move from Canberra to Armidale, in northern New South Wales, in the middle of his New England electorate.
He made the announcement before a cost-benefit analysis of the move had been completed……
His promise was criticised by hundreds of public servants who will be forced to relocate their families, and by groups such as the National Farmers Federation, Animal Medicines Australia, CropLife Australia, the Australian Capital Territory government, and ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja.
Now he is refusing to release the analysis, saying there’s no need to because the decision has been made.
Last week Joyce had conceded the cost-benefit analysis did not support the forced relocation of the agency, telling Sky News: “If you’re going to premise it on the cost-benefit analysis, we wouldn’t do it.”
On Sunday, when asked what the point of the cost-benefit analysis was if he was not going to release it, Joyce attacked the ABC, saying an analysis of the national broadcaster would probably say to close it down.

Thursday 15 September 2016

Australia's 45th Parliament in action


“But before talking about what happened during the election campaign, I want to touch on something that is very close to my heart, and that is the national flag of Australia—our flag.” [Senator McGrath (Queensland) Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister]

“—particularly to you, Senator Cameron, who share my love of chocolates” [Senator Fierravanti-Wells (NSW)]

The New Daily, 12 September 2016:

The government began the second week of the new Parliament the same way it ended the first – amid high farce.

Little more than a week after being the first majority government in 50 years to lose a vote in the House of Representatives (it lost three) because Coalition MPs decided to go home early, it was the Senate’s turn to show the level of disorganisation within government ranks.

Soon after the Senate opened for business on Monday, the Coalition had no business to discuss.

And after another embarrassing session of Parliament ended, ABC’s Lateline revealed that Federal Cabinet had confidentially signed off on the mechanics of the same-sex marriage plebiscite, only for the details to leak almost immediately.

In the morning session of the Senate, a filibuster of Monty Python proportions ensued, leaving no one with any doubt the government was desperately trying to mark time until lunch.

With no legislation to debate, Coalition senators rose to talk for hours about their love of chocolates, love of the Australian flag, respect for roads, respect for a defeated candidate whose name they got wrong and other inane conversation.

It all led to Opposition Senate leader Penny Wong to chime in that the government had “no plans and no ideas”.

“They’ve got literally nothing to talk about,” Senator Wong said.

Meanwhile, manager of government business in the Senate Mitch Fifield put the word out that Labor was delaying passage of non-controversial bills in the House, therefore leaving the Senate with nothing to debate.

But the Senate scenes exposed further signs of chaos and weakness from the government, leaving Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appearing besieged from all sides…..