Clarence By-election 2011: so does Richie Williamson know something we don't?

The NSW Nationals closed nominations for Clarence By-election preselection at close of business yesterday, but one of the Nats nominees, Clarence Valley Mayor Richie Williamson, has this up on his Facebook page this morning.......












He lists himself as the "Independent Candidate for the seat of Clarence in the NSW state election".
Does Richie know which way the 300 Nats eligible to vote in the pre-selection ballot are going to jump?
Has he already accepted that the only way he can stand will be as an Independent?
Or is he so lazy that he hasn't changed his Facebook details since his last tilt at the seat earlier this year?
Hmmmm........................

Something In The Water by Debrah Novak

Outline of a forthcoming documentary on stories from the Clarence River by the talented North Coast photographer, Debrah Novak.
Something in the Water

The Port Paper parent company dissolved by Loughlin, Nardella, Atkins and 'friends'

From Crikey via Your Democracy on 25 September 2011:

The holding company of a purportedly "independent newspaper" set up by National Party staffers to secretly attack Lyne MP Rob Oakeshott under the cover of journalistic impartiality has collapsed.

An administration notice for the notorious Port Paper's parent company, Australian News & Media, was published in The Australian's company notices section this morning, however its significance appears to have eluded the national broadsheet's news editors.

The Port Paper's homepage is now blank, with the paper's individual stories attacking Oakeshott stating instead that the site "is currently undergoing redevelopment".

One notorious yarn penned by the paper's editor Sharon Davidson -- a very recent staffer of the Nationals' Cowper MP Luke Hartsuyker -- that claimed Oakeshott was unpopular based on flawed polling has vanished. As Crikey explained last month, the polling was picked up by The Daily Telegraph and run as a straight news item under the headline 'Poll shocker for MP Rob Oakeshott as support plunges'.

Davidson was recently in the news after it was revealed she was hired to work as a spin doctor for disgraced north coast state MP Steve Cansdell shortly before the state election.

Oakeshott has filed two complaints to the Australian Press Council over the paper's coverage and has also made a submission to the feared NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption. A separate investigation is being conducted by the NSW Electoral Commission.

Crikey understands that after The Australian ran a story last month reporting that Oakeshott has referred the paper to the authorities, most of its advertisers headed for the hills.

Administrator Domenic Calabretta from Hall Chadwick confirmed late this morning that had the paper had folded and wouldn't be resurrected. He said he was attempting to flog off the masthead but that "it doesn't seem that there's much interest in the paper."

Calabretta, who blamed soft retail demand for the closure, said he was also trying to offload a monthly lifestyle magazine also owned by Australian News & Media. The company's sole director is former police officer Paul Loughlin, a close family friend of founding Port Paper editor and sole shareholder Rob Nardella -- a former Port Macquarie councillor who now works for NSW Nationals deputy premier Andrew Stoner.

A meeting of creditors will be held next Friday at Hall Chadwick's Sydney offices.

As Crikey reported in August, The Port Paper was established by former Mark Vaille staffer Nardella in March. Nardella, a member of Mr Stoner's campaign team in the lead-up to the March state election, registered the domain name portpaper.com on February 9, 2011 and actively sought advertisements for his publication.

Records show that AN&M was originally registered on December 14 last year by the National Party's Lyne Electorate Council chairman, Noel Atkins.

Mark Vaile was Oakeshott's predecessor in Lyne before his resignation in July 2008. Following Oakeshott's victory at the resulting byelection, a cabal of National Party figures have battled to reclaim control of the electorate that they argue is rightfully theirs.

Mr. No-No-No-Noooooooooooooo needs to change his image

Tony I never met a Labor or Green policy I didn’t hate Abbott is still having perception problems and is fast becoming the butt of a running gag at my local watering hole.
It seems me an' me mates are not alone.


The Essential Report 26th September 2011:

Q. Which of the following statements is closest to your view about the performance of Tony Abbott as Opposition leader?

Click on table to enlarge

The proportion of respondents that believe that Tony Abbott is performing the role of Opposition Leader well is 38%, down four points from when the question was last asked on 6 June 2011. Coalition voters are far more likely to regard Abbott as performing the role well (77%).
Forty five per cent (45%) of respondents believe that Abbott is just opposing everything and is obstructing the work of Government (45%), a result that is fairly consistent with the previous occasions on which the question has been polled. Labor voters are the most likely to agree with this position (82%), as are Greens voters (77%).
Respondents aged 65+ are much more likely to regard Abbott as performing well (56%).
Respondents from Queensland were also somewhat more likely to regard Abbott as doing well (44%).

Pic from Andy Dolphin at My Week in Art

Nationals' 'Magnificent Seven' to contest pre-selection battle for Clarence

When nominations for the National Party's candidate to contest the by-election in the seat of Clarence closed today there were two additions to the five names previously confirmed.

There was no real surprise when Clarence Valley mayor Richie Williamson, a one-time independent, decided to hitch his carriage to the Nats' gravy train but a nomination by relative newcomer to the valley, Maclean businessman Jason Cleary from Woodford Island, seems to be a bit of a shock to the system.

The other candidates are Karen Toms, Paul O'Connor, Fiona Leviny, Chris Gulaptis and Stuart George.

George is the sole nomination from the Nat' northern camp.

Jeremy Challacombe, a spokesperson for the Nationals, told The Daily Examiner it was originally intended that the ballot for preselection would be held this weekend, but rank and file members had convinced the party's head office to allow enough time for candidates to address branch meetings before a ballot on October 16. 

He said it would be a secret ballot and votes would be tallied using the same preferential voting system as was used in federal elections. 

Candidates would each be given about 10 minutes to speak at the preselection meeting before the ballot was held. 

About 300 financial members in the Clarence electorate are eligible to vote.


Read The Daily Examiner's report here.