O'Farrell Government exposes itself as a ship of fools

The Hon Robyn Parker, Minister for the Environment, and Minister for Heritage, exposes the level of her incompetence concerning matters affecting the NSW North Coast.NSW Parliament Legislative Council Environment and Heritage Committee - Estimates Hearing, 27 October 2011

A little more of Stuart Ramsey's business history gets an airing

In a letter to the editor in The Daily Examiner on 26th October 2011, a little more of Stuart Ramsey’s business history gets an airing:
Grafton will lose a part of its history
AS A 13-year-old, my father uprooted our family and we moved to Grafton so that he could run and manage the Grafton abattoir under the company name of the Victorian-based Gilbert & Sons. He managed the Grafton Meatworks for the next 25 years, which made fantastic profits and provided lucrative wages for the hard work endured.
It started to go south when Gilbert & Sons' companies were struggling financially with their Victorian plants and unfortunately the Grafton abattoir was under the same umbrella. However, it was still operating at a substantial profit.
Approximately 15 years ago it was dragged under with the other Gilbert & Sons' companies. Around 300 workers were out of jobs and at this stage Stuart Ramsey put up his hand to purchase the abattoir and run it as a going concern.
With huge input from the Meatworkers Union, Harry Woods and Terry Flanagan (local politicians), I accompanied another three workers and we convinced Bob Carr (the then premier) to give Ramsey approximately $500,000 in set-up grants to keep the jobs of the people affected within our community. The whole town, including the council, all offered to help Stuart Ramsey to get the abattoir up and running. All workers took pay cuts and became the lowest paid abattoir workers in Australia.
I don't think much has changed in that regard. I joined the consultative committee when we tried, for a whole year, to negotiate a better agreement, after working on the present one for three years. When negotiations went sour I and the 11 or so other members of the consultative committee were terminated. We took the case to the Federal Court of Australia and after four years we won all and every aspect of the case. To this day, approximately 10 years after my termination, I still have not received my entitlements awarded by the outcome of the court proceedings. I know what it is like to be out of a job and not knowing whether you will receive your entitlements or not and I feel for these workers.
If the doors finally close at the Grafton Meatworks I will probably shed a tear. The tear won't be for the concerns of an upstanding citizen such as Ramsey, but for all those people that such a radical decision is going to affect. It will also be for the fact that Grafton will lose a part of its history as it has been part of our community for such a long time. And the fact that the Grafton abattoir has been a huge part of the McKenzie family.
PAUL McKENZIE

Have former MP Ian Causley and would-be-if-he-could-be-MP Chris Gulaptis agreed to bury the hatchet?

             ... or is it just a PR exercise?

Facebook reveals:

When Ian Causley retired from federal parliament in 2007 National Party loyalists believed they were gifting the seat of Page to the up-and-coming, slay-'em-in-the-aisles, pretty boy Chris Gulaptis. 

However, Labor's Janelle Saffin had different ideas about that.

Gulaptis lost the election, leaving local Nationals shell-shocked. Word had it that the retired MP was not at all amused - he was gutted!.

After all, Gulaptis who had been given the official nod when he comfortably defeated Dr Sue Page for Nationals' preselection, said he felt honoured by the confidence party members had shown in him and he would work to meet their expectations. 

Boy-oh-boy, he let them down in a big way!

So, the $64 question is:  

Can Gulaptis do it all again and lose the Nationals family jewels in Clarence?

Clarence Greens begin campaigning this week

Jeremy Buckingham MLC visits Clarence to highlight dangers posed by coal seam gas and antimony mining

Greens MP, Jeremy Buckingham will visit Clarence with Greens by-election candidate Janet Cavanaugh to highlight the threat mining poses to the region.

Tuesday 1st November

WHAT: Jeremy and Janet highlight the threat the antimony mine at Wild Cattle Creek poses to the Nymboida and Clarence Rivers and communities and industries that rely on these rivers. They will urge voters to use the Clarence by-election to send Barry O'Farrell a message on this issue.

WHEN: 10.30am Tuesday 1st November 2011

WHERE: Clarence River Bank near to the Prince St Wharf.

As the Greens mining spokesperson, Jeremy Buckingham has visited the Wild Cattle Creek antimony mine site, the current gold and antimony mine at Hillgrove, and the toxic antimony processing site at Urunga.

Wednesday 2nd November

WHAT: Launch of the Greens' by-election headquarters at Casino - highlights the issue of coal seam gas for the by-election.

WHEN: 9.30am, Wednesday 2nd November 2011

WHERE: Shop 2, Casino Centre Arcade, Walker St (opposite former Civic Centre)

Jeremy Buckingham is the Deputy Chair of the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into coal seam gas and has been prominent opponent of the coal seam gas industry’s plans for expansion. He has introduced a bill into parliament calling for a moratorium on coal seam gas activities.

[CLARENCE GREENS media release, 31 October 2011]

Photo of Janet Cavanaugh from Clarence Greens website

Clarence By-election: Ms Camac show her true colours

The Daily Examiner 31 October 2011 on the subject of the Christian Democratic Party candidate:

SHE represents the Christian Democratic Party in the upcoming Clarence by-election and happens to be the personnel officer who signed a letter to abattoir workers telling them they no longer had jobs in Grafton.

Asked what she could do for displaced meat workers as a Clarence representative, Bethany Camac admitted she wouldn't be able to do much except encourage investment in the area.

"If they don't want to take up the job offer at Casino and sit around and whinge they can sit around and whinge, if they want to get off their bums and get a new job they can do that," she said.

Ms Camac said all workers, including herself, at the South Grafton site had been "offered" jobs at the Northern Co-operative Meat Company in Casino and "there should be enough jobs for everyone".

"Stuart Ramsey has not taken his business outside the electorate of Clarence, he's moved it from Grafton to Casino."

But reports on ABC North Coast yesterday quoted Northern Co-operative Meat Company management as saying there was no transfer of business between Ramsey Food Processing and the Co-operative.

Workers told The Examiner earlier this week they had been informed by Ramsey that they're entitlements would be transferred if they took up jobs at Casino but subsequent inquiries had proven this to be false……

Ms. Camac obviously doesn’t understand the business history of the man who employs her as well as one local writing in the same newspaper issue.

Who else is to blame?

WELL done, Paul McKenzie, for your factual account of what occurred approximately 10 years ago. My husband was also one of the 11 and he still hasn't received his entitlements despite the court ruling. How this man has been able to get away with ignoring the laws and court rulings amazes me.

Regarding the letter from Lyn Ridge, yes he put food on the table - bread and dripping while he dined on caviar. We used up all our savings in the five years my husband worked for Mr Ramsey. You state that it will be a terrible loss for Grafton, but you can't blame one man alone. Pray tell, who else is to blame?

One man has spit the dummy because he can no longer ignore his commitments. Hay for his horses, it seems, is more important than food on the table for employees.

I congratulate The Daily Examiner for the forthright reporting and please continue to do so. There is nothing nice about this man's business practices and the public is entitled to know.

Regarding the letter from Teddy Bowles, I don't recall any negative media reports when the abattoirs reopened, only how good it was for Grafton.

As far as being given financial assistance, $500,000 from public purses isn't bad, then the assistance given by the city council as regards water rates, etc. How much has to be given to one man? He had employees work for less than award wages for three years to help get the place up and running, then wouldn't come to the table to arrange a new agreement up to two years after the expiration of their agreement. In the meantime, the horse stud prospered.

Mr Ramsey is no pauper. Nor would a dinky-di Aussie treat people the way this man does with his "my way or the highway" attitude.

KERRI BROOKS

South Grafton.

Photograph of Ms. Camac from Chrisitian Democratic Party website

UPDATE

The Daily Examiner on 2 November 2011:

Get a job jibe draws angry retort

COMMENTS from the Christian Democratic candidate for Clarence Beth Camac have been described as a disgrace by the president of the union representing displaced South Grafton meatworkers.

Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union president Grant Courtney said Ms Camac's comments, published in Monday's Daily Examiner, had raised "a fair bit of anger from workers at the South Grafton abattoir".

"Ms Camac's comments in relation to pending displaced workers at the abattoir are nothing short of cheap political opportunism and a disgrace," he said. "Any candidate that stands for good Christian values surely would feel for the 200 workers whose futures are now up in the air thanks to a company pulling its operations at Grafton.

"Calling workers whingers is clearly uncalled for and will not assist her in her political aspirations.

"Social justice, support for the community and regional employment should be the principle policy this woman stands for, instead of blurting out misleading statements that reflect mistruths in relation to future employment at Casino.

"Workers at South Grafton do not appreciate commentary from ill-informed industrial relation consultants that have no idea or concern of workers' rights nor their legal entitlements."