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Saturday, 12 February 2011
Help the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society shut down Icelandic whaling
Friday, 11 February 2011
NSW Labor wants to help you write letters to the editor
The NSW Labor Party Letter-O-Matic, where presumably assisting you with sending an email (and providing you with a list of 'approved' publications) will let the party machine know which way the wind may be blowing in letters to the editor columns across the state in the forthcoming election campaign.
Wonder why the NSW North Coast's Northern Star, Daily Examiner and Advocate don't get the tick of approval from Labor - not all APN publications seen as sympathetic perhaps or do these newspapers cover electorates not considered even remotely winnable in March 2011?
A thought to carry you forwards
Brisbane City Councilor Norm Wyndham reflecting on the last two months: “We truly still are the lucky country, because if you see some of the atrocities that have occurred across the world in the past 12 to 18 months, you realise that by living in Australia there will always be someone beside you to help you through it.”
Thursday, 10 February 2011
I'll buy your fallen bananas Queensland
I’ll buy your fallen bananas Queensland because that’s what mates do when times are tough.
But because these bananas will be going to my very elderly mother who suffers with health problems, I ask all growers to remember consumer safety ranks higher than their need for income.
If in doubt chuck it out!
Mike
Grafton NSW
* GuestSpeak is a feature of North Coast Voices allowing Northern Rivers residents to make satirical or serious comment on issues that concern them. Posts of 250-300 words or less can be submitted to ncvguestspeak AT gmail.com.au for consideration.
What is it about Tony Abbott that drives his constant desire to cut public health infrastructure & spending?
Still playing politics with flood, bushfire and cyclone victims, Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has released proposed budget cuts, with dodgy statistics gratuitously included.
These 'cuts' are presented as an alternative to the Gillard Government's proposed twelve-month flood levy and contain a desire to rip the hope of future GP Super Clinics away from one rural/regional community somewhere in Australia by re-directing $10M away from the clinic program. Perhaps it will be Mackay in Queensland (currently in the consultation process) which would not see a super clinic if Abbott had his way?
Or does Mr. Abbott sees his budget cuts coming at the expense of Emerald, Wynnum or Caboolture whose community consultations have been put on hold because of the Dec 2010-Jan 2011 floods?
Click on image to enlarge
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
I'm going polled turkey in February 2011
Just in time for the start of the 2011 term of the Australian Federal Parliament, Annabel Crabb (with tongue firmly in cheek) reminded us all of what it means to be a pollaholic.
However, like much that is humorous there is a kernel of truth in how the mainstream media, blogosphere and the general public have brought into that mindless game of political opinion poll percentages which feed the inner-troll found in typical examples of Canberra pond life such as [insert name here of the politician who most annoys you] the Hon.Tony Abbott MHR.
So, not only am I not mentioning any political polling for the remainder of this month, I will also refuse to give oxygen to those companies which produce them by ignoring links to these substitutes for genuine political analysis and debate.
Yes, I am going polled turkey*.
* Hatip to @Colvinius for apparently coining this term.
How many people have to have their homes destroyed before our leaders accept that climate change is here and now
Flood and Storm Update for NSW In the past four weeks the SES has received over 10, 300 calls for assistance on its assistance line (NSW State Emergency Services February 5, 2011)
Moment of truth as 64 homes lost in fire in West Australia (The Aus
Cyclone Yasi destroyed 150 homes and left at least 650 uninhabitable in northern Queensland (ABC Online February 8, 2011)
Queensland floods 5,900 homes damaged by floods in the past month (The Age February 7, 2011)
Floods force evacuations in southern NSW (ABC Online February 7, 2011)
Dozens of Victorian homes inundated by flood waters (News.com.au February 6, 2011)
In the face of dozens of headlines such as these over the last two months and the personal accounts of friends and family, I was amazed to hear the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Anthony Albanese attempt to deny any direct link between the multiple floods, bushfires and cyclones this country has experienced since the beginning of December 2010 and climate change.
How many homes and family businesses have to be damaged or destroyed before our politicians finally realise there is no more time left to play politics with this immense problem?
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Sh#t Happens and Tony Abbott fights to keep control
UPDATE:
On Twitter 8 February 2011:
jodiespeers Jodie Speers
FYI - Abbott's GLARING at Riles actually lasted 1min 10secs. We only had room for 24 secs. It is extraordinary.
The Daily Telegraph 9 February 2011:
A DIGGER'S widow has accepted an apology from Liberal leader Tony Abbott over his comments about conditions facing troops in Afghanistan.
The Sydney Morning Herald 9 February 2011:
Ian MacKinney, the father of the dead soldier, Jared MacKinney, said the Opposition Leader's comments were ''out of line'' and made him ''feel sick''.
''My attitude would be to ignore it, to give it the least amount of credence,'' he said.
He described Mr Abbott as thoughtless, ignorant and uncaring. ''It just shows how good he is, or isn't. I'm not going to let it bother me, but it just shows he's not very thoughtful. He doesn't care too much.''
Proof positive that ethical investment and consumption has a strong influence on business practice?
Walking up and down supermarket aisles looking for food products that guarantee non-GM ingredients or have a low-carbon footprint, flicking though racks of clothes or rows of shoes in search of the now almost mythical Australian-made label and generally trying to avoid purchases from companies known to exploit their workforce or the environment, can leave one feeling that perhaps the attempt to be an ethical consumer is costing one time and money with little effect on the industries involved in producing a wide range goods on display in this country.
Then along comes a letter like this one from the beleaguered Gunns Ltd, linked to online at Tasmanian Politics and Other Stuff, which clearly shows that the combined weight of individuals attempting to act ethically does eventually bring big business closer to the desired outcome:
Looking at the gestation window for a new cyclone?
Tropical cyclones
Tropical cyclones are low pressure systems that form over warm tropical waters and have well defined wind circulations of at least gale force strength (sustained winds of 63 km/h or greater with gusts in excess of 90 km/h).
Technically they are defined as a non-frontal low pressure system of synoptic scale developing over warm waters having organised convection and a maximum mean wind speed of 34 knots or greater extending more than half-way around near the centre and persisting for at least six hours....
The severity of a tropical cyclone is described in terms of categories ranging from 1 to 5 related to the zone of maximum winds.....
Climate indicators of ENSO continue to indicate a strong, mature La Niña, although there are clear signs the event has passed its peak. Pacific Ocean temperatures have increased, especially below the surface, while atmospheric indicators such as the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), trade winds and cloud patterns have eased from their peaks reached about a month ago......
These observations are consistent with long-range forecast models surveyed by the Bureau which show the Pacific gradually warming during the southern autumn. Given that March to June is the ENSO transition period, there is a spread among the model predictions for the middle of 2011. The most likely outcome is for a return to neutral conditions, but there is a chance of La Niña persisting for the rest of the year.
Australian Bureau of Meteorology sea surface temperature mapping on February 3 2011
Exceeding mean temperature probability February-April 2011
TROPICAL CYCLONE IMPACTS ALONG THE AUSTRALIAN EAST COAST FROM NOVEMBER TO APRIL 1858 TO 2000
La Niña - Detailed Australian Analysis
Monday, 7 February 2011
What Keneally's promise to help with electricity charges means to the average worker, pensioner or independent retiree on the NSW North Coast
This is what the NSW Government Industry and Investment website had to say about the Energy Rebate on 5 February 2011:
The Energy Rebate was increased from $130 a year to $145 per year on 1 July 2010. The Rebate will be further increased to $161 from 1 July 2011. These increases reflect the average rise in regulated electricity prices. Also from 1 July 2010, eligibility for the Energy Rebate was expanded to include all customers who hold Health Care Cards.
Am I eligible for the Energy Rebate?
The Energy Rebate is now available to all electricity account holders who hold either a:
· Pensioner Concession Card issued by either Centrelink or the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA)
· Gold Card issued by the Department of Veterans' Affairs marked with either:
-War Widow or War Widower Pension
-Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI)
-Disability Pension
· Health care card issued by Centrelink as a result of receiving one of a number of income support payments from the Commonwealth.
If you hold an eligible card and have not yet registered for the Energy Rebate you should contact your retailer.
Any customer receiving the Energy Rebate prior to 1 July 2010 will continue to receive the Rebate and will automatically receive the increased amount, if they continue to hold a valid and eligible card.
How do I obtain the rebate?
If you think you are eligible for the rebate or would like to ask some more questions, contact your electricity supplier or your local electricity distributor. Contact phone numbers can be found on your electricity bill.
This is what the Keneally Government announced on 6 February 2011 as part of an opening salvo in its re-election campaign:
The Energy Rebate will be increased from $161 to $250 from July 1, while eligibility for the rebate will be extended to households with a combined income of under $150,000.What this means is that if you have a Health Care Card or equivalent and your quarterly electricity charges came to a frugal $200 in any energy bill received after 1 July 2011, then the new Energy Rebate would reduce your actual payment (with GST added) to around $153 instead of the $181 or so you would pay now.
Families without the Heath Care Card but with a combined income of under $150,000 will be eligible for the Energy Rebate on 1 July 2012.
The worrying issue is the NSW Labor statement that this new scale will mean that families save $1000 in electricity bills over the life of the plan - which indicates that the annual $250 rebate may only be guaranteed for the next four financial years.
Keneally's launch of Fairness for Families can be found here.
"mendacious, ugly, disgraceful and cringeworthy" - and that's just his good points!
I must confess myself astounded that Tony Abbott could be so foolish as to shake people down for a donation to his private cause at the same time as he is attempting to further that cause by threatening to deny funding to repair the damage from the Queensland floods. That he should do so while the most ferocious cyclone in recorded history bore down on the coastline of the same state, well, it was just … words fail me. We waited for the cataclysm to rake over the north of state like the blast front from a gigantic, slow moving nuclear bomb. An eerie, suspended interlude. Until Abbott punctured the moment with his ham-fisted partisan foolishness. [John Birmingham, National Times,3 February 2011]
LaurieOakesLib fundraising on back of Qld flood disaster as a devastating cyclone bears down will not earn Tony Abbott any credit. Deeply embarrassing.
Mr Abbott's Odious Opportunism ……Tony's attempt to distance himself from the crass e-mail appeal doesn't impress either. [Sardonic Detachment Therapy,3 February 2011]
And this is what he has to say.
Observe the precision of his judgement, and the exquisite subtlety of his timing. [Still Life With Cat,2 February 2011]
No wonder Tony Abbott's percentages continue to look like this:
Prime Minister Julia Gillard is still preferred as Prime Minister (49%, up 3% since December 8-12, 2010) over Opposition Leader Tony Abbott (36%, down 3%) according to a special telephone Morgan Poll conducted over the last three days (February 1-3, 2011).
More electors approve of the way Julia Gillard is handling her job as Prime Minister (46%, down 3% since December 8-12, 2010) than approve of the way Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is handling his job (39%, down 11%).
Cartoon found at Nicholson Cartoons
Sunday, 6 February 2011
The air is clear in relation to Lionel Murphy and Malawi's take on flatulence
Peter FitzSimons has a piece that demonstrates quite clearly Murphy cannot be associated in any way, shape or form with a bill in Malawi that would outlaw breaking wind in public.
Read more about flatulence in Malawi in a BBC report here.
Here's FitzSimon's piece:
 | |
| Source: Sun Herald, 6/2/11 |
Image credits: Sun Herald, 6/2/11 and http://www.rhinocarhire.com/Car-Hire-News/February-2011/Farting-Ban-for-Malawi-6119.aspx
North Coast Voices - the feral edition
Independent MP for New England Tony Windsor calls Clarence Valley residents 'feral' and Windsor labels Valley ‘feral' ran headlines in both the mainstream media and blogosphere.
This was the swift response.....................
The Daily Examiner, 4 February 2011
Federal Labor MP for Page Janelle Saffin:“Well, too right we go feral because my view is they should just stop talking about an idea that's so stupid anyway; and it's not going to go anywhere. But we do go feral because everybody agrees that we cannot divert or dam the Clarence River.
NSW Nationals MP for Clarence Steve Cansdell: ..as far as damning and diverting the Clarence, I am happy to be classed as a 'feral'. I will always be against any such proposal.
Clarence Valley Mayor Richie Williamson: We do, and we will, go absolutely feral because a majority is clearly against the diversion or the damming of the Clarence River. We as a community are definitely against any damming of the Clarence River.
The Daily Examiner,4 February 2011
Click on image to enlarge
Boy the Wonder Cat: Tony Windsor doesn't know the meaning of 'feral' yet. If he keeps this dam nonsense up, one fine morning he will wake to find I've peed on his verandah posts, crapped on the front door mat, scared his hens eggless and bonked his dog so thoroughly that it won't come out from under the house for the next ten years.
True words tweeted in jest?
FakeeEtiquette Fake e-Etiquette
It is polite to continue acting as though internet arguments have winners or conclusions.
Saturday, 5 February 2011
Chicken boots and the spectacles thief
Most of the hens on the farm are of an Indian game type and are mainly bred as table birds. They are not the best egg layers.
There are large sections of the year where they don't produce eggs and then at the start of spring and summer the eggs are in abundance.
So I decided that I would start on a breeding program that would yield chooks that would lay eggs over most of the year, yet still retain most of the qualities that make excellent eating birds.
I obtained a couple of roosters that were mainly Isa Brown types, and one pure breed Isa Brown. The two older roosters were ready to breed this season so I set two hens, this yielded 16 chickens.
The chickens are the quietest birds I have ever seen, walking around the yard has been reduced to a shuffle since the chicks are always under foot.
I have even had to retrieve them out of gumboots, which would not be much of a problem except that I was wearing these boots at the time.
During this gumboot invasion the last thing I was thinking about was the fact that I had mistakenly left my reading glasses in my shirt pocket. As I bent down to get the chicken out of the gumboot the glasses fell out and landed on one of the chickens in the maul happening around my feet. They scattered to the wind taking the glasses with them.
I was stuck, I still had a chook in my gumboot.
There I was in the middle of a muddy yard, balancing on one slipping gumboot gently trying to remove the other and retrieve the protesting chicken. I was very lucky to get the chicken out of the boot without falling in the mud.
Then the search for my glasses began along with the rain. The chickens(being helpful little mites) all followed me for the entire search. Emitting calls that sounded something like - hot, hotter, no colder, cool.
After about half an hour I found the glasses and they were intact if a bit muddy.
The chickens looked quite pleased with themselves; after all they do try their best.
In America 2011 zealous wingnuts are on the march and no woman is safe
In America in 2011 there were thirteen females amongst the around sixty members of the US Congress who sponsored a bill called the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act which seeks to deny Medicare-funded abortion to girls and women who were raped without some form of physical restraint or violence.
The House of a Thousand Fools
Can anyone really believe this nonsense? Over 1,000 Australians Sign Petition Opposing Flood Levy - Stop The Levy
Over 1,000 Australians have signed an online petition imploring the Federal Government to not impose an unfair and destructive new tax on the vulnerable Australian economy. The website, http://www.stopthelevy.com/, is a project of Menzies House, an independent, grassroots online community for center-right activists, writers, and thinkers. Menzies House is unaffiliated with any political party.
All this hysteria over a twelve-month levy with a scale like this? For crying out loud you would have to have a taxable income of over $80,000 a year before it was costing you more than a skinny latte once a week and over $130,000 a year before it cost the price of a quick working day lunch for one at the local caff.
Anony-mice
Yamba
* GuestSpeak is a feature of North Coast Voices allowing Northern Rivers residents to make satirical or serious comment on issues that concern them. Posts of 250-300 words or less can be submitted to ncvguestspeak AT gmail.com.au for consideration.
Friday, 4 February 2011
Backyard pool safety: At long last the penny has dropped at Clarence Valley Council
Having lived in the Clarence Valley for over 35 years and reckon I'm almost a local (but true-blue locals keep moving the goal posts and are now saying you have to be here 40+ years to qualify although they said 10 years ago it was 30+ years) I'm thrilled to bits that Clarence Valley Council is at long last going to do something about back yard pool safety.
We installed a pool 28 years ago and we're still waiting for Council to come and give it its final inspection to say all is AOK with its fence, gate and other safety features.
In a media release titled Pools and fences failing to pass safety guidelines
Independent MP for New England Tony Windsor calls Clarence Valley residents 'feral'
From A Clarence Valley Protest on 3 February 2011:
In which the Independent MP for New England Tony Windsor considers Clarence Valley communities to be feral.
Mr Kitta—First of all, I have a couple of questions. What is the environment? It is a very loose term. In the dictionary it says the environment is your surroundings. I think that in Griffith here we are in the most beautiful surroundings you could have, so why take water away? You are taking water from the environment if you send it out to the lakes; you are not giving it to the environment at all. The other one—I am not an irrigation farmer—is that probably, when we get a good flood, some of the water comes in this direction, but by our dams and crops we have provided an environment for the roos and everything else that they would not have had before.This question has been raised quite a bit, and I will not go over it again, but I think it needs emphasising. It is the top end. They are working on the wrong end. They are rationing at the bottom end instead of increasing the supply at the top. The designs have been done for many years for these dams that the previous speaker mentioned. What they do is to go over to the Clarence River and tell the people there—real scare tactics—'We're going to take all your water and send it west.' No such thing has ever been proposed. They proposed to take, I think, the flood waters of 30 per cent of the catchment. I think they would be quite happy to see the flood waters go; they had a flood recently. So it is plain political scare tactics to tell those people that there is no water to come over here. It has really had the lie given to it in Queensland now with the good flood they have had up there. Surely they would not miss a bit of water if they sent it down here. That is my whole point.
CHAIR—Thank you, Ernest. That site for the Clarence dam is in my electorate, and when you go over there and mention that they go absolutely feral! I will tell them you have endorsed it!
Desperate wives in Iceland
It seems even small Iceland (population less than half a million) isn’t immune when it comes to predatory men in the community.
Paragraph in a copy of a March 2006 U.S. diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks Cablegate:
Desperate Wives
Social service providers report regular contacts with a population of foreign women who have immigrated to Iceland to marry Icelandic citizens whom they have met on-line or through friends and relatives already married to Icelanders. Some of these women live in circumstances akin to slavery. A lawyer for the capital's Intercultural Center offered an example of one Icelandic husband who quit work and insisted that his Chinese wife work three jobs to support him. Only able to sleep for four hours a night, she eventually suffered a breakdown. Some Icelanders at one of her workplaces found her pro bono legal assistance, thanks to which she obtained a divorce and permits to remain and work in Iceland. The Intercultural Center lawyer learns of several such cases a year, most often involving "extremely beautiful" Russian and Baltic women in their twenties brought to Iceland as "trophies" by men in their fifties. The women work long hours, and their husbands take their salaries; some of the men reportedly also sell sexual access to their wives.
Thursday, 3 February 2011
DuckHand! Townsville does gallows humour in midst of Cyclone Yasi
clembastow Clem Bastow
Well, I think we can all agree that #duckhand was a perfect example of Australian gallows humour. Hang in there, FNQ! #tcyasi
vanbadham Van Badham
@clembastow I want #DuckHand to run against TAbbott in his seat at the next goddamn election. I will MOVE THERE to vote for DuckHand #tcyasi
Is this man trying to impose a 24hr McDonald's fast food outlet on unwilling New Norfolk residents?
North Coast Voices recently heard from a resident of New Norfolk in the Derwent Valley, Tasmania, with news that the Rockefeller Group had lodged a development application with Derwent Valley Council for a 24 hour fast food outlet in that town and that this was thought to be on behalf of McDonald’s Australia.
The Derwent Valley shares many characteristics with the Lower Clarence Valley where McDonald’s opened another of its fast food outlets in December 2010 in the face of opposition from many Yamba residents.
This is the public face of the Rockefeller Group - Mr Robert Rockefeller.
As Mr. Rockefeller is currently a board member of the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry he can presumably be contacted at email admin@tcci.com.au or fax 6420 7541 if any reader wishes to let this developer know what they think of a McDonald’s 'restaurant' in a relatively small town dependent to some degree on tourism based on early Australian history and the natural environment.
Please feel free to discuss in the comments section of this post.
Do you know where your dog or cat is tonight?
A reminder to pet owners on the NSW North Coast from The Daily Examiner on 24 January 2011:
Grafton has been listed as the worst area with 62 attacks recorded.
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
Minister joins Page MP for NSW North Coast 'community conversation' on mental health
Media release from the Federal Labor MP for Page on 2 February 2011:
Page MP Janelle Saffin has invited Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, to the Northern Rivers today for a ‘community conversation’ on the Gillard Government’s mental health reform agenda.
Mr Butler, Australia’s first Federal Minister for Mental Health, will be co-hosted by Ms Saffin and Southern Cross University’s Health Clinic. Mr Butler attended the clinic’s opening as Parliamentary Secretary for Health in August last year.
Ms Saffin said she had invited the Minister back to Page to hear from a wide cross-section of Northern Rivers local families and carers, who live with mental ill-health, health professionals, and Non Government Organisation representatives.
“A large number of people have experience or know of a relative or friend or neighbour who has battled bouts of depression, drug or alcohol addiction, or a mental illness,” Ms Saffin said.
“There is a growing number of folk who need professional help to manage their conditions and ongoing community support to achieve quality of life.
“We are fortunate to have some dedicated medical practitioners and health academics -- recognised as leading researchers in the field -- so this is an opportunity for them to help shape mental health policy.”
Today’s ‘Community Conversation’ will be chaired by Southern Cross University’s new Pro Vice Chancellor (Arts and Sciences), Professor Deborah Saltman AM, who was has had a distinguished career in education, health and clinical practice in Australia, Asia and Europe.
A highlight will be the welcoming performance by The Hearing Voices Choir, whose members like to sing their blues away. Formed in May 2008, the choir has recorded a CD and travelled around Australia.
Mr Butler and Ms Saffin later will meet with an expert panel for a roundtable discussion on mental health reform and for briefings on projects being developed in the region.
The expert panel includes:
Professor Saltman AM.
Professor Iain Graham, Professor of Nursing and Head of School, Health & Human Services, Southern Cross University.
Professor Lesley Barclay AO, Director of the University Centre for Rural Health (North Coast).
Associate Professor James Bennett-Levy, University Centre for Rural Health (North Coast).
Mr Jem Mills, Senior Lecturer, University Centre for Rural Health (North Coast).
Dr Doug Andrews, Clinical Director of Mental Health, Northern NSW and Mid North Coast NSW Local Health Networks.
Dr Harry Freeman, Psychiatrist, Lismore Mental Health Unit.
Mr Chris Clark, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Rivers General Practice Network.
Ms Anne Lipzker, Child and Adolescent Coordinator, NSW North Coast.
Mr Warren Shaw, Area Nurse Manager Mental Health.
Mr Niall Mulligan, Counselling Centre Manager, Lifeline Northern Rivers.
Mr Amos Hee, Project Consultant, Improved Services Mental Health Initiative, The Buttery.
Ms Hazel Bridgett, Chair of Northern NSW Local Health Network Governing Council.
The Honourable Dr Brian Pezzutti, Member of Northern NSW Local Health Network Governing Council and the NSW Minister’s Mental Health Advisory Committee.
Ms Leone Crayden, Chief Executive Officer On Track Community Programs, Member of the Northern NSW Local Health Network Governing Council
If you have family and friends in the path of Cyclone Yasi
Cyclone Yasi is currently classed as a Category
Issued at 11:00 pm EST Tuesday 1 February 2011
Refer to Tropical Cyclone Advice Number 9
The next Australian Bureau of Meteorology National Warnings Summary update will be issued by 2:00 am EST Wednesday 02 February 2011
Queensland Disaster Management Sevices advice:
To assist in this the QPS, in coordination with the Red Cross’ National Registration and Inquiry System (NRIS), has activated a 1300 telephone number to register people evacuated due to Cyclone Yasi.
Registrations and inquiries will be answered at the QPS Policelink Contact Centre.
The Cyclone YASI Evacuation Registration and Evacuation Enquiry Line number is 1300 993 191.
International enquiries for the NRIS can be made at + 61 7 3055 6220.
We are urging anyone who has evacuated at the direction of authorities or self-evacuated, to register on the National Registration and Inquiry System (NRIS).
People travelling in North Queensland are also being asked to register so friends and family are able to reassure themselves you are safe and that emergency services are able to concentrate on looking for individuals who may be missing as opposed to simply out of contact.
You can register your details on the NRIS system online at http://www.redcross.org.au/ or by telephone on 1300 993 191 for callers in Australia, on +61 7 3055 6220 for international callers, or by written forms at nominated evacuation centres.
By entering your data you can save needless worry on the part of those who care about you and free up valuable emergency services resources.
The National Registration and Inquiry System (NRIS) is a computer based filing and retrieval system, designed to provide families and close friends with basic details on the whereabouts and safety of people affected by major events and disasters.
Cairns Disaster Coordination Centre - (07) 4044 3377
Cassowary Coast Disaster Coordination Centre - 1300 188 505
Townsville Disaster Coordination Centre - 1800 738 541
National Enquiry Line 1800 727 077
Q&A concerning Assange
U.S. Dept of Defense News Briefing with Geoff Morrell from the Pentagon on 26 January 2011
Q: Geoff, is it true that prosecutors have not been able to tie Private [Bradley] Manning to Julian Assange and essentially make a link between the two in the case?
MR. MORRELL: Well, what I would say on this is, as much as I'd like to weigh into this, this is, as you know, an ongoing criminal investigation. So it would be inappropriate for me to speak to any -- with any specificity to these issues.
But I would avail myself of this opportunity to admonish or warn you all to be extraordinarily careful about how you report on this story, because one thing I can -- I do feel comfortable in telling you is that this case is being taken extremely seriously by the investigators both here in the Defense Department and, of course, at the Department of Justice. They are hard at work at on building a case here.
So any pronouncements about a connection or lack of connection, those that have been found or are yet to be found, are just premature at this point. So I'd urge everybody to proceed with caution on this, and probably most stories, for that matter…………………………
Q: Can you tell us today if, in fact, there is evidence that Private Manning was ever in direct contact with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange?
MR. MORRELL: I think I've answered this question when it was put to me by Jennifer. And I'm happy to repeat it if you like. But as much as I would like to answer that more directly, I'm not in a position to.
And I'm not going to elaborate on why I'm not in a position to other than to say that it would be inappropriate, given the fact that this is an ongoing investigation, for me to answer that with the specificity that I'd like to.
And I'd once again urge you and all to be very careful, given the fact that this is an ongoing investigation. It's being -- you know, this has -- this has received the highest-level attention in this department, in the Department of Justice. There are many, many resources devoted to investigating this and also bringing a case against those responsible for this breach of national security. So I think it is way too soon to make pronouncements with the kind of definitiveness that I've seen in some of the reporting, given where we still are in this investigation.
Q: Are you implying that you have information that, in fact, Manning was in direct contact with Julian Assange? Because --
MR. MORRELL: I am not -- Mik, Mik, I am not implying -- Mik, I'm not --
Q: (Inaudible) -- you don't want to reveal the specifics?
MR. MORRELL: I'm not implying --
Q: That's the -- that's the implication you made.
MR. MORRELL: You can infer what you -- Mik --
Q: You said you'd like to respond with the specificity.
MR. MORRELL: Mik, you can infer what you like, but I am not implying anything other than what I said, which was very clear. I'm not going to wade into the ongoing investigation. But I urge you all to be very careful, because it is still very much in progress. And it would be premature to draw any definitive conclusions about where we are vis-à-visdirect connections, a web of connections, found, not found, any of that. We're not and you are not -- no one is in a position yet to draw those conclusions.
Q: Are there third-parties being investigated?
MR. MORRELL: This investigation is broad. I think the best -- the best question -- it's best directed at the Justice Department. But my understanding is that this is a very broad, very robust investigation that will look any and every place to find all those who may or may not have been involved in the leak of this classified information.
Q: A follow up, Geoff?
MR. MORRELL: Are you on this?
Q: (Inaudible)
MR. MORRELL: Okay. Let me -- let me finish this up, and then we'll come over to you.
Q: All right. Thank you. First of all, we're meeting first time: Happy New Year.
MR. MORRELL: Happy New Year.
Q: My question is that because of WikiLeaks, as far as this connection and he is behind bars, one, many high-level Indian military officials are under investigation but they are in jail now because of WikiLeaks. And now what my question is, as far as WikiLeaks is concerned, this man is behind bars here. Have you stopped, as far as WikiLeaks is concerned, for the future? What have you done? Because many other countries also involved as far as WikiLeaks and U.S. defense and --
MR. MORRELL: For the future of what?
Q: Have you stopped the WikiLeaks in the -- for the future? And no more WikiLeaks are coming? Or have you done something --
MR. MORRELL: Listen, you'd have to -- you'd have to talk to Mr. Assange and his cronies. I don't know what they have still up their sleeve. You'd have to -- you'd have to talk to them.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
NSW North Coast local crime maps
All NSW Local Government Area Crime Maps (in pdf) from NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
The 2009 crime maps for the NSW North Coast:
Ballina, Bellingen, Byron, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley, Tweed.
The good news is, that in general terms across many of these local government areas, the percentages for violent crime and property offence incidents appear to have fallen markedly over the last five years.
