The many faces of Clive Palmer in 2012

Poor ol’ Clive – his billions can’t protect him from himself.

Courier Mail 31st January 2012

“Mr Palmer's China First company is launching an $8 billion lawsuit against rail operator QR National for competing with his plans to build a 500km rail link to carry coal.

On social network Twitter this morning, Mr Palmer said he would sue the Bligh Government over the decision.”

9 News 3rd February:

“Mining magnate Clive Palmer says he will consider a tilt at media ownership like his billionaire counterpart Gina Rinehart who has become Fairfax Media's biggest single shareholder.”

International Business Times 23rd  February:

“Mining mogul Clive Palmer sought this week to oust world-renowned hotel management firm Hyatt Hotels Corp from the Queensland golf resort that he had acquired last year.”

Bigpond Money 15th March:

“As it currently stands, Palmer has been stripped of his licence by Football Federation Australia (FFA), a legal stoush is in the making and heated words have been exchanged between him and fellow billionaire Frank Lowy.”

Yahoo! 7 Finance 15^th March:

“Queensland mining magnate Clive Palmer has indicated there will be a High Court challenge against the carbon tax because he has advice the legislation is unconstitutional.

The legislation has passed both houses of Parliament and is due to come into effect in the middle of the year.

The Coalition has promised to repeal the legislation if it wins the next election.

Mr Palmer, who is a financial backer of the Coalition, first threatened to challenge the legislation last year and now says he is going to act on it.”

The Age 17th March:

“IT'S late Thursday night and millions of dollars in cash and a billion tonnes of iron ore are being traded in mining magnate Clive Palmer's name. It is enough to make a finance reporter weep.

Palmer's private company, Mineralogy, is seeking to buy 50 per cent of another private company that is wholly owned by a public company whose biggest shareholder is … Clive Palmer. As part of the deal, the private company that Mineralogy is pursuing has agreed to buy a fourth private company that is wholly owned by Mineralogy and therefore majority owned by … Clive Palmer.

Finally, emboldened by a hand-drawn diagram of the deal and a brief conversation with a worker (not Palmer) at one of the companies involved, your correspondent summons the confidence to declare that this is a deal between four companies controlled by the same man.

And while it isn't the most significant corporate play to hit the markets this week, the transaction neatly sums up the past few days in Australian life: no matter where you turn, Palmer is there.”

The Sydney Morning Herald 20^th March:

“Mining magnate Clive Palmer won’t seek a High Court injunction to stop the federal government’s mining profits tax.

Mr Palmer said the tax is bad for the national economy, but it won’t affect him directly.

‘‘It probably won’t cost me anything because I’m not mining anything that comes under the classification of it,’’ he told reporters in Brisbane today.”

News.com.au 20th March:

“BILLIONAIRE Clive Palmer has made bizarre claims the CIA is backing green groups in a bid to kill the Australian coal mining industry.

And he appeared to suggest that US President Barack Obama was directly briefed on the sabotage.”

Courier Mail 21st  March:

“BILLIONAIRE mining magnate Clive Palmer's failing luxury Sunshine Coast international resort was likely to run out of money to keep it operating by the end of next week, a court has been told.

The Supreme Court in Brisbane was today told an operating account funded by Palmer's companies and used by the Hyatt Group to run the Regency Coolum Golf Resort and Spa was likely to run out of money within a week.”

The Australian 21^st March:

“ACTIVIST group GetUp! will fund a legal suit against Clive Palmer after the billionaire linked environmentalist Drew Hutton to an alleged CIA plot to damage the Queensland coal industry.

Mr Hutton told The Australian Online he had been bombarded with offers of financial support and revealed GetUp! had made an offer this afternoon to finance his legal case for defamation.”

Dorrigo Environment Watch calls on international agencies to come and see what mining will place at risk on Dorrigo Plateau

From A Clarence Valley Protest on 20 March 2012:

UNESCO & IUCN invited to see what mining would place at risk on the Dorrigo Plateau

Dorrigo Environment Watch Inc.

Our mission is "To raise community awareness of risks to human and environmental health"

Press Release

Invitation to UNESCO & IUCN to visit the Dorrigo Plateau

By copy of this Press Release Dorrigo Environment Watch have invited the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) monitoring team (who are currently visiting Australia to monitor impacts of mining on the Barrier Reef) to also schedule in a visit to the Dorrigo Plateau.

The Dorrigo Plateau has 4 different mining companies with current exploration licences and recent drilling has been undertaken for gold and antimony across the Plateau. There is concern that the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area values could be compromised if any mining developments were approved on the Plateau.

Dorrigo Environment Watch will ask the NSW and Australian Governments to zone the plateau a ‘no go zone’ for mining to ensure that the world heritage values and vital ecosystem services (which underpin our food, fisheries, fibre and drinking water) are protected for present and future generations. Australia has an obligation to abide by our world heritage agreements to protect the Gondwana Rainforests. A ‘no go zone’ would serve as an appropriate Government commitment and celebration for the 25 year anniversary of the World Heritage listing of our Gondwana rainforests.

For more information or comment please contact Trevor Deane on 02 6657 4005.

Coal Seam Gas Non-Violent Direct Action and the Law - training day at Grafton 25 March 2012

 

Environmental Defender's Office
New South Wales (Ltd)
Weekly Bulletin 15 March 2012

Training in Grafton: Coal seam gas non-violent direct action and the law
The Clarence Alliance Against CSG has organised a non-violent direct action training day to provide information on non-violent direct action and the law.
EDO Senior Solicitor Sue Higginson will be one of the presenters on the day.
When: Sunday 25 March, 10.00am-4.00pm
Where: Grafton Community Centre, Duke St, Grafton.
Those attending are asked to bring lunch and a gold coin donation to assist with venue hire.

An embarrassing fan from Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr's past

In 2005 the $500 a head Ultimate Media Bob Carr Tribute Dinner was held celebrating Bob Carr’s 10^th anniversary as NSW Premier.

The Medich Property Group brought two tickets in order to rub shoulders with this pollie.

Not long after that dinner Carr announced his resignation from state parliament.

Five years later the Managing Director of the Medich Property Group was charged with conspiracy to murder Michael McGurk.

The director is currently on bail for this charge and has appeared as a witness before ICAC regarding that allegation and other matters.
Medich Property Group Pty Ltd was wound up in 2011.

Pacific Highway politics - now and then. According to NSW North Coast MPs and others

Recently Commonwealth-State funding arrangements for Pacific Highway upgrades have been in the news, with the NSW O’Farrell Government waxing eloquent about the alleged unfairness of the Federal Gillard Government.

Even though the NSW Premier has known for at least ten months that funding provisions in the AusLink agreement were going to be enforced by the Federal Government.

A tendency to point the finger, assign blame and pass the buck appear to be prominent character traits of Australian politicians of all political persuasions - as illustrated in the quotes below.

However current and past Nationals MPs Fraser, Gulaptis, Hartsuyker and Causley, both in and out of government, have raised this tendency to an art form - ignoring as they do the terms and conditions of successive AusLink Memorandums of Understanding between the Commonwealth and NSW, commencing during the initial terms of the Federal Coalition Government led by John Howard and the NSW Labor Government led by Bob Carr.

NOW

Here is the NSW Nationals Coffs Harbour MP and Assistant Speaker Andrew Fraser on 22 February 2012 according to that NSW Hansard:

I move:
That this House calls on the Commonwealth Government to agree to maintain the historic 80:20 Commonwealth-State funding formula to ensure the completion of the Pacific Highway upgrade by 2016.

This is NSW Nationals Clarence MP ‘Steve’ Gulaptis popping up in support on the same day:

…Those on the other side should be encouraging their cohorts in the Federal Parliament to agree to the 80:20 split so that we can meet that 2016 deadline. I commend the motion to the House.

While this is Federal Transport Minister Antony Albanese according to ABC Mid North Coast NSW on 1 March 2012:

The New South Wales government says it cannot afford a 50-50 split and the 2016 duplication deadline may have to be shelved.

It wants the Federal government to pay 80 per cent of the project costs.

But minister Anthony Albanese says that's not the deal that was agreed on.

"It's in writing, it's part of the Auslink agreement developed by the Howard government 50-50 funding.”

THEN

The Northern Rivers Echo reporting on NSW Nationals Clarence MP Steve Cansdell on 14 March 2011:

The National Party’s Steve Cansdell has also made a similar promise to have a major upgrade of the Pacific Highway completed by 2016.

On 27 October 2009 NSW Nationals Coffs Harbour MP Andrew Fraser was calling on the NSW Government:

The Pacific Highway is a state road that effectively causes the loss of one life a week. The state government should pour the money it receives from the increased registration charges for heavy vehicles back into regional roads.

While Federal Nationals Cowper MP Luke Hartsuyker was saying in the House of Representatives on 27 February 2006:

I move:

That this House:

(1)

notes:

(a)

that the Pacific Highway is a State road designed, built, owned, and maintained by the New South Wales State Government;

And again on 8 February 2006

The Pacific Highway, of course, is a New South Wales state government road, designed, built, owned and maintained by the New South Wales government. It does receive substantial funding under AusLink…..

With the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority stating in 2006:

The Pacific Highway between Newcastle and Brisbane forms part of the Australian Government's AusLink National Network.

This was NSW Labor Minister for Roads Joe Tripodi  answering a question in the Legislative Assembly concerning the Howard Government’s Auslink agreement on 14 September 2005:

The NSW Government was forced to sign up to the Federal Government s Auslink agreement on roads and transport funding or risk losing Federal roads funding altogether.

(1) and (2) The NSW Government had been trying to negotiate a better deal for the State, but the Federal Government had refused to budge.

The bottom line is that signing this agreement means NSW has to pay an extra $298 million for roadworks but not signing would have cost us $940 million. This is because Auslink means the States have to foot the bills for maintenance and safety works which used to be funded by the Commonwealth.

It was either sign up and get some funding or don t sign and get nothing.

Under the Auslink agreement, the Federal Government reduced funding levels for maintenance, and stops the funding of safety and urgent minor works.

Further back, this was the Federal Nationals Page MP and member of the Howard Government Ian Causley speaking at the Pacific Highway Summit on 13 May 2005 regarding federal government plans to create Auslink and implement the National Land Transport Plan:

Project costs will be shared with the State Government, 50/50 agreement has been requested.

GIVING WIKIPEDIA THE FINAL WORD

Pacific Highway:

The Pacific Highway was never part of the Federally funded system of National Highways. This appears to be because when the Commonwealth funding of the 'national highway' system began in 1974, the longer New England Highway was chosen rather than the Pacific Highway as the Sydney–Brisbane link due to its easier topography and consequent lower upgrade costs.
Yet the highway was undeniably heavily used by interstate traffic and its upgrade was beyond the resources of the New South Wales Government alone. The NSW Government and the Commonwealth Government argued for years about how the responsibility for funding the highway's upgrade should be divided between themselves, only coming up with a mutually acceptable upgrade package just after the 1996/1997 financial year. The Highway is now part of the AusLink National Network and new projects are funded 50/50 by the Federal and State governments.

Belligen Readers Writers Festival 23-25 March 2012

For further details
http://bellingenwritersfestival.com.au/

Click on images to enlarge

Quotes of the Week

From Tony Wright, National Affairs Editor of The Age on 15th March 2012:

“TAKE one pinch of asylum seeker, add a spoonful of smuggled handgun, stir with a good ladling of drive-by shootings and a cupful of border protection, and what have you got?

Why, the Abbott-Morrison Patented Elixir for a Pain in the Tax Policy. It might taste like offal and stink worse than last week's bottled carbon emission, but when you're short on ingredients you cook up what's on hand.”

From Bushfire Bill commenting over at The Poll Bludger on 16th March 2012:
Costello has done it again. He’s put himself and his preening expectations at the centre of a divisive shit fight, spitting the dummy one more time over not getting a job he had decided was his by right. Everywhere this bloke goes he causes trouble with his colleagues due to his implacable belief that he should be the boss.

Provest haz teh problems

Geoff I No Nothing Provest, the NSW North Coast MP for Tweed, is having a few problems. Not only is a local business & residents group taking in the him to court, he appears to have been caught taking a suspect political donation.

14  March 2012:

* THE lobby group looking to torpedo plans for a new $8 million Tweed police headquarters on the Kingscliff foreshore want local MP Geoff Provest to front up to a public meeting on the issue later this month. Officials from The Tweed Business and Residents Focus Group, which launched a Land and Environment Court challenge against the proposed headquarters, have invited Mr Provest to the meeting to be held at the Kingscliff Beach Bowls Club on March 27 from 7pm.

Mr Provest, also the Parliamentary Secretary for Police, is one of the respondents served with a court notice as part of the legal challenge to the project…. 

15  March 2012:

* TWEED Nationals MP Geoff Provest has been accused of accepting an illegal political donation says he did not realise the company involved was a property developer.
In question time today, Opposition Leader John Robertson asked Premier Barry O'Farrell what action he would take against the parliamentary secretary for police, Mr Provest, who he claimed had accepted a $2500 donation from developer Power Group. Under NSW laws, donations from property developers are banned, and at the time of the Power Group donation in March 2011 were restricted to a $2000 cap per individual candidate. In a personal explanation following question time, Mr Provest said he had always been "full and frank" with his pecuniary interests. "I did not realise that Power Industries and or (managing director) James Power may have been prohibited donors," Mr Provest said.

16 March 2012:

* In a statement, Mr Provest blamed the blunder on a volunteer.
"I have held myself at arm's length from the financial side of my campaign and relied on my agent to adhere to the new legislation," he said.
"I am disappointed that this has happened and have today revoked the appointment of my agent."
"My former agent was a volunteer within the party organisation and was not an expert in the very complex legal issues surrounding the new legislation.''

* "I did not realise that Power Industries and/or (managing director) James Power may have been prohibited donors," he said. "I'm now seeking advice from the NSW Election Funding Authority and if those donations are not permitted under the legislation they will be dealt with accordingly." He issued a statement yesterday denying the company was a property developer in NSW, but admitted the amount breached the cap.

Yellow Pages online entry at 19 March 2012

'My dirty little secret' is out

ABC Open

WINNERS of the ABC Open project 'Up Close' were announced yesterday, with Wooloweyah photographer Louise Gumb receiving a special mention for her photograph titled 'My dirty little secret'.

The image, a self-portrait of her own feet was the only entry made by Maelstrom Made Design, the design company owned by Louise and her husband Dan Gumb.

[The Daily Examiner,14 March 2012]

Maelstrom Made Design can be found here.

Newspaper nicknames

Readers of newspapers can, at times, be very cruel. For some, all they have to do to get their daily fill is stroll out through the front door and pick the day's copy up off the driveway (if the deliverer has been on target), out of the rose bushes or (and I swear this is true) if the deliverer has it really in for you, off the roof.

Column8 in today's Herald provides further samples of homework it set its readers. The task was simple enough. All that was required of readers was to tell the Herald (aka Granny) the nickname they gave their newspapers. Previously, The Courier-Mail was said to be the 'Curious Snail', The Cairns Post is the Cairns Ghost (it's thin and wispy at times), The West Australian is the Wet Alsatian and the SMH is The Sydenham Awning Herald ("it works better said than read".

Today, the Western Advocate is the Western Abdicate, The Canberra Times is The Crimes and our own local rag, The Daily Examiner, is 'the one minute's silence' (that's how long it takes to read it).

 

Our neighbours are somewhat kinder, they call it the 'Egg Timer' but Elsie, who lives up the street, calls it 'The Daily Exterminator'. At our place it's referred to as 'The Rapper' - most mornings it takes longer to get the plastic wrap off it than it does to read it, but that's nothing to whinge about. In fact, that task can be quite a challenge and test the grey matter a lot more than a Rubic Cube.

Note to DEX editor and staff: don't get your knickers in knots over those comments. DEX is just like our pet greyhound - you're 'family' and we still luvs ya, warts and all.

Julie Bishops other life?

One for the Only On The Internetz  file…..

An Oz pollie who’s still going strong at 97 years of age. How do you do it, Julie?

"Julie Bishop mini bio:Julie Bishop wos born on 30 Aug 1914in Denver, Colorado, USA.Jacqueline Brown is 5' 3'' (1.60 metres) height.Now actors age is 97 years.Worked like: Actress, Soundtrack.Julie Bishop has appeared in more than 91 films.First work was: 1923 - Bluebeard's Eighth Wife and last was: 1957 - The Big Land."
Seems someone out there in cyberspace got Julie Death Stare Bishop confused with a deceased American actor.

Lismore protestors redecorate Christian Democrat anti-gay marriage truck

StarOnline on 18^th March 2012:

“Lismore’s gay and lesbian community has grounded a truck displaying signage with anti-gay messages which warn of the dangers of same-sex marriage to children.

Locals staged a protest throughout the night and this morning, blockading the truck by parking another vehicle in front it while around 10 – 15 protesters sat behind it to demand the signage be taken down.

Overnight, slogans featuring the words ‘equal love’ and ‘love not hate’ were graffitied over the truck’s signage and the vehicle was covered with coloured streamers and glitter.

A local demonstrator, who requested not to be named, said the protest was not formally planned but was a, “groundswell community response.”

“There were a lot of families there who were distressed and offended by the message,” she told the Star Observer.

“This truck has been travelling the state and no-one is doing anything about it.”

Pics from @ABCNorthCoast

Paddy's fly in the ointment - a postscript to his one big day in the year

The main agenda item at the Table of Knowledge at the local watering hole on Saturday afternoon was traffic congestion in the Lower Clarence area.

Paddy started proceedings by asking, "Where's the worst traffic spot in the Lower River area?"

Bazza replied, "Fair go, Paddy, what do you mean by 'worst'?"

"Ok, I'm referring to congestion, near misses, places you really dread, that sort of stuff."

There was a pregnant pause and then it started!

Without dissent, the intersection of Yamba Road and Treelands Drive in Yamba was given the nod, with quite a few of the lads really going to town about that part of the world and venting their spleens well and truly.

After the ambient temperature fell and normal blood pressure levels returned, Paddy chuffed, "Well fellas, I'm going to tell you something you're not going to like.

"I've been told by a very reliable source (everyone at the table knows Paddy's source is his neighbour Tom, who thinks he knows everything about everything) the Council has no intentions of putting a roundabout in there before 2015 and even then there's no iron-clad guarantee it'll ever get built.

The remarks that flowed after that announcement are not fit for publication.

Paddy continued, "My source has it on very good authority a roundabout at that intersection is on the list of things to think about at council's meeting on Tuesday, but sure as eggs they'll vote along the lines of let's do nothing until 2015 and then we'll have another think about it."

Paddy then sought and was granted an early leave pass. He was taking his good wife out for dinner for his birthday. Thoughtful bloke our Paddy is.

The session wound up shortly after Paddy's departure with all and sundry heading off to their respective abodes, However, Charlie (also known as 'The Prince') had one final shot across the bow.

"Oi, lads, I reckon Paddy's pulling our legs. You all know what today the 17th, is, don't you."

The Cansdell Saga: surely even O'Farrell wouldn't be so stupid?

One paragraph in a letter to the editor in The Daily Examiner on 14 March 2011 certainly raised a few eyebrows in the Clarence electorate:

The other opinion [allegedly that of an unnamed party stalwart ] might be even funnier – Premier Barry O’Farrell is about to announce Steve Cansdell’s appointment as a parliamentary or ministerial adviser.

For all those rabid rednecks baying to the moon about Laura Norder in NSW

A little reminder to the lock 'em up and throw away the key mob fronting the bar at the Bowlo most weeks:

The effect of arrest and imprisonment on crime
Release date: Tuesday, 13 March 2012 Embargo: 10.30am

Increasing the risk of arrest and the probability of imprisonment are much more effective in preventing property and violent crime than increasing the length of prison terms, according to a new study of the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in controlling crime, released today by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. The study is one of the most comprehensive ever carried out in Australia into the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in controlling crime. It examined the effect of changes in the probability of arrest, the probability of imprisonment and the length of the average prison term on trends in property and violent crime across every Local Government Area (LGA) in NSW between 1996 and 2008. Special measures were taken to control for other factors that influence crime, such as household income and drug use. The study also controlled for the effect of crime on the criminal justice system. The Bureau found that a 10 per cent increase in the risk of arrest in the long run produces a 1.35 per cent reduction in property crime, while a 10 per cent increase in the imprisonment risk produces a 1.15 per cent reduction in property crime. Similarly, in the long run, a 10 per cent increase in the risk of arrest for violent crime produces a 2.97 per cent reduction in violent crime, while a 10 per cent increase in the risk of imprisonment produces a 1.7 per cent reduction in violent crime. Although increasing the risk of arrest appears to exert a stronger effect on property and violent crime than increasing the risk of imprisonment, the differences were not found to be statistically significant. Arrest and imprisonment, however, were found to exert significantly stronger effects on violent crime than on property crime. A 10 per cent increase in the risk of arrest in the long run produces a 2.97 per cent reduction in violent crime, compared with a fall of only 1.35 per cent reduction in property crime. Similarly, a 10 per cent increase in the imprisonment risk reduces violent crime by 1.7 per cent compared with a 1.2 per cent reduction in property crime. The stronger effect for violent crime may be at least partly due to the higher risk of arrest for violent crime relative to property crime. The 30 day clear-up rate for non-domestic assault, for example, is 21.7 per cent, compared with 3.7 per cent for burglary. Interestingly, the study found that household income exerted a much stronger effect on crime than the criminal justice system. A 10 per cent increase in household income was estimated to produce an 18.9 per cent reduction in property crime over the long term and a 14.6 per cent reduction in violent crime. The effect of income on property crime is more than 14 times larger than the effect of arrest, while its effect on violent crime is nearly five times larger. Commenting on the findings, the Director of the Bureau, Dr Don Weatherburn, said that they were very reassuring given that Australia currently spends more than $11.5 billion annually on law and order. In per capita terms, this amounts to $511.00 per person per annum. “At the same time, it is important to bear in mind that the study did not examine the cost-effectiveness of current policy in controlling crime.” “Overseas research suggests that it is possible in some circumstances to cut crime and spend less doing it than we currently spend locking people up. The NSW Drug Court is a good example.” Further enquiries: Dr Don Weatherburn, 9231-9190

The study

Maintenance in NSW public schools - it's a lottery

The new kid on the block in Macquarie Street, Chris Gulaptis (Member for Clarence), has been refreshingly honest (well, partly) in a piece that gives readers a distinct impression that he, rather than a staffer, prepared for a column "Chris Gulapris - Clarence MP" in this week's Coastal Views.

Gulaptis wrote about the government allocating $40m to its Public School Upgrade Fund.

BIG PROBLEM - Gulaptis didn't let on the time frame the $40m has to cover. In terms of what's needed to fully fund maintenance problems in NSW public school, $40m is just a drop in the bucket.

Now, to the "win-lose"scenario. Gulaptis said Casino High School "won "$70,000 to fix its roof.

Gulaptis's statement begs two questions:
1. What would have happened if Casino High School hadn't been so lucky with its lottery ticket?
2. What does the Local Member suggests other, not so lucky, schools do about their maintenance problems?

St. Patrick's Day 2012

Sydney turns green on Sunday the 18th of March

for the

2012 Sydney St Patrick's Day Parade & Family Day

The Parade commences with pre-parade entertainment in front of Town Hall on George St from 10.30am to midday, to keep early crowds entertained.

The parade commences at midday and consisting of floats, marching bands and walking groups, starting at the corner of Town Hall on George Street and Bathurst Street continuing to Park St and around Elizabeth St, ending at Hyde Park near St James Station.

The festivities continue at the Family Day at Hyde Park, from 1.00pm until 6.30pm. There will be two stages with Irish music and dancing, Irish food stalls to sample the best of the nation’s cuisine, children’s areas and of course, a the bar will stock Guinness to toast St Patrick himself!

Keep safe and drink responsibly

Have Fun!

Graphic from HelloKids.com

National Napping Day: proof that America can no longer man-up

Ever wondered if the Home of the Brave and Land of the Free was as full of pioneer-hardy folk as its relentless skiting makes out?

Well here’s proof in Huff Post that those babies can’t even take daylight saving in their stride:

“Daylight Saving Time means more afternoon sunshine, but that may have been little consolation to those who lost an hour of sleep Sunday morning.

If you're still groggy from losing that precious hour, then take advantage of National Napping Day, observed today, March 14. This unofficial holiday encourages you to catch forty winks and enjoy the health and productivity benefits of napping.

First observed in 1999, National Napping Day is the brainchild of Boston University professor William Anthony, Ph.D. and his wife, Camille.

"We chose this particular Monday because Americans are more 'nap-ready' than usual after losing an hour of sleep to daylight savings time," Anthony said in B.U.'s press release. " 

Google Images harvested the cartoon

Ah, those were the days in Sawtell!

Google News Archives for Granny Herald on 1st January 1950 threw up a digital memory of days gone past in sleepy Sawtell

Chris Gulaptis in the chamber (Thursday, 15/3/12)

Chris had a rather quiet day at work yesterday. Hansard records him as an early riser, having spoken about Community Recognition Notices not long after the starting whistle was blown at 10.00am.

He spoke in relation to the Grafton Daily Examiner Hockey NSW Media Award  and then the Grafton Regional Gallery Foundation. After that he kept a low profile. Perhaps he'd been told to keep his head down while another north coast National MP, Geoff Provest the Member for Tweed and Parliamentary Secretary for Police and Emergency Services, donned a flak jacket and readied himself for the cross fire heading his way.

During Question Time the Leader of the Opposition, John Robertson, asked What action will the Premier take against the Parliamentary Secretary for Police, given his electoral returns clearly demonstrate he received a donation from a property developer on 30 March 2011?

The Premier replied, I am happy to seek advice on that question from the Election Funding Authority ... .

O'Farrell then added,  I will seek the advice of the Election Funding Authority, but I also make the point that we are all expected to abide by the law and if we do not, it is the Election Funding Authority and Mr Barry who will take action.

Provest jumped up at when question time finished and provided the following explanation:
 I wish to make a personal explanation. Earlier today during question time the Leader of the Opposition asserted that I accepted a political donation from a property developer. Let me say at the outset, I have always been full and frank with my parliamentary affairs—hence, the detailed nature of my pecuniary interests. I did not realise that Power Industries and/or James Power may have been prohibited donors. I am now seeking advice from the New South Wales Election Funding Authority. If those donations are not permitted under the legislation, they will be dealt with accordingly.  (Expect to hear a lot more about this in coming days.)

What is it about NSW National Party MPs and the position of Parliamentary Secretary for Police? The former, now disgraced, Member for Clarence, Steve Cansdell obtained his 15 minutes of fame as a consequence of events he was associated with when he was in that position. Is it just a matter of a couple of good local MPs having a run of bad luck or is it something more sinister?

Here's what Gulaptis said earlier in the day:

 Grafton Daily Examiner Hockey NSW Media Award
 (1) Congratulates The Grafton Daily Examiner on winning Hockey New South Wales's top media award for Outstanding Coverage in 2011.

(2) Commends sports writer Gary Nichols for his reporting on local hockey activities in the Clarence Valley.

(3) Commends the Grafton Hockey Association, in particular Robyn Anderson, Stephen McIlveen and photographer Shane Sedger for the role they play in compiling articles on local hockey.

 Grafton Regional Gallery Foundation
 (1) Congratulates The Gallery Foundation, its Chairperson George Burkitt and Committee, on the successful d’Art 7th Anniversary Dinner and Art Auction on 2 March 2012.

(2) Thanks author Dr Shirley Walker being the guest speaker for the evening.

(3) Commends the Foundation for its commitment and dedication to support the Grafton Regional Gallery through various fundraising activities during the year to fund the gallery's collection and facilities.

(4) Notes the economic benefits from the gallery and its contribution to the cultural, social and educational life of the Clarence Valley.

It's only taken the Australian Securities and Investment Commission three years to dig a hole big enough to bury its head in

It’s only taken the Australian Securities and Investment Commission three years to dig a hole deep enough to bury its head in. The Age must be wondering why it bothered outlaying time and resources on investigative journalism.

The Age 31 October 2009:

BIPARTISANSHIP is rare in Canberra these days, but the Government and Opposition are as one on the scandal-racked Reserve Bank subsidiary Securency: they don't want to know about it. Since May, The Age has exposed a string of allegations about the way the company goes about the business of selling its banknote polymer to other nations, some of which are notoriously corrupt.

The Age 5 March 2012:

FEDERAL police have referred to the corporate watchdog evidence of possible illegality by senior Reserve Bank officials and business figures in connection with the nation's worst bribery scandal.

The referral to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission marks a significant shift in the investigation of the Reserve firms Securency and Note Printing Australia, which allegedly paid millions of dollars in kickbacks to win foreign banknote contracts.

For the first time in three years - and after last year charging 10 former senior banknote executives with paying bribes - authorities are examining the conduct of several Reserve-appointed directors of NPA and Securency between 1998 and 2009.

It is understood federal police have gathered significant documentary evidence and witness statements that point to improper corporate behaviour and have sought legal advice about the material before referring it to ASIC. Those whose conduct is under scrutiny over possible illegality include:

A former deputy governor of the Reserve and former chairman of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, Graeme Thompson, who chaired NPA and Securency and who allegedly approved highly irregular company behaviour that fuelled bribery.

An assistant governor at the Reserve, Frank Campbell, who as NPA director was privy to information about company corruption and bribery in 2007 which he and his board did not refer to the police.

The managing director of NPA, Chris Ogilvy, who also sat on Securency's board and who was party to highly irregular corporate behaviour, including the payment of secret commissions via inflated contracts.

A former Reserve assistant governor, Les Austin, who was a director of Securency and NPA.

If ASIC pursues civil or criminal charges against any of the directors, they could face jail sentences or heavy fines.

Company directors have a legal obligation to act honestly and diligently, and if their recklessness is found to have contributed to bribery or other improper conduct, they can be charged.

ABC News 12 March 2012:

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission says it will not launch an investigation into bribery allegations against two companies linked to the Reserve Bank.

Seven former employees of polymer banknote companies Securency International and Note Printing Australia (NPA), and the companies themselves, have been charged in relation to bribes allegedly paid to foreign officials to win note-printing contracts overseas.

Securency is 50 per cent owned by the RBA, while NPA is wholly owned by the RBA.

ASIC says it looked for evidence of possible breaches of the Corporations Act in material supplied by the Australian Federal Police.

"In line with its normal practice, ASIC has reviewed this material from the AFP for possible directors’ duty breaches of the Corporations Act and has decided not to proceed to a formal investigation," the regulator said in a statement.

Millions of dollars were alleged to have been paid in bribes to officials in Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam between 1999 and 2005 to secure contracts to produce bank notes for those nations.

If you own a dot com website the U.S. Government 'owns' you

In March 2012 Wired.com blows the whistle on Uncle Sam:

“When U.S. authorities shuttered sports-wagering site Bodog.com last week, it raised eyebrows across the net because the domain name was registered with a Canadian company, ostensibly putting it beyond the reach of the U.S. government. Working around that, the feds went directly to VeriSign, a U.S.-based internet backbone company that has the contract to manage the coveted .com and other “generic” top-level domains.

EasyDNS, an internet infrastructure company, protested that the “ramifications of this are no less than chilling and every single organization branded or operating under .com, .net, .org, .biz etc. needs to ask themselves about their vulnerability to the whims of U.S. federal and state lawmakers.”

But despite EasyDNS and others’ outrage, the U.S. government says it’s gone that route hundreds of times. Furthermore, it says it has the right to seize any .com, .net and .org domain name because the companies that have the contracts to administer them are based on United States soil, according to Nicole Navas, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman.

The controversy highlights the unique control the U.S. continues to hold over key components of the global domain name system, and rips a Band-Aid off a historic sore point for other nations. A complicated web of bureaucracy and Commerce Department-dictated contracts signed in 1999 established that key domains would be contracted out to Network Solutions, which was acquired by VeriSign in 2000. That cemented control of all-important .com and .net domains with a U.S. company – VeriSign – putting every website using one of those addresses firmly within reach of American courts regardless of where the owners are located – possibly forever….”

Reg King issues invitation to his mob to gather on Friday 16 March 2012 to protest mining on NSW North Coast

At A Black Cockatoo on Wednesday, March 14

A Special Invitation : Friday 16th

Born and bred Cubawee elder of the Bundjalung Nation Reg King strongly supports his cousin Harry Boyd Ngaraakwal elder in his call for a public enquiry into the decision made by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council to apply for exploration licences for petroleum and gas mining in the Northern Rivers.

Reg met with both a NSW Aboriginal Land Council (ALC) councillor and Ngulingah Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) representative to verify Geoff Scott’s published views in the Northern Star and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers earlier this week.

Reg says “I was disgusted by Ngulingah’s official position as a representative body, which supports mining exploration, in the Northern Rivers. Especially given that the role of the Ngulingah LALC is to represent and respond, to the concerns of LALC members and Bundjalung people.”

Reg and other elders are fully aware of the significant dangers that coal and coal seam gas mining present for us all.

This Friday 16th March Reg and other community members will meet at 55 Carrington St Lismore - out the front of Thomas George’s office. Reg will be sharing the message that we want clear representation from our local State MP.

Reg says “The Bundjalung Nation and the whole of the Northern Rivers do not want coal or CSG mining.” Reg would like to extend a special invitation to all of his Mob, to join him on Friday for this very important gathering.

To date, Thomas George’s position on CSG mining in the Northern Rivers is unknown. Given the NSW ALC’s confirmed motives towards mining Reg feels that George’s current role in protecting the Northern Rivers is of essential concern.

Gathering commences at 10:00am.

Any enquiries about the gathering can be directed to Wanda on 0427 302 725.