Has a misinformation campaign begun ahead of public exhibition of proposed linemarking intended to replace a 'stolen' section of the Regional Cycleway on Yamba Road?

On walking out of the 13 November 2012 Clarence Valley Council Committee Meetings one local resident was of the opinion that the attitude of the dominant clique to requests to replace a section of the Yamba Road Cycleway (which was removed without notice or community consultation) would likely see letters begin to appear in the local media presenting a distorted history of these requests.

It may be a coincidence, but this strangely ill-informed letter to the editor was published in The Daily Examiner on the morning of the 20 November council ordinary monthly meeting:

Leave road alone
CAN someone please explain to me why Clarence Valley Council is considering removing a perfectly good access and median strip in Yamba Rd? My elderly aunt and uncle feel very safe using the new access point on Yamba Rd but now a cyclist (who can ride on the road anyway) wants three cycle paths in the location - one on each side of the road and one on the road - and wants the council to spend more money undoing the great job they just did.
Residents along Yamba Rd near Freeburn St be aware, if this goes through, you are just about the lose your bus stop, street parking and the safe pedestrian access point along Yamba Rd all because the cyclist refuses to use the road, which they are able to do under the laws of the road.
On behalf of my elderly aunt and uncle and the safety of the locals, please just leave it alone.

John Wilcox

Bent Street

 

A direct response to Mr. Wilcox of Grafton (who is a big fan of the mayor*) was not published, but this letter to the editor set out below did make it onto the pages of The Daily Examiner on 23 November 2012:

 

Call for answers on lost cycleway
Nobody suggests the much-needed and absolutely necessary pedestrian refuge crossing recently installed on Yamba Rd at the Freeburn St intersection be removed.
But why has Yamba lost 150m of its Yamba Rd cycleway during construction when there was an abundance of land space available to widen the road and allow the cycleway to continue?
The Yamba Rd cycleway forms part of the regional cycleway that has safely served the community for decades.
The unnecessary loss of the section of cycleway has dangerously exposed cyclists of all ages and ability to the fast-moving heavy Yamba Rd traffic.
The erection of signs diverting all cyclists onto the Yamba Coastal Walkway - now called the "shared use pathway" - has placed the safety of pedestrians at risk.
The coastal walkway was partly funded by the NSW Government ($418,500) and was not designed for prolific cycle usage.
What's more, council is fully aware the pathway does not comply with its own safety standards, thereby deliberately breaching its "duty of care" responsibilities, which are to provide safe public facilities.
The destruction of the Yamba Rd cycleway occurred over six months ago, but still our mayor, Cr Williamson, avoids an explanation.
In fact, the subsequent erection of signage diverting all cyclists onto what is now called a "shared use pathway", knowing the pathway does not comply with council's own safety standards, suggests an attempt to cover up council's mismanagement and waste of public funds.
It's about time Mayor Williamson displayed some courage and provided a public explanation for council's waste of funds.

Ray Hunt

Yamba

 

* With all the numbers in, not only in the Clarence Valley, but on the North Coast, it is worth pointing out that Richie Williamson is the most popular councillor on the North Coast.

Not another candidate (or group even) got near the 6975 primary votes that Mr Williamson received.
Mr Williamson has always served our community with our best interest at heart and the community thanked him for this dedication on Saturday.
Congratulations Richie! [John Wilcox 10 September 2012]

Julie Bishop happily admitted meeting with "a self-confessed faudster". How does she feel about meeting with an alleged rapist?

 

The Australian on 27 November 2012 reported on the activities of Federal Liberal MP Julie Bishop:

 

Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop says she held a brief meeting with self-confessed union bagman Ralph Blewitt last week as part of her search for documents relating to Julia Gillard's work history….

Asked if he seemed like a trustworthy character, Ms Bishop replied: "No, he's a self-confessed fraudster".

 

One wonders how she feels about these headlines three and four days later:

 

THE CHILLING TRUTH: Ralph Blewitt raped his sister

VEXNEWS

FIRST ON 7NEWS: Pennelope Lennon is the sister of Ralph Blewitt, the self-confessed fraudster at the centre of the AWU slush fund affair, but she wishes she wasn't. She has spoken exclusively to 7News, warning of dark secrets in the past, and says she ...

 

AWU fraudster's sister goes public

The West Australian

FIRST ON 7NEWS: Pennelope Lennon is the sister of Ralph Blewitt, the self-confessed fraudster at the centre of the AWU slush fund affair, but she wishes she wasn't. She has spoken exclusively to 7News, warning of dark secrets in the past, and says she ...

 

In 2012 John Howard still has his lips firmly fastened on the $$$ teat

“Former PM John Howard's flights, car use, office and telecommunications bills cost taxpayers $151,833 in the first six months of this year.”

Glenugie woman chains herself to work truck at CSG exploration drilling site in Clarence Valley

Deb Whitley of Glenugie 4 December 2012

CSG Free Northern Rivers Media Release 4th December 2012:

Brave Glenugie woman puts body on the line at Metgasco coal seam gas site

On the eve of Planning Minister Brad Hazzard’s visit to the Northern Rivers region, a brave and committed local woman has attached herself to a work truck at Metgasco’s coal seam gas site near Grafton. More than one hundred residents are on site with more flocking to the site all the time.

Deb Whitley of Glenugie says she has been forced to take this action because her land and home are under threat from coal seam gas mining.

“My home has always been the one constant in my life. It is my safety, my sanctuary - this industry threatens all of this,” said Deb.

The Grafton community, like the rest of the Northern Rivers region, is overwhelmingly opposed to coal seam gas and the threat it poses to community health, the environment and existing jobs.

“With my land I have choices to create an income and sustainable life for my future and now this is uncertain for me,” Deb said.

“The coal seam gas industry threatens our health and without good health we have nothing. I’ve always considered myself lucky but now I don’t know.”

“Minister Hazzard says he is coming to our region to answer our questions, well I have a question for him: Why is his government forcing rural communities like ours to take actions such as this to defend our communities from an unsustainable and unsafe industry?” said Lynette Eggins, of Clarence Valley Alliance Against CSG.

“The Minister needs to realise that this issue is not going to go away - our communities are strong and growing stronger, we will stand up to this government and their industry buddies for as long as it takes to stop their destructive plans for our region.”

 

UPDATE:

Deb's chains being cut

The Daily Examiner



Are the Tara coal seam gas fields any indication of the effect Metgasco's mining plans will have on NSW North Coast property values?

.

 2011 Google Earth image
Click on image to enlarge
 

This is an image of one section of the coal seam gas well cluster and other associated infrastructure between Tara and Chincilla townships in Queensland.

 

Metgasco Limited appears to have similar plans on the NSW North Coast, with an estimated 1,000 gas wells proposed for the Lismore-Casino area alone.

 

Recently Clarence Valley residents concerned over Metgasgo’s test drilling in the Clarence Valley have expressed fears that land values may decrease if gas production wells are eventually established in the local government area.

 

As usual Metgasco director, shareholder and CEO, Peter Henderson, is quick to deny any negative relationship between coal seam gas mining and land values.

 

Using the Western Downs local government area in Queensland as an example, it is clear that overall property values have only increased by a moderate 3 per cent between 2011-12.

 

In towns around which the gas fields are centred, the residential sector saw an increase of between 10-30% from October 2010 to October 2011. While commercial and industrial property valuations in these towns have apparently responded with a range of valuations going from no increase, through to moderate increase and, in the case of Chinchilla’s fringe commercial market a large increase in that same period falling away to a moderate increase in 2012.

 

However, the Queensland Valuer-General states in his 2012 Property Market Movement Report that; Sales of rural land purchased by resource companies for the purposes of mining or other extractive industry are not used to determine statutory land values of rural land and rural land values showed a small reduction in Miles and Tara with the balance of the local government area remaining unchanged.

 

According to anti-CSG activist Peter Ralph, in practical terms this translated for one Wieambilla rural residential property owner into a fall in his land valuation from $115,000 last year to $77,000 this year. This same landowner had seven drill rigs and a gas compressor station within seven kilometres of his house in 2011 and a pipeline 300 metres from the front door.

 

As the majority of established gas wells are sited on rural land, one can assume that production wells on or near a rural property may have a detrimental impact on the value of that property.

For an area such as the Clarence Valley, where the majority of land is classified rural and much of this used for forestry, agriculture, grazing and ‘tree change’ retirement, such a valuation trend does not bode well.

Ballina local government area is in a similar position, with an estimated 20 per cent of its population living in rural zones predominately given over to agricultural activities.

Background:

A short helicopter tour of the Tara region gas fields.

 

The political dirty tricks brigade are at it again?

The Northern Rivers Echo lets the cat out of the bag on 29^th November 2012:

“A glossy, four-page missive appeared, unsolicited, in my letterbox last week, with a picture of Page MP Janelle Saffin on the front.

In five decks of huge capital letters it screamed:

"Janelle, why are you voting to hurt our community?"

Now I've had a fair bit to do with Ms Saffin over the years and she's always struck me as hard-working and community-minded.

And I assumed 'our community' was referring to the Northern Rivers.

So imagine my surprise when I turned to the last page and found written in tiny print that 'our community' was, in fact, referring to the Australian Hotels Association, the lobby group for pubs. The propaganda had been authorised by P. Nicolaou, the former fund-raising chief for the NSW Liberal Party, who thought, along with Premier Barry O'Farrell, that there was no conflict of interest in working for both organisations at the same time.

And what they were claiming would 'hurt our community' were the Federal Government's proposed gambling laws.”

The laughter continues....

 

On the subject of Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott accusing the Australian Prime Minister of committing a crime, one journalist was in a rollicking mood:

 

'Bruiser' Abbott is waltzed out of the fight on a TKO

 

Abbott tried to get on his toes, but shuffled. He tried to dance, but was out of shape. He'd skipped training, leaving to his second, Julie Bishop, all the weight work.

Once he was in the ring, he couldn't bring himself to utter the word ''crime'', nor produce reliable evidence that it had occurred. He jabbed with an ''unethical'' here and an ''untrustworthy'' there and his haymakers were wild swings about being ''party to the creation of a slush fund''. Glory be, he was reduced to accusing Gillard of ''conduct unbecoming''. Close to throwing in the towel.

Metgasco corporate line up for your edification

 

There has been some talk recently about the ethics or otherwise of local firms undertaking contract work for Metgasco Limited (Registered address Level 9, 77 Pacific Highway, North Sydney NSW ) when so many people on the NSW North Coast are resolutely opposed to coal seam gas exploration and mining in the region.

One media outlet has even bandied about the rather emotive term "innocent workers".

 

One could argue that these local business decisions cannot be isolated from any potential or realised negative effects of mining on agricultural land, water security, communities and existing regional economies.

 

However, what is not in dispute is the fact that directors and senior management of Metgasco are responsible for that company’s actions.

 

These are the names of Metgasco Limited’s current directors, company secretaries and senior management as of 23 November 2012:

 

NICHOLAS MOUBRAY HEATH Director and Non Executive Chairman, shareholder

8 Edzell Avenue, TOORAK VIC 3142

 

LEONARD FRANCIS GILL Director, shareholder

30 Seaview Crescent, BLACK ROCK VIC 3193

 

PETER JOHN HENDERSON Director, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, shareholder

22A Kingslangley Road, GREENWICH NSW 2065

 

STEVEN JOSEPH KOROKNAY Director, shareholder

Unit 20, 17-19 Newhaven Place, ST IVES NSW 2075

 

NICHOLAS JOHN VICTOR GEDDES Secretary

36 Elizabeth Parade, LANE COVE NSW 2066

 

SEAN HOOPER Secretary and Chief Financial Officer

11 Peats Ridge Road S, CALGA NSW 2250

 

PETER STANMORE  General Manager, Exploration

 

RICHARD SHIELDS    External Relations Manager

 

ROBERT PETERSEN   Business Development Manager

 

DR SIMON HANN  Production & Drilling Manager

 

AIDAN STEWART  Operations Manager

 

If you want to focus on the real opportunists, then these are the men.

 

Saffin answers a media critic as community disquiet over coal seam gas mining continues

Click on image to enlarge

 

The Daily Examiner opinion piece is wrong on so many levels because the journalist seemingly did not check source documents to see if his initial impressions/recall was correct.

 

Firstly, no-one has signed away the rights to mine the Clarence Valley for gas just yet.

All the petroleum mining applications/titles currently held on valley land are for exploration/prospecting.

Thus far, no-one has been granted a full coal seam gas mining and production licence and, although the O’Farrell Coalition Government is giving every indication that it will grant such licences as a matter of course, the door has not completely closed on case by case refusal of permission to proceed or even a reversal of CSG mining policy.

 

Secondly, the Southern Cross University preliminary fugitive emissions research was careful not to draw the firm conclusions stated by the journalist. Though based on what is known about established CSG production around the world, it is highly likely that a significant number of drilling sites would have marked levels of fugitive emissions.

 

As for the strange assertion that Ms. Saffin would be forced to toe the party line and vote in favour of the CSG industry if she was a state politician. This game of what if? flies in the face of the NSW Labor Opposition’s current policy position which is taking a more cautious approach to the issue.

 

Opposition Leader John Robertson is calling on the Government to suspend all current Coal Seam Gas exploration licenses to protect the State's precious water resources.
"Coal Seam Gas has the potential to damage our drinking water and compromise food security," said Mr Robertson.
"The Government must immediately suspend all Coal Seam Gas exploration licenses before irreparable damage is caused to ground water and aquifers.
"The NSW Opposition is also calling on the Government to cease issuing Coal Seam Gas extraction licenses and refuse any applications to expand existing operations.
"Until a water-tight regulatory framework is in place based on independent scientific research and conclusive evidence, we should not be allowing Coal Seam Gas mining to proceed unabated. [10 November 2011]

 

"Barry O'Farrell needs to heed the warning from scientists, experts and local communities and suspend all Coal Seam Gas exploration licences in NSW from today.
"The impacts of Coal Seam Gas mining on the environment are still not fully understood and the Government needs to hit the pause button on this industry before it's too late." [9 February 2012]

 

Despite the loose language used in The Daily Examiner opinion piece it is good to see a young journalist recognise the risk and take an anti-CSG mining stance, but one has to have some sympathy for Ms. Saffin’s response published in the same newspaper on 29 November 2012:
 

MP's response to DEX editorial
In Tuesday's editorial, reporter Lachlan Thompson attacked my credibility in speaking out over coal seam gas mining.
In response, I would like to provide members of the public with how I see it.
As a Federal Government backbencher it is not in my power to stop CSG mining with the stroke of a pen, particularly as mining approvals are state-based.
But that is not to say that I can't do anything.
All governments support mining and as elected leaders and community leaders it is incumbent upon us to lead where we can, to have the industry get it right.
Since early last year farmers and a broad cross-section of local residents have been coming to me to raise their concerns about CSG exploration and mining.
People come to me because they want me to speak out, to do what I can.
 I have always worked to protect our environment and our economy at the regional level.
I started my own research into this issue to see where the power lay to act on this.
I pushed the Federal Minister for the Environment, Tony Burke, to explore the nature and extent of his power vis-a -vis the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and the Federal Water Act.
But as I pointed out in my first statement on CSG in June 2011, mining and exploration, including the regulation of chemicals used in fracking, is primarily regulated by the states. This is not trying to blame but to inform about where responsibility lies. I kept talking to Minister Burke and Federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig about a co-ordinated approach with the states, and talked to independent MP Tony Windsor about bioregional water assessments.
In fact it was an adviser in the Prime Minister's office who was working on it, who said after reading my second statement, that he saw there was a way.
At the end of last year, Minister Burke announced the Independent Expert Scientific Committee to do bioregional assessments and oversee research along with a new National Partnership Agreement with the states that they take into account the Committee's advice over CSG and large coal mining projects.
I do not just speak out without taking action and following through.
I have been trying to build a case for having the mining for CSG requests considered carefully, taking into account water and the cumulative impacts.
I have done this by providing factual information, and by challenging the notion that if we don't have CSG mining we will be bankrupt and run out of gas.
This week in Parliament I spoke again on CSG and spelt out the National Water Commission's latest position on this and once again highlighted the Commission's point that: "the consequences of not managing the water risk and uncertainties associated with the economic benefits of CSG are substantial."
I do my research.
Lachlan claims to have the utmost respect for me.
I do believe him and thank him and a way of demonstrating this respect would be to do his research. My statements are on the public record and available on my website janellesaffin.com.au.
Janelle Saffin
Federal Member for Page

Julia Gillard's 'crime'

Writing in yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald, Mike Carlton put a proper light on recent events:

Yes, she (Julia Gillard) once had a dud boyfriend, until she dropped him like a hot brick. Show me a woman her age who hasn't. Even the sanctimonious but risibly ineffectual Julie Bishop might have to plead guilty to that heinous offence.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 1/12/2012

Support your local climate sceptic this Xmas?

Twenty bucks plus another eight in postage will get you this little self-published book.

A perfect gift for those rednecks perched on back branches of the family Chrissie tree.
Throw in something shiny and a bootlegged copy of Duelling Banjos and they won't bother you for the next twelve months.  
              

http://www.lighthouses.com.au/

NSW Attorney-General and two separate defamation actions

 

Same court, same courtroom - on one day the respondent & on another the applicant.

 

Click on image to enlarge

Does Tony Abbott have permission to use a comb-over?

 

Well Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s comb-over is now almost complete and well on the way to full bouffant.

 

However, the question remains – did he seek permission or is he in danger of breaching a 1977 patent?

 

Will there be a judicial inquiry into this hair-raising issue?

 

 Patent number: 4022227

 

Tweet of the Week

 

Latika Bourke ‏@latikambourke

 

What are the odds that at the same time on the same day Julie Bishop, Mike Smith, Ralph Blewitt and Steve Lewis are randomly on same st?

Member for Page rejects Metgasco's claim it has a social license

 

Commonwealth Hansard House of Representatives 26 November 2012:

 

Coal Seam Gas

 

Ms SAFFIN (Page) (22:26): I want to speak about three aspects of the coal seam gas debate. It is a vexed issue in my seat of Page. Overwhelmingly the community is saying no. State government legislation says yes, and one local company, Metgasco, says this gives them a social licence because they have the approval of the state government. But they do not have community acceptance and therefore they do not have the social licence.

The key issue is water. In 2010, the National Water Commission produced a position statement on coal seam gas called 'The coal seam gas and water challenge'. Under the heading 'Potential risks to sustainable water management,' it says:

Extracting large volumes of low-quality water will impact on connected surface and groundwater systems, some of which may already be fully or over allocated, including the Great Artesian Basin and the Murray-Darling Basin.

Impacts on other water users and the environment may occur due to the dramatic depressurisation of the coal seam, including:

Changes in pressures of adjacent aquifers with consequential changes in water availability

Reductions in surface water flows in connected systems

Land subsidence over large areas, affecting surface water systems, ecosystems, irrigation and grazing lands.

The production of large volume of treated wastewater, if released to surface water systems, could alter natural flow patterns and have significant impacts on water quality, and river and wetland health. There is an associated risk that, if the water is overly treated, 'clean water' pollution of naturally turbid systems may occur.

The practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fraccing, to increase gas output, has the potential to induce connection and cross-contamination between aquifers, with impacts on groundwater quality.

The reinjection of treated wastewater into other aquifers has the potential to change the beneficial use characteristics of those aquifers.

The position statement goes on to say:

The Commission is concerned that CSG development represents a substantial risk to sustainable water management given the combination of material uncertainty about water impacts, the significance of potential impacts, and the long time period over which they may emerge and continue to have effect. Therefore, an adaptive and precautionary management approach will be essential to allow for progressive improvement in the understanding of impacts, including cumulative effects, and to support timely implementation of 'make good' arrangements.

It goes on to detail 11 principles:

Specifically, the Commission proposes the following principles be applied by state and territory jurisdictions to managing the cumulative impacts of CSG water:

The interception of water by CSG extraction should be licensed to ensure it is integrated into water sharing processes from their inception.

In the conclusion, it says:

The consequences of not managing the water risks and uncertainties associated with the economic benefits of CSG are substantial.

In 2012 the commission updated that statement, and in essence it says that the framework outlined in 2010 is still the framework that applies today.

The second issue is that the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development has been established as a statutory committee—that was a national partnership agreement with states and territories—and in essence the independent expert scientific committee in certain areas will conduct bioregional assessments that look at particularly the impact on water with mining and coal seam gas mining, and until we know the result of that process my view is there should be no coal seam gas mining activity at all on the land. The third issue is fugitive emissions. People have been asking me whether fugitive emissions arising from coal seam gas are part of the whole carbon scheme, meaning the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Yes, they are, and the methods for coal seam gas are currently being reviewed by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency as part of the annual review of emissions estimation methods. (Time expired)

The Case Of The Disappearing Documents - please explain, Ms. Bishop

 

On 18 November 2012 Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop publicly demanded an investigation into the disappearance of documents relating to the Australian Workers Union.

Ms. Bishop was quoted in ABC TV Lateline program on 28 November 2012 in relation to the same union matter:

 

I'm the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and I happen to be a lawyer with 20 years experience - as a practising lawyer at this relevant time but obviously in another firm.

 

As Ms. Bishop is obviously happy to refer to her West Australia employment history between 1983 and 1998, perhaps she might like to explain what she knew of another case of disappearing documents as set out below.

 

A situation whose genesis appears to be within the time frame she was reputedly a solicitor/ associate with Robinson Cox and later a managing partner in Clayton Utz (West Australia) and, during a time when these law firms undertook work on behalf of the owner/operators of the Wittenoom blue asbestos mine (including CSR Limited) and on behalf of W.D. & H.O. Wills (Australia) Limited  in the matter of Gallagher v CSR Limited, Supreme Court of Western Australia, 31 March 1994.

With Ms. Bishop most notably appearing for CSR in matters relating to Barrow & Heys v CSR Ltd & Midalco Pty Ltd, Supreme Court of Western Australia, Rowland J, 4 August 1988.  

 

McCabe V British American Tobacco Australia Services Limited [2002] VSC 73 (22 March 2002):

19. I have no doubt that the Document Retention Policy which was put in place did have some quite legitimate management and administrative purposes and benefits, and the documents contained much material relevant to such functions. I am, however, entirely satisfied that the primary purpose of the development of the new policy in 1985 and subsequently was to provide a means of destroying damaging documents under the cover of an apparently innocent house-keeping arrangement. When regard is had to the background material relating to the origins of the new policy, and the critical role played by litigation lawyers in its development and implementation, it is clear that the post-1985 policy documents reflect the acute consciousness of their authors (and explain their attempts to disguise the fact) that the Document Retention Policy was primarily directed towards the risks of litigation.

20. In 1985 the defendant turned attention to the prospects of litigation in Australia, and to the potential for the defence of any such litigation to be prejudiced by the disclosure of embarrassing documents. The firm of Clayton Utz was engaged to advise the company as to that issue and on 30 December 1985 a written Document Retention Policy came into effect. Mr Eggleton of Clayton Utz, who gave evidence before me, denied that his firm had drafted that policy, and it seems that a draft was first written by one Mr R. N. Paton, the in-house solicitor for Amatil Limited, but there is no doubt that the draft was considered and approved by Clayton Utz prior to its implementation. The firm also gave advice as to other strategies, including the enhancement and expansion of claims of legal professional privilege, with the same objective of minimising the prospect of any plaintiff gaining the benefit of damaging documents. As I will shortly discuss, a solicitor, Andrew Foyle, from the English firm Lovell White Durrant, was engaged by BATCO for purposes of addressing policy on document handling. He produced a memorandum setting out the development of the Document Retention Policy, which expressed the clear understanding that it was Clayton Utz that was responsible for the critical terms of the policy formulation.

21. I have not been shown a document which is agreed to comprise the 1985 written policy, but in legal advice written by Brian Wilson, a partner of Clayton Utz, dated 29 March 1990 (to which I will shortly refer), he noted that at page one there were a series of statements inserted into the document which asserted innocent purposes for the destruction of documents, under broad headings of cost efficiency, litigation support and sabotage prevention.

ABC TV Four Corners 10 June 2002:

 

But Justice Eames ruled that the 1990 strategy devised by Wilson PROPOSED destruction of documents.

While Clayton Utz did not act for British American Tobacco for some years after 1990, the judge went on to say: "That strategy has been pursued since that advice was given".

The fate of documents considered by the judge is an intriguing 12-year tale involving people not heard by the court.

Four Corners believes it begins at Wittenoom, in north-west Australia, just five months after Brian Wilson's [of law firm Clayton Utz] advice to get rid of documents.

 

University of New South Wales Law Journal 2002:

C The Document Retention Policy

The defendant stated that it destroyed documents pursuant to a company policy, which it referred to as a ‘Document Retention Policy’. The judge found that, notwithstanding the policy’s title, its purpose was destruction, not retention. He was ‘entirely satisfied’ that the purpose of the policy, in 1985 and subsequently, ‘was to provide a means of destroying damaging documents under the cover of an apparently innocent house-keeping arrangement.’ Clayton Utz, one of the law firms advising the defendant, had ensured that words were inserted into the written policy document which could be relied on to assert an innocent motive for document destruction. That firm also advised the defendant that documents destroyed in Australia should be held offshore so that they could be used by BAT Australia in the defence of any future claims.

Bazza O’Farrell and CSG miners out of control

7 News 23^rd November 2012:

“Residents of Sydney's southwest who thought they were safe from coal seam gas exploration are in for a rude shock.

7News can reveal gas company AGL is planning to drive new wells sideways under their homes.

Campbelltown seems like an unlikely place for mining, but under homes there is gas.

If it's approved, new rigs will burrow sideways to seek and extract.”

Apparently 66 wells are planned between Campbelltown and Liverpool and of course these will be changing rock integrity and water tables under houses. Does nobody remember the problems mining caused in the Newcastle area? Or how hard it is for homeowners to get compensation when things go wrong?

And it’s not ancient history.

This began last August:

“Mrs Mancinelli’s four-bedroom, two-storey home has shifted, creating large cracks on the front and inside walls, near doorways and windows, inside the house and the garage.The concrete pool has cracked and dropped. Doors in the house have been removed because they would no longer close, walls are bowed and the side fence is leaning at a precarious angle.Mrs Mancinelli’s family built the house 14 years ago and recently completed a large renovation. She said that in the space of five weeks, an area spanning about 11 metres from the front window to the back door, had dropped about 20cm and continued to fall.”

Now when miners first dug under or close to houses none of them ever thought there would be a problem – after all conventional underground coal mining had been going on for hundreds of years – but there was.

So why on earth is Bazza and his fatherless cronies even considering allowing unconventional coal seam gas mining under NSW homes?

Giving BOF a biff on behalf of the Clarence Valley

 

It wasn’t only the Queensland Premier who came under fire when Australian House of Representatives MPs spoke to a motion by the Member for Capricornia.

 

Here is Federal Labor’s Janelle Saffin in Hansard on 26 November 2012:

 

Ms SAFFIN (Page) (11:40): In listening to the honourable member for Flynn speaking—can I say I like the honourable member for Flynn and he seems like a good fellow—how can it be a good idea to cut jobs in your own electorates? It is never a good idea no matter who does it. People can claim all sorts of mandates, but the fact is there is no mandate for the Queensland Premier to do it. I am speaking in support of this motion for a number of reasons. I live in New South Wales, not in Queensland. I live in the Northern Rivers.

Mr Neumann: She comes from Ipswich.

Ms SAFFIN: Yes, I grew up in Ipswich as the honourable member for Blair said. I am in an area where I see all this happening just over the border. I have been watching all the things that Premier Campbell Newman has been doing by taking the axe to the public service, to services, to the community and to projects and programs that matter in the community. What can matter more than recreational fishing? Recreational fishing is huge Australia-wide. It is huge in my seat of Page. We have recreational fishers everywhere. Even if you were not able to make a decision on policy grounds, why would you go and put the axe through recreational fishing programs on political grounds alone? Equally, it is also an industry. It is a huge industry with a huge economic base in regional areas. That is an important point to focus on and remember. By cutting their programs, cutting money to them, it has an impact at a regional economic level and it does not make sense to do it.

In watching what is going on in Queensland, some of it was going on in New South Wales with Premier O'Farrell. But Premier Newman seems to have emboldened Premier O'Farrell even more. He has taken the axe to programs left, right and centre. Anything that is not bolted down is up for the axe. In my area alone we have had the issue of Grafton jail. It was to close and then they wound it down and nearly 100 jobs would go. Jobs are going in TAFE. There are billions of dollars going out of TAFE.

Honourable members interjecting—

Ms SAFFIN: Well, there is a jail and it provides a lot of jobs to local people. You cannot replicate those jobs easily and they have gone. There is the whole spin-off effect in the local area. Also the slasher is going through TAFE.

Government members interjecting—

Ms SAFFIN: It is a shame. People can say, 'We want smaller government.' But this is ridiculous. These are front line people who deliver services. The ambos have been affected too as well as the firies.

Honourable members interjecting—

Ms SAFFIN: Yes, the rural fire brigade as well as the fire service are all being affected. On Friday night in Lismore I opened a fine art exhibition at Lismore TAFE which was called 'Last Draw'. It was actually the last of its kind because the program that they run is also being axed. There were over 100 students there and some of them were from a whole range of backgrounds, and a lot of them end up with work. We have a huge creative industry in my area. It is an industry in its own right and it provides enormous economic benefits to the community. It is really short-sighted to put the axe through programs like this. There were over 100 students there from a whole range of diverse backgrounds. It has given some of them a whole new life. Some of them were in recovery. They have done this course. It has given them a place to belong; it has also given them skills that they can go out into the community and earn money with.

When I look at what is happening to recreational fishing in Queensland I look with alarm, and I realise what it has done to Sunfish Queensland Inc. I have read all of their statements and they say:

The Queensland Government fully supports recreational fishing in Queensland.

Then why is its first act to cut funding to voluntary community recreational projects?

[my red bolding]

Reminder: Indian Myna workshop in Yamba on Friday

One of the delights in living on the Northern Rivers is our wonderful bird life.
Unfortunately this is threatened by an introduced pest.
 The Indian myna is an aggressive territorial bird.
 They breed several times a year and nest in hollows, driving out our birds and even possums and sugar gliders, killing chicks and ejecting parents.
In urban areas they nest under roofs, sheds and gutters and often bring bird mite which can cause serious skin rashes.
There are ways of limiting this parasite and to this end the Clarence Conservation in Action group are holding a workshop on Friday at 10am at the Old Kirk, Yamba Museum, River St.
All are welcome and refreshments are included.

Paul Stephen, Yamba

Credit: Letters, The Daily Examiner, 28/11/12

Bundaberg Regional Council

Menzies House and Young Libs discuss repealing child labour laws for working class young attending public schools

 

one should also understand that education is not for everyone

 

The need to create a Third World underclass in Australia according to one of the Abbott-Bernardi heirs being hot housed by Menzies House, 15 November 2010:

 

It is an unfortunate reality that our bureaucratic education system is trapping the poorest Australians into a cycle of dependency. Children born into poverty are maliciously trapped into a spider web of economic hardship and social unrest which they cannot escape because of a bureaucratic school system which fails to give them the only chance they possibly have of creating a better life for themselves.
As they have no prospects for work in an increasingly white-collar workforce, these young Australians are forced onto the welfare rolls from which they never leave, establishing a cycle of dependency that is both economically and morally irresponsible…..

In a country with a high level of economic mobility, even the poorest among us can strive for brilliant things, but unfortunately that can’t happen if one is trapped in failing schools that only entrench poverty. Whilst the need for a world-class education is paramount, one should also understand that education is not for everyone. For children who are trapped in schools that entrench poverty and add no educational value, they would clearly be better served by working from a young age and earning money that might help them reach a better tomorrow.

If a poor child were able to work from the age of 8 to 16 years old, they would accumulate enough money to take a family out of poverty. But not only does working solve the financial problems of poor children, it engenders a work ethic that has the potential to transform them into productive members of the workforce who contribute to society as opposed to the social outcasts they would have been had they remained at school.

One picture explodes the myth that Julie Bishop is asking her own questions

 

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's Chief of Staff Peta Credin conferring with his Deputy Leader Julie Bishop at the end of Question Time in the House of Representatives on 26 November 2012 at approximately 3.19pm - courtesy of Alex Ellinghausen and The Age.

Note that Ms. Credlin is holding the files "GILLARD/AWA" which Ms. Bishop drew on for her questioning of the Prime Minister.

Tony Abbott is extremely foolish to think that having someone else ask the questions he frames actually distances him from the political attack.