The '100 Dams' Proposal: So who do I believe - Abbott or Hogan?

 

Australian Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott remains determined to dam Australia. An aim he has expressed at various times over a period of years.

 

This policy has been one of the subjects in a speaker’s notes brief distributed to Coalition MPs in July 2012  and, now surfaces again as a conveniently leaked Coalition Dams and Water Management Task Group draft ‘consultation’ paper which has been two years in the making.

 

The leak as reported may be short on detail, however it is obvious that at least one wannabe water raider which has been eyeing off Clarence River Catchment fresh water has had some input concerning the recommendations found in this paper and the Clarence and Mann rivers are listed amongst the '100 dams'.

 

While APN Media Group reports:

 

* The News Limited report indicated most of the proposed dams had been flagged for northern Australia and would be used for irrigation in a bid to double the nation's food production.

But a number of projects are mooted for northern New South Wales, with water to be piped north to the Logan River in Queensland….

Reports revealed the paper - compiled after years of consultation by the conservative parties' Dams Taskforce - included five new dams in northern New South Wales…

* Byrrill Creek Dam is back on the agenda

* a draft discussion paper identifying Byrrill Creek and the Oxley River as potential dam sites.

A significant amount of work was done on the Byrrill Creek dam plan, but it was rejected by Tweed Shire Council in 2011.
"Now, more and more, we're getting people from that area saying we want to expand our water facilities," he [Barnaby Joyce] said.

 

That damming and diverting one or more of the NSW northern rivers is still on the Liberal and National Party agenda is beyond doubt, as in one form or another it surfaces at almost every state or federal inquiry into water security.

 

Yet the Nationals candidate for the seat of Page in the 2013 federal election, Kevin Hogan, tells us that none of the northern rivers are being considered by Abbott & Co for diversion to south east Queensland or the Murray Darling Basin.

 

However, rather curiously Hogan only rules out the creation of major dams – he makes no commitment to no new dams.

 

Which begs the question as to what Abbott and his Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Water Barnaby Joyce may have been privately promising those water hungry mining companies operating (or intending to operate) on the NSW North Coast when discussing infrastructure partnerships:

 

"Now some of these dams will require public funding and at the last election I had half a billion dollars put away in my portfolio as seed capital to this purpose.

Some of them will require private funding and ... myself and (my) chief of staff, Matt Canavan designed the infrastructure partnership scheme which is a mechanism to attract funds from private investment to invest in this nation building infrastructure.

Some of them don't need anything because in such areas as the mining industry they require water to get coal mines up and they'll build them."

After two years of 'investigation' and no community consultation Clarence River Catchment freshwater systems are once more on the table for futher dam construction.

If such a dam was not being considered as Mr. Hogan asserts, why was it included in the list of potential dam sites at all?

Looking back at a taste of things to come - Australian Federal Election Campaign 2013

 

A comic take on basic Australian journalistic interview techniques when faced with The Liberal Rampant. Ignore the outrageous answers and plough on with the prepared questions regardless.

Replace "Rudd" with "Gillard" and "Costello" with "Pyne" and this interview could pass almost unnoticed into this year's federal election campaign.
 

 

U.S. We The People Petition Against Antarctic Whaling - sign now

 

This petition needs over 80,000 signatures before 28 February 2013 if it is to be accepted by the U.S. Obama Administration.

we petition the obama administration to:

Take strong action to stop the Japanese from killing whales in the Southern Ocean Antarctic Whale Sanctuary.
 

The President must take swift and decisive action against Japan's illegal whaling.

Under the Pelly Amendment and the Packwood-Magnuson Amendment, the President has the power to apply economic sanctions against Japan for its continued whale slaughter in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. The United States asserts that it resolutely opposes whale hunting by Japan, but does little to actually bring a halt to the practice.

The U.S. State Dept. has declared: “We remain resolute in our opposition to commercial whaling, including so-called ‘scientific’ whaling, in particular in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary established by the International Whaling Commission. In this context we wish to emphasize that lethal techniques are not required in modern whale conservation and management.”
 

Created: Jan 28, 2013
 

Add your name here.



Regional media in trouble on the NSW North Coast?

Independent News and Media (INM) has an estimated 29.5% investment in APN News & Media Limited which owns many of the local newspapers operating on the NSW North Coast from Coffs Harbour up to the NSW-QLD border, including The Daily Examiner and The Northern Star.

 

It is no secret that Independent News and Media (which has its own financial woes) is unhappy with the continuing lacklustre performance of APN and its latest trading update.

 

So unhappy is this major shareholder that it was calling for the sacking of APN’s current CEO Brett Chenoweth.

 

If this move is successful it would make him the second chief executive officer to go in the past two years.

 

INM’s revolt appears to be the reason for the APN trading halt announced on 15 February 2013.

 

All this would be of nothing more than passing interest to Northern Rivers residents, if it were not for the persistent speculation that APN regional media assets may be broken up and some sold-off.

UPDATE:

THE Daily Examiner and Coastal Views have restructured to ensure both publications remain the voice of our region for the long-term future.

While we'll be closing our office in Yamba on February 28, our coverage of the Lower Clarence will remain unchanged as we move towards a more mobile workforce in keeping with industry changes worldwide.

We have also re-engineered our sales structure to match our clients' needs, both large and small. In doing so, some local positions have been impacted.

Our new structure will provide higher levels of customer service and reader value than ever before and we look forward to the next chapter of our papers' evolution in this digital age.

The Daily Examiner has been an integral part of the Clarence Valley since 1859 and will continue to be so for many, many years to come. [The Daily Examiner 22 February 2013]

Key dates for the 14 September 2013 Federal Election. Are you on the Electoral Roll yet?

 

If you haven't applied to be on the Australian Electoral Roll yet, perhaps this week would be a good time to get your paperwork in or enrol online.

 

The Australian Electoral Commission website gives full instructions.

 

It is compulsory to enrol if you:

• are an Australian citizen, or eligible British subject,
• aged 18 years and over*, and
• have lived at your address for at least one month.

Key dates for the 2013 federal election

Updated: 30 January 2013

 

Today the Prime Minister announced Saturday 14 September 2013 as polling day for the 2013 federal election. The Prime Minister has further announced that later this year, the Prime Minister will advise the Governor-General to dissolve the House of Representatives with writs to be issued on Monday 12 August for an election for the House and half of the Senate, to be held on Saturday 14 September.

The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 sets various milestones in an election timetable. The Prime Minister's announcement of two key dates in the election timetable, being the date of the issue of writ and the date of polling day, creates a minimum timeframe election period which allows other dates to be determined.

On the basis of the writ being issued by the Governor-General, as indicated by the Prime Minister, on 12 August, and the election date being 14 September, the 2013 election timetable will be:

Issue of writ	Monday, 12 August 2013
Close of rolls	8pm, Monday, 19 August 2013
Close of candidate nominations	12 midday, Thursday, 22 August 2013
Declaration of candidate nominations	12 midday, Friday, 23 August 2013
Polling day	Saturday, 14 September 2013

Media contact

Phil Diak | Director Media
AEC, Canberra
02 6271 4415
0413 452 539

 

Federal Labor MP Janelle Saffin locks in economic strategy & jobs expo for Clarence Valley

Janelle locks in economic strategy & jobs expo for Clarence Valley

PAGE MP Janelle Saffin has locked in Federal funding for the first stage of an economic development strategy for the Clarence Valley, and an Australian Government Jobs and Skills Expo in Grafton on April 16.

Ms Saffin thanked Federal Minister for Employment Participation Kate Ellis for signing off on both jobs initiatives, which she has been working on since the downsizing of Grafton Gaol to a remand centre last year.

“The Clarence Valley has taken several hits with the loss of private and NSW Government public sector jobs, so my approach is to strengthen the viability of our traditional industries, one by one, to expand our industry base and jobs,” she said. 

“The marine industry is an important one in the Valley, and it makes sense to kick start our economic development strategy with a project that will boost its workforce by upskilling up to 10 local casual workers with experience in manufacturing and fabrication.

“Local Employment Coordinator Terry Watson has been working with Clarence Valley Council’s Deputy General Manager Des Schroder, whose council will deliver the project. NSW Trade and Investment’s Craig Jenkins is actively involved in the project in bringing in other State agencies.

“The Australian Government will contribute $20,000 to support training in ship construction and refurbishment with NSW State Training Services providing the actual training. The project will run until May, but my aim would be to build on this across other major industries over the next few years.

“Participants in the Marine Precinct Workforce Development Project will have the chance to get certification, including working in confined spaces, scaffolding, forklift licenses, sand blasting, welding, fitting and turning, and workplace health and safety.

“Tailoring people’s skills to what industry needs is what this project is about and this makes it easier to keep your job, advance in your workplace and get other jobs.”

Ms Saffin welcomed Minister Ellis’s announcement that an Australian Government Jobs and Skills Expo would be held at Grafton Basketball Stadium on Tuesday, April 16, because it will bring hundreds of local job and skills training opportunities to the Valley.

“I encourage all job seekers, employers and training and education organisations in the Clarence Valley to get involved in the Grafton Jobs and Skills Expo because this is a great opportunity to help people build skills and find work or get back into work,” she said.

“There will be a large jobs board filled with vacancies for all ages and skills levels, and a skills board where registered training organisations will promote courses available in the area.

“Since 2009, the Australian Government has delivered 69 Jobs and Skills Expos to areas of high unemployment and welfare dependency. As a result, more than 24,700 job seekers have been connected with employment and training.

“Keeping jobs and creating jobs is what the community expects us to work on. That’s what I’ve been doing, locking in both the economic strategy and the jobs expo.

“I want to ensure that people in Page have the opportunity to share in the benefits of work, and I do everything I can to help those who need it, get it.”

Exhibiting at the Grafton Jobs and Skills Expo is free and potential exhibitors should call 13 11 58 or visit the website at www.humanservices.gov.au/expos

Employers can also contact Local Employment Coordinator Terry Watson on 0412 320 077 or at terry.watson@deewr.gov.au to follow up on available assistance or for more information about the Clarence Valley Marine Precinct Workforce Development Project.

Friday, February 15, 2013.

Remembering the deeply weird side of Mr. Rabbitt - Part Seven

Mr. Rabbitt gets a gun, but then tries to suppress such images.....

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott firing a Steyr assault rifle

while briefly in Afghanistan in 2010

Metgasco's desperation out there for all to see

 

In the middle of an Australian Stock Exchange bull-run Megasco Limited shares appear to have hit what looked like an all-time low on 12-13 February 2013 when trading closed at 0.135.

 

Rather predictably the coal seam gas exploration and want-to-be production company sent forth a spinmeister which resulted in this headline in The Northern Star; Future bright for Metgasco.

 

As one has come to expect of Metgasco, there was apparently no declaration by the resources analyst whose opinion was canvassed as to whether he may have had a potential conflict of interest which might affect the weight readers would give to his pronouncements.

 

Being employed by the stockbroking firm paid by Metgasco to produce its Broker Reports does appear to be such a conflict and, only the mining company’s desperation for a ‘good news’ headline must have led it to suppose that no-one would notice this lack of transparency.

 

A lack of transparency which is obviously a deliberate, as the ABC News online article Metgasco share price weakens but outlook positive also failed to mention the mining company’s business relationship with Mr. Prendergast’s employer.

Mr. Prendergast also does not seem to have mentioned that the attractive value Metgasco shares he is busy promoting in the media are classified in ‘his’ 31 October 2012 broker’s report as high risk.

By close of trade yesterday Metgasco shares had only risen to 0.140 - a long way from the $1+ per share in those brief heady days when the market was inclined to believe this mining company's unconventional gas fairy tale.


ASX chart of monthly prices over 10 years for security MEL

Just how broke are the three major players in the countdown to the 2013 Australian Federal Election?

 

According to Democracy4Sale the Federal Liberal Party of Australia received 418 declarable donations between 2006/7 and 2010/11, with a total value of $30,754,639.

In 2011/12 the Australian Electoral Commission published annual returns that showed the Federal Liberal Party received in excess of $6.5 million in cash and non-cash benefits.

 

Between 2006/7 and 20010/11 the Federal National Party of Australia received 52 declarable donations, with a total value of $2,470,762.

While in 2011/12 the Federal Nationals declared $969,299 in cash and non-cash benefits.  

 

Drawing on these same records, the Federal Australian Labor Party managed to gather 1,262 declarable donations between 2006/7 and 2010/11, with a total value of $50,977,094.

In 2011/12 Federal Labor declared in excess of $10.8 million in cash and non-cash benefits.  

 

All three parties also have various associated entities, some of which are wholly dedicated to fundraising for election campaigns, and state branches have also been known to make donations/loans to their federal counterparts ahead of general election campaigns.

 

On 1 February 2013 The National Times reported that by 2010/11; The ALP is $11.9 million in the red while the Liberal Party owes $15 million, the National Party $1.2 million.

 

However, this is not an accurate picture of the state of play, as none of the political parties had to declare individual donations that were $11,900 or less and, as donors are not always reliable accountants when submitting their own returns, money does sometimes fall between the cracks. So there is in all likelihood a hidden pot behind each of these recent returns submitted to the Electoral Commission.

Abbott, the girlie man

First came the old tonsorial comb over with a hint of Ashley Martin-style fuzz and a bit of extra shoulder padding on his freebie tailor-made suits, which went unremarked in the MSM, but even Teh Oz has finally noticed the clumsy botox slash skin peel facial! “Abbott - with a nice new wrinkle-free visage and an orange tan to match the most garish safety vest”

Metgasco still in share price free fall

 

Still losing friends and influence, coal seam gas exploration and putative production company Metgasco Limited continues its 2013 share price freefall – closing at 0.135 cents on 12 February.

 

ASX 12 month daily line chart for Metgasco Limited

Click on graph to enlarge

Remembering the deeply weird side of Mr. Rabbitt - Part Five

Tony Abbott in The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 June 1977

As usual - Kevin Hogan plays catch up on mining policy

This was published in The Daily Examiner on 12 February 2013:

National Party candidate for the seat of Page Kevin Hogan came out yesterday and said he too was opposed to CSG.

"For some time I have had increasing reservations over CSG mining in our community," Mr Hogan said. "I have come to the opinion that I do not support CSG mining in the Northern Rivers."

Mr Hogan pointed to the scientific risks and socio-cultural impacts the industry would have on the community.

"Last week I toured the gas fields in Tara and Kogan and have seen first-hand the effects of CSG mining on the environment and the community.

"I went to the CSG fields in Queensland with reservations about the industry and returned with grave concerns.

"The infrastructure is incredibly invasive and properties are devalued when CSG is next door.

"Given farms are much smaller in our region the impact would be even greater."

He said he would not like a CSG well on or near his property. But he said it was not enough to "talk the talk".

"I will loudly oppose any attempts to withdraw or water down regulations on the CSG industry, and pledge to support any legislation that will safeguard the Northern Rivers from CSG, including any way we can pause or suspend CSG activities," he said.

"I would cross the floor of Parliament on this issue if necessary."

Member for Page Janelle Saffin did not have time to respond because she was in parliament, but, her office sent through a document detailing her lengthy involvement with the anti-CSG movement.

After publicly supporting the coal seam gas industry and Metgasco Limited in May and again in August 2010, National Party candidate at the September 2013 federal election, Kevin Hogan, has now completely changed his tune.

 

Despite being remarkably silent on the subject of mining and water security until after his second National Party preselection in June 2012 when he paid lip service to widely-held concerns - and still not being seen anywhere near protesting community groups - he has discovered reservations which have conveniently morphed into opposition to coal seam gas mining on the NSW North Coast in time to be included in one of his campaign media releases.

 

And, in a bravura move, Hogan has accused sitting Labor MP Janelle Saffin, of being partially responsible for 44 NSW coal seam gas exploration and production licenses.

Thereby overlooking the fact that Saffin only sat in the NSW Parliament between 25 March 1995 and 28 February 2003 - a period barely represented in either the latest official status report on petroleum licences and applications or in the last list of expired licenses.

This particular spray by Hogan also ignored fact in favour of spin when it came to which tiers of government are responsible during different aspects of petroleum mining approval processes.

That I am not alone in viewing this change of heart as a cynical ploy on Hogan's part is highlighted by The Northern Star on 13 February 2013:

It gives you some idea how far down the totem pole politicians have slipped when a candidate comes out against CSG and no one seems to believe him.
That is the case with the Nationals candidate for Page, Kevin Hogan, who has broken ranks with his federal and state colleagues and voiced his concern about the fledgling CSG industry.
Judging by letters to the editor and comments on our web page, no one is buying it.
The consensus is that Hogan is insincere in his sentiments and, if elected, would be made to toe the party line.....

Perhaps someone should remind Mr. Hogan that his current position is at odds with his as yet unrepudiated support of coal seam gas industry growth via investor tax concessions and his statement:

"Metgasco is good for infrastructure in the area and it's a clean energy project as well"

As well as flying in the face of his previous support in letters to the editor, such as this one in The Daily Examiner on 25 May 2010 when he was happy to join with the unpopular coal seam gas mining company in a bout of federal government bashing:

I met with representatives from Metgasco last week.

They are gravely concerned that the Rudd Government's proposed new Resource Profits Tax will in their words 'seriously impair' Metgasco's Casino project.

They have written a letter to Kevin Rudd expressing their concerns.

Metgasco has invested tens of millions of dollars in the project to date.

It has the potential to offer local jobs and boost the local economy.

It also will offer a supply of 'clean' energy to the Northern Rivers, replacing some of our reliance on coal-powered energy.

This project does not deserve to be killed off by another bad policy decision by the Rudd Government.

Local jobs are more important than Labor taxes to pay for wasteful spending.

Mr. Hogan offers this excuse for his recent change of heart:

"In the last election campaign no one spoke to me about CSG"

A statement which beggars belief, as it asks voters to accept that he never read any locally published letters to the editor during that election campaign, ignored reasons behind the initial call for a state-wide CSG mining moratorium, was unaware that Northern Rivers councils were beginning to openly oppose this industry and, didn't notice that farmers were also voicing concern or that the Coalition was canvassing the possibility of supporting a CSG mining moratorium.

Twitter becomes too intrusive?

 

Two bright sparks have a page on their website which displays photographs of the geolocation from which selected tweets were sent.

What will haunt Nationals candidate Kevin Hogan during the 2013 federal election campaign?

 

In September 2011 The Sydney Morning Herald reported this:

 

The disgraced state MP Steve Cansdell resigned from Parliament days after a former staff member complained to the corruption watchdog that he misused a parliamentary entitlement to help a Nationals colleague, Kevin Hogan, contest the federal seat of Page.

 

It is over three months since The Sydney Morning Herald further reported:

 

Allegations that the former NSW MP Steve Cansdell rorted a staff allowance to benefit a Nationals colleague were referred by corruption authorities to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly a year ago but not investigated.

 

Last month the same newspaper stated:

 

After that Hancock, who is also the Liberal member for South Coast, promised that parliamentary officers would ''review the material'' sent by the ICAC. This included a spreadsheet containing the dates on which Palmer alleged Cansdell submitted claims for the allowance that differed from the days she worked. That was last October.

What has happened since then? Hancock passed the matter to the executive manager of the Department of Parliamentary Services, Rob Stefanic, who responded that he was ''unable to reach any conclusions regarding the veracity of the claims made by the former electorate officer''.

 

Now the O’Farrell Government, along with the state and federal Liberal and National parties may think they have managed to brazened this matter out. Kevin Hogan may think he is no longer involved as the 2010 federal election campaign is long past.

 

Perhaps they should think again. It’s an open secret that there was more than one MP and one worker involved in alleged rorting and more than one election involved.

 

The exact date that the second MP’s staffer allegedly began working for Cansdell on his own re-election campaign is well known in the electorate – and not just by word of mouth.

 

The NSW North Coast Nationals appear to have turned staff swapping in election campaigns into an art, along with keeping allegedly dubious indirect political donation records.

So what else might be found out about serial candidates like Kevin Hogan if the delving goes deep enough?

Yambaman gets caught out by a hoax

 

An email has been doing the rounds since at least March 2012.

 

Sometimes it is titled A Short Tony Abbott Resume, other times it's headed Who is Tony Abbott? and sometimes it has no title or tag at all.
 

Often it is attributed to author unknown and sometimes to a former Labor Leader of the Opposition Mark Latham.

 

It turns up in online forums, blog posts and even in one comment under a North Coast Voices post.

 

By unthinkingly putting the email on one particular forum alh helped him/herself along the way to a six day suspension.

This is what the real Mark Latham wrote about Abbott in the Financial Review on 11 October, 25 October and 20 December 2012:

* The pampered childhood, in which no boundaries were placed on young Tony’s adventurism. His time at Sydney University hectoring lesbians and vandalising public property in the name of conservatism. His struggles as a trainee priest in conforming to the vows of celibacy and the culture of St Patrick’s seminary. Then his turbulent period in the early 1990s, ostensibly working for the Liberal leader, John Hewson, but acting as an agent for John Howard....Under his leadership, we are witnessing the moral decline of Australian conservatism.

* My theory on Abbott is that he is a habitual exaggerator, an attention seeker who will say or do anything to inflate the perceived sins of his opponents.

* Tony Abbott is a flawed character, a habitual exaggerator, deeply unpopular with the Australian people. There is no surging public sentiment to make him prime minister.

 

However, Yambaman obviously didn't check the email, was caught by the hoax and eagerly posted it at Topstocks:

 

3 Grade(s)Awarded yambaman One for the Abott haters 2013-01-10 08:35:38 Forum: Politics Post #875242 Read: 594 times IP Address 124.171.xxx.160

By Mark LATHAM, Former Leader of ALP. Just for IgnorAnt and MH. Overheard last week: "It's such a shame there isn't someone other than Tony Abbott as alternative Prime Minister. We think the Gillard government is bad for the country, but it would be better if we had another Opposition leader to vote for." It caused me to ask why that view might exist given Abbott's background, and I wondered if it might be that people do not know his history. So, I have put together some information which might help get a better understanding of the man. Abbott graduated from the University of Sydney with degrees in Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Bachelor of Economics (BEc). Then he became a Rhodes Scholar at Queens College Oxford UK in Politics and Philosophy. He also won a boxing blue at Oxford. He married Margaret in 1987 and has three daughters. He is a member of the congregation of the Catholic Church. He was involved in student politics, but beyond that, biographer Michael Duffy, wrote that during his student days he "........saved a child who was swept out to sea. Another time, he helped save children from a burning house next to a pub where he was drinking. On each occasion he disappeared before he could be properly thanked". He is a member of Manly's Queenscliffe SLSC, and a member of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, both of which he joined before it was politically expedient to do so. He spent several weeks teaching in remote Aboriginal settlements in Cape York in an effort 'to familiarise himself with indigenous issues'. If you are wondering where some of the negativity attributed to Tony Abbott comes from, go on to the Net and have a look at the comments which followed, 2 years ago, when he was asked by the Women's Weekly "What advice would you give your three daughters on sex before marriage?" He told the magazine: "I would say to my daughters, if they were to ask me this question .... it is the greatest gift you can give someone, the ultimate gift of giving and don't give it up to someone lightly." Yet, if you were to read many of the comments on the Internet and the print media at the time, you could be forgiven for thinking he was attempting to impose his will on all females in Australia, had ranted against women, had argued for Muslim like chastity, and so on..... See for yourself - Google it! Gillard's response was to accuse Abbott of "lecturing women"??? I have also included a video of Abbott where he commented on, in what seems to me to be quite a balanced fashion, "climate change" yet the title of the video suggests he has been extreme in "denying climate change and advocating carbon tax". See what you think. http://youtu.be/oPpQisoZqx4 Then have a look at the longer interview from which this original excerpt was taken http://youtu.be/ZoCKhNr8Atk. Abbott has had a history of being told by 'ABC types' that he lacks compassion, does not understand homosexuality or homosexuals, avoids situations where he might need to face up to gay relationships, and so on. Again, because he was not prepared to reveal personal issues of others (ethics, principles?), he did not speak about his own sister's lesbian relationship and the part he played in supporting her. It would have been an easy defence for him, but in line with his principles and values, he chose not to use it. Granted, he is not a super smooth, off the cuff speaker, and does not fit the orator mould. But when he is compared to the glib tongues and untrustworthiness of Gillard, Rudd, Swan, etc., it is not difficult to determine which attributes are more important for the leadership of Australia. After Abbott completed his studies, he became a journalist for The Bulletin and also the Australian. For a time he was plant manager for Pioneer Concrete, then became press secretary for the then Opposition Leader, Dr John Hewson. He was elected to Parliament in 1994 at a bi-election. He has held various Ministerial posts and his actions in those roles are a matter of public record . His work ethic is unquestioned. He was dismayed at the policies of former leader Malcolm Turnbull relating to ETS, and following widespread disaffection with Turnbull's stance among Liberal Party members, threw his hat into the ring, as did Joe Hockey, for leadership of the Liberal Party. Abbott was successful. At the time, the polls were running strongly against the Liberal Party (in the 40% approval range), while Kevin Rudd enjoyed figures around 60%. Within a short space of time, with Abbott as leader, those figures changed to such a degree that Rudd was replaced in the now infamous "faceless men" coup which installed Gillard. Since that time, Abbott has maintained constant focus on the ever widening circle of disasters associated with the Gillard government to the stage where support for that government now hovers around the 30% mark. Abbott, strikes me as a person of integrity, he has values in which I too believe, and ethics based on his Christian beliefs. I would much rather place my trust in someone who, in his actions, has shown he is what he says, rather than someone who will say anything to gain a prospective advantage for themselves. ------------------------------------------------ Now what do you have to say to that IgnorAnt and MH, and please don't dismiss Latham as a loonie.

 

Glenugie Coal Seam Gas Protesters in Grafton Court

Eighteen persons charged with offences associated with the protest against Coal Seam Gas at the Glenugie site to the south of Grafton appeared in Grafton Local Court today. Pleas of not guilty were entered in relation to the vast majority of the charges.

Protester Benny Zable

It was somewhat ironic that an over-full court house necessitated about a dozen of the accused persons to be seated in the jury box. Supporters of the protesters packed the court room to the rafters; both the ground floor and upper level public galleries were chock-a-block with a crowd estimated to be about 100.

Magistrate David Heilpern ordered the prosecution to prepare briefs of evidence in relation to the accused persons by Monday 4th March and adjourned the matters until Monday 11th March at the Grafton Court when they will be listed for mention. The Magistrate excused those with legal representation from appearing in person on March 11th.

Most of the defendants' court appearances were relatively brief. However, two had somewhat lengthier appearances. 

John Wyborn, who appeared in custody as a consequence of refusing to sign bail forms, was released after Magistrate Heilpern acknowledged the protest site at Glenugie was no longer active and revised Wyborn's bail conditions.

Another protester Benny Zable, who represented himself, told the court the charges were lies and distortions and he had DVD evidence to support his claims. He told the court that he is a performance artist with performances existing on the world stage and the charges were damaging his work.

Magistrate Heilpern explained to Zable how he (Zable) could make representation to the police to have the charges against him dropped. However, Magistrate Heilpern advised Zable to obtain legal advice about taking that course of action and providing the DVD evidence to the prosecution because it could impact detrimentally on other matters associated with the protesters that are before the court.

Does the Grafton office of the NSW Environmental Protection Agency have poor communication skills or was it being obstructive?

 

In a letter to the editor published by The Daily Examiner on 12 January 2013 Michael Franklin of Glenugie complained:

As a local landowner and cattle producer located on the head of the Coldstream River, I have become concerned about CSG extraction. Albeit the current drilling process is downstream of my location, I consider it is relevant that I express my concerns with the current activities regarding CSG extraction in our local area, as I believe the drilling for CSG will expand in this area and eventually have a far greater impact on local landowners in the Clarence.

Recently I paid a visit to the Grafton EPA Office to source information and documented protocols that I assumed would be in place regarding CSG extraction. I was informed by the local EPA that CSG extraction was signed off in Sydney and that it has nothing to do with me. I was provided no information and left their office in total disbelief.

What government agency is overseeing the CSG extraction process?

And where do we as local landowners locate information regarding to our rights?

 

If Michael is correct in how he remembers his conversation with the Grafton office of the NSW Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), then that agency was less than forthcoming.

 

It would have cost local staff little in time or effort to point him in the direction of Metgasco’s 2010 REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS – a public document which sets out the proposed exploration drilling program for PEL 426 and one which should be on record with the EPA as the Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services refers environmental impact assessments associated with CSG exploration to the EPA for comment.

 

In addition, under provisions of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act if Metgasco commences commercial production it will probably have to hold an environment protection licence which would be administered by the EPA.

EPA staff could also have referred Michael to the agency’s own coal seam gas webpage or the Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services.

Balfastards All!

People of the NSW Northern Rivers don't need any extra words to go with this pic - it shows BALFASTARDS ALL!