Nationals MP for Page Kevin Hogan skites away again

Slipped into letter boxes in the Page electorate in the first half of this year was a leaflet from Nationals MP Kevin Hogan.

In this leaflet Mr. Hogan listed under Kevin Getting The Job Done the fact that he Stopped GST on moveable homes. Reducing the cost of living.

Er, no it was not just your letter Mr. Hogan which saw the Australian Tax Office back down.

It was the Affiliated Residential Park Residents Association (ARPRA) who first went to the media and, it was ordinary people power (combined with the efforts of Jill Hall, Justine Elliot, Joanne Ryan and other Labor MPs) which first placed pressure on the Tax Office.

Aside from the fact that the Tax Office's 20 October 2013 draft ruling concerning GST and moveable homes had invited submissions and that offer was taken up.

By 20 December the ATO draft ruling had been withdrawn and Echo NetDaily was reporting that:

‘Over the past seven weeks, we have been considering a range of submissions from the community and stakeholders as part of our consultation process,’ tax commissioner Chris Jordan said.

‘We have carefully considered the legal arguments and practical implications and decided that we don’t need to change the existing GST treatment of these estates,’ he added.

‘With the benefit of submissions, it is evident that while moveable-home estates have changed, they are still similar enough to caravan parks to receive the concessional treatment. In particular, both involve letting of sites separately to the building, and provide communal facilities to residents.

Project Blueprint: making the Clarence coastline a safer place

Every accessible beach and rock platform in the Clarence Valley is to be assessed as part of a statewide program aimed at preventing drownings.

The assessments will be done as part of Project Blueprint, a Clarence Valley Council-supported coastal risk project being run by Australian CoastSafe.

As part of the assessment process, public forums will be conducted at:

* Treelands Drive Community Centre, Yamba, from 10.30am-noon on Sunday July 27, and 

* Grafton Community and Function Centre, Duke Street, Grafton, from 6.30-8pm on Thursday, July 31.

Email Luke Stigter of your attendance at lstigter@coastsafe.org.au

Those interested can send written submissions to Coastal Risk Officer, Luke Stigter, SLSNSW, PO Box 307, Belrose, NSW, 2085. 

[From CVC eNews: Speak up and help prevent drownings]

Chinese Media: "Bishop calls for standing up to China, but what resources does she have to do so with?"

Australian FM’s China stance senseless

Source: Global Times Published: 2014-7-12 0:08:01

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop appalled Chinese people on Wednesday by saying that Australia will "stand up to China to defend peace, liberal values and the rule of law," and "China doesn't respect weakness."

It just added fuel to the outrage caused by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's earlier comments on Japanese submariners involved in the attack on Sydney Harbor in 1942, in which Abbott said he "admired the skill and the sense of honor" of the Japanese troops.

If Abbott's words were meant to flatter his visiting Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, Bishop's provocation appeared to have come out of nowhere.

Many Chinese people who read about this could not believe these words came from the Australian foreign minister. China is Australia's biggest trade partner and has not offended Australia in any way. Bishop's verbal provocation made her look more like one of the often pointless "angry youths" found in the Chinese cyber sphere than a diplomat.

The current Australian government has been widely considered as inexperienced, particularly in dealing with foreign relations. Still, the naivety of its foreign minister still surprised Chinese people.

Australia has been relying heavily on the Chinese market in exports. But it has been so conceited in selling its value system that it has become one of the loudest voices in attacking China's human rights record.

Australia's history is not short of records of human rights infringement on the aboriginal population. The country used to be a place roamed by rascals and outlaws from Europe. Perhaps it has to boast its values to cover up its actual lack of confidence in front of Western countries.

For many Chinese people, Australia is a good place for business, travel and higher education. That's about it. There is no point in China being overly upset by Bishop's words.

The new power structure in the Asia-Pacific region led by China and the US has become a challenge for some countries in this region. It is understandable that Australia as a country standing alone at the outskirts will try to show its loyalty to the Western world. It's no surprise that Australia and Japan will develop their ties, too.

However, the current Australian government's moves do not fit the Asia-Pacific stage.

Given Australia's growing economic reliance on China, the government's stance on China will fluctuate.

Bishop calls for standing up to China, but what resources does she have to do so with? The next day, Australian leaders will smile at China again, just as they do now to Japan. 

Posted in: Editorial

The Abbott Government's unfair budget brings down another successful community initiative

Yet another example of the Abbott Government’s determination to lay waste to this nation’s social capital……….. 

Announcement From Vibe Australia

July 14th, 2014.

In June, 2014, Vibe Australia was informed that funds for the Vibe Project will be directed to the Australian Government’s programs that deliver front line services from 1 July 2014. We are currently in a transition arrangement.

Everyone at Vibe is extremely proud and humbled by the work we do on behalf of the community and of the support we receive from community, and the wider Australian public.
This announcement is made in good faith to inform you of the current situation.

The Vibe Project includes:

      Deadly Vibe magazine

      The Deadlys

      InVibe magazine

      Deadly Sounds radio

      Move It Mob Style TV

      deadlyvibe.com.au (also as a value added activity, Deadly Vibe on Facebook andTwittersites and the weekly e-publication Deadly Vibe Wire).

As of 30 June 2014 all these activities are concluded. However, our commitment to Vibe and our belief in the work we do on behalf of community remains firm.

The annual Deadly Awards® are due to be held at the Sydney Opera House on 30 September 2014. The Deadlys will not be held this year, in 2014. We understand we have responsibilities to a number of sponsors and will be in negotiation with these agencies and organisations over coming weeks, and will negotiate and honour such responsibilities.

Everyone at Vibe stands by our work, across our events and communications activities, and are confident in our ability to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia through our holistic approach in primary health, mental health and social and emotional wellbeing and across education, employment and community empowerment.

We have always had in our hearts a goal of strengthening the connection to culture and community. Through all our work, we are proud to bring you the excellence and achievement, to create unity and rightful pride in identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly for our young people.

We are proud of all we have achieved with our radio program, Deadly Sounds, Deadly Vibe magazine, InVibe magazine, Move It Mob Style®, our Vibe 3on3® events and of course, The Deadlys®.

Move It Mob Style® Series 4 has been completed, and commences on NITV and ABC3 soon.

Going forward, at this point, there are many responsibilities that we have to partnerships and working relationships. And we will be calling and working through these as quickly as possible. We ask everyone to please be patient.

We would like to thank everybody who has been a part of Vibe to this point over our 20 year journey and ask for your support at this critical time.

We would also like to thank the Australian Government, and the many officers and political people along the journey, for having the insight and vision to support Vibe for so many years.

Since the early 1990s, we hope we have contributed greatly to empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people all ages, particularly the young, to be their best with regard to education, employment, health and wellbeing, by providing clear and coherent information and showcasing positive role models, advancing the individual, the family, and the community.

Thank you, and in unity,

Vibe Australia
14 July 2014

The Sydney Morning Herald 15 July 2014:

The Aboriginal founder of the Deadly Awards, the annual celebration of indigenous achievement, was shattered last month when he learnt that he would lose federal funding worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Gavin Jones, 47, was found dead on his farm at Goulburn on Saturday. While his family did not want to discuss the nature of his death, they and his friends were aware of his devastation at the loss of funding affecting his ventures, which had spawned radio and television productions, the national Deadly Vibe magazine, the annual Deadly Awards, sport, dance and hip-hop events, and much more.

“Yes, it was a huge blow to him,” said his long-time friend Shelley Reys, who shared offices in Darlinghurst with Mr Jones when they were establishing their indigenous consulting businesses in the 1990s.

“He was very disappointed by the lack of support, not just to the business but to what the business provided to young people.”…

Some friends understood Mr Jones learned of the funding cuts in the middle of last month, despite a recent audit which had given his ventures a glowing report….

Mr Jones’s ventures also included The Vibe 3on3, a national music and sporting event to promote health, wellbeing, identity and sportsmanship and Move it Mob Style, a dance-based health program screened on the indigenous channel NITV and ABC.

In 1995 he launched Deadly Vibe magazine, which delivered positive Indigenous stories and health messages directly to schools and communities. At the time of his death it had reached its 209th issue and had a monthly national distribution of 55,000, mostly students.

Mr Jones wrote in the editorial for the 200th issue last year: “Overly negative media was the reason why we started Deadly Vibe magazine. To put something positive in the hands of our young people; something of a high professional quality that could be read and handed around at home or school that told a different story. A story we could be proud of. A magazine that was ours. Something that had blackfellas achieving and breaking stereotypes – achieving in music, sport, at a community level, in the health sector, at school and in the work force. Something our young people can get excited about, and be justifiably proud.”

InVibe magazine, an insert into Deadly Vibe, was produced specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in prison and juvenile detention centers and focused on mental health, sexual health, information on substance abuse, and promoting pride and self-worth….

Jackboot George is at it again

You receive an email from a friend of a friend asking if they can cadge a lift to your second cousin's wedding and, someone in the friend’s family is a person of interest to Australia’s intelligence agencies (just like writers of letters to the editor in 1945,  those supporting Moratorium marches in the 1970s, or former High Court Justice Michael Kirby as a young child ) and surreptitiously your computer is hacked and your privacy violated or worse.

Welcome to the world according to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Attorney-General George Brandis…………….

The Sydney Morning Herald 12 July 2014:

Attorney-General George Brandis is preparing to introduce legislation next week that will expand the surveillance powers of ASIO and other intelligence agencies.

Among other things, it would enable them to hack into a third party's computer to access a target computer, and infiltrate entire computer networks on a single warrant.

Fighting for Ballina's Koalas

Letter to the editor in The Northern Star on 12 June 2014:

Koalas at risk

Yesterday on the ABC, Mr Bob Higgins, Pacific Highway upgrade manager for the RMS, said about the proposed Broadwater to Ballina deviation: "The route that was selected is on mostly cleared land."

His statement is not correct. The reality is that the proposed route will clear and sever intact corridors of forest and wetland that connect the Wardell heathland (part of the National Reserve system called the Ngunya-Jargoon Indigenous Protected Area) with the nationally significant forests (and koala habitats) of the Blackwall Range. Indeed, these areas are recognised as some of the most important wildlife corridors in Ballina Shire.

What Mr Higgins has repeatedly failed to address is that the proposed route is several kilometres longer than the existing highway.

It will require clearing large tracts of nationally important koala habitat and result in the isolation and permanent degradation of hundreds of hectares of adjacent koala habitat. It will clear and fragment the largest and most significant tracts of native vegetation in Ballina Shire.

The RMS policy about biodiversity states:

"When managing biodiversity, RMS aims to: 1. Avoid and minimise impacts first. 2. Mitigate impacts where avoidance is not possible. 3. Offset where residual impacts cannot be avoided".

There are numerous options available for building a highway between Broadwater and Ballina that won't have any impacts on biodiversity (including koalas).

Mr Higgins has been informed (in person and in writing) since 2005 that building a highway along the proposed route will cause local extinctions of nationally protected species, such as the koala and long-nosed potoroo. He knows there is no native vegetation, protected areas or culturally significant features along the existing highway between Broadwater and Ballina. He also knows that avoiding any impacts on biodiversity is readily achievable.

Mr Higgins, you have no excuse for killing Ballina's koalas.

Mark Graham

Coffs Harbour (formerly Meerschaum Vale)