One response to Howard's last ditch campaigning

The Age readers poll.

 

Howard's way
Is Australia 'stronger, prouder, more prosperous' than it was in 1996?
Yes - 22% No - 78% Total Votes: 1355

North Coast federal election campaign wrap

A  brief look at what exercised the NSW North Coast and media in the last days of this federal election campaign.

 

"An independent academic study looking at the effect of WorkChoices and Welfare to Work reforms in the Northern Rivers has found "a climate of fear and confusion".

The report, which is due to be presented at Newcastle University early next month, concluded with the following statement: "Vulnerable Australians in regional communities can look forward to a future of diminished prospects and quality of life, in spite of a booming economy".

The report has been authored by Dr Sandy Darab and Dr Yvonne Hartman from Southern Cross University's School of Arts and Social Sciences."

The Northern Rivers Echo yesterday:
 http://www.echonews.com/index.php?page=View%20Article&article=18709&issue=300

 

"The cousin of retiring Page MP Ian Causley is actively campaigning against the controversial new WorkChoices laws.

The contentious legislation has pushed Caley Causley, a 47-year-old aged care nurse from Grafton, into activism with the Your Rights At Work campaign.

The lifelong National Party supporter told The Sydney Morning Herald last week she was not involved in politics until WorkChoices made her sit up and take notice.

"Growing up on a property you follow family tradition… I wasn't politically involved until this issue came along and I realised it gave the boss more bullets to fire at us," she said. "I poured beer 10 years ago and earned more than I do now looking after our old people."

Caley Causley made her public speaking debut this year at a town meeting of her local Your Rights At Work group.

She told the Herald she still loved her cousin "but I disagree with him and this time I can't support his mob".

The Northern Rivers Echo yesterday:

http://www.echonews.com/index.php?page=View%20Article&article=18710&issue=300

 

"Labor's shadow health minister Nicola Roxon (centre) joins Labor candidate for Page Janelle Saffin and Community Regional Watch president Marshall Fittler this week outside the construction site for the redevelopment of Lismore Base Hospital which will include radiotherapy services. Ms Roxon and Ms Saffin re-iterated federal Labor's commitment last week to fastrack the completion of the hospital's planned cancer unit with a $7 million top-up of the $8 million previously pledged by the federal government, bringing federal Labor's total commitment to radiotherapy services to $15 million. Earlier on the hustings deputy prime minister Mark Vaile committed an additional $2 million to the unit, (boosting the total pledged to $10 million) but only if the state government began work next year. Ms Saffin said the increased funding was expected to get the unit finished by the end of 2009. Mr Fittler, who has campaigned for the unit, welcomed the announcement, saying provision of radiotherapy services was the single most important issue in both the Page and Richmond electorates. Ms Roxon said cancer experts predicted there would be 1600-1700 new cancer cases in Lismore and the surrounding areas this year alone and more than half of these patients would require radiotherapy."

The Northern Rivers Echo yesterday:
http://www.echonews.com/index.php?page=View%20Article&article=18711&issue=300

 

The Daily Examiner article yesterday "Ten years 'wasted' on new ethanol plant":

"----the Coalition's plans to invest in ethanol production in northern NSW was the same idea that NRRDB had proposed in the mid-1990s----

During this election campaign, the Coalition has promised to invest $5 million into a new commercial pilot lignocellulosic ethanol plant at Harwood Sugar Mill. It also promised $2.2 million to fund construction of a new ethanol plant four kilometres south-west of Casino.

Mr. McCarthy said this funding was simply giving back the money John Howard had taken away when he came to power in 1996.----

"One of the first dastardly acts of the Howard Government was to transfer the $2 million to somewhere else, probably to support their pork barrelling needs," he said.

Mr. McCarthy said the project was shelved after federal funding was stripped.

"This has cost the Australian community 10 years of production of ethanol."

 

Clarence Valley Review article yesterday "Nats don't support LDP despite preferences:Gulaptis":

"Nationals candidate Chris Gulaptis has said he doesn't endorse the 'radical' Liberty and Democracy Party (LDP) candidate Benji Beatty, despite giving him his number one preference.---

this is simply about getting Chris Gulaptis elected," he said."

 

"New Nationals candidate Chris Gulaptis joined Mr Vaile on the back of a ute.

One elderly woman passing by, who did not reveal her name, gave The Nationals the thumbs down.

"I would like to have the money that he (Mr Vaile) spends on what he puts in my letterbox and I put straight in the garbage," she scoffed.

Another local, Eric Kaiser, 45, of Horseshoe Creek, near Kyogle, said he would vote for the Greens and give Labor his second preference.

The issue most concerning to him was the prospect of a nuclear reactor on the NSW north coast."

Camden Advertiser on Wednesday:

http://camden.yourguide.com.au/news/breaking/general/strong-economy-taken-for-granted-vaile/1090648.html

Campaign Day 40

Last night I heard Sol and Antony giving their expert opinion that the federal election may be declared as early as 8pm tomorrow night or alternatively we may not have a definitive result for days. This induced a form of mild hysteria in my house and prompted me to record my favourite campaign lines.

# 1
Earnest Yamba resident: "If Chris Gulaptis goes to Canberra at least we'll have finally got rid of him from local government."

# 2
Q. Why don't snakes bite the Nationals candidate for Page?
A. Professional loyalty.

It's a joke, Joyce! The whole damn election campaign.

State swing predicted to deliver all NSW North Coast seats to Labor

The last cumulative Newspoll from Possum Comitatus at Possums Pollytics.

Possum's breakdown of seats, using uniform state swings and Antony Green's House of Representatives election calculator, shows all 3 North Coast seats possibly falling to Labor.

Cowper gained by Labor with an 0.5% swing
Page gained by Labor with an 3.2% swing
Richmond retained by Labor with an 8.6% swing


Possum Pollytics home page:
http://possumcomitatus.wordpress.com

Bob Brown favourite for lamb roast dinner invitations: gently poking fun at online polling

It was obvious from the very start of this election campaign that the media were going to make much of opinion polling and that the rest of us would eventually follow along. So North Coast Voices ran a series of very unscientific opinion questions with an almost minute response rate, and here is what we 'found'.

 

Readers of North Coast Voices posts (who also love to tick boxes) are as likely as not to think that the Labor Party will win the most federal seats on the NSW North Coast, would rather invite Bob Brown home for a lamb roast, believe the Greens are the most honest and trustworthy political party, were just as likely to know nothing of local candidates as to have an opinion on individual campaign performance, and if they had their way, John Howard and his descendants would be barred from future election to the Australian Parliament.

 

Happy Exit Polling everyone!

Say that again, John?

Yesterday The Age reported that John Howard (when laying out his 5-point plan to a group of Sydney business leaders) was warning that his government should be returned come Saturday or the sky would fall in.

"He said every change of Government since the end of World War II had resulted in a profound change in the nature of the country."

 

Hold on, John - say that again? So your government effected profound change when it came to power in 1996. Think more than a few of us would agree with that. Australia is now a more divisive and unequal country, where unsafe and unhappy is the condition of a great many.

As Prime Minister and leader of a parliamentary coalition you broke the social contract between government and the governed while calling this a virtue.

 

You've never been good for the soul of this country - it's time you and Janette faced the fact.

Deputy Prime Minister threatens North Coast with unwanted population explosion

Mark Vaile was on the NSW North Coast again this week and one can see that he is reacting to the local Nationals own white shoe brigade's develop-to-death philosophy.

He has promised $5 million to encourage more sea and tree changers to regional areas.

Great one, Deputy Prime Minister. Just what we need. A Coalition Government which will add to the environmental, social and infrastructure stress already being felt due to sustained coastal population growth. 

Five million dollars wouldn't even solve waste and storm water problems in one local government growth area.

Mr. Vaile shouldn't be listening so uncritically to his local candidates - at least one of them has a long history as a land developer.

Instead he should be listening to coastal residents who have been saying for years that they don't want to turn into a Gold Coast or unsustainably developed south-east Queensland.

But then, genuinely listening was never the strong suit of the Coalition Government.

The Australian yesterday:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22796271-5013871,00.html