A look back at the Carma Report. Has anything really changed in the politics of water?

For the last ten years public discourse in Australia has been focussed in large measure on what to do about water security.
In June 2007 Media Monitors put out a press release about this debate.
Watching the continuing debate in 2008 it is hard to see any significant progress made in either the level of debate or policy solutions offered.
It appears that the "drought of action" remains.

The Water Debate in Australia –
A Drought of Action; A Flood of Politics, Vested Interests and Nimbyism----
The analysis concluded that the Australian public is likely to be confused by the current debate as it is presenting dire warnings of a chronic water shortage, but little by way of agreed practical solutions to deal with the problem.
Among a number of key findings, the research found that the majority of discussion about water aired in the media continues to be in relation to the problem, rather than solutions.---
Furthermore, it reported that all solutions presented were being deadlocked in claim and counter-claim. "While some media have devoted space and time to presenting the public with simply explained factual and scientific information on water usage, storage and management, the vast majority of debate and discussion is contradictory claims and counter-claims by various Federal and State politicians,environmentalists, farmers’ groups and other vested interests such as landholders affected by proposed dams or residents potentially affected by infrastructure projects."----
The analysis, undertaken by the research unit of Media Monitors, reviewed almost 82,000 news reports, features articles, columns, letters to the editor and radio and TV program segments discussing water between 1 January and 30 April 2007 and conducted in-depth content analysis on a sample of 1,200 media articles in national and major metropolitan newspapers. The analysis was undertaken independently by Media Monitors with no paying client or sponsor of the research. Media discussion of water provided a total of 3.5 billion ‘Opportunities to See’, according to the Media Monitors study (the number of articles multiplied by the circulation of each media). "It is unlikely that any adult or child over the age of reason in Australia is unaware that there is a water crisis," the research concluded.
"What is less clear, however, are the most effective solutions to address Australia’s water shortage," it found. The analysis warned that there is very limited objective information and education for the public to make informed decisions.----
The report warned that there is a danger that when the drought breaks and dams fill, many Australians will believe the water issue has been resolved, as much discussion has focussed on drought, a natural disaster, as the cause of drying dams and river systems rather than fundamental endemic and systemic problems requiring a cohesive and coordinated national water management strategy.

Full Media Monitors 2007 Carma Research Report here.

This week's graph of domestic media mentions.

Australia 2008: What the unions create the unions can take away

Neither Our Kev or Little Morrie have had their history hats on over this last month or so as they both push the privatisation of NSW power industry assets, in the face of widespread general public and union opposition to this plan.
Both the Prime Minister and the NSW Premier are forgetting that in the 19th century it was the unions which birthed the Australian Labor Party and then nurtured it to adulthood.

With Labor now so far to the right of centre on the political spectrum that it seems almost indistinguishable from the Liberal Party most of the time, many ordinary Australians are browned off and beginning to ask themselves who represents their interests now.
Perhaps the time has come for the labour movement to birth another political party which more accurately represents the 21st century Aussie battler.

I know that if the unions put together another party based on notions of equality, equity and social justice I would probably vote for its candidates.
Any vote for Labor these last thirty years has usually been a compromise between a bad choice and an even worse choice.

Thanks to Club Troppo for displaying the pic of a young comrade.

Pope's holiday in Australian prior to WYD2008

The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Benedict will spend an extra three days holidaying in Australia prior to World Youth Day 2008 (WYD08), but those in the know about where the Pope will be putting his feet up are staying mum.

The Catholic Weekly reports that the Pope will undertake his longest trip to Australia, spending eight days here after arriving on July 13.

WYD08 co-ordinator Bishop Anthony Fisher said the recommended venue will be a location that is serene, beautiful and suitable for the leader of the world’s Catholics.

“He will have the opportunity to see some of Australia’s beautiful flora and fauna.”

So, where will the Pope be holidaying?

Perhaps these locations are on the short list:
* the Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo
* Nimbin
* Star City Casino
* Kings Cross
* God's waiting room (aka the NSW Central Coast)

Sorry, Janelle - Rudd and Iemma just shortened your political honeymoon

When Prime Minister Kevin Rudd openly supported the Iemma-Costa proposal to sell-off NSW electricity retailers he ran the risk of tarring all his MPs with this unpopular brush, because let's face it - Australia is wall to wall Labor governments right now.
It was always going to be a hard ask for federal MPs to retain that just married feeling with their local electorates once the 2008 budget is handed down later this month.
However, a very competent Member for Page just had the goodwill precipitously wrenched away by the infamous privatisation plan.
North Coast residents on low incomes are well aware that no federal or state policy will be able to adequately compensate them for increased electricity costs and service charges.
The introduction of the Commonwealth Goods and Services Tax taught a well-remembered lesson in that regard.
Unfortunately for Janelle Saffin, not even the manifest inadequacy of North Coast Nationals and Leader of the Opposition Brendan Nelson's continual failure to grasp the issues will save her from the inevitable backlash.

Crikey's current election indicators for US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and West Australia

Richard Farmer's political bite-sized meaty chunks at Crikey gave us this graph yesterday.

Whacking the global warming denial mole: some things never change

Tim Lambert posted this week trying to set the record straight on claims that global warming had stopped.
I'm beginning to think that Tim is never going to be able to change the minds of those Australian journalists indulging in climate change denialism.

By October 2004 Andrew Bolt thought it possible that global warming was being caused by sun activity and by this year is inclined to believe that recent wet weather trumps climate change.
In December 2004 Michael Duffy was taking shots at the idea of man-made global warming and is still whiteanting way even now.
Also in December 2004 Tim Blair discovered where his audience wanted him to go and hasn't really deviated to date.

Neither the literary skills or the arguments of their respective denialist fan clubs have advanced in recent years and I suspect that most of those commenting in support of Andrew, Michael and Tim haven't ever had one thought beyond their original positions.

Graph found at Real Climate.

Labor betrays New South Wales and the Northern Rivers

The NSW Labor parliamentary party yesterday declared itself willing to trust to Morris Iemma's leadership on 'fire sale' privatisation of the state's power industry.
I hope these same pollies are willing to trust the electorate to remove them from their seats in 2011.
Deceitful, spineless, brown paper bag merchants one and all.

Not only are they condemning low-income eraners to electricity price increases which will go beyond what could have been expected under state ownership, they are placing NSW northern rivers under threat because certain multinational power companies have had their eyes on our fresh water for years with regard to proposals to build new hydro-electric schemes.