North Coast Area Health Service problems continue

With the Lower Clarence Valley fighting to stave off sale and rezoning of North Coast Area Health Service land adjoining Maclean District Hospital, word on the street is that the Service's financial problems under CEO Chris Crawford are now intractable.
Apparently its media people are sounding increasingly nervous when fielding queries and, many local residents are beginning to fear that a large-scale downgrading or even elimination of smaller district hospitals may be on the Rees-Della Bosca agenda down in Macquarie Street.
Once again the Northern Rivers may be seen as expendable due to another NSW Dept. of Health budget blow-out.

Quote of the week on Obama v McCain

From Hermene Hartman of The Huffington Post last Tuesday, in her article The Elephant in the Room.

On one of the late night news programs, there was a North Carolina redneck type. He was a Southerncrat and in good ol' boy mode, he analyzed the race. He gave one of the most honest assessments, from his viewpoint, I have heard. The question was would Barack beat McCain. He said: Barack, the intelligent man would beat McCain. He said Barack, the charismatic man would beat McCain. He even said Barack, the man, would beat McCain the war hero. But then he said, Barack the Black man would not beat McCain. He said it just wouldn't happen. He spoke with authority and confidence.

On anthropomorphic change.....

Click image to enlarge

Luke Watson cartoon found at New Matilda

Move over and make room for the women?

I'm reliably informed that Australia-wide women make up no more than around 25% of the total number of elected representatives at local government, state and federal level.

In a political scene dominated by men, in the last twelve months we have had a paedophile and a chair sniffer as ministers in NSW and WA Governments.

Opening The Australian yesterday I found that the new NSW Police Minister has just resigned after 3 days in office because of reports that:

"A witness told The Australian Mr Brown stripped down to his "very brief" underpants and danced to loud "Oxford Street-style" techno music on a green leather Chesterfield couch he had recently ordered for his office.

The witness said Mr Brown "mounted the chest" of Wollongong MP Noreen Hay.

The witness said Mr Brown called out to Ms Hay's adult daughter during the performance: "Look at this, I'm tittie-f..king your mother!"

A spokesman for Mr Brown denied he used any such words. However, Mr Brown did not deny the other allegations, including a simulated sex act on Ms Hay."

All this sexually off and sometimes downright criminal behaviour by other hairy-chested blokes leaves me beginning to wonder if we should give women a bit more of a chance when they stand for election.

Even Federal Labor MP Belinda Neal at her supposed worst was not accused of any sexual impropriety.

* Ms. Hay went onto ABC News Radio yesterday morning and totally denied the allegations in rather a strange way - it was ridiculous to think it had happened because there were younger and more attractive women than myself at the party.

September 11 2008

Cartoon from Salon.com

For a mix of archival footage and whacky theories (from those wonderful folks who gave us rendition and torture to replace the Geneva Convention) click September 11 News

Clarence Valley Conservation Coalition draws up a green report card on local government election hopefuls

MEDIA RELEASE

6 September 2008

For immediate release

HOW GREEN CAN OUR VALLEY BE?

A survey of local government candidates in the Clarence Valley has rated Janet Purcell, Ian Tiley, Pat Comben, Maurie Maher and Grace Clague as having the greenest credentials, with Mark Kingsley and Ian Dinham as close runners up.

The survey, carried out by the combined conservation groups of the Clarence Valley (including the Clarence Valley Conservation Coalition, Clarence Environment Centre, Clarence Valley Branch of the National Parks Association and Valley Watch), asked candidates for their views about environmental planning, waste management, sustainability, transport and protection of the Clarence's biodiversity.

According to the CVCC secretary, Leonie Blain, all of the 21 candidates responded. "We are very happy with the level of response received, with answers to the survey questions from 19 of the candidates. We extend our thanks to all candidates that took the time to provide these responses.

"It was disappointing that Terry Flanagan and Jim Simmons declined to address the survey, providing only general comments which could not be rated," she said.

The survey was mostly asked for yes or no responses to a range of questions, but most candidates took advantage of the opportunity to provide sometimes detailed comments as well as these simple answers.

"These comments revealed an interesting range of attitudes to environmental issues, as well as a range of levels of awareness – both of council's role in relation to the environment and of the environment itself," Ms Blain said.

All candidates indicated opposition to further loss of the Clarence River's water to other communities.

"Curiously, Ian Tiley indicated opposition to the reporting of the daily amount of water extracted from the Nymboida River by the Regional Water Scheme, which the conservation groups believe is necessary for open and transparent accountability of the Scheme's performance, especially once the Shannon Creek Dam is constructed."

On the issue of planning for climate change and development, most candidates indicated that sea level rise, storm surges and increased flooding should be a major constraint in considering development proposals on floodplain and coastal lands. Only Kurt Kristoffersen was undecided on this issue, claiming that climate change is a natural phenomenon.

"This was one of several poor responses from Mr Kristoffersen," said Ms Blain. "He generally showed a low awareness of planning issues and did not even respond to the question on sustainability. In relation to planning to minimise future conflicts between urban residents and flying-fox camps, he stated that flyingfoxes were not even native animals. This must be news to the eucalypt forests of our region which rely on flying-foxes for their pollination."

"Sustainability is enshrined in the legislation of local government. Over the past term of council, Ian Tiley has demonstrated the leadership role that Clarence Valley Council can take with regard to improving our sustainability. A solid understanding of what it means is a must-have for our councillors. However only a few candidates demonstrated this. Very good responses were provided by Pat Comben and Janet Purcell, with good responses from Grace Clague, Maurie Maher, Mark Kingsley, Karen Toms and Ian Dinham."

The candidates' responses to the questionnaire are on display for public scrutiny at the Clarence Environment Centre, 29 Skinner St, South Grafton.

Contact: Leonie Blain 02 6642 7640

Think that you couldn't live on a singles-rate pension? Then get a job as an Aussie pollie

Here is a list of those Aussie pollies who have admitted that Old Age and Disability Support pensions, for single people living alone and without assets, are vastly inadequate - but either do not intend to do anything to help for at least another 6 months at the earliest or only see the issue as an opportunity to front the cameras and play wedge politics.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Deputy-Prime Minister Julia Gillard
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan

Minister for Finance Lindsay Tanner

Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon
Minister for Community Services Jenny Macklin
Federal Leader of the Opposition Brendan Nelson
Deputy-Leader of the Opposition Julie Bishop

Oppostion Spokesperson for Indigenous Affairs Tony Abbott
Tasmanian Labor MP Dick Adams

Queensland Labor MP Brett Raguse

South Australian Labor MP Steve Georganas

Queensland Liberal MP Margaret May

Family First Senator Steve Fielding

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon

Uncle Tom Cobbley and all.............

Only the Greens in the Australian Senate, headed by Senator Bob Brown, are believable when they once again point to the need for immediate relief for the most hard-pressed of pensioners.

There are lone pensioners sitting in their rented homes on the NSW Northern Rivers right now who have no more money for food, medicines or essentials until the middle of next week - 7 days away, 7 days of want and making do with what's in the scant kitchen cupboard, 7 days of not getting help from their GP because most local doctors don't regularly bulk-bill, 7 days of hiding this 'shameful' poverty from the rest of the community.

Fair go, Kev! You wouldn't treat a dingo like this, so why are you pretending that the aged and disabled should be quietly grateful and manage until next year's budget.

Given age or chronic illness, many of them will have died by then.

In August The Age told us:

"Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin said 13 per cent of pensioners had no private income to draw on and the "vast majority" had less than $20 a week in addition to their pensions.

"So the vast majority of older Australians are on the pension and a very, very significant number of these people have very small additional amounts of private income as well as the pension," Ms Macklin says.

"Most pensioners also have very low levels of assets, in fact 30 per cent report having bank balances of less than $1,000."

The report also found that the average length of time for a person to be receiving the age pension was 13 years."