2009 Bangalow Music Festival 14 - 16 August 2009

From Regional Arst NSW August e-Bulletin:

Combining world-class musicians, captivating chamber repertoire, delicious food and a festive atmosphere surrounded by the sub-tropical beauty of this heritage township, the Bangalow Music Festival returns in 2009 with an invigorating line-up.

This year the program takes on a British flavour with music by Benjamin Britten and Edward Elgar, an Australian premiere of Gustav Holst's Quintet for Piano and Winds, plus works by Philip Cannon, Samuel Coleridge Taylor and Benjamin Frankel. Come and experience for yourself why Peter Sculthorpe described this as the finest musical festival outside of a capital city anywhere in the world.

For further information please contact Southern Cross Soloists: Tel 0448 641 835, Email manager@southernxsoloists.com

Nationals MP for Clarence maintains 'total, over-my-dead-body opposition to any diversion of the Clarence River'

Steve Cansdell, State MP for Clarence, has told the Murray-Darling Association and Councils from western New South Wales they are wasting their time with their proposal to raid the Clarence River.

Cansdell's comments (reproduced below) were published in
Coastal Views (part of The Daily Examiner stable) on August 7.

I have never believed in the saying that politics is the art of compromise. In life, you have to stand up for what you believe in or step out of the ring.

That is why I maintain my total, over-my-dead-body opposition to any diversion of the Clarence River.

The latest bid to raid our river comes from the Murray-Darling Association backed by some Councils from western New South Wales.

You’re wasting your time guys, because the answer is still no. We are sympathetic to your water problems, but this is not the way to solve them.

It is far too expensive both in dollar terms and in environmental costs, and you just couldn’t pump the volume of water needed to fix the Murray-Darling water crisis anyway.

I am not sure if the plan has ever been costed, but it is unquestionably beyond the financial reach of the state and federal governments, which are already deeply in the red.

Ecologically it is about as smart as our forefathers’ decision to introduce to Australia rabbits, foxes and cane toads.

It is a bit like raising the rate of the GST. The only way it can happen is if both the State and Federal Governments agree to it.

The NSW Parliament passed a motion against the proposal a little over two years ago. When I spoke in that debate, I said people wanting Clarence water are welcome to it, but only if they move here.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd also gave an unequivocal pre-election pledge it would not happen under his watch, and this is one promise he has to keep.

Finally, congratulations again to the Daily Examiner for its “Not one Drop” campaign. With his front-page story on Monday, David Bancroft was once again bang on the mark. It is good to see the local media in touch with the local community.

Sources: cansdell.com.au and The Daily Examiner

Proposed 2009 NSW electoral boundary changes

Image from AEC 2009 Report of the Redistribution Committee - Maps

Click on image to enlarge

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has released its 2009 Report of the Redistribution Committee outlining proposed New South Wales electoral redistribution.

Here on the NSW North Coast the AEC proposal is to leave Richmond electorate unchanged, reduce the total number of electors in Cowper by 256, with the Page electorate picking up these 256 Elland voters as well as 1,094 voters in the area north-east of Amosfield, Sandy Hills and Ewingar State Forest in Tenterfield LGA from the Division of New England .

Lyne electorate will see the entire Gloucester Local Government Area transferred into its boundaries but otherwise remain unchanged.

UPDATE:

Antony Green's summary of proposed redistribution outcomes - NSW North Coast

Cowper
Held by Luke Hartsuyker
Very minor boundary adjustment with Page.
Old Margin National 1.2%
New Margin National 1.2%

Lyne
Held by Rob Oakeshott
Won by Independent Rob Oakeshott at a 2008 by-election. At the 2007 election, Lyne was won by the National Party with a margin of 8.6%. Gains Gloucester from Paterson.
Old Margin Independent held
New Margin Independent held

Page
Held by Janelle Saffin
Only minor boundary changes with the transfer of areas around Drake from New England.
Old Margin Labor 2.4%
New Margin Labor 2.2%

Richmond
Held by Justine Elliot
Unchanged.
Old Margin Labor 8.9%
New Margin Labor 8.9%

While out in the blogosphere Utegate goes LOLZ...

Teh Utegate tail from then to now according to various animalehs from lolpolz (in very much shortened form here):

KRudd

MalcolmAFP

KRudd

ALP

Annie from Byron

Guest Speak is a North Coast Voices segment allowing serious or satirical comment from NSW Northern Rivers residents. Email ncvguestpeak at live dot com dot au to submit comment for consideration.

One little minnow's.........

....view of the universe at I can has cheezburger.

And the political point was?

I'm still pondering why Leader of the Opposition Malcolm Turnbull thought he needed to share a recent photograph of himself with the Twitterverse - one which had no political or social significance by itself?
Get a life, Mal!

Turnbull gets a serve concerning rights and obligations of Australian public service employees

Leader of the Opposition Malcolm Turnbull gets a serve he deserves via this media release from the Australian Public Service Commissioner, Lynelle Briggs:

Media release - Disclosure of information: rights and obligations of Australian Public Service employees

Issued 6 August 2009

'It is extraordinary and quite wrong that comments are being made claiming that it is reasonable for public servants to give Government information to Opposition parties. This isn't normal practice, nor is it usual practice, and it is not whistleblowing,' the Australian Public Service Commissioner, Ms Lynelle Briggs, said today.

'It is not commonplace for public servants to meet with Opposition parties to brief them before Senate Committee hearings, and it should never happen without the knowledge and consent of their agency head or Minister.'

'As public servants, we serve the Government, regardless of its political complexion. That is the simple constitutional reality. It is not part of our role as APS employees to serve the Opposition. By convention this means that public servants should have little contact with Opposition or other non-Government parties and requests for briefings are referred to the relevant Minister's office. This is a key consideration in the way in which we manage official information.'

Ms Briggs explained that 'the integrity of the Australian Public Service (APS) is fundamental to its good standing, its credibility and its legitimacy as an important national institution'.

'The APS is required by law to be apolitical, impartial and professional, and to be openly accountable for its actions. Public servants are also required by law to behave honestly and with integrity and to act with care and diligence in the course of their employment. They must comply with all Australian laws, not provide false or misleading information, and maintain appropriate confidentiality about their dealings with Ministers.'

Ms Briggs noted that these duties are set out in the Public Service Act which contains a strong ethical framework to guide the behaviour of APS employees in their working lives.

The APS Values impose a legally binding duty on all APS employees to serve the Government, to be responsive to its requirements and to be accountable for the way in which the public service helps it achieve its goals.

Explaining what this means in practical terms, Ms Briggs said:

'It means that, as public servants, we do not allow party politics to interfere with giving unbiased and objective advice to Government; it means we implement the decisions of Government irrespective of what our own views might be about them; it means we provide the same level of policy advice, implementation and professional support to every government, irrespective of the party in power.'

Ms Briggs said that public servants who leak information are often confused in the media with whistleblowers. 'A leaker is not a whistleblower.'

The Act makes clear that a whistleblower is a public servant who believes that they have uncovered actions which breach the Code of Conduct and who reports them to an authorised person within the public service, which includes the Public Service Commissioner. Whistleblowers maintain the integrity of the system by seeking to correct perceived wrongs through reporting to authorised authorities.

'Leaking involves the unlawful release of official information and is a breach of the Code of Conduct. Leaking, whatever the motive, destroys the trust between the Government and the public service and makes it harder to carry out our responsibilities. It undermines public confidence in the independence and non-partisan nature of the public service and is unacceptable practice for any public servant', she said.

The Australian Public Service Commission clarified this issue last month in a circular to all Australian Public Service agencies (2009/4: Disclosure of official information).

Contact Officer:
Patrick Palmer
Media Liaison and Group Manager
Corporate

Email: patrick.palmer@apsc.gov.au
Tel: 02 6202 3524