Water raiders still after Clarence River water and now looking to NSW Government

Obviously worried about the fact that the Rudd Government stands firmly behind the Northern Rivers and Clarence Valley opposition to damming and diverting environmentally sensitive coastal rivers, the Murray Darling Association is hedging its bets by also looking at twisting the arm of the NSW Government.

From A Clarence Valley Protest today:

Murray Darling Association members may be bickering at their annual conference but they are still fixed on the idea of Clarence River water diversion

The 65th Murray Darling Association annual conference is drawing to a close at Playford, SA and today at its annual general meeting the association will vote on not one but two motions concerning Clarence River water diversion.

Although association members are throwing around vague accusations about water theft and abuse within the Murray Darling Basin, they seem oblivious to the fact that this is the intent behind their motions concerning the NSW North Coast Clarence River catchment.

According to the Playford AGM Agenda:

13.2 Clarence River Region 2
For many years, Region 2 has been raising the issue of a feasibility study to dam part of the
Clarence River and divert some of the water inland to the Murray-Darling Basin to help alleviate water shortages. The Federal Government has made it quite clear that it will not support any such project but the NSW Government has not been as clear on the issue. Some years ago, the Association supported a feasibility study into the idea.
RECOMMENDATION: That the NSW Government be asked to respond directly to community requests over the years that part of the Clarence River be dammed to minimise flood damage and to divert some of the water inland to the Murray-Darling Basin.

13.3 Clarence River diversion Region 6
This proposed diversion of the Clarence River was first discussed in the 1930s. The Fraser
Government allocated $4 million to fund a feasibility study into the scheme. The Hawke
Government discontinued this. The proposal, if feasible, would involve the construction of a
headwater dam on the Clarence River, with a 22km tunnel under the Gibralta Ranges in Northern NSW. This tunnel would emerge on the Murray-Darling Basin side of the ranges and feed into the Beardy River, then the McIntyre River and, ultimately into the Basin. The Gibralta Ranges are situated in one of the highest rainfall areas in Australia. Benefits of the scheme include:
• The dams would have storage capacity approaching that of the Snowy Mountains
Scheme.
• The capacity of the headwater storage would provide flood control to the Clarence Valley.
• The diversion would only require 24% of the total maximum storage volumes of water to
provide similar volumes of water to the Basin as the Snowy Mountains Scheme.
• The generation of hydro-electricity is another major benefit.
This motion is not a request to build the scheme, but to revisit it in the context of recent climatic
events and over-allocations in the Murray Darling Basin.
RECOMMENDATION: That the MDA requests the Federal Government, as a matter of urgency, to commission a report on the Clarence River Diversion Proposal relative to water flows through the Murray-Darling system and to make that report widely available.

Howzaat!

I must say that my understanding of cricket matches is limited to memories of forming part of a backyard team each summer school holidays.
This exchange in The Australian 's First Byte between Ashes tragics tickled both fancy and memory.

• 27 August 2009

After 24 hours of careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the reason why Australia lost the Ashes was because England made more runs.

Tom Rundell
Warana, Qld

• 28 August 2009

Sadly for Tom Rundell (First Byte, 27/8), here's the basic truth of the matter. Australia lost the Ashes because England won more Test matches. Overall, England managed a meagre 2869 runs, while Australia scored a mammoth 2886. And, to rub more salt into our wounds, England lost a staggering 84 wickets in achieving its tally, while Australia lost just 71.

Col Shephard
Yamba, NSW

Sharing a thought on Internet censorship which landed on my desk.....

Oi! Senator Conroy - it's September already. Where's that promised report on your Internet filtering trial?

Colin Jacobs in The Australian this week Conroy won't tame 'wild west' web

A brief history of Australian Internet censorship proposals at Libertus.

If Frank Sartor becomes the next NSW premier......

If 'Cranky Frankie' Sartor were to become Premier of New South Wales then I would seriously have to consider voting for a (gulp) Nat at the next state election!

Nonimouse
James Creek

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.

Iluka hotel denies donation purchased jetty rights

Sedgers Reef Hotel emphatically denies a rumour that its $50,000 dollar donation to Clarence Valley Council gives it mooring rights for hotel patrons on the jetty being built adjacent to this hotel.

The Daily Examiner, 28 August 2009, p.3

Baby Boomers: keeping dementia in mind

On Tuesday Alzheimers Australia released a report by Access Economics Keeping Dementia Front of Mind: Incidence and Prevalence 2009 - 2050.

This report highlights the fact that by 2050 1.1 million Australians are expected to have been diagnosed with some form of dementia and by 2020 there will be an estimated 75,000 baby boomers with dementia.

"Every week there are more than 1,300 new cases of dementia. By 2030 there will be more than 3,600 and by 2050, about 7,400 new cases each week. The dementia epidemic is here. Dementia is a fatal disease and as yet there is no cure.".....

Dementia is predicted to become the third greatest source of health and residential aged care spending within two decades, costing 1% of GDP based on Australian Institute of Health and Welfare calculations.

"If current trends continue through to 2060 spending on dementia will outstrip that of any other health condition, reaching $83 billion (in 2006-07 dollars) and representing around 11% of all health and aged care expenditure.

Probably time we baby boomers started thinking of the best way to avoid becoming one of these cited statistics and learn all about those health measures which can be adopted to lessen the possibility that it will be us who will suffer from Alzheimers or another dementia of old age.

Executive Summary - Keeping Dementia Front of Mind: Incidence and Prevalence 2009 - 2050

Report Keeping Dementia Front of Mind: Incidence and Prevalence 2009 - 2050

Appendices - Keeping Dementia Front of Mind: Incidence and Prevalence 2009 - 2050

'Keystone' Keelty goes out on the heels of yet another bungle

AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty must wonder why his last day as head of the Aussie federal police will not be remembered for praises sung in his honour, but instead for the fact that a national security breach became very public and his force was placed in the position of trying to deny that it had a surveillance plane with heat seeking technology.
It seems no-one in the AFP thought to tell Vic police that this small plane was a s-e-c-r-e-t.
Just another blunder to remind us all of the many which occurred under his watch.
Over to you, Tony Negus....

The Herald Sun has all the laughs here.