Drums are beating out a warning along the length of the Clarence River that the Liberal-National Coalition is fronting a raid on coastal water in 2010

Clarence River photograph found at Flickr

During the federal election campaign earlier this year the Nationals leader and one local candidate went to some pains (as did the NSW Nationals MP for Clarence) to deny that the Liberal-Nationals Coalition was still determined to push for a large dam and pipeline in the Clarence River catchment area which would divert water into north-west New South Wales and the Murray-Darling Basin river system.

However, Tony Abbott had already let the cat out of the bag at the Official Coalition Election Campaign Launch on 8 August 2010 when he stated:

The Coalition will end Labor's procrastination and fully and finally implement the Howard/Turnbull/Anderson plan for the Murray Darling basin.

The tail end of that particular 'plan' contained the option of damming and diverting a NSW North Coast river, with frequent mention being made of the Clarence River.

Since it became apparent that the Gillard Government would only be able to govern courtesy of the wandering goodwill of independent members of parliament, I have been waiting to hear that the Federal Opposition was intent on flexing its muscle and preparing to act as a sock puppet for those water raiders of 2006 to 2007 - the irrigators, property developers, mine owners, energy companies and groups within the Murray Darling Association who want cheap water at the expense of Northern Rivers communities.

I didn't have long to wait once blind panic set in concerning possible loss of water entitlements under the proposed Murray Darling Basin Plan. It is no accident that the NSW Irrigators Council is taking an active role in opposing this plan.

The drums are now beginning to beat out a warning that the raiders have gathered once again behind the Opposition banner to pursue the divine right of kings to pillage and plunder.

Presumably the rationale for public consumption will be that coastal river diversion will ease pressure on the Murray Darling system and therefore existing water entitlements in the Basin will not have to be drastically cut in the New South Wales region.

So to those New South Wales and Federal MPs of all political persuasions who may be entertaining the idea that robbing one fragile river system to support continued unsustainable water use in a long-abused river system elsewhere; I say "Hands off our river, our environment, our cultural and aesthetic values, our local economy, our communities, our wellbeing and our children's future."

Otherwise Clarence Valley residents are very likely to declare all out war - both standing on the riverbank and lining up at the ballot box.

For a potted history of the 2006-07 campaign to save the mighty Clarence go to A Clarence Valley Protest.

UPDATE:

The Daily Examiner sounds a warning on 12 October 2010:

In the Clarence we need to be vigilant to protect our river system from those who believe a diversion of the Clarence will save the Murray Darling.
Killing the Clarence to protect another river system would simply add to the destruction.

NRMA in 2010: how not to win friends and influence people in Yamba

McDonald's fast food outlet in Yamba under construction in October 2010

It has to be said that the NRMA office in Yamba enjoys a solid reputation with locals for efficient service delivered with a smile.

So one has to wonder who in that office made the decision to handout promotional McCafe vouchers to customers, whilst up the other end of this small coastal town the much loathed architectural nightmare of a pre-fabricated industrial strength McDonald's fast food outlet is nearing completion.

The strong feelings in relation to this McDonald's Australia inappropriate development continue and, I know of one resident who is seriously considering pulling their NRMA policies when these come up for renewal in the next couple of months.

We'll all be rooned!

Even before the Murray Darling Basin Plan was released or widely read last week (in an Australia which currently has a population of 22 million plus and produces food for around 50-70 million people annually) the doomsayers were bellowing across the land, and as usual the Oz meeja were happy to give them column space......

Water cuts would lead to riots: warning Sydney Morning Herald 7th October 2010

Jobs, farms to be hit under river plan Sydney Morning Herald 7th October 2010

'Huge cost' in returning water to Murray The Australian 7th October 2010

Plan will 'save river, kill towns' The Australian 8th October 2010

The water fight The Australian 10th October 2010

Cities will suffer from Murray-Darling cuts‎ ABC Online 10th October 2010

Not to be outdone the rightwing pollies joined in......

Murray Darling Basin plan rewards the inefficient: Nick Xenophon Adelaide Now 8th October 2010

The plan will destroy communities, said the opposition's water resources spokesman, Barnaby Joyce. ''The ultimate goal of a plan such as this seems to be that we wish our nation to be fed by somebody else,'' he said. Sydney Morning Herald 9th October 2010

BOB KATTER, INDEPENDENT MP: We will now be a very, very big net importer of food. We will be one of the very few countries in the world that will be a large net importer of food. The Insiders 10th October 2010

DANNY O'BRIEN FARMERS FEDERATION (to press): The plan that's been released today would be a dagger to the heart of regional Australia. The Insiders 10th October 2010

And of course a perennial climate change sceptic/lobbyist added her tuppence worth......

The Murray Darling Basin Authority released a 'Guide to the Proposed Basin Plan' yesterday which had been touted as an independent scientific report. My impression of the document, however, is that it is an audacious grab for more water based on popular myths....there is enough water in the MDB anyway – no need to take water from anyone. Jennifer Marohasy 9th October 2010

Well this little wood duck's response is straightforward. For generations we've been robbing the environment of water it could ill-afford to lose and (town or country) we've all been complicit in ignoring what farmers and primary industries have been doing in the Murray Darling Basin. Now it's time to pay the piper, suck up the pain and give that water back in big measure.

How to keep the shareholders quiet, but not necessarily happy

CBD, a column in The Sydney Morning Herald's BusinessDay, reported on Friday:

Mirvac Group has come up with what appears to be a cunning plan to silence debate at its annual meeting.

The property group dispatched its invitation for the meeting yesterday, which will be held in Brisbane at 10am on November 11.

One wonders if the shareholders should be able to start discussing the third resolution, the remuneration report, about the one-hour mark, when the nation has a moment's silence for Remembrance Day.

and

The copper explorer Cudeco has found another way, whether intentional or not, to dampen debate at its annual meeting.

Cudeco announced yesterday that it planned to hold its meeting in the easily accessible Cloncurry Shire Hall on November 30.

The company headed by Wayne McCrae usually holds its annual meeting on the Gold Coast. Cudeco has been feeling the heat recently for its tardy release of a hugely disappointing resource update on its Rocklands tenement and decision to buy back a swag of shares before its share plunge.

Unlike the last time it held its annual meeting in Cloncurry, Cudeco is yet to provide a list of local car hire companies, and hotels in Cloncurry and Mount Isa. It previously listed its preferred hotels in Cloncurry as the Wagon Wheel Motel and The Coyote Inn.

However, CBD failed to mention the ever-so clever strategy employed by NRMA and its "step-sister" IAG to keep some of their folk quiet.

By some magic stroke of coincidence, NRMA and IAG managed to convene their annual meetings at exactly the same time. Yes, NRMA is calling its members together at 10.00am on Wednesday 27th October and IAG is having its annual get-together at precisely the same time. How convenient!

NRMA's event, which has a big program that's dominated by an item of special business that will see its current constitution thrown out and replaced lock-stock-n-barrel by a new one, is being held in down-town Wollongong while the ugly step-sister, IAG, is having its shindig in Sydney.

Those arrangements obviously suit the teams running the shows but overlook the shareholders and members of the organisations who want to attend both events and voice their views about what's going on.

What does ASIC have to say about this?

Public relations Telstra-style falls flat with customer

A NSW North Coast reader sent this letter on to me with a wry observation about "a caring and compassionate Telstra".

I am astounded at what can only be described as the arrogance of this national telecommunications giant asserting in the letter that "we will look at what we can do to support our Grafton staff to find alternative jobs" - when around 180 local people will be looking for work in a region where unemployment runs well above the national and state average and an individual is likely to be out of work for at least a year before finding regular employment (usually on a casual or part-time basis).

This is a recent Keep Australia Working Regional Employment Plan assessment of prospects in the Richmond-Tweed and Clarence Valley:

In April 2010, the unemployment rate for the priority employment area was 8.1 per cent, higher than the April seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate of 5.4 per cent. Moreover, the youth unemployment rate for the same period was 12.7 per cent, compared with the national average of 11.7 per cent.
The participation rate in the region has decreased to 51.1 per cent as of April 2010, well below the national average of 65.4 per cent.
The average unemployment duration for job seekers in this region is longer than the national average (43 weeks compared with 34 weeks nationally). This represents a significant barrier to employment given factors such as loss of skills and motivation. The region is also characterised by well‐below‐average levels of educational attainment.

Transcript of the TELSTRA letter:

7th October 2010

Telstra Country Wide
North Coast NSW

[Name and address redacted for privacy reasons]

Thank you for your letter regarding Telstra's call centre consolidation and the potential impacts in Grafton and the Clarence Valley. I appreciate your concern for our staff and the community.

There is never a good time for such decisions and they are never easy. Please be assured that Telstra has taken into consideration feedback from affected employees and acknowledges the representations made by the community.

Like any organisation, Telstra must continue to make changes to remain competitive in a fast-changing market. Nonetheless, Telstra will continue to maintain a local presence in Grafton and the wider North Coast region in Telstra Country Wide, through our field workforce, and in our business and retail stores.

Over coming weeks, we will look at what we can do to support our Grafton staff to find alternative jobs. We will also support our people throughout the process with access to our employee assistance program and relocation assistance. Redundancy packages are also available and are among the most generous offered in Australia.

I hope that this explanation will go some way to reassuring you that we have explored every option in looking to continue our business call centre presence in Grafton before making a final decision.

Sincerely,

Michael Sharpe

General Manager

Telstra Country Wide

Michael.Sharpe@team.telstra.com

TELSTA CORPORATION LIMITED (ABN 33 OSI 775 556) I P.O. Box 1123 Lismore NSW 2480 P 1800 687 8291

Don't know what to get Dad for Christmas?

For Dads who have just about every imaginable thing and are real pains in the a**e to buy for, here's just the thing.

It's Wenger's Giant Knife - it weighs 2 pounds (about 5.5kg) and is 8.75 inches (about 22cm) long.

Priced at just $1400, the knife features 87 implements that at last count could accomplish 141 functions, including toothpick, fish scaler, special self-centering screwdriver for gunsights, tweezers and flat Phillips head screwdriver.

Don't diss the mayor and his deputy or the editor will censor?

Having a quick read of 'The Egg Timer' yesterday I noticed a letter to the editor which had an odd segue, so on a hunch I got in touch with the writer.
Seems this letter was published 18 days after it was emailed and 10 days after this year's Clarence Valley Council mayoral election.
Yesterday's belated version in the newspaper has been snipped and shaped, with the red highlighted section now missing. Hmmm..........

Glass houses vulnerable to stones

With good reason Clarence Valley's Deputy Mayor Jim Simmons is feeling aggrieved [DEX, September 18].
It seems someone has been using the entrance to his business as a public urinal.
What is fascinating about Cr. Simmons complaint is that he attributes this activity to an unnamed person or persons who possibly oppose his stance in the matter of the proposed new supermarket in Maclean.
Does he mean a well-known local developer who would have benefited from this supermarket or one of the many local residents who have voiced their objections to any loss of public space? Surely not! The Lower Clarence doesn't usually stoop to such behaviour.
Perhaps Cr. Simmons should look both closer to home and also further away for his culprit.
The clue may be in the timing "Thursday through to Sunday evenings....10.30pm and about 4am".
Leaving aside consideration of a disgruntled client, his business is in the immediate vicinity of a curbside bus stop which caters for local, regional, intercity and interstate private buses and CountryLink services. Some of which pickup and put down within the hours Cr. Simmons has identified. The same hours which see both pubs and public toilets close in Maclean.
However, this is September - the mad month at Clarence Valley Council when councillors begin to jockey for position in the mayoral elections.
Much better to be seen as a beleaguered shire councillor bravely facing a hostile community. Rather than one who is deputy mayor in a highly dysfunctional council where good governance and transparency appear to be missing in action, the Mayor and Council in the Chamber have lost any semblance of control over local government bureaucracy, official record keeping can be highly misleading, trust funds are misused, cost over-runs are just shrugged off, developer contributions are not always collected, senior staff think it acceptable that an official response to a good faith budget submission can be "so what" [Clarence Valley Council, 21 June 2010], certain councillors and management give the distinct impression of being in the pocket of at least one large multinational company and the mayor of this supposedly non-aligned shire council uses his official title to formally endorse a candidate at the August 2010 federal election ["Why we're backing Janelle Saffin",August 2010].
Cr. Simmons should not be as quick to point a finger at the Lower Clarence community - glass houses are notoriously vulnerable to stones and at last count the rumour mill had complaints to the NSW Division of Local Government, Dept. of Lands and ICAC concerning Clarence Valley Council climbing steadily during the time that Williamson and he have been at the helm.

JUDITH M. MELVILLE