Time to wrap yourself in the flag and holiday in Oz?

Seems quite a few small Oz tourist towns might need our holiday dollar if this trend to either stay at home or holiday overseas continues to grow.

Roy Morgan Research 17/10/2011

The percentage of Australians who intend to travel domestically on their next holiday in the next twelve months has declined 3% in a year to 55%, according to the Roy Morgan Research Holiday Tracking Survey conducted in the three months to August 2011.

By contrast, the percentage of Australians who intend to go overseas on their next holiday in the next twelve months is 9% in August 2011, up 1% in a year and up 3% since August 2006.

In total around 12.6 million (68%) Australians 14 years or older intend to take at least one holiday in the next 12 months in August 2011, down from 70% in August 2010.

Intention to take a holiday in the next 12 months

   

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (June 2006 – August 2011, average sample per quarter n=5,077). N.B. A small percentage of holiday intenders cannot nominate where they will be going on their next holiday. As a result, the percentages shown as intending to go overseas or domestic on their next holiday do not add to the total intenders.    

Drawing from Google Images   

Moggy Musings [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]

A Will he or won't he, does he or doesn't he? musing: Here on the NSW North Coast everyone's been waiting to see who, if anybody, the ALP puts up at the Clarence By-election. Peter Ellem has put his name forward. Now I'm told Pete's a nice guy - but we moggies need to know if he likes cats before we can give Teh Paw of Approval. :-D

A Do you want fries with that? musing: McDonald's Australia serves up used condom to toddler.

A political il regrette musing: It must be ever so galling for the NSW O'Farrell Government to realise that if the then Nats MP for Clarence Steve Cansdell had not been so frightened of facing Mayor Richie Williamson at the March 2011 state election and, made a panic-driven decision or two, then the MP's falisfying of a 2005 statutory declaration would not have become public knowledge or be currently under investigation. BOF has his first real scandal since coming to government because a North Coast MP in a safe seat couldn't hold his nerve.

A you heard it here first musing: Clarence Valley politics shock announcement http://cheezburger.com/View/5214573056

An It's all about the numbers musing: My little canine friend, Veronica Lake, tells me that all the goggies she knows are running the numbers on former Nats MP for Clarence Steve Cansdell whenever they meet on street corners. They reckon he might have resigned before being publicly discovered to save his $80,000 or so per annum pension; reported himself to police to get a 25% discount on any sentence he might possibly receive if the matter of falsifying a stat dec ever went to court; announced both actions on a Friday to limit the amount of immediate media coverage in the hope of taking some of the heat out of the disclosure that it was allegedly a staff member he persuaded to lie for him; and continues to hope that nobody adds 1+1 and suggests that the former staffer whom the newspapers say was going to report the matter is the same staffer who lied for him in 2005 and the very same who is alleging that he abused his parliamentary allowance/s. Ah, ain't rumour mills grand?

An eating at McDonalds kills musing: An 80-year-old woman pulled from the bathroom of a Pooler McDonald's Wednesday died early Thursday morning at Memorial University Medical Center, according to Pooler Fire Chief Wade Simmons. Anne Felton, of Ponte Vedra, Fla., died after being exposed to fumes. Carol Barry, a 56-year-old Jacksonville, Fla. resident, remained hospitalized Thursday. She was listed in good condition at Memorial University Medical Center. Nine people were sent to the hospital with difficulty breathing after inhaling fumes in the McDonald's, located off U.S. 80 near Interstate 95. according to The Savannah Morning News report on 9September 2011.

A moving forward musing: Which North Coast developer, infamous for allegedly removing records from a company's registered office in order to avoid lawful scrutiny by an investigative reporter, has convinced one acting local government general manager to report specific council conduct to ICAC as the developer himself prepares to stand at the next local government elections? Rumour around the catnip patch is that he sees this as clearing the decks of any opposition to future expansion plans.

An Is it political payback? musing: At the last NSW state election Clarence Valley Mayor Richie Williamson ran against seating Clarence Nats MP Steve Cansdell. It was an edgy contest conducted via the media. Now it seems that while other Nats & Libs had publicized the NSW Police short resources audit period and openly encouraged constituents to participate, Cansdell neglected to spread the news or to inform remind nudge Clarence Valley Council about this audit. Then he went to the media to complain that council was tardy in putting in a submission to this audit. There's a decided scent of payback in the air.

A speak to the hand musing: Mata Hari, the slinky oriental cat who lives on Yamba Road, tells me that Clarence MP Steve Cansdell is finding it hard going being a member of government. She heard that he can't get the ear of his minsters when he needs to - that NSW Health Minister Skinner in particular fobs him off on advisors every chance she gets. Wonder how he's doing with the Police Minister?

A look back at New South Wales beach culture

http://youtu.be/8yyOzmedvEQ

Clarence By-Election Campaign Quote of the Week

“As a local councillor and mayor Chris was a champion for mainstream values against the vocal interest groups that sought to hijack public debate.” {Nationals Chris Gulaptis printed campaign flyer mailed out in late October 2011}

Best question of the week

"How can he keep getting away with it?" one worker said. "Why can't they freeze his assets and his racehorses and everything?"

A question posed in The Daily Examiner on 25^th October 2011 and one asked by many in the Clarence Valley.

2011 Clarence By-election Scorecard. Part Two - tit for tat

NSW Nationals candidate Chris Gulaptis in the media this week:

In a campaign flyer mailed out across the Clarence electorate - we are already delivering on our election commitments in the Clarence electorate, such as the $3.7 million upgrade to Casino Public School.

Present as a photo opportunity only when -  NSW Minister for Health Jillian Skinner has acknowledged three years after the Garling report highlighted a $70 million shortfall in funding for North Coast health services the deficit is still not being met by the State Government. Mrs Skinner was in Yamba to announce the O'Farrell Government would contribute $1.2 million toward a community health centre for the town. She said the NSW Government had lodged an application for $4.8 million in funding toward the project from the Federal Government's Health and Hospitals fund.

Present as a photo opportunity only when - JILLIAN Skinner has accused the Health Services Union of steering a campaign by paramedics calling for more staff and resources.

Clarence Valley paramedics have told The Daily Examiner the new business plan for the NSW Ambulance Service could result in delayed response times which could lead to deaths. But the NSW Health Minister said the union was encouraging members to highlight their concerns to the media.

"The Health Services Union is conducting a campaign right across the State at the moment," Mrs Skinner said.

She said she accepted the ambulance service, like the health service, could do with more funding, but she said a review of the service that was under way could see positive changes for paramedics.

On a Clarence Valley jobs summit - I have asked for a meeting with the chamber of commerce to see if we can organise a job summit for Grafton that will include all three levels of government as well as local businesses and residents. I will be happy to take these recommendations down to Parliament if I am lucky enough to be elected in November.
"It is only by putting minor differences aside and working together that this electorate can begin to thrive again."

NSW Country Labor candidate Peter Ellem in the media this week:

On Grafton Hospital - Peter Ellem (pictured) today joined Opposition Leader John Robertson and local nurses to demand State funding for orthopaedic surgery and equipment at Grafton Base Hospital. "The O'Farrell Stoner Government must fund orthopaedic surgery and equipment to complement the new federally-funded operating theatres at Grafton Base Hospital," Mr Ellem said. and "The O'Farrell-Stoner Government needs to invest at least $900,000 into refurbishing the pathology unit to ensure the future provision of these services at Grafton Base Hospital."

On the proposed Yamba Health Centre - "I am extremely concerned the O'Farrell-Stoner Government is trying to take local residents for a ride with its bungled funding announcement for the Yamba Community Health Centre," Mr Ellem said. "There wasn't one single cent allocated for this multi-million dollar project in the Budget which was released only one month ago. "The O'Farrell-Stoner Government only wrote to the Commonwealth last week asking them to fund the majority of this poorly planned project. To add insult to injury, the O'Farrell-Stoner Government is only pledging an unbudgeted $1.2 million for a $6-million project.
"The Health Minister has even admitted she has not allocated any future funding to actually provide health services and staff at the centre, should it ever be built.
"As a Yamba resident, I fully support the creation of a Yamba Community Health Centre, but they need to get fair-dinkum about this important project.
"If there is no funding allocated in the Budget and no recurrent funding for services, how does this Government propose to deliver our community health centre?"

On the Grafton meatworks  and Grafton Gaol - Meanwhile, Labor's candidate for Clarence says the State Government must rule out closing the Grafton Jail.

Peter Ellem says the Attorney-General was quizzed about his plans for the state's prisons in Parliament this week.

Mr Ellem says the response left alarm bells ringing. "Well in budget estimates yesterday, the Attorney-General Greg Smith refused to rule out closing further prisons across NSW and Grafton is one of the oldest in NSW," he said. "We've had a jail in Grafton since 1862 and with the closure of the abattoirs, we can't afford another job loss."

NSW Greens candidate Janet Cavanaugh on Facebook and a blog this week:

In the Clarence Greens blog - “One of the key issues we are worried about is the threat posed by mining to our precious water supplies. There is the risk posed by antimony mining on the Dorrigo Plateau to the Coffs-Clarence regional water supply and our estuarine fisheries, and the potential for coal seam gas exploration to drain and poison groundwater reserves as well as wreck important farming land and wildlife habitat.
“Mining needs to be better regulated, to limit these potential impacts. The Greens have introduced a bill to create a 12 month moratorium on coal seam gas exploration across NSW and are calling for a ban on mining within important water catchments.
“The major parties seem unable, or unwilling, to act to protect our land and our water. This by-election is an opportunity for voters to voice their disapproval by casting their vote elsewhere.
The dangers of arsenic and antimony are well documented. “Antimony and many of its compounds are toxic, and the effects of antimony poisoning are similar to arsenic poisoning.... in small doses, antimony causes headaches, dizziness, and depression.’ Wikipedia. According to a 1999 study by the National Academy of Sciences, arsenic in drinking water causes bladder, lung and skin cancer, and may cause kidney and liver cancer. The study also found that arsenic harms the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as heart and blood vessels, and causes serious skin problems. It also may cause birth defects and reproductive problems.
Anchor Resources a Chinese company is proposing to reopen the Wild Cattle Creek mine with a one and a half km open cut. Wild Cattle Creek flows into the Nymboida River, part of the Clarence River system which supplies water from Sawtell to the Clarence estuary. Antimony is found with arsenic. Once antimony and arsenic are leased from the ore and clays they are carried by the high rainfalls of this area to the sea. These elements enter the groundwater in higher than normal concentrations and there are no guarantees they will be permanently contained by ponds or dams at mine sites.

On Facebook - Come on Clarence vote 1 The Greens and let the Government know we don't want CSG wrecking our valleys and water supply!

Independent Wade Walker has made no public statement this week.

Christian Democratic Party candidate Bethany Camac has not made any public statement in the media as yet.

Assessment:

1. Chris Gulaptis continues down a dangerous path. This week his claim that the Nationals delivered $3.7 million in funding to Casino Public School was exposed as merely honouring an existing building contract signed off on by the former NSW Labor Government in 2010 and, the positive announcement of some funding towards a Yamba Health Centre appeared to get little traction within the target community.

While lining up to be included in the frame when a NSW minister does a little union bashing is not a good look and talk of a jobs summit, while probably well-intentioned, had echoes of an earlier Labor campaign.

Relying on the NSW Health Minister to put a Yamba Health Centre media release online rather than doing this himself could be seen as rather lazy.

2. Peter Ellem continues to demonstrate that he understands how to communicate and is to some degree setting the political debate agenda.

3. Janet Cavanaugh is taking her candidature to social media and the local monthly markets. Which at this stage is probably a sensible use of limited resources.

4. Wade Walker by saying nothing (except in the comments section of The Daily Examiner where he goes under a pen name) does himself no good.

4. Bethany Camac remains an enigma wrapped in a mystery, so her status since the March 2011 state election remains unaltered to date.

Rolling Scorecard

Gulaptis -1.5

Ellem 2

Cavanaugh 1.5
Wade Walker 0
Bethany Camac 0

Upgrade of Pacific Highway at Glenugie just south of Grafton has entered the home straight

Joint Media Statement

Federal Minister for Infrastructure & Transport Anthony Albanese

and

NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay

MAJOR UPGRADE WORK AT GLENUGIE COMPLETE

The upgrade of Pacific Highway at Glenugie just south of Grafton has entered the home straight with major works now completed and motorists set to be driving on the newly duplicated stretch of road by the end of the month.

Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese today joined Page MP Janelle Saffin onsite to see firsthand the finishing touches being applied and to thank the local community for their patience over the past 20 months while the work was being carried out.

“I also congratulated the project team on a job well.  Their expertise and hard work has brought the project in on-time and within budget, delivering safer, faster and less frustrating driving conditions along a further 7 kilometres of highway,” said Mr Albanese.

“The completion of the entire upgrade will be yet another major milestone in the ongoing upgrade of this vital road.  However, I am the first to acknowledge that there is still much to be done if the vision of a better, safer and fully duplicated Pacific Highway is to become a reality.”

The Glenguie Upgrade is a jointly funded project, with the Federal Government contributing $54 million and NSW Government a further $6 million.  The project is on track to be fully completed by December, with only some minor work still outstanding.

NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay said as well as delivering better, safer driving conditions, the ongoing duplication is also lifting the Pacific Highway’s capacity to carry the growing volumes of freight now being transported along it.

“This task has been given even greater urgency by the fact that interstate freight between Sydney and Brisbane is predicted to almost triple by 2029, with 80 per cent of this growth destine to be carried by trucks using the Pacific Highway,” said Mr Gay.

“In partnership with the Federal Government, we’re determined to get the job done as quickly as possible.  Already the full duplication of the Highway is the largest road construction project underway anywhere in the nation, with more than 1,000 workers currently on site upgrading some 69 kilometres of road.”

[From the Office of Janelle Saffin MP, 25 October 2011]