Roads and Ports Minister Duncan Gay demonstrates just how out of touch he is with regional NSW

The Clarence Valley Review on 28 March 2012:

Click on image to enlarge

One of the reasons why Cowper MP Luke Hartsuyker is getting less media cover?

These days one usually finds Federal Nationals MP for Cowper, Luke Hartsuyker, almost exclusively reported in the regional press. Rarely is he appearing in national media, particularly when it comes to his 'carbon tax' utterances.

One has to suspect that most of the mainstream media now see him as a political ranter.

On 30 March 2012 Mr. Hartsuyker told The Northern Star that:

ELECTRICITY costs may rise up to 20 per cent with the introduction of the Federal government's carbon tax..

Three days later on 2 April 2012, he sent out a media release which stated:

Federal Member for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker has welcomed calls by the Energy Users Association of Australia (EUAA) to address the power price hikes which are hurting Australian households and small business….

The report found that over the next three years power prices are forecast to rise by an another 30 per cent and the carbon tax is a primary reason for this increase..

The Coffs Coast Advocate reported his second assertion on 4 April 2012:

Mr Hartsuyker said in a media statement that a report tabled by the Energy Users Association of Australia (EUAA) found that over the next three years power prices are forecast to rise by an another 30 per cent and the carbon tax is a primary reason for this increase.

Now the Energy Users Association of Australia (EUAA), whose membership is primarily business and industry, did produce a March 2012 report titled A report to the Energy Users Association of Australia - Electricity Prices in Australia: An International Comparison.

However, the report makes no direct mention of the carbon tax and although it does foreshadow a 30 per cent increase in retail electricity prices by 2013-14 it also clearly and repeatedly states that it relied on Australian Energy Market Commission (AMEC) calculations for this figure.

In relation to residential electricity supply AMEC itself unequivocally states:

The retail component is expected to increase by 30 per cent with a carbon price factored in (compared with 26 per cent without) in nominal terms at a national level over the projection period.

Which means that pricing carbon is expected to increase the national nominal cost of retail electricity by 4 per cent over the next two years, not the 30 per cent touted by the Member for Cowper.

Both EUAA and AMEC point to the cost of replacing aging infrastructure as a significant contibuting factor in total projected electricity supply price increases to the average householder.

With EUAA pointing out that around three-quarters of all expenditure incurred by Australia’s electricity network service providers is capitalised and AMEC stating distribution costs (sub-stations, transformers, meters, poles and wires) are expected to contribute 33.6 per cent to the total projected national increase in 2013-14 residential electricity supply costs to consumers – with this projected increase rising t o 36.1 per cent  in NSW.

Electricity transmission network pricings are not set by the federal government but are decided by an independent body, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).

Mr. Hartsuyker is not stupid – he know all this. So why is he issuing such self-serving and misleading media releases?

Ah, yes, of course – he is one of Tony Abbott’s foot soldiers.

Woolgoolga Curryfest Saturday & Sunday 28-29 April 2012

The Woolgoolga Curryfest is an amazing annual signature event bringing thousands together to celebrate the cultural diversity of this scenic seaside village.

The curry theme links our major ethnic group, the Sikh Indians (largest regional Sikh settlement in Australia) as well as representations from many other groups from Germany, Thailand, Holland, England, and Scotland.

Festival Dates / Times
Saturday 28th April, 2012
Open from 9am to 9pm

When: Saturday 28th April, 2012
Open from 9am to 9pm

Where: Woolgoolga Beach Reserve

Admission:
Adults, High school students $5
Primary school children and under - FREE.
 
Live Entertainment Schedule for Saturday here
Sunday – personalised cooking classes and meditation workshop

All Enquiries
Ph: 0408 286 696E: info@curryfest.com.au

Trolling MLC Phelps just can't help himself

The Hon. Dr. Peter Phelps MLC in troll mode

courtesy of a little morphing

Hansard record of fellow Liberal Donald Harwin politely telling Peter Phelps to shut up interjecting on 3^rd April 2012:

"The PRESIDENT: Order! I call the Hon. Dr Peter Phelps to order for the first time."

Phelps on Twitter denying this happened on 4^th April:

"Peter Phelps‏ @PeterPhelpsMLC

@SteveWhan 'Shut up'? By whom. There is nothing even vaguely of that nature in Hansard. Clearly you're not only sad, but a fantasist as well"

Phelps second tweet entered the twittersphere on the same day he was singled out twice by Harwin:
The PRESIDENT: Order! I call the Hon. Peter Phelps to order for the first time......
The PRESIDENT: Order! I call the Hon. Peter Phelps to order for the second time.

The Fair Work Australia HCU Report Mess? Blame Teh Rabbit?

This came to my attention in The Age over Easter and I wanted to share the laugh.

TONY ABBOTT'S frustration that the Fair Work Australia investigation into the Health Services Union has not paved the way explicitly for criminal charges in part stems from legislation he introduced as the workplace relations minister in 2002.

The Registered Organisations Act, which details the rules about the financial management of organisations such as unions, provides for civil, not criminal, penalties for breaches. Consequently, the investigation by FWA was never supposed to be a precursor to the laying of criminal charges and it was not surprising the Commonwealth DPP said the 1100-page report referred to it by FWA was of next to no use because it did not amount to a brief of evidence.

Upriver Bill

Northern Rivers

* GuestSpeak is a feature of North Coast Voices allowing Northern Rivers residents to make satirical or serious comment on issues that concern them. Posts of 250-300 words or less can be submitted to ncvguestspeak AT gmail.com.au for consideration.

Your folly is risking our lives!

On 2 April 2012 Ray Hunt of Yamba on the NSW North Coast sent an email to Clarence Valley Council.

Because he is not alone in his concerns, this post is an excerpt from that email:

This morning 2-4-12, I was riding my bicycle out along Yamba Road at about 30kms p/hour in the cycle lane.

Approaching Freeburn St intersection I suddenly found the cycleway narrowing towards the newly laid curb and a motor vehicle veering onto me from my right.

I had nowhere to go and quickly applied my brakes causing me to skid.

The vehicle on my right was virtually on top of me blowing his horn. I could hear screeching noises coming from the vehicles behind as they quickly applies their brakes.

By the time I had nearly come to a stop the vehicle on my right began to move away and I noted the cycleway once again opening up.

No thanks to your staff I am very lucky to be alive today.

The roadworks at Freeburn intersection have just been altered, allowing for vehicles to stop before turning right into Freeburn Street. The motor vehicles following veer left into what was the cycle lane which just disappears and restarts 50m further up Yamba Road.

The curbing which has just been built does not allow for widening of the road to allow bicycles to continue up Yamba Road with safety.

Why is Council making Yamba so bicycle unfriendly?……….

I respectfully urge you to look at this unsafe intersection with a degree of urgency before one of our kids gets killed.

If you or your children cycle along Yamba Road perhaps you should consider writing to The General Manager, Clarence Valley Council, 2 Prince Street, Grafton NSW 2460 or emailing via council@clarence.nsw.gov.au.

In an obvious effort to create a turning lane into Freeburn Street the Yamba Road cycleway disappears. With no break in the concrete kerbing to allow cyclists to escape onto the footpath away from vehicles now competing for the same road space. There are also no signs warning motorists and cyclists that they are approaching a potential 'blackspot'.

Couple (below) crossing T-intersection onto cycleway further up Yamba Road

** Photographs taken were taken early morning Easter Sunday 8.4.12

Peter Phelps MLC: when pollies talk through an orifice far from their mouth

Over the weekend this nonsense caught my eye in The Telegraph on 8^th April 2012:

“ATTORNEY-GENERAL Greg Smith has come under fire from within his own party for appointing judges with a history of defending accused terrorists.

Peter Phelps MLC said Mr Smith needed to explain why he believed his last three judicial appointments were appropriate for "a conservative government", given their records as barristers.

The Sunday Telegraph has been told Mr Phelps' concerns - raised in the government's closed party room before Parliament met on Monday - echo growing fears within the party about Mr Smith's alleged "Left leanings" and "soft on crime" stance on judicial issues.

While Mr Phelps refused to comment on the altercation, saying his "one rule in politics is not to discuss party room in public", a number of other MPs have confirmed his attack on the Attorney-General…….

Mr Smith, a former member of the Labor Party, responded to Mr Phelps' concerns by saying he had worked with at least one of the men during his time as a prosecutor.

Mr Smith also said he had great faith in their judgment and ability and his spokesman defended the decision to appoint the three barristers and lashed out at Mr Phelps.

"Is he [Mr Phelps] going to suggest that everyone who acted as a public defender is unsuitable? That would rule out a lot of judges," he said.

"Advocates are sometimes required to represent unpopular clients and it is part of the strength of our justice system that leading silks take on this duty. It's called the cab-rank principle."

Robert Beech-Jones SC, Peter Maiden SC, and Chris Hoy SC, were all recently sworn as judges in the Supreme Court of NSW (RB-J) and District Court of NSW (PM &CH). Apparently these appointments occurred in the face of Troll Phelps personal objections – a Liberal Party pollie who obviously sees them as the terrorist’s friend at court. Because these three gentlemen have long legal histories which could take up pages to recap, I’ve decided to look at only the first contender for the charge of dangerous, leftist leanings leading to love of all things terrorist.

So how does a potted public history of Robert Beech-Jones' professional activity stack up?

1995 Counsel representing Australian Trade Commission - litigation

1996 Counsel representing Australian Trade Commission - litigation

1997 Counsel representing Comcare – litigation

1998 Counsel representing the Minister For Immigration And Multicultural Affairs – litigation

1999 Counsel representing a Tongan citizen – litigation involving request for visa application review

2000 Counsel representing the Minister For Immigration And Multicultural Affairs – litigation

2001 Counsel for a former migration agent – litigation seeking review of decision of the Migration Agents Registration Authority

2002 Counsel assisting the HIH Royal Commission – investigation of the collapse of an insurance company

2003 Counsel assisting the HIH Royal Commission – investigation of the collapse of an insurance company

2004 Counsel representing the Minister For Immigration And Multicultural Affairs – litigation

2005 Counsel assisting the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption - investigation

2006 Counsel representing the Minister For Immigration And Multicultural Affairs – litigation

2007 Counsel representing former female partner with Price Waterhouse Cooper – sexual harassment litigation

2008 Representing 1^st and 2^nd respondents - appeal and application for leave to appeal from a decision of a costs review panel upholding a costs assessment

2009 Counsel representing the Australian Securities and Investments Commission – matter concerning CSR and James Hardie compensation obligations

2009 Counsel representing Mamdouh Habib – litigation involving compensation/damages claim

2010 Counsel representing the Australian Securities and Investments Commission – litigation involving James Hardy asbestos compensation fund

2011 Counsel representing Hanlong Mining's vice-president  - litigation

2011 Counsel acting on behalf of Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions – litigation

2011 Acting for the Crown – litigation  involving former finance director of the Fincorp Group

2012  Acting on behalf of ACT Super Management – litigation

Fair dinkum! Robert Beech-Jones SC would have to be the epitome of legal middle-of-the-road in a conservative legal system which leans towards those who are white, wealthy, educated or powerful. Once more Peter Phelps MLC is talking from the southern-most orifice of his body.

# Thanks to Clarencegirl for finding some of the court cases mentioned