NSWLC Government Whip Phelps parades his ignorance

Ever since the Hon. Dr. Peter Phelps MLC came to the notice of the Twitterati I have been finding him a hitherto untapped source of amusement.

This is vintage Phelps in Hansard on 2^nd June 2011:

The Hon. Dr Peter Phelps: Point of order: This is now the fourth time Mr David Shoebridge has referred to draconian legislation. He would, or should, be aware that "draconian" is the adjectival form of "dragon". There are no dragons involved in this legislation, and there are no dragons involved in the industrial relations situation of New South Wales. There may well be an argument for dracona-centric global warming, but that is something we will leave for another time. I ask that Mr David Shoebridge cease and desist from bringing the good name of dragons into disrepute by describing this as draconian legislation. [my bolding]

Sounds fair doesn’t it? A doctor of philosophy in history giving 'helpfu'l linguistic advice to a fellow member of the Legislative Council.

However, all is not what it seems. The “adjectival form of dragon” is in fact “draconic” – using a lowercase d.

A quick use of his Blackberry would have displayed the fact that the adjective “Draconian” or “draconian” refers to of, like, or pertaining to Draco or his laws and alternatively harsh, rigorous, severe as any good dictionary will tell you.

Although English is a dynamic language constantly changing over time, it is yet to catch up to Mr. Phelps’ fanciful interpretation – except perhaps in the realm of science fiction.

The new Daily Examiner editor is young enough to be an Internet Bairn, so.....

……all of us NSW North Coast WW2-ers and Baby Boomers can look forward to stumbling across candid photos such as this one from circa 2006-2008.

Welcome to the Valley, Jenna!

Abbott and Co out to emasculate the NSW Nationals?

All is not well between the Liberal-Nationals Coalition in the lead up to the next Australian federal election and strong language is the order of the day in this letter (originally published by The Australian) in reply from Nationals NSW President Christine Ferguson to Federal Liberal Senator Arthur Sinodinos on 5 March 2012. 
Nationals NSW President Christine Ferguson's Letter To Federal Liberal Senator Arthur Sinodinos

APN's Peter Chapman turns even nastier than usual on the Fraser Coast

Excerpt from the Fraser Coast Chronicle on 13 April 2012:

Which...

...high-profile candidate is so worried about Election Gossip that he has been digging for some dirt of his own?

This man has even gone so far as to make calls to certain people in Grafton, New South Wales, in a desperate attempt to find anything at all he thinks he could use as a shield.

If this candidate believes he can spare himself the scrutiny of the Chronicle, he had better think again.

Stay tuned...

...the Stealth Reporter hears all...

It doesn’t take a genius to see the visage of Fraser Coast Chronicle Editor, Peter Chapman, behind this ‘column’ which appears dedicated to anonymous and scurrilous gossip concerning mayoral and councillor candidates in the Fraser Coast Regional Council Election called for 28 April 2012.

The Clarence Valley would not tolerate the ugly side of Mr. Chapman’s editorship of Grafton’s The Daily Examiner and told him so early and often. He left the Valley after less than fifteen months at the newspaper and went north into Queensland – sped on his way by widespread community dislike of his divisive journalistic personality.

I suspect that the Fraser Coast is now paying the price for not following the Valley’s example.

* Graphic from The Fraser Coast Chronicle

How not to win friends and influence people in a NSW Legislative Council inaugural speech

When sly digs at a senior member of your own parliamentary party should not be a personal order of the day…………

As an aficionado of the Village People, Mr President, you, like me, will no doubt recall that they sang, "No man does it all by himself". {NSW Hansard,Hon. Dr. Peter Phelps MLC,2011,Inaugural Speech}

Developer's dream goes west in Yamba?

For years longtime Yamba residents have pondered the possibility that the ill-advised release of a large section of flood storage land for future urban development would be a graveyard for the speculative developers who currently own this land.

In 2012 they are perhaps seeing the first cracks in the Clarence Valley Council-NSW Government grand plan to eventually place over 2,000 new residents in flood prone West Yamba – with Lot 8 DP1062514 apparently coming onto the market in a forced sale.

This lot is subject to Stage Two of the Yamba By-Pass Road construction. Stage One is currently being progressed by Council.

22 Carrs Drive, YAMBA NSW 2464

Receiver Sale - Residential Subdivision - Yamba

- Potential for 172 lots
- 17.66* ha majority zoned residential (2C)
- 300 metres* to town centre and close to famous surfing beaches
For Sale by Offers to Purchase Closing Thursday 24 May, 2012 at 4pm

Extracted from ASIC's database at AEST 07:21:44 on 15/04/2012

Name EAST COAST PTY LTD
ACN 074 704 028
ABN 91 074 704 028
Type Australian Proprietary Company, Limited By Shares
Registration Date 03/07/1996
Next Review Date 03/07/2012
Status ** UNDER EXTERNAL ADMINISTRATION and/or CONTROLLER APPOINTED **
Locality of Registered Office Yamba NSW 2464
Jurisdiction Australian Securities & Investments Commission

Date Number Pages Description
13/03/2012 7E4331310 11 5011B Copy of Minutes of Meeting of Members, Creditors, Contributories or Committee of Inspection Under S.436e Or S.439a

'Troll' Phelps crying wolf on Twitter

The Hon. Dr Peter Phelps MLC tweeting on 5^th April:
Peter Phelps‏ @PeterPhelpsMLC
Yesterday, NSW Labor refused leave to allow me to move my motion on Free Speech in Australia (Motion No.599) #theipa http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/lc/lcpaper.nsf/0/D16FDBEB3231CD8BCA2579D5004ACF67/$file/Notice%20Paper%2076%20-%204%20April%202012.pdf

Peter Phelps‏@PeterPhelpsMLC

@BULMKT They can 'deny leave' for me to proceed, unless motion is set for debate. It would have been quick and easy, but they hate freedom.

Such a hard done by MLC – on that particular day he only got to rise to his feet for two of the four motions he had listed.

But what about the principle of free speech and the Opposition's supposed hatred of freedom? Well, this is where it gets interesting.

The February 2012 ANZACATT Bulletin tells us that; "On 12 October 2011, on a motion of the Leader of the Government, the House referred terms of reference to the Privileges Committee to inquire into and report on whether the conduct of Mr Shoebridge in relation to this matter constituted an abuse of privilege, namely the privilege of freedom of speech…..In its report, the Privileges Committee noted that the House has not identified and adopted appropriate principles to be applied in relation to the exercise of members' freedom of speech. In those circumstances, the Committee concluded that 'any finding of abuse of privilege under present circumstances could be perceived as an unwarranted restriction on members' freedom of speech'. The Committee was guided by this precedent in considering the statements made by Mr Shoebridge. In its report of November 2011, the Committee found that given the paramount importance of preserving the privilege of freedom of speech of members, and noting that the House has not adopted guidelines on what constitutes abuse of the privilege of freedom of speech, it would be unreasonable to adjudge Mr Shoebridge guilty of an abuse of the privilege of freedom of speech."

Now, Phelps took part in debating the 12^th October motion by way of points of order and unless he had ducked out for a pee just as the question was put he formed part of this – as did other Coalition MLCs and presumably all their Labor counterparts:

"Question—That the motion be agreed to—put and resolved in the affirmative.

Motion agreed to.

So it's a bit rich for him to be claiming to champion free speech, when he took part in what seems to be only the fourth attempt by the Legislative Council to compel a member into silence by way of formal sanction since 1989.

# For those interested in procedural minutiae, Phelps motion is recorded as "Notice given 11 October 2011—expires Notice Paper No. 64" on 23^rd February 2012 and as "Notice given 27 March 2012—expires Notice Paper No. 91" on 4^th April 2012.

Hansard Running Record displays "Obj. taken, item not considered as formal business" on 4^th April.

# Thanks to Clarencegirl for finding a pdf of the ANZACATT Bulletin for me.