Coal seam gas industry's one man PR team

Adrian Nygaard aka Sealbasher & Rigpig

This Big Oil PR dynamo into red cars, guns and huntin’ gets a guernsey in The Daily Examiner on the 18th June 2012:

“HE'S not terribly worried about a locked gate - Adrian Nygaard has a gun.

At least that's what you might think if you'd been following some of Mr Nygaard's Facebook activity of late.

Mr Nygaard, who also goes by the name Seal Basher, has taken to the social network in support of the coal seam gas industry and has branded those opposed to the industry as brain dead oxygen thieves.

Alongside a photo of himself with a pistol aimed to the side of camera, Mr Nygaard wrote on Sunday: "You picked the wrong people to go to war with!!! LMFAO (laugh my f'ing a-off)".”

Having since pulled both the photo and the Coal Seam Gas Drilling Support page from Facebook, Adrian blames CSG protesters for causing him stress. But I have to wonder if what really made him fold the tent and slink away was this Facebook graph showing a growing lack of interest in what he and his mates had to say:

All we’re left with are little nuggets like this on his personal page:

Seal Basher

August 15, 2010

Thank God for wars, arms build ups, industrial nations, planes trains and big ass automobiles. I love our hydrocarbon sucking world, it keeps my beloved oil and gas drilling industry going, and when our rigs are drilling, my garage gets more and more toys parked in it!! THANK YOU OIL BURNIN WORLD!! THANK YOU!

Barry O'Farrell robs around 1,400 pensioners living in the Page electorate

Saffin calls on O’Farrell Government to stop slugging pensioners

Page MP Janelle Saffin has slammed the O’Farrell Government for taking part of the Federal Government’s recent pension increase away from public housing tenants.

Premier O’Farrell has announced a hike in public housing rents from March next year.

Ms Saffin said the NSW Government is using Labor’s pension increase as an excuse to hit public housing tenants.

“This cash grab will affect about 1400 public housing tenants in Page.

“The Federal Labor Government is delivering a boost for pensioners to help them make ends meet, but Barry O’Farrell wants to take a slice of it for himself.

“Local pensioners are sick and tired of seeing the NSW Government hit pensioners every time the Federal Labor Government gives them a bit of extra support.

“All pensioners in Page have received a lump sum payment from the Federal Government in recent weeks of $250 for singles and $380 for couples. From next March they will get a permanent boost to their regular payments.

“But Barry O’Farrell’s decision means a maximum rate single pensioner in public housing will be paying an extra $84.50 in rent a year.

“Federal Labor is delivering the pension increase as a separate, stand-alone supplement. The accepted practise is to leave pension supplements alone when public housing rents are calculated.

“In 2009 when the Australian Labor Government brought in the biggest ever increase to the pension, I lobbied the then State government to quarantine the increase from public housing rent rises,” Ms Saffin said.

“Barry O’Farrell has betrayed local pensioners.”

June 15, 2012

Media contact:  Lee Duncan 0448 158 150

Whale Meat FAIL

ABC News June 13 2012:

Japan's whaling research body has failed to sell the bulk of meat harvested from its last round of what it calls research whaling, despite inviting bids months ago.

A report released by Japan's Dolphin and Whale Action Network reveals there have been 13 rounds of public auctions for the whale meat, but 900 tonnes of it has failed to sell.

That is three-quarters of all the meat harvested from the last round of so-called scientific research whaling in the north-west Pacific.

The meat sales are supposed to help cover the cost of the whaling fleet.

Japanese taxpayers have been subsidising the fleet for years because few people eat the meat, complaining it does not taste good

Whale meat photograph from Google Images

The Chris Gulaptis Travelling Photo Show



Chris Gulaptis as he appears
 on  the NSW Parliamentary website

Clarence MP, Chris Gulaptis, has made a very bold attempt to get himself in The Guiness World Records. Gulaptis, who it seems is camera shy in Macquarie Street and is yet to sit for a portrait shot for the parliamentary website, appears no less than twenty three, yes 23, times on the latest taxpayer funded newsletter hitting letter boxes across the electorate of Clarence.

In a late development, the lads at our local watering hole reckon the reason the local member's photo isn't on the website is because Farry O'Barrell put a freeze on public spending at parliament house so we'll have to wait until the 2013/14 budget when carpenters can be employed to undertake the task of increasing the width of the top of the doorways at the photo studio. Currently, all doorways are standard sized, but enlarged doorways are needed if the Member for Clarence is going to get his swollen head through them.

A timely reminder that suspected corrupt conduct can be reported online to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption

Reporting Corruption

Members of the public and public officials are encouraged to report suspected corrupt conduct to the ICAC.

You can report allegations online. All reports are carefully assessed.

Report corruption here.

Moves to have a crematorium on the Lower Clarence

Clarence Valley Council has a proposal before it to have a crematorium on Chatsworth Island.
The hot spot earmarked to get the new facility is 441 Chatsworth Road, Chatsworth Island.
That location is currently occupied by a two-storey brick home that sticks out like dogs' b#lls. 
It's just a stone throw off
the Pacific Highway immediately south of the Mororo Bridge near the Iluka turnoff.

The last price tag on the property which covers about 1.75 acres (7,000 m²) was $325k.

Image credits: LJHooker, Maclean

Sometimes regional newspapers has a better grasp on Abbott & Co than the national media

Raising the chapeau big time to The Coffs Coast Advocate on 16^th June 2012:

“AT THIS stage, a vote for the Coalition in the next Federal election is not necessarily a vote for a fast-tracked completion of the Pacific Hwy.

Despite all the theatre that has taken place since Tuesday's state budget announcement, there is no guarantee the Liberals and Nationals will provide Pacific Hwy funding that is any better than the Gillard Government is offering.

When asked this week what a Coalition government could offer the people of Cowper regarding the most contentious piece of road in the country, neither local Federal MP Luke Hartsuyker or Nationals leader Warren Truss would commit to giving constituents a better Pacific Hwy deal.

This is despite the words of opposition leader Tony Abbott on January 9 after the tragic death of a young boy in Urunga: "I'm very happy to be bipartisan about finishing the Pacific Hwy as quickly as possible."

These words now appear empty……”