Hogan's off to a hellava start

 

This was Kevin Hogan (the Nats candidate for Page at the next federal election) in The Daily Examiner on 2nd July 2012:
“We are seeing business really struggling in our communities at present causing job insecurity. I believe there is disappointment on many fronts with this current Labor Government.
Yup, that’s the second-time round campaigner we have all come to know.
Blame the Gillard Government for job insecurity, when the day before his state compatriot Nats MP Chris Gulaptis had been busy trying to excuse the NSW Coalition Government's axing of 100 jobs in Page.

*Pic from The Northern Star

On how not to win friends and influence people as a first-term MP

In The Daily Examiner on 30th^th June 2012:

“Yesterday the Department of Corrective Services announced a savage restructure of the Grafton Jail which would strip all but 60 beds from the 240-bed facility…..

However, Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis has defended the decision and blamed the previous Labor Government for allowing the jail to reach such a low point.

Mr Gulaptis yesterday described the jail as a time bomb waiting to go off, harbouring a culture of bullying and harassment among staff and inmates.

He claimed a confidential report into the prison said there were 11 staff who should have been disciplined for bullying and harassing inmates and other staff.”

The Daily Examiner letter to the editor 2nd July 2012:
Gulaptis lost plot
GEE, having a National Party MP in our electorate sure has helped, with 100 jobs gone from Corrective Services, a homeless service now missing from the lower Clarence area.
You really are on top of things Chris. What exactly have you done for the area?
The National Party is supposed to be in this with the Liberals, but all I can see is jobs leaving this area to go to an area held by a Liberal Party member in Cessnock.
Mr Gulaptis, what the hell are you made of?
Your party has gutted this valley and the commentary in The Daily Examiner on the front page Saturday was perfect and the picture was absolutely spot-on, except the creature pulling the heart out should have had Mr Gulaptis's face on it.
Are you going to take responsibility for your party killing this area? How much in income will now not be circulating around this valley thanks to your party?
This is going to have a large flow-on effect; the 100 jobs, Mr Gulaptis, will turn into 200 jobs in other related industries.
Already this job is proving far to much for you and you have let the citizens of Grafton down.
Bill Smith
South Grafton

A selection of online comments.....
By JASMITH from Grafton,

Just what we needed to read in the paper today, that our esteemed Member for Clarence, Chris Gulaptis calls your husband and dad a Bully. It was a tough enough day for the 100 workers without insults and name calling......WHO'S THE BULLY???????????

By EmmaB from Yamba,

On the front page today’s issue of The Daily Examiner. Is that National Party MP for Clarence, Chris Gulaptis, depicted with a bloodied hand holding aloft the bleeding heart just ripped out of Grafton's chest? Looks suspiciously like.....

By Fedup from Junction Hill,

I am left wondering. Why punish all the staff including civilian staff for the abhorrent behaviour of the few ? Why were these 11 people dealt with by the senior managers of the prison system? OR was there another agenda here!!!!!! To all those affected I wish you all the best for the future.

As for The Honourable Member Mr Gulaptis do not come to my door seeking endorsement for the next election especially after your comments. Instead of blaming the former government who by the way did not have a sitting member here look to your own backyard. When all the dust settles would the last person leaving Grafton please turn off the light because the ripple effect of this act of bastardry will echo through this city for years to come.

By willbewatching from Grafton,

This is a horrendous result for Grafton. Economically this will hit hard, talk about time bombs, the effect on the local economy is now the ticking time bomb. I wonder how many residents are here because of the Gaol. I am, my family moved here when I was young because my father transferred to Grafton Gaol and we all stayed. To use the culture at the place as a reason to close is a smoke screen, surely a change at the top, some targeted transfers, and an education process would fix the culture, but no the easy fix is to close the thing. This closure is about money pure and simple, saving money to build a new entertainment centre in Sydney among many other really important things. Well I would expect that not many from here will be going to the new entertainment centre, they will be busy trying to keep their businesses afloat.

By UrsulaTunks from Grafton,

I agree pwalsh. I think our new State Member is probably wondering what the hell he bought into when he took the decision to seek pre selection and ultimately election to the state seat! I don't give a rats bottom about how the situation was allowed to develop, I care about the impact on our community of this decision. Has the government any plan as to how to compensate our community for this action? Will they relocate another department here to fill the massive loss to our local economy as a result of this decision? Or are they just happy to keep us debilitated and as powerless as possible so they can rape and pillage the area for the CSG needed in their electorates in the cities? The electorate of Clarence has been gutted by a government that we were promised would finally give us a voice and some opportunity. Shame of Basil O'Fullivit and his factionally driven power hungry minions.

Australians are expected to gain 15 million kilos of body fat this winter...

 

…let me introduce you to my adipose quota.

 

Photo found at Google Images

Well what did he expect of a party under the leadership of the likes of Tony Abbott?

“This looks like a Stalinist operation really where everyone gets up and hails the party leader.”

{Clive Palmer on ABC News AM 3oth June 2012}

It's past the July 1 witching hour and Whyalla still lives!

Whyalla webcams as the midnight hour comes and passes without life in this steel town being extinguished by the 1 July 2012 introduction of a national price on carbon.

Click in images to enlarge

Update:

Post-Armageddon x 8 Hours 22 minutes and the sun is out in Whyalla!

Fairfax Manoeuvrings: Whose over-inflated sense of entitlement is operating here?

According to that Clayton’s journalist Andrew Bolt; THE hysteria over billionaire Gina Rinehart is not just funny. Have you ever seen so many hypocrites, wasters and self-servers pretending to be principled?.... We hear instead a lot of people with an outsized sense of entitlement, presuming a right to have property they do not own be run to suit them and their interests.

A statement which makes me wonder whose sense of entitlement has led to Ms. Rinehart’s demand for three board seats and a degree of editorial control.

It would seem that her personal sense of entitlement is based on the immense wealth she garners from family mining interests which makes her the country’s richest person.

However, it is less clear what she actually contributes to either the common good or national life.

According to Australian Tax Office Taxation Statistics 2009-10 there were 5,395 individuals, 4,285 companies, 518 partnerships and 931 trusts involved in the mining industry.

The mining industry had a combined tax liability in that financial year of a mere $4,168 million on a total assessable income of $139,593 million. Companies in this sector represented 6.3 per cent of the tax liabilities of all corporations operating in Australia.

To put that into perspective, in 2009-10 manufacturing companies had a tax liability of $23,235 million on a total assessable income of $265,687 million. Companies in this sector represented 12 per cent of the tax liabilities of all corporations operating in Australia.

Even our Northern Rivers retailers belong to a national industry group which has a taxation burden which is more than double that of the mining sector.

Finally, in the 2009-10 financial year 3,138 out of the 4,285 companies in the mining industry paid no tax at all.

So the mining industry remains the national industry sector with the highest percentage of tax exempt companies. A feat it manages due to the high number of tax deductions, rebates, concessions, exemptions, offsets etc. available to mining interests – including tax deductions available on any state royalties payable.

Whilst, as ever, the vast majority of taxation being paid to the Commonwealth still comes from the pockets of salary and wage earners.

Well B*gger Me Dead! It's the 1st of July 2012 and the sky hasn't fallen

The sun rose this morning to the melodic sound of a Northern Rivers dawn chorus, so I’m dedicating this to Tony Chicken Little Abbott who told me my world would end when the Australian Government put a price on carbon and introduced a mineral resource tax today.

This one’s for you mate!

http://youtu.be/-iYBIsLFbKo

Thanks to Clarencegirl for help with posting probs on this one!