Thursday, 13 September 2012
As successful candidates in 2012 NSW North Coast Local Government Elections become known....
Clarence Valley Council Chorus adapted from Pro Sound Effects
Clarence Valley Council is the first local government area to go to the dogs.
Soon to be dominated by the right-wing political interests of two men, the pro-development commercial interests of a third and the slick sycophancy of yet another. Any councillor of genuine goodwill will have a hard time during the coming term.
Richmond Valley Council is coming a close second in the third-tier race to the bottom as Ernie Bennett is now the mayor-elect. Mr. Bennett has a history of marching in step with the harebrained ideas put forward by wannabe water raiders and far right politicians.
Roxon supporting the Tele's anti-trolling campaign is a tad hypocritical
Not only do pollies of all state and federal political stripes tear each other to sheds with full legal protection during Question Time, they all but bow down before the super trolls in mainstream print, radio and television.
It’s very convenient for the current mob in power in Canberra to pour petrol on the hot-housed outrage about social network ‘trolling’ because it takes a little of the heat out of their push to cyber-surveil the entire country.
See! Netizens are so naughty they just can’t be trusted. Why these little terrorists will blow up the outside dunny next!
The reality is, that anyone can at the click of a mouse block or report hate speech, sexually explicit or racial slurs, defamation or just plain nastiness, and tweeters who aren't drama queens do just that.
Just to show how silly the entire uproar over Twitter trolling is, here’s one of those same tweeters who recently complained of receiving the trolling treatment:
“ Robbie Farah, the NRL star who has called for tougher laws to fight internet trolls, last year tweeted that Prime Minister Julia Gillard should be given a noose for her birthday.
The Wests Tigers captain has this week called on the Prime Minister and the police to put an end to vicious trolls online, after he was the target of an offensive message about his late mother, Sonia.
But it has been revealed that, in September last year, on Ms Gillard's 50th birthday, Farah responded to a tweet from former league star, now Triple M radio host, Mark Geyer, asking "what would you buy the PM for her birthday? It's her 50th today" with "a noose".
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
People power brings the super trawler to a halt
After Seafish Tasmania the Dutch-owned operator of super trawler FV Abel Tasman, formerly known as the FV Margiris, had indicated it would still fish around the east coast despite the toughest conditions Mr Burke was able to impose under existing environmental law (having previously draped itself in a flimsy undertaking research as we fish veil) thousands of ordinary Australians appear to have been motivated enough by the precautionary principle to contact the Australian Government over the issue and demand action.
The Federal Member for the NSW North Coast seat of Page, Janelle Saffin, also deserves an honourable mention for approaching Minister Burke when the potential for localised fish stock depletion and destructive by-catch first became apparent - telling him that if he did not currently have the power to halt the vessel's intended fishing activities then people expected him to resolve the situation by changing the law.
This is the government response.
The Hon Tony Burke MP, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities:
Media release
11 September 2012
11 September 2012
Environment Minister, Tony Burke, has announced plans to legislate to extend his legal powers over the super trawler FV Abel Tasman, (formerly FV Margiris), to prevent the vessel fishing in Australian waters.
“If we get this wrong there are risks to the environment, to commercial operators and to everyone who loves fishing and they are risks I am not prepared to take,” Mr Burke said.
“There has never been a fishing vessel of this capacity in Australia before and the EPBC Act needs to be updated so that it can deal with it.”
The 142m super trawler is currently docked at Port Lincoln in South Australia.
Mr Burke acted after first raising concerns over the potential for harmful by-catch of dolphins, seals, seabirds and threatened or protected species.
“Last week I used all the powers available to me under the EPBC Act, (Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act), to ensure that all legal steps are being taken by the super trawler to limit its impact on any listed species, but I want to do more,” Mr Burke said.
“There is a lot of uncertainty in the community about the environmental, social and economic impacts of a fishing vessel of this size.
“At the moment there are no general powers in the EPBC Act to prevent new fishing vessels like the FV Abel Tasman from fishing while further scientific assessments are undertaken.
“I have been lobbied for some time on this issue by a large number of Labor MP’s.
“It was my view that legislative change should not be pursued until we knew how far I could go under current law.
“Once it was clear that my legal powers under the EPBC Act were constrained I commenced working with my department on these changes.
“That is why I directed that urgent legislation be drafted to amend the EPBC Act to stop the FV Abel Tasman,” he said.
The amendment will prohibit the super trawler engaging in a declared fishing activity in Commonwealth waters while a further assessment is undertaken by an expert panel that will report directly to the Minister.
“If the amendment I am proposing is passed by the parliament I will be able to work with the Fisheries Minister to set up an expert panel to conduct an assessment of all of the potential impacts of the FV Abel Tasman before it can be given approval to fish in Commonwealth waters.
“Until this expert panel has reported to the parliament on their assessment, the declared fishing activity will be prohibited.
“It is important we undertake an open and transparent assessment process to help restore the public’s confidence in our management of our Commonwealth waters.
“We are not in the business of taking big risks with the ocean which is why Australia has the best-managed and most sustainable fisheries in the world,” Mr Burke said.
On the same day:
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, has today announced a major review of Australian fisheries policy and legislation, the first of its kind in over twenty years.
UPDATE:
On its website PARLEVLIET EN VAN DER PLAS BEHEER B.V. states that the home port of the newly renamed Able Tasman is Brisbane, Queensland. In April 2012 this Dutch company appears to have registered a second entity for SEAFISH TASMANIA PELAGIC PTY LTD in Brisbane.
UPDATE:
UPDATE:
On its website PARLEVLIET EN VAN DER PLAS BEHEER B.V. states that the home port of the newly renamed Able Tasman is Brisbane, Queensland. In April 2012 this Dutch company appears to have registered a second entity for SEAFISH TASMANIA PELAGIC PTY LTD in Brisbane.
UPDATE:
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Declared Fishing Activities) Bill 2012 - C2012B00148
Passed the House of Representatives on 13 September 2012
Crime statistics and the NSW North Coast, June 2012
From the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research June 2012 Quarterly Report on Recorded Crime Statistics:
- Richmond-Tweed: Steal from retail store (up 12.7%) and steal from person (up 35.7%)
- Mid-North Coast: Robbery with a weapon not a firearm (up 88.9%) [These regional percentage figures in point form cover the 24 months to June 2012 and are taken from a 6 September 2012 media release]
An explanation of the uses and abuses of crime statistics for those with an interest in the subject:
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
Baker's council chain saw
This quote in The Daily Examiner on 4th September of Andrew Baker, Clarence Valley councillor-elect, all but passed unnoticed until an acquaintance put it under our noses yesterday.
"Divisiveness within council is even evident in the seating arrangements in the council chambers of Grafton and Maclean where the mayor and council managers sit separately to the councillors. Until all councillors and management can sit together at the same table, at the same eye-level, no team approach to council governance is possible."
We hooted with laughter at the thought of the very expensive carpentry required to bring the mayor and general manager down a few notches to councillor height, making them almost impossible to see properly from the visitor gallery seats.
What turns this desire to take a chainsaw to council's architecture into the truly absurd is the fact that meetings are not always held in the same place or in the same rooms and sometimes it's a case of generic tables and plastic chairs for councillors, management and visitors alike.
Council can't get more democratic that that!
Lower Clarence wags are suggesting that door heights in all council chambers should be increased at the same time – so that inflated egos can pass though without bending those swollen heads.
Anony-mice
Yamba
* Guest Speak is a North Coast Voices segment allowing serious or satirical comment from NSW Northern Rivers residents. Email ncvguestpeak at gmail dot com dot au to submit comment for consideration.
Honi Soit recalls Tony Abbott
Honi Soit not so fondly recalls the Abbott era in an article on its website containing this reprint:
A Day in The Life of the SRC President
March 27, 1979
I arrive at the SRC to be immediately confronted by a garbage can on its side and papers scattered all along the SRC corridor. However, this does not seem as dirty as one might think, as the walls themselves have been covered in obscenities. A clean floor would seem almost incongruous.
I notice that the front office wall has been decorated with homosexual posters by one of the front office staff who stares sullenly and uncooperatively, especially when I take them down and ask him not to replace them with others of a partisan politico, socio, sexual bent. He complains to the Hon. Sec./Treasurer, the Honi editors and anyone else who will listen.
I walk down the corridor to my ‘office’. It is finally time, I decide, to remove the condom which has been pinned on my door. It rather clashes with the lesbian posters that have been plastered there. A notice I had placed on the door reads “Tony (confidentially) you are a fuckwit”. It has now been slashed for good measure.
My first phone call is to someone who has been trying to ring me for days. Messages are often strangely mislaid at “our” SRC.
Finding a copy of Honi, I check on a feature I had suggested containing photos of SRC graffiti, an article of mine condemning such vandalism, and one defending it as “art”. Photos and articles are almost indistinguishable on a blurred grey-spotted background, and the page is dominated by a daubed slogan. It seems the paint brush is at work even on the pages of Honi. Perhaps it is just as well – the pro-graffiti article is three times as long as mine. The Honi editors apologise profusely, but no, they will not reprint the feature.
Returning to my office I am troubled by the thought of the SRC’s utter irrelevance to the daily academic grind of most students. These thoughts are not dissipated while I remain for several hours, not receiving a single call, letter, or visit from any student, except occasional abuse from the “welfare” officers across the corridor.
I console myself with the thought that at least I haven’t had to remove candles, placed so as to jut obscenely from the front office wall, or try to stop payment on cheques disappearing from the front office.
WHY DO WE ALL CONTINUE TO TOLERATE PAYING FEES TO THIS ORGANISATION? I HOPE YOU WILL HELP RESOLVE THIS QUESTION BY VOTING IN THE FORTHCOMING REFERENDUM ON THE SUBJECT.
Yours,
TONY ABBOTT
SRC PRESIDENT
Now that North Coast council elections are over we can expect to find a lot of airborne pokers being reported by the media with a straight face.....
....as new councillors test our credulity.
So just to remind everyone what mockery for slipshod reporting looks like, h-e-e-e-e-e-r’s Aunty ABC's Media Watch:
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