SAVE OUR NATIONAL PARKS: Are NSW North Coast National Party MPs set to betray their electorates?

North East Forest Alliance

NORTHERN RIVERS MEMBERS REFUSE TO RULE OUT LOGGING NATIONAL PARKS

MEDIA RELEASE 11/2/2013

Conservation groups have established a Save Your National Parks website to provide information on north east NSW parks proposed for logging: http://saveparks.com.au/

The North East Forest Alliance is disappointed that the elected members for the Northern Rivers refused requests to express their support for retaining national parks in response to proposals to open them up for logging.

NEFA spokesperson, Dailan Pugh, said that having already voted to allow recreational shooters into most of our national parks it seems the Northern Rivers’ State elected representatives are going to stand aside again and allow them to be given to the loggers.

“The Forest Products Association are asking for over a million hectares of north-east NSW’s National Parks, Nature Reserves and State Conservation Areas to be made available for logging. So far they have identified over 100,000 hectares of 43 specific reserves they want revoked.

“In the Northern Rivers the loggers have so far singled out 12 reserves they want to be wholly or partially revoked for logging: Wollumbin, Mebbin, Nightcap, Goonengerry, Guy Fawkes River, Chaelundi, and Nymboi-Binderay National Parks, and Wollumbin, Whian Whian , Bungawalbin, Butterleaf, and Chaelundi State Conservation Areas.

“The O’Farrell Government is currently assessing the timber resources in these reserves with a view to opening them up for logging.

“These reserves encompass core habitat for an array of threatened plants and animals, rare ecosystems, rainforests of world heritage value, exceptional oldgrowth forests, and part of a wilderness. The loggers are also seeking the removal of protections for numerous stands of oldgrowth on state forests throughout the region.

“In mid December NEFA wrote to the four local members for the Northern Rivers, asking them if they support logging within, or revocation for logging of, any National Parks, Nature Reserves or State Conservation Areas on the far North Coast of NSW.

“NEFA told them that we intended to publicise their responses to their electors on the grounds that they have a right to know the position of their elected representatives.

“None of the four State members for the Northern Rivers indicated that they would oppose logging of national parks. Don Page replied that he had forwarded our request for his opinion to the Minister for the Environment Robyn Parker. This is the same Environment Minister who repeatedly refused to rule out allowing logging in national parks during a budget estimates hearing. She has not replied.

“Thomas George responded that until the Government considers an inter-departmental committee review into the timber supply situation on the north coast he is ‘not in a position to speculate on what those options might be or even speculate on what subsequent decisions might be made’.

“Christopher Gulaptis and Geoff Provest did not respond.

“We need local members who are prepared to stand up for the north coast and not stand aside while our national parks are given to the shooters and loggers. The electors of the Northern Rivers must assume that the Government members for Lismore, Clarence, Tweed and Ballina have no intention to stand up for the local national parks that this community had to struggle for decades to protect.

“If the Northern Rivers community wants to keep its national parks they are first going to have to convince their elected representatives that their jobs depend on not supporting proposals to log them” Mr. Pugh said.

Reserves explicitly identified by Forests Products Association for revocation:

Black Bulga State Conservation Area, Bongil Bongil National Park (part), Bungawalbin State Conservation Area (part), Butterleaf State Conservation Area, Chaelundi National Park (part), Chaelundi State Conservation Area (part), Columbey National Park, Copeland Tops State Conservation Area, Dorrigo National Park (part), Ghin-Doo-Ee National Park (part), Gir-um-bit National Park, Gir-um-bit State Conservation Area, Goonengerry National Park, Gumbaynggirr State Conservation Area, Guy Fawkes River National Park (part), Hunter Estuary National Park, Jilliby State Conservation Area, Karuah National Park, Karuah Nature Reserve (part), Lake Innes State Conservation Area, Lake Macquarie State Conservation Area (part), Mebbin National Park (part), Medowie Nature Reserve, Medowie State Conservation Area (part), Myall Lakes National Park (part), Nightcap National Park (part), Nowendoc National Park (part), Nymboi-Binderay National Park (part), Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, Queens Lake Nature Reserve (part), Queens Lake State Conservation Area, Sherwood Nature Reserve (part), Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, Tilligerry National Park, Tilligerry Nature Reserve (part), Tilligerry State Conservation Area, Tomaree National Park (part), Tuggalo Creek Nature Reserve, Watagans National Park, Werakata State Conservation Area, Whian Whian State Conservation Area, Wollumbin National Park, Wollumbin State Conservation Area.

Should any Northern Rivers voter wish to express an objection to this proposal then their MP may be contacted at the following:

The Hon. Thomas George, MP
55 Carrington Street
LISMORE NSW 2480

Postal
The Hon. Thomas George, MP
PO Box 52
Lismore NSW 2480
P (02) 6621 3624
F (02) 6622 1403
E lismore@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Mr Christopher Gulaptis, MP
11 Prince Street
GRAFTON NSW 2460 
P(02) 6642 7574 
F(02) 6642 7574
E clarence@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Mr Geoff Provest, MP
103 Minjungbal Drive
TWEED HEADS SOUTH NSW 2486 
P (07) 5523 4816 
F (07) 5523 4817
E tweed@parliament.nsw.gov.au

The Hon. Donald Page, MP
Shop 1
7 Moon Street
BALLINA NSW 2478
Postal
The Hon. Donald Page, MP
PO Box 1018
BALLINA NSW 2478
P (02) 6686 7522
F (02) 6686 7470
E ballina@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Minister for Local Government, and Minister for the North Coast
Level 33 Governor Macquarie Tower

1 Farrer Place

SYDNEY NSW 2000

P (02) 9228 3403
F (02) 9228 3442
E office@page.minister.nsw.gov.au

Has to be the worst ad placement yet

 

Taking a trip down memory lane @robboma3 posted this June 2008 UK article on Twitter ……

 

The '100 Dams' Proposal: So who do I believe - Abbott or Hogan?

 

Australian Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott remains determined to dam Australia. An aim he has expressed at various times over a period of years.

 

This policy has been one of the subjects in a speaker’s notes brief distributed to Coalition MPs in July 2012  and, now surfaces again as a conveniently leaked Coalition Dams and Water Management Task Group draft ‘consultation’ paper which has been two years in the making.

 

The leak as reported may be short on detail, however it is obvious that at least one wannabe water raider which has been eyeing off Clarence River Catchment fresh water has had some input concerning the recommendations found in this paper and the Clarence and Mann rivers are listed amongst the '100 dams'.

 

While APN Media Group reports:

 

* The News Limited report indicated most of the proposed dams had been flagged for northern Australia and would be used for irrigation in a bid to double the nation's food production.

But a number of projects are mooted for northern New South Wales, with water to be piped north to the Logan River in Queensland….

Reports revealed the paper - compiled after years of consultation by the conservative parties' Dams Taskforce - included five new dams in northern New South Wales…

* Byrrill Creek Dam is back on the agenda

* a draft discussion paper identifying Byrrill Creek and the Oxley River as potential dam sites.

A significant amount of work was done on the Byrrill Creek dam plan, but it was rejected by Tweed Shire Council in 2011.
"Now, more and more, we're getting people from that area saying we want to expand our water facilities," he [Barnaby Joyce] said.

 

That damming and diverting one or more of the NSW northern rivers is still on the Liberal and National Party agenda is beyond doubt, as in one form or another it surfaces at almost every state or federal inquiry into water security.

 

Yet the Nationals candidate for the seat of Page in the 2013 federal election, Kevin Hogan, tells us that none of the northern rivers are being considered by Abbott & Co for diversion to south east Queensland or the Murray Darling Basin.

 

However, rather curiously Hogan only rules out the creation of major dams – he makes no commitment to no new dams.

 

Which begs the question as to what Abbott and his Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Water Barnaby Joyce may have been privately promising those water hungry mining companies operating (or intending to operate) on the NSW North Coast when discussing infrastructure partnerships:

 

"Now some of these dams will require public funding and at the last election I had half a billion dollars put away in my portfolio as seed capital to this purpose.

Some of them will require private funding and ... myself and (my) chief of staff, Matt Canavan designed the infrastructure partnership scheme which is a mechanism to attract funds from private investment to invest in this nation building infrastructure.

Some of them don't need anything because in such areas as the mining industry they require water to get coal mines up and they'll build them."

After two years of 'investigation' and no community consultation Clarence River Catchment freshwater systems are once more on the table for futher dam construction.

If such a dam was not being considered as Mr. Hogan asserts, why was it included in the list of potential dam sites at all?

Looking back at a taste of things to come - Australian Federal Election Campaign 2013

 

A comic take on basic Australian journalistic interview techniques when faced with The Liberal Rampant. Ignore the outrageous answers and plough on with the prepared questions regardless.

Replace "Rudd" with "Gillard" and "Costello" with "Pyne" and this interview could pass almost unnoticed into this year's federal election campaign.
 

 

U.S. We The People Petition Against Antarctic Whaling - sign now

 

This petition needs over 80,000 signatures before 28 February 2013 if it is to be accepted by the U.S. Obama Administration.

we petition the obama administration to:

Take strong action to stop the Japanese from killing whales in the Southern Ocean Antarctic Whale Sanctuary.
 

The President must take swift and decisive action against Japan's illegal whaling.

Under the Pelly Amendment and the Packwood-Magnuson Amendment, the President has the power to apply economic sanctions against Japan for its continued whale slaughter in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. The United States asserts that it resolutely opposes whale hunting by Japan, but does little to actually bring a halt to the practice.

The U.S. State Dept. has declared: “We remain resolute in our opposition to commercial whaling, including so-called ‘scientific’ whaling, in particular in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary established by the International Whaling Commission. In this context we wish to emphasize that lethal techniques are not required in modern whale conservation and management.”
 

Created: Jan 28, 2013
 

Add your name here.



Regional media in trouble on the NSW North Coast?

Independent News and Media (INM) has an estimated 29.5% investment in APN News & Media Limited which owns many of the local newspapers operating on the NSW North Coast from Coffs Harbour up to the NSW-QLD border, including The Daily Examiner and The Northern Star.

 

It is no secret that Independent News and Media (which has its own financial woes) is unhappy with the continuing lacklustre performance of APN and its latest trading update.

 

So unhappy is this major shareholder that it was calling for the sacking of APN’s current CEO Brett Chenoweth.

 

If this move is successful it would make him the second chief executive officer to go in the past two years.

 

INM’s revolt appears to be the reason for the APN trading halt announced on 15 February 2013.

 

All this would be of nothing more than passing interest to Northern Rivers residents, if it were not for the persistent speculation that APN regional media assets may be broken up and some sold-off.

UPDATE:

THE Daily Examiner and Coastal Views have restructured to ensure both publications remain the voice of our region for the long-term future.

While we'll be closing our office in Yamba on February 28, our coverage of the Lower Clarence will remain unchanged as we move towards a more mobile workforce in keeping with industry changes worldwide.

We have also re-engineered our sales structure to match our clients' needs, both large and small. In doing so, some local positions have been impacted.

Our new structure will provide higher levels of customer service and reader value than ever before and we look forward to the next chapter of our papers' evolution in this digital age.

The Daily Examiner has been an integral part of the Clarence Valley since 1859 and will continue to be so for many, many years to come. [The Daily Examiner 22 February 2013]

Key dates for the 14 September 2013 Federal Election. Are you on the Electoral Roll yet?

 

If you haven't applied to be on the Australian Electoral Roll yet, perhaps this week would be a good time to get your paperwork in or enrol online.

 

The Australian Electoral Commission website gives full instructions.

 

It is compulsory to enrol if you:

• are an Australian citizen, or eligible British subject,
• aged 18 years and over*, and
• have lived at your address for at least one month.

Key dates for the 2013 federal election

Updated: 30 January 2013

 

Today the Prime Minister announced Saturday 14 September 2013 as polling day for the 2013 federal election. The Prime Minister has further announced that later this year, the Prime Minister will advise the Governor-General to dissolve the House of Representatives with writs to be issued on Monday 12 August for an election for the House and half of the Senate, to be held on Saturday 14 September.

The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 sets various milestones in an election timetable. The Prime Minister's announcement of two key dates in the election timetable, being the date of the issue of writ and the date of polling day, creates a minimum timeframe election period which allows other dates to be determined.

On the basis of the writ being issued by the Governor-General, as indicated by the Prime Minister, on 12 August, and the election date being 14 September, the 2013 election timetable will be:

Issue of writ	Monday, 12 August 2013
Close of rolls	8pm, Monday, 19 August 2013
Close of candidate nominations	12 midday, Thursday, 22 August 2013
Declaration of candidate nominations	12 midday, Friday, 23 August 2013
Polling day	Saturday, 14 September 2013

Media contact

Phil Diak | Director Media
AEC, Canberra
02 6271 4415
0413 452 539