Please don't run me over! WIRES and The Northern Star with an urgent reminder about baby platypus

The Northern Star June 12 2013

If you see a small brown animal scurrying along the roadside at dusk or dawn, it might not be a pesky rat.

It could be something much cuter - a baby platypus.

Young platypuses are currently dispersing from their home waterways, and WIRES Northern Rivers is warning motorists to be careful after reports that some of these tiny creatures had been run over.

"Once platypuses, especially males, get to a certain age, they start to leave their water source and look for somewhere new to live, particularly if there are a lot of males in their area," WIRES co-ordinator Sue Ulyatt said….

...they are slightly longer than your hand.

"So when they're out and about at dusk or dawn, they tend to look a bit like rats, and people do accidentally run them over.

"We are really urging people to slow down.

"We want people to be aware and look around, particularly if you are driving near waterways."

Ms Ulyatt said the Northern Rivers had a growing platypus population.

Water raiders on the march again

From A Clarence Valley Protest 10 July 2013:

Raiding our northern rivers 

Letter to the Editor, The Northern Star, 10 July 2013:

Raiding our rivers

ON June 26 the NSWLC Standing Committee on State Development published a report Adequacy of water storages in New South Wales.

This report recommended that the NSW Government "review the environmental flow allocations for all valleys in New South Wales and make representations to the Commonwealth Government for it to review the environmental flow allocations for all valleys in New South Wales in relation to the Murray Darling Basin Plan" and told the government that "the priority given to environmental needs above water supply to industry and high security needs in regulated rivers under the Water Management Act 2000 is not sufficiently balanced" and recommended that it change this act to prioritise these other needs above environmental needs.

The committee that produced this report was dominated by the Liberal-Nationals Coalition and its oft-times ally, the Christian Democratic Party, so it should come as no surprise that the advice received by the O'Farrell Government heavily favours the interests of both irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin and the mining industry as it does not rule out damming and diverting water from the Northern Rivers to feed the insatiable water hunger of these two groups.

It is a general rule of thumb that it requires 1 to 2 tonnes of water to process 1 tonne of mined ore (USGS, 2012) and an individual coal seam gas well can require up to 1 million litres of drilling water (Metgasco, January 2013).

Irrigation water for crops can range from 2 to 5.5 million litres per hectare as a minimum to bring a crop to maturity in this state (NSW Dept Primary Industry, 2009).

The amount of water that would have to be drawn from the Clarence River systems to meet even part of what these two groups desire would potentially impact on the health of local rivers, local water security, local agriculture, local economies dependant on the fishing industry and tourism industries and the social and cultural life of local communities.

The Tweed and Richmond valley communities would possibly have similar concerns.
It would be useless to look to the North Coast Nationals to protect Northern Rivers interests, as the NSW National Party has never walked away from its 2008 state conference resolution to "support greater efforts to reduce the amount of eastern water lost to the ocean and campaign for more in-depth investigations into finding ways to turn this water inland" (My Daily News online, June 16, 2008).

It would also be useless to look to the Liberal Party to protect our interests, as the Upper House committee's recommendations echo the 2007 Howard-Turnbull push to dam and divert fresh water from the Clarence River catchment area and, the current Federal Opposition favours a "100 dams" plan according to a leaked draft discussion paper which makes mention of the Clarence and Mann rivers (The Daily Examiner, February 14, 2013).

Once again the Northern Rivers region is going to have to rely on its own community resources and lobbying abilities to combat any attempt to raid our river systems.

Now is the time to organise and act.

Judith M Melville

Yamba

Sheilas speak up

Sheilas Monthly Mail

5 / 7 / 2013

This is a very special edition of the Sheilas Monthly Mail in which we wish to pay tribute to Australia's first female Prime Minister by ensuring truth is included on the public record - the 'Round Up' today focuses squarely on the Gillard Government's record in achieving huge nation-building policy reforms under a minority government in the most adversarial circumstances.

The text below is published in today's mainstream media - through full page newspaper advertisements in Fairfax papers The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, and in the Murdoch press' Herald Sun, while a half page ad will appear in the Australian newspaper. We have deliberately selected these publications to directly connect with their readers.

The Victorian Women's Trust (publisher of Sheilas) has taken this significant step to put on the record what many women and men have witnessed over the last few years - watching in horror how the minority government’s achievements were delegitimized, while Australia's first female Prime Minister – who was governing successfully - was “torn down” by various forces, including:

(i) an overly hostile Opposition,

(ii) destabilizing and treacherous camps within the ALP prepared to bring down their own government,

(iii) a sustained, antagonistic mainstream media

(iv) a campaign of sexist abuse across social media and public forums.

Today's advertisements follows the work of the VWT in publishing ‘A Switch in Time’ in September 2012 – which documented the overwhelming sexist vitriol launched at the PM and the total lack of respect shown towards democratic principles and the Office of the Prime Minister. We know through feedback from this distribution of 13,000 copies nationally (and 20,000 downloads via the internet) that many women and men across Australia share our concerns.

Already, in the week since last Wednesday’s challenge, we continue to witness a ‘talking down’ of Julia Gillard and her minority government’s record of achievements. We also feel the deep reservoir of distress is not limited to 'feminist fringe groups' - but by large numbers of intelligent women and men across the country who are mourning the loss of a good prime minister and the contemptuous campaign launched against her.

This is our motivation behind publishing the message in today's advertisements. We have only been able to do this because women donors have given us the funds (without the privilege of tax-deductibility) because they share our concerns in putting truth on the public record.

Written by Executive Director Mary Crooks AO, on behalf of the Board and the staff of the Victorian Women’s Trust, the advertisement documents the Gillard Government’s record of nation-building policy reform achievements.  The advertisement also acknowledges for the many frustrated women and men how Australia’s first female Prime Minister had to contend with everything bar the kitchen sink thrown at her - with the saboteurs from her own Party ultimately rewarded.

Editor, Sarah Capper

The Gillard Government - Credit Where Credit is Due

We have all witnessed something extraordinary in Australian politics over the past three years. The 43rd parliament came to a close with the removal of Julia Gillard as the nation’s first female Prime Minister: the first woman ever to hold the position after one hundred and ten years of federal political leadership that saw 26 male Prime Ministers elevated to the highest office. The frenzy of the forthcoming federal election campaign will change the nation’s focus. Before it’s too late, we want to pay public tribute to those who made this period of democratic minority government a successful one - against the odds. The federal election of 2010 delivered a hung parliament. Prime Minister Gillard successfully negotiated and formed a minority government, the fourteenth in our history. This coalition of the ALP, Independents and the Greens, opted to provide careful, thoughtful, stable government for a full term, so that our national government could get on with the business of governing in the national interest. And it did just that. However, from the outset, and despite its democratic legitimacy, the Gillard-led minority government sparked an unheralded series of hostile reactions from different quarters across the country. An Opposition Leader, stung by being denied what he saw as his due, proceeded to launch a ‘seek and destroy’ mission centred on opportunistic appeals to people’s prejudices and fears. A deposed Prime Minister, stung from being removed so decisively by a Caucus that had lost faith in his capacity, spent the next three years currying allies on a parallel  treacherous ‘seek and destroy’ mission – with Prime Minister Gillard squarely in his sights. By and large, the mainstream media fuelled these separate but powerful agendas by refusing to accept the legitimacy of the minority government with Julia Gillard at the helm. Her many achievements went largely unproclaimed while her mistakes were amplified - and continually referenced. Instead of delivering dispassionate reporting, seasoned journalists and broadcasters became players in the game. Low showing in opinion polls was attributed to her poor communication and her government’s performance, without factoring in the damaging impact of the on-going duplicity within her own party. The very day in March this year that Prime Minister Gillard delivered a majestic Sorry speech on forced adoptions, a speech that belongs to the store of great national oratory, she had to contend with yet another destabilising leadership meeting at which her opponent failed to declare himself. The ensuing toxic political discourse surrounding the Prime Minister and the minority government gave public licence across the community, online and elsewhere, for an unprecedented campaign of sexist and chauvinist abuse, denigration, double standards, gross disrespect for the office of Prime Minister and gross disrespect for her as a person. It has been a fraught political environment and we remain baffled by several of the Gillard government’s policies – on immigration and asylum seekers, reducing economic support for single parents and the Prime Minister’s position on same–sex marriage. By and large, however, she has displayed an enormous capacity and style of effective leadership rarely seen in parliamentary leaders across the political spectrum. She oversaw the introduction of a raft of impressive and far-reaching legislation, showing high-order negotiation skill, sharp intelligence and a great ability to command strategy and detail across complex issues. Much of this legislation is nation-building, addressing our common future as Australians – the introduction of a carbon price, the roll out of a National Broadband Network, The Murray-Darling Basin Plan, a ground-breaking National Disability Insurance Scheme, a much more equitable model for funding primary and secondary education, a national paid parental leave scheme, and the establishment of the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse. There were many more reforms. Achievements in foreign policy, including Prime Minister Gillard negotiating the basis for future high level discussions with China, were notable and more far-reaching than those of her recent predecessors. On her watch as the nation’s Prime Minister, our growing economy has been the envy of the world - low unemployment, low interest rates, low inflation and triple-A credit ratings. We salute former Prime Minister Julia Gillard for getting on with the business of governing for us, the people; for the skilful negotiation, resolve and the leadership required to maintain the confidence of the Lower House; for steering the government through a full term; for enabling close to 500 pieces of legislation to be passed; for introducing significant and visionary reforms that will deliver great benefit to the Australian people in the time to come; and for remaining strong and poised when everything bar the kitchen sink was thrown at her. We pay tribute to those male and female colleagues who worked with her on the nation’s behalf, respected her capacity and gave her the loyalty she deserved. We pay tribute to retiring Independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott for their true independence, their courage and hard work in upholding democratic values; and for enduring with dignity, the threatening abuse aimed at them, their partners and staff. The success of this minority government has come at a significant cost. The past three years have led to a great loss of civility and common decency, a poisonous political discourse and a downturn in respect for our leaders. We now have a climate in which people willingly and disrespectfully attack one another in anonymous and often vitriolic commentary that is no substitute for mature democratic debate. There is a jaded cynicism and a sense of deep despair and powerlessness across much of the community. With men now back in their perceived ‘rightful place’ as political leaders of both the government and Opposition there will be little gendered attack in political circles. But the seams of aggressive contempt and sexist abuse that lay beneath everyday life and which surfaced with Julia Gillard’s elevation as Prime Minister, have not gone away. We have just lost our very first woman Prime Minister – a woman with a great sense of purpose and skill, a true reformer. Julia Gillard’s final observation, in a speech of supreme grace, was that her experience as the country’s first female Prime Minister will make it easier for the next woman, and the next and the next. If this proves to be the case, she will deserve further recognition and gratitude. Smoother passage for the generations of younger women coming through the ranks will only come about with more commitment – changes within political parties themselves, a greater focus on the benefits to be gained from gender equality, cultural change that reduces violent abuse and sexism and social action at many levels of our society. The truly ugly aspect of our national life revealed by the past three years should give cause for us all to reflect on what else is required to restore and maintain respect, civility, common decency and a fair go for women - in our society and in our democratic politics. Mary Crooks AO & Diana Batzias Executive Director & Convenor on behalf of the Board and Staff of Victorian Women’s Trust www.vwt.org.au

The Victorian Women’s Trust – About Us

Quotes of the Week

“Tony Abbott and his party are being pursued by a private detective, an army of pensioners and a very determined man in a wheelchair.” {Parkes Chamption Post 10^th July 2013}

“The "$96 billion of government debt inherited by the Howard government in 1996" we hear Mr Abbott talk about included an amount of around $40 billion in 1996 dollar terms (7.5 per cent of GDP) which was actually Fraser government debt accumulated under Mr Howard's watch as Treasurer that was inherited by Mr Hawke in 1983. That inconvenient fact is rarely if ever considered in the whole debt debate. It is pity that Mr Abbott will not stump up to debate Mr Rudd on Thursday, but the fiscal facts explain why.” {The Drum 10thy July 2013}

“Did you claim travel expenses on your book tour?

TONY ABBOTT: I did not.” {No Fibs 9^th July 2013}

“THE electricity market is a complete rip-off, says the former boss of ETSA, Bruce Dinham. In his own words, he explains that it has been set up purely to maximise the profits of power suppliers.” {The Advertiser 9^th July 2013}

“DOCTORS at a New York hospital were about to remove the organs of a woman they thought was dead. Then she opened her eyes. Colleeen Burns, 41, of Syracuse, New York, was admitted to St Joseph's Hospital Health Centre in October 2009 after a drug overdose. Doctors concluded that she was brain dead, when in fact she was in a coma, and were preparing to harvest her organs for donation when she woke up on the operating table. The hospital was fined $US6000 ($6600) after the state Health Department found that doctors ignored signs that Burns was still alive.” {news.com.au 10^th July 2013}

“Stop requesting read receipts for email. It's annoying and creepy.”

{Channel 9 reporter on Twitter 11th July 2013}

Abbott caught lying again

In which Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott attempts to write independent blog No Fibs’ role out of recent political history and blame Kevin Rudd for the Freedom Of Information request that revealed Abbott has improperly claimed over $9,000 in parliamentary entitlements in 2009……..

http://youtu.be/jArGOsJTygY

Excerpt from interview transcript posted at No Fibs 9 July 2013:

QUESTION:

It’s been reported that you have been forced to repay the amount? Are the reports inaccurate?

TONY ABBOTT:

This was dealt with two years ago. This is old news. Old news. Now, why is Kevin Rudd now trying to dish this sort of dirt? Kevin Rudd came into the prime ministership a few days ago and he said let’s have a kinder, gentler polity. Now, that was a bit rich from someone who’d spent three years and three days plotting against a prime minister, but he called for a kinder, gentler polity and he called for positive politics. Now, we’ve got the Labor Party spinning this kind of stuff. Now, let’s move on.

QUESTION:

It’s not the Labor Party. It’s an independent website who did an FOI?

TONY ABBOTT:

Let’s move on. Let’s move on.

The Daily Examiner newspaper creates sensible rule for public political debate in its letters section

In an election year letters to the editor tend to become quite partisan and pointed as the formal campaign period approaches.

Here on the NSW North Coast members of political parties more often than not have been allowed to push their party’s line without their affiliations being identified.

The most notable recent example were letters to the editor from a member of The Greens and the current Secretary of the National Party’s Yamba Branch.

The thrust of both these letters followed party lines, with the former addressing single parent welfare payments and the latter commenting on public debt by way of an anonymous online IOU Australia “debt clock” of dubious repute which Whois states is registered to Masina Pty Ltd/Winning Post Productions.

Now I'm sure there are card carrying Liberal and Labor party members also writing letters in support of their respective party campaign platforms, however I as yet cannot identify them - and this lack of transparency is the point. 

Ordinary voters should have all available information in order to decide just how much weight they give to published opinion in an election year, when letters to the editor are often seen as a dirt cheap form of political advertising in support of local candidates.

The Daily Examiner has recognized this issue and on 11 July 2013 published this note:

Ed's note

With the election looming and things become quite well, political, The Daily Examiner asks anyone who is a member of a political party to declare their affiliations in their letters in the interests of being fair to readers. 
Anyone found not complying will not be published again until after the election.

This editorial position deserves a bouquet and hopefully other North Coast newspapers will follow suit. 

Another perspective on the Reverend Hon Pat Comben - former Clarence Valley councillor (2008-2010)

“Of the nearly 3.6 million Australians who call themselves Anglican, statistically one in four women and one in eight men are victims of abuse, so it is something that affects our church on many levels”

Dr. Phillip Aspinall, Archbishop of Brisbane and Primate of the Anglican Church in Australia, 2012

1995

In February 1995 Pat Comben resigns as Minister for the Environment and, as the Member for Kedron does not re-contest his seat at the Queensland general election on 15 July 1995.

1997

Understood to be training to become a deacon of the Anglican Church.

1999

Mr Comben testified that he did not know why he asserted that ‘we’ know something. He said only he knew things and he erred in asserting that Cabinet had knowledge of what he knew….

He said that he had no specific knowledge about any matters involving child abuse.  Over some period of time he had received complaints at his electoral office about things that had allegedly occurred at the Sir Leslie Wilson Youth Centre, he had received complaints from homeless youths who had were detained at the John Oxley Youth Centre and had received ‘low grade scuttlebutt’ from some staff about children being inappropriately treated or inappropriately punished. He said that it was information of this nature which he had in mind when he referred to ‘child abuse’ in the statement broadcast in 1999. [3(e) Report: Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry June 2013]

2005

However, earlier this year, Tommy had raised the matter privately with the Anglican Church which ran the home.

In the letter to the church, dated August 29, he catalogued a horrific series of abuses visited upon him and others at the home, including being preyed upon by a paedophile.

The six-page letter detailed example after example of children being regularly beaten senseless, starved and taunted.

On September 2, he received a reply from the Diocese of Grafton's registrar Pat Comben that the Church's Professional Standards Committee was investigating the matter.

Mr Comben said: "I am unable to adequately express my personal feelings of revulsion, sorrow and helplessness which the letter raises inside me.

"I have no hesitation in speaking on behalf of the Diocese in saying that we will do all that we can to assist you." [The Northern Star 12 November 2005]

2006

The Anglican Diocese of Grafton general manager, the Reverend Pat Comben, said he was stunned by the extent of the brief being prepared by lawyers acting for former orphans. [The Sunday Mail, NSW State Library archives, 5 March 2006]

MORE than 40 former wards of the North Coast Children's Home have joined Richard 'Tommy' Campion's campaign for compensation from the Anglican Church. Brisbane lawyer Simon Harrison said his firm Nicol Robinson Halletts was preparing its case and would write to the church in mid-July to outline its position. "We'll proceed with legal action in September if negotiations don't pan out," he said.

Mr Campion last year claimed he was sexually, physically and mentally abused during his time at the home between 1949 and 1962 while Matron Ada Martin was in charge…..

Reverend Pat Comben, Diocese of Grafton registrar, said because the matter had gone to lawyers the church was constrained in what it could say…

Any claims of abuse had to be considered in the light of different views on corporal punishment in previous eras, he said, and the church was 'not sure' that it ever owned the home. [The Northern Star 7 June 2006]

2007

Late 2007: Mr Campion and his sister Suzanne refuse compensation after Reverend Pat Comben argues the church had no duty of care and the payments were an act of compassion. [The Gold Coast Bulletin, NSW State Library archives, 25 May 2013]

2008

Pat Comben was elected as one of nine councillors at the Clarence Valley local government election on 13 September 2008. He did not stand for re-election at the end of this four year term in 2010.

2010

A letter where an orphan describes a gang rape, violent sexual assaults and regular beatings at the North Coast Children's Home at Lismore was buried by the Anglican Church.
The Bulletin has obtained both the letter and an official complaint which explain why Grafton Bishop Keith Slater late last week became the first church leader, since the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Abuse was announced, to offer his resignation for failing to address complaints…….

Before he left in August 2010, Rev Comben wrote a "sincere and humble apology" for treating both Mr Campion and his sister "with contempt in respect to the aftermath of abuse they suffered as children while living in an Anglican place".
"As I am a member of the Anglican Clergy and you a victim of abuse I should not have made the many accusations of deceit that I did. For that I am truly sorry," Rev Comben wrote.
Neither Rev Comben nor Bishop Slater wish to make further comment. [Gold Coast News 27 May 2013]

2013

Understood to be the Manager at Koala Villas & Caravan Park at Boambee NSW.