Boomerang Festival, Friday 4 to Sunday 6 October 2013 - Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay NSW

Tickets can be purchased online here

Old news re-churnalized to fill online & print columns

This is an online article carried across various APN mastheads on 16 July 2013 and basically it is a reworking of the contents of a number of old, publicly available media releases with direct quotes inserted from two of these:

THE Queensland and New South Wales governments have a stake in the coal seam gas industry, as well as significant responsibilities when it comes to keeping the industry in line.

In Queensland the State Government has created an independent statutory body called the Queensland GasFields Commission.

Commissioner John Cotter said the commission's most important role was to ensure that both agricultural landholders and mining companies had the factual information they needed to negotiate good outcomes.

He said the State Government had identified mining and agriculture as key pillars of the state's economy.

"Come hell or high water I'm going to ensure that these two industries work to the benefit of themselves and to the benefit of the Queensland economy and community," Mr Cotter said.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said the coal seam gas sector was pumping billions of dollars into the local economy and would generate significant royalty revenue, however he cautioned that it "must co-exist with the agricultural sector and better work with the rural landholders and regional communities that we depend on for food and fibre". [Seeny media release 27 November 2012]

In NSW the State Government has formed the Office of Coal Seam Gas and a website to better inform the community about coal seam gas.

It also introduced new regulations on drilling for gas within 2km of residential zones and proposed future residential zones, as well as excluding drilling from critical industrial areas.

"Once finalised, the policy will ensure CSG exploration and production activities cannot occur in country towns, suburbs, villages and critical industry clusters across NSW," Planning and Infrastructure Minister Brad Hazzard said. [Hazzard 24 March 2013 media release]

Australian Opposition Shadow Treasurer tries to cast doubt on the independence of Treasury & Finance advice

As the federal electrion date looms ever nearer, this is Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey attempting to cast doubt on the independence of Treasury’s advice.

Sky News 26 July 2013:

The federal opposition says it won't rely on Treasury's numbers to work out how much its policies cost.

Instead shadow treasurer Joe Hockey says they have used the Parliamentary Budget Office, state government colleagues and independent advisers…..

'What I can say emphatically is that our numbers will be more reliable than anything the government publishes.'

He says the government is trying to 'bully' Treasury into delivering a certain set of numbers….

Mr Hockey has previously said the coalition would detail costings of its policies once the PEFO was released.

But now he's casting doubts on its independence….

This was Joe Hockey 36 days previously as he formed part of a unanimous vote expressing full confidence in Department of the Treasury and Department of Finance and Deregulation advice.

Hansard 20 June 2013 at approximately 1.28pm:

Department of the Treasury and

Department of Finance and

Deregulation

Debate resumed on the motion:

That this House expresses full confidence in the:

(1) Department of the Treasury and Department

of Finance and Deregulation;

(2) Treasury Secretary, Dr Martin Parkinson and

Finance Secretary, David Tune; and

(3) following words by Treasury Secretary,

Martin Parkinson: 'I can say on behalf of David

Tune, the Secretary of the Department of Finance

and myself—and get this right—were PEFO [the

Pre Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook] to

have been released on the 14th of May, it would

have contained the numbers that were in the

budget.'

The SPEAKER: The question is that the

motion by the member for Lyne be agreed to.

Question agreed to. [my bolding]

The more things are said to change for women, the more things stay the same

AFP, Kabul 13 July 2013

A court in Kabul ordered the early release of three people convicted over the torture of a child bride, an official confirmed Saturday, in a move denounced by activists as a blow for women's rights.

Sahar Gul, who was 15 at the time her ordeal, was burned, beaten and had her fingernails pulled out by her husband and in-laws after she refused to become a prostitute in a case that shocked the world.

She was found in the basement of her husband's house in north eastern Baghlan province in late 2011, having been locked in a toilet for six months prior to her rescue by police.

Her father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law were sentenced to prison for 10 years each for torture and attempted murder, though her husband remains at large.

“But after the court reviewed their case, it found out that they were only involved in family violence,” Supreme Court spokesman Abdullah Attaee told AFP.

The court did not have enough evidence against them, he said, adding a fresh prosecution would be launched .

“For now, the court has ruled that the time they have spent in jail is enough for them,” he said, though he could not say when the ruling was made or whether the trio had yet been freed.

Afghan rights groups expressed indignation over the early releases, calling it a step back in time for Afghanistan's women......

Abbott's Turn Back The Boats Policy OR The Boat Phone Lives!

This was Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in election year 2010

The Courier Mail 16 August:

TONY Abbott will personally make any decision to turn around boats carrying asylum seekers if he becomes prime minister.

As another asylum seeker boat arrived at the weekend - the 152nd since Labor won office - Mr Abbott revealed yesterday how his pledge to turn back the boats would work.

"In the end it would be a prime ministerial decision," he said.

"It would be the Government's call based on advice of the commander on the spot."

Mr Abbott said the phone call from sea would come to him - on the boat phone - and it would be his choice whether or not to turn a boat back if it was safe to do so……

This was Tony Abbott in election year 2013

Operation Sovereign Borders 25 July:

If elected, a Coalition Government will initiate Operation Sovereign Borders which will be led by a senior military commander of 3 star ranking.

We will ask the Chief of the Defence Force to recommend the appointment of the 3 Star commander, as well as a command and control model for this major operation. 

The commander will report directly to the Minister for Immigration, who will have portfolio responsibility for Operation Sovereign Borders. 

Operation Sovereign Borders will be directed by a Joint Agency Taskforce involving all agencies with direct involvement in border security.

In the first 100 days of a Coalition government, Operation Sovereign Borders will undertake key initiatives including:

·         Establishing the Operation Sovereign Borders HQ and creating the joint agency taskforce;

·         Finalising and issuing protocols for Operation Relex II, to turn back boats where it is safe to do so;

·         Increasing capacity at offshore processing centres; and

·         Lease and deploy additional vessels to relieve patrol vessels of passenger transfers.

The Australian 25 July:

TONY Abbott is risking the ire of the nation's defence establishment by forcing a three-star military commander to answer directly to his immigration minister under a dramatic command and control overhaul to stop asylum boats..….

Mr Abbott said General Hurley had been consulted about the policy this morning, along with the Indonesian ambassador, as a matter of courtesy.

However, General Hurley made it clear the policy did not carry his imprimatur.

"Contrary to media reporting today, the Chief of the Defence Force, General David Hurley, has not provided advice or recommendations to Opposition Leader, Mr Tony Abbott with respect to Coalition policy on asylum seeker issues," his office said in a statement.

"Defence understands that the Chief of the Defence Force would be consulted regarding any future policies affecting Defence to be implemented by a future government."

An ABC AusVotes interview on 25 July with Retired Major General Jim Molan elicited the information that the proposed Operation Sovereign Borders chain of command is Prime Minister -> Minister for Immigration -> Three Star Commander.

Molan supported Abbott at the announcement of this new policy on 25 July:

It would appear that Tony Abbott is seeking to subvert the normal practice of the peacetime defence force which keeps in the chain of command a degree of operational separation between politicians and itself.

This is the Australian Constitution applicable since 1901 and the defence forces oath.

68. Command of naval and military forces

The command in chief of the naval and military forces of the Commonwealth is vested in the Governor-General as the Queen’s representative.

Defence (Personnel) Regulations 2002 - Schedule 2

Oath or affirmation for enlistment of member

I, (insert full name of person) swear that I will well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her Heirs and Successors according to law, as a member of the (insert Australian Navy , Australian Army , or Australian Air Force ) (insert for the period of (number of years) , and any extensions of that period, or until retiring age, ) and that I will resist her enemies and faithfully discharge my duty according to law.

SO HELP ME GOD!

I, (insert full name of person) promise that I will well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her Heirs and Successors according to law, as a member of the (insert Australian Navy , Australian Army , or Australian Air Force ) (insert for the period of (number of years) , and any extensions of that period, or until retiring age, ) and that I will resist Her enemies and faithfully discharge my duty according to law.

Other related policy.

Australian Maritime Doctrine: RAN Doctrine 1 2010:

Australia is a sophisticated liberal democracy with one of the longest histories of democratic government in the Asia-Pacific region. Our military forces are committed to upholding the Constitution, to the subordination of the military to the Government, of the Government to Parliament and of Parliament to the people. This means that Australia’s use of armed force must be subject to the test of legitimacy, in that the Government must have the capacity to demonstrate to the Parliament and the electorate that there is adequate moral and legal justification for its actions.

This adherence to legitimacy and the democratic nature of the Australian Nation State is a particular strength for the ADF….

Since 2006 the ADF’s contribution to civil maritime security has been provided under Operation RESOLUTE. Defence assets are assigned under operational control to the Commander Border Protection Command (BPC) who manages this tactical force through the employment of a Joint Task Force. BPC comprises officers from the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the ADF, together with embedded liaison officers from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority and the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service. Identified maritime threats include: illegal activity in protected areas; illegal exploitation of natural resources; marine pollution; prohibited imports and exports; unauthorised maritime arrivals; a compromise to bio-security; piracy, robbery or violence at sea; and maritime terrorism. Generally, BPC

provides an onwater tactical response at the request of other Australian Government agencies.

AustraliaGovernment Dept. of Defence:

Operation RESOLUTE is the ADF’s contribution to the whole-of-government effort to protect Australia’s borders and offshore maritime interests.

It is the only ADF operation that currently defends homeland Australia and its assets.

The Operation RESOLUTE Area of Operations covers approximately 10% of the world’s surface and includes Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone which extends up to 200nm around the mainland, Christmas, Cocos, Keeling, Norfolk, Heard, Macquarie and Lord Howe Islands.

Commander BPC, Rear Admiral David Johnston, RAN, is the overarching operational authority that coordinates and controls both Defence and Customs assets out of his headquarters in Canberra.

Located in Darwin, the Deputy Commander of Operation RESOLUTE, Air Commodore Ken Watson, is responsible at the frontline for ADF assets operating under Operation RESOLUTE......

This is the Australian Defence Force operation which contributes to the whole of government program to detect, intercept and deter vessels transporting unauthorised arrivals from entering Australia through the North-West maritime approaches.

Op RELEX II is currently based on a Task Group comprising one major fleet unit, an AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, Navy patrol boats and an army security element. A standby AP-3C Orion is available to deploy to provide a surge capability if required.

Operation Relex II includes units from all three services and supports Coastwatch and Customs.

Guess which documents the High Court of Australia is likely to take notice of if an Abbott-led government tried to implement this plan to position Abbott as de facto head of the armed forces and a citizen made an application to the court?

So who is 'whistleblower' Rod St. George ?

SBS Dateline 23 July 2013:

He's throwing away his career to speak out about his experiences working in the Manus Island refugee centre. …

Earlier this year, Rod St George took up the position as the compliance manager for G4S's contract to provide security on Manus Island……

So who is thus Rod St. George that we are told is throwing away his career to speak out? 

Well there is little in the online public record, except for an instance where he seems to have given contradictory evidence in a court case.

From Australia’s Hall of Shame:

March 16, 2006 Geelong Informant
PORT Phillip Prison operator Global Solutions Limited (GSL) was yesterday called to account over its bungling of a prisoner's delivery to Geelong County Court on Tuesday. The mishap resulted in a prisoner being forced to go without food or drink for seven-and-a-half hours. Judge John Nixon requested the attendance of GSL's Transport Operations Manager at court after the prisoner, due to stand trial in Geelong County Court at 10.30am, was not delivered at court until 2.30pm. When he arrived, concerned court staff discovered the man had been locked in a holding cell at Port Phillip Prison since 7am and had not been given anything to eat or drink since breakfast. It was also discovered that after collecting the prisoner from Port Phillip at noon, the prison vehicle travelled to Geelong via Melbourne Assessment Prison and other places. Judge John Nixon described the situation as absolutely outrageous. At 10am yesterday GSL Transport Operations manager Roderick St George appeared in Geelong County Court where he was questioned under oath by Crown Prosecutor Andrew Moore about the incident. Mr St George said a jail order had been faxed to the prison at 3.31pm on March 13 but because Monday was a public holiday, the jail order sat in the tray until it was read at 7.15am Tuesday morning. He said no one knew the prisoner was to come to Geelong until the fax was read, despite the prisoner already having been taken to the holding cell at 7am to await transport. Mr St George said any jail order received after 4pm would be regarded as ad hoc, yet he had already told the court the jail order had been faxed to the prison half an hour earlier. He said there was no indication the job was of high priority and said he was unaware the prisoner was required for trial, even though a letter was attached to the jail order, to the contrary. Mr St George said he had collected the letter before attending court yesterday and had not been made privy to its contents earlier. When asked why the man had not been given food or drink for seven and a half hours, Mr St George said it was the prison's responsibility to feed and water prisoners. Judge Nixon told Mr St George that what had taken place was an inexcusable blunder on GSL's part and Mr St George agreed.

Metgasco Limited enters the realm of make believe

This is Metgasco Limited’s attitude to Northern Rivers resistance to coal seam gas exploration and mining. Apparently local communities and councils are the forces of darkness and it a force for good.

CSG empires fight back against their critics*

* Metgasco might like to consider whether it has permission from Lucasfilm to use these Star Wars images to support its own commercial agenda.

The company’s level of self-delusion is painfully displayed by this snaphot of its revamped website, which still claims an expectation of local gas sales by the end of 2013 despite having no wells in actual production:

Metgasco’s retreat into phantasy may be explained by the fact that its Bowerbird E03 CSG Core Well, Casino, NSW was refused by the NSW  Dept of Trade & Investment’s Division of Resources and Energy in July 2012 and its Water Management Plan rejected five months later.

And by its Quarterly Activities Report 30 June 2013 which stated that:

At the time of reporting it is still unclear how the exclusion zones will affect Metgasco’s reserves. However, it is expected the reduction could be in the order of 15% to 20% for 2P reserves and 20% to 30% for 3P reserves. Revised numbers will be calculated, certified and reported when the impact of the exclusion zones becomes clear. The revised numbers will also reflect the results of Bowerbird E04…..

Metgasco retains its development approval for the Casino Gas Project / Richmond Valley Power Station. The project is currently on hold. Apart from the NSW CSG regulatory environment, changes in the eastern coast electricity market have questioned the timing for new base load power stations. Metgasco will continue to review options, which include the building of a peak load power station rather than a base load power station….

Metgasco's commercial plan looks less like a Jedi on the march and more like a business braggart in retreat  - unable to meet even the weak environmental requirements of the NSW Coalition Government, having less available gas reserves in the future and the likelihood of a power plant which contributes to the delivery of a more expensive product.

In developed countries including Australia, increased peak demand has resulted in increased electricity cost due to the need for the installation of peaking power plants which serve for very short periods annually, normally during the peak summer days, and the cost of transmission infrastructure necessary to cope with the peak demand [Prof. W. Saman & Dr. E. Halawa, Sustainable Energy Centre, University of South Australia, 2009].