NSW Nationals MP for Clarence 'Lazybones' Gulaptis and hollow crowing on Facebook and in the media

This was NSW National Party MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis on his Facebook page on 18 July 2012:

Clarence Valley Regional Airport will get a much-needed $2.12 million upgrade thanks to a generous loan subsidy from the NSW Government’s Local Infrastructure Renewal Scheme.

What a pity that it not-so-innocently slipped his mind that the O’Farrell Government was only offering a NSW LIRS Round One 4 per cent subsidy of the market interest rate and that this involved Clarence Valley Council taking out a $1.06 million third party loan with the balance of the upgrade costs unmet as yet.

Full funding for the $2.12 million regional airport upgrade did not come about until a further $1.06 million came from the Federal Labor Government as a Round Four grant by the Regional Development Australia Fund announced on 12 June 2013 – almost a year later.

Not that much for Gulaptis to crow about there – most of the spade work appeared to have been done by Federal Labor MP for Page Janelle Saffin and Clarence Valley Council.

Chris Gulaptis was back using his favourite political ploy again in August 2013.

This time taking credit for a $3 million commercial loan that Richmond Valley Council is taking out to upgrade the Casino Regional Livestock Exchange.

The Northern Star 1 August 2013:

Member for Clarence, Chris Gulaptis, yesterday announced the council had been awarded a low-interest loan under the NSW Government's Local Infrastructure Renewal Scheme at a fixed 3% interest.

Of course what is really happening is that the O'Farrell Government is granting a 3 per cent subsidy of the market interest rate on a third party loan as part of NSW LIRS Round Two.

And just as before, it is the Federal Labor Government which has provided a grant to improve cattle delivery and receival into the saleyards - this time for a total of $636,000  under the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program. Update: Plus a $3.5 million grant under the Federal Government's Round Five of the Regional Development Australia Fund announced on 6 August 2013.

Once more the heavy lifting appears to have been done by Ms. Saffin and Richmond Valley Council.

Abbott's Army blots its copybook again

Brisbane Times on the subject of Ben Riley, 26 July 2013:

Suspended Young LNP campaign director. 

Photo: Twitter

The website Crikey reported that Mr Riley, the immediate past president of the Young LNP, had been suspended for six months for taking a pair of boots from a stand at the LNP state convention on Friday night.

Mr Riley is said to have taken a pair of oversized RM Williams boots while intoxicated and wore them out, spilling alcohol over them before trying to rectify his mistake by paying for them the next morning.

Google cache of Young Liberal Movement of Australia Executive page of 11 July 2013:

CSG industry begins to spend "multi-millions of dollars" to drown out Northern Rivers and other communities across Australia

Ad News 30 July 2013:

The peak body representing Australia's oil and natural gas producers has launched a multimillion-dollar public awareness campaign to warn of the dangers to the economy of a slowdown in the industry.

The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association, which represents more than 80 full member companies and 250 associate member companies, kicked off the 'Our Natural Advantage' campaign last night.

A spokesperson for APPEA declined to comment on the exact amount but said the spend was "significant" and "in the multi-millions of dollars". The TV ads will be supported by print and radio……

Apparently Northern Rivers communities and residents who do not support the likes of Metgasco and ERM Power are unpatriotic and uncaring because we will not allow director-shareholders to fill their bank accounts at the expense of our own existing regional economies, amenity, lifestyle and an environmentally sustainable future for local families....

http://youtu.be/Bzm0cyJDbjU

Metgasco joins in the blamefest with an email round robin delivering this message from CEO Peter Henderson:

Metgasco Limited statement July 2013

Unfortunately for APPEA and Metgasco the Australian media is not always obliging:

Australian Financial Review Editorial & Opinion, 30 July 2013

Homeless Persons Week 5-11 August 2013

Toll Holdings: Tents R Us

Toll Holdings has a business.

Camp Infrastructure Services

Toll specialises in delivering camp infrastructure in emerging markets and remote locations.

Whether you need a permanent camp or a mobile one, in a remote location or a regional area, we’ll provide you with a complete camp infrastructure solution that is tailored to your organisation’s unique needs. With 20 years’ experience in delivering camp logistics solutions, we create efficient camp designs that maximise productivity and reduce costs.

Our end-to-end camp infrastructure services include:

·         planning

·         design

·         construction

·         camp management

·         camp shut downs

Our highly experienced team will manage local council, town planning, indigenous communities and other statutory requirements, minimising delays. And we’re able to accelerate build times by leveraging Toll’s global network to ensure infrastructure and equipment arrives on time regardless of location.

We can also support your camp with full camp services.

We provide camp infrastructure solutions for:

·         Permanent camps suitable for long term or permanent projects. We can build, own and operate these camps.

·         Temporary camps to support 50 to 200 people, suitable for 1- 6 month projects. These are all above ground, with less onerous council requirements.

·         Mobile camps for short term projects supporting up to 100 people. Our mobile camps are self-sufficient and can be deployed and made operational within a matter of hours.

Tony Abbott sprung pinching pennies while pleasing powerful mates.

The Sydney Morning Herald 30th July 2013:

A logistics company that stands to profit from the Coalition's "tent city" on Nauru funded the trip of its immigration spokesman Scott Morrison and a journalist and photographer from News Corporation to the remote island to announce the plan.

The trip to Nauru was facilitated by Toll Holdings, which has multimillion-dollar contracts already to help handle asylum seekers and is eager for more business in the area.

Other news outlets were not invited to travel with Mr Morrison, leading to News Corporation's newspapers reporting an “exclusive” story that the Coalition would set up a “tent city” on Nauru to house at least 2000 asylum seekers.

It is understood Toll Holdings chartered the flight for the Coalition and News Corporation.

Contacted on Tuesday morning, Mr Morrison's office had no policy documents to accompany the announcement, and a spokeswoman advised reporters to get their information from what had been reported in newspapers. Mr Morrison has since issued a press release with broad details of the policy.

News Corporation - formerly known as News Limited - is controlled by Rupert Murdoch, who has made no secret of his support for Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and disdain for Labor…..

The Age 30th July 2013:

Former Commonwealth Ombudsman Allan Asher said accepting funding from a company likely to bid for a contract arising from the policy announcement was "entirely inappropriate".

"I think at any time of the year that would be a questionable thing, but in the context of elections, it just makes it an entirely inappropriate thing to do," he said.

The Sydney Morning Herald June 12 2011:

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has chartered a private jet to Nauru to discuss asylum-seeker policy, with all expenses picked up by Liberal Party donors.

Mr Abbott wants to press the Coalition's case to reopen an asylum-seeker processing centre on the South Pacific island.

A party spokesman confirmed Mr Abbott and his entourage had chartered a private jet for the trip, and said all expenses had been paid for by Liberal Party donors….

Mr Abbott and the opposition's immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, are expected to meet Nauruan President Marcus Stephen and senior members of his government to discuss the Coalition's policy of sending those asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat to be processed in Nauru….

From pages 133 to 138 of Toll Holdings Appendix 4E Preliminary Final Report for year ended 30 June 2012 there is a complete list of companies controlled by Toll - feel free to knock yourselves out figuring exactly who might be filling Tones' campaign coffers.

NO CSG IN THE NORTHERN RIVERS: Swampy's not amused and on his way to Canberra with as many of your letters as will fit in his saddlebags

 

## OPEN LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY ## Facebook 26 July 2013

To whom it may concern,

My name is Michael Franklin (Turtle or Swampy). My parents, grandparents, and great grandparents have been breeding horses, logging and farming in the Grafton area since the 1800s. We have a great love for the land and everything has been done with consideration to the future viability of our property to sustain a decent lifestyle. I worked in Queensland after going to TOCAL Agricultural College. I started as a Jackaroo and went through to Head Stockman for AA Company. I loved the way of life up there, the attitude was, do what you wanted as long as it wasn't at someone else's expense.

I have just returned from the CSG Gasfields around Tara/Chinchilla on a fact-finding tour. I went to peoples properties, whose bores were contaminated. Not drinkable, and no idea of if, or when the water will ever be drinkable. They have admittance from the company to interfering with the Aquatard, not the Aquifer so no responsibility taken. They have now had to build dams and if you know Queensland, you would realise that dams are there in the good years but when it comes dry, it's all bore water. What happens then? It is not just one farm, there are numerous and any farmer worth his salt knows that clean water is our most valuable resource.

I went to the Wiembiella Estate where the blockies live. This is a motley crew of people, who have bought a piece of Australia to live and raise their families in peace and quiet, only to have it shattered by being turned into an Energy Hub. Thousands of vehicles a week, hundreds of trucks, I mean this is in your face 24/7, it just never goes to sleep. Its total disregard for your fellow man, the land and the water. We drove 15km around a dam just being built to fill up with toxic water to be cleaned and pumped back into the river that feeds the Chinchilla water supply. All they are taking out is the salts, not the radioactive materials or the heavy metal elements. The water is also used to irrigate crops and to water feedlots. I have done my Quality Assurance, Training and Assessment course for Beef Cattle Production and I am concerned about the quality of what the Australian consumer may be eating or drinking. I have never considered fertilising my paddocks with lead, yet The Land newspaper have reported that up to 90kg/ha annually is going onto the fields irrigated with produced water. I expect that the meat will be sold on the domestic/local market due to stringent export quality standards. You are what you eat.

I think that reusing emissions and renewable is the answer to our power problem. Septics/sewage, piggeries, dairies, sawmills, and rubbish tips and biofuel can all produce power. Then there is solar, solar-thermal, wind and tidal energies. Its more than enough and the proof is out there.

I am riding to Canberra against CSG. I believe in respecting thy neighbour. Even if you don't like your neighbour, I don't believe that poisoning them is justifiable. Common decency says that you do not have the right to interfere with or threaten the wellbeing your neighbours. I will also be promoting Australian Owned, Australian Made and Australian Grown because I believe that we should be supporting Australian business and farming as a sustainable future rather than the inevitable bust that will follow the mining boom. I would rather see Australia as a food bowl than a gravel pit.

Mick Franklin
Glenugie
NSW

 

#‪#‎LATEST ANNOUNCEMENT##

Franklin Horses will be running a postal service direct to Parliament House!
Departing from Grafton on the 21st of September 2013, and arriving in Canberra sometime in late November. All hand written letters of concern will be delivered direct to Parliament by way of Pony Express. Arrangements will be made for various collection points prior to departure and also along the way. Further announcements will be made regarding collection.

Tell 'em what you think and we'll take it to 'em!
Cheers
The Franklin Horses Team

Tony keeps Team Abbott on message with amusing results

Snapshots of Team Abbott singing from the same hymn book…….

http://www.bertvanmanen.com.au/pages/the-time-has-come-for-people-to-choose-media-release-28-june-2013.php

http://www.johnalexander.net.au/content/let-people-choose-who-governs-them

http://viewnews.com.au/sunshine-coast/2013/obrien-says-bring-it-on-457295/

http://www.louisemarkus.com.au/News/MediaReleases/tabid/63/articleType/CategoryView/categoryId/1/Media-Releases.aspx