Clarence Valley property theft/robbery crime rate across last decade - a matter of averages

On 21 August 2013 The Daily Examiner trumpeted; The Clarence Valley has returned some of the worst crime statistics in regional NSW following a 10-year review into offending trends across the state…..In nearly every category, crimes in Clarence were declining at a far slower rate than in the rest of the state.

Here is the actual Clarence Valley major property/theft crime profile between 2000-2012, published in August 2013 by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics:

Break And Enter Dwelling  -38.6% (12 year rate per 100,000 head of population falling but above overall state 12 year rate)

Motor Vehicle Theft  5.8% (now over the state 12 year rate per 100,000 head of population)

Stealing From Dwelling  -45% (12 year rate per 100,000 head of population falling but above overall average state 12 year rate)

Stealing From Person – less than 20 incidents per year over the last 3 years

Stealing From A Motor Vehicle  -3.13% (12 year rate per 100,000 head of population falling but above overall average state 12 year rate)

Stealing From A Retail Store  -7.8% (12 year rate per 100,000 head of population falling and less than 1% above overall average state 12 year rate)

Robbery - less than 20 incidents per year over the last 3 years

Comparing Clarence Valley property offense rates with the rest of regional New South Wales and the North Coast one finds that; falls in rates of this offence in the Murrumbidgee, Northern, Far West and Murray SD ranged between 11.5 and 32.8 per cent and the Northern SD experienced a 15.8 per cent increase in the rate of motor vehicle theft.

All recent NSW crime statistics releases here.

About that $1 billion that Abbott states was never cut from federal health funding

On 7 October 2003 the current Federal Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott became Minister for Health and Aging in the Howard Government – a position he held until December 2007.

These are the facts about the Australian Health Care Agreements 2003-2008 :

Each of the predecessor Agreements provided indexation formulae to account for growth and ageing of the population. The 1998–2003 Agreements also recognised that there was further "utilisation drift", that is increases in utilisation were occurring in the hospital sector over and above that which can be explained by population growth and ageing. This utilisation drift was in part the result of new technologies that allowed for treatments for conditions for which there was previously no hospital treatment. Utilisation also increased because of shifts in treatment from general practitioners' rooms and other ambulatory settings to same day hospital admission.

The 1998–2003 Agreements provided an escalation factor of 2.1% per annum over and above the growth caused by the increase in the rate of population for key elements of the grant. The 2003–08 Agreements reduced the utilisation drift factor to 1.7% and narrowed the applicable components of the grant, saving the Commonwealth Government about $1 billion from that provided for in the Forward Estimates. This reduction in growth provision was vociferously opposed by States and also by clinicians who were experiencing significant financial pressures on hospitals as a result of State Government funding constraints

In a 26 October 2007 radio interview with Mike Carlton, Tony Abbott admitted that there had been “a forward estimates adjustment” and agreed that “the share of federal government [health] funding has gone down from 45 per cent to 41 per cent since 1996”.

Stop the NSW O'Farrell Government selling your rights to developers!

Better Planning Network email 14 August 2013:

Dear NSW Resident

Within the next 2 to 6 weeks, the NSW Government will introduce its new planning legislation to Parliament, legislation driven by powerful developer lobbies whose primary focus is profit-making. If it is adopted, the outcomes of this legislation for ordinary residents and communities will be dire. In particular, the legislation will:    

·  Remove our right to have a say on up to 80% of developments. This means that you won’t have the right to comment if your neighbour wants to build a new 2-storey house next door and you will have no right of say if someone wants to build up to 20 terrace houses in your street or even put up a block of flats nearby.    
· Use the planning system to drive economic growth and fast track development at the cost of our quality of life, environment and heritage.  Economic considerations are an important component of our quality of life, but they are not the only component. The new planning system is about ‘development at any cost’ and drastically reduces the need for decision-makers to consider the social, environmental and heritage impacts of new development.    
· Increase the risk of corruption associated with planning and development decision-making.  The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has warned that the new system will carry serious corruption risks.

In exchange for all this, the NSW Government says that we will be able to have a say in the planning controls that guide development in neighbourhoods. However, the Minister will have broad discretion to amend these planning controls without community consultation.  And developers will be able to apply to exceed these controls as well.

Act now to stop this legislation from being introduced to Parliament. Sign our petition To the Premier of NSW - the Hon. Barry O’Farrell, MP: Withdraw the NSW Government’s Planning Bills! 

Yesterday (13/08/13), the SMH reported that Mr Sam Haddad, Director General of Planning and Infrastructure, had admitted that:

"...a proposed overhaul of planning laws has ''gone further than the government intended'', reducing the community's ability to fight bad decisions" and that “department staff may have unintentionally spread ''inaccurate or misleading information'' about the changes, touted as the biggest overhaul of the state's planning system in more than 30 years."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/top-official-admits-errors-over-draft-planning-laws-20130812-2rsht.html#ixzz2bsrz6oBe and also at http:///www.thefifthestate.com.au/archives/53324/ .

This admission by the State’s top planning official is simply unacceptable and the Government’s legislation must be withdrawn immediately, re-drafted and re-exhibited, with accurate information provided on its effect on communities, our environment and heritage.

Please help keep our Government honest and sign our petition To the Premier of NSW - the Hon. Barry O’Farrell, MP: Withdraw the NSW Government’s Planning Bills! 

Most importantly, spread the word by asking your neighbours, family, friends and community networks to sign our petition as well.

It’s not too late to make our voice heard. Together, we are stronger.

Thank you for taking action!

Sent on behalf of the Better Planning Network

		http://betterplanningnetwork.good.do/
		betterplanningnetwork@gmail.com
		http://www.facebook.com/BetterPlanningNetwork/
		http://twitter.com/bettplannetwork

(The Better Planning Network is an independent, non politically-aligned affiliation of over 420 community groups across NSW, striving to achieve a fair and balanced planning system that delivers responsible and sustainable development)

Australian Federal Election 2013: Kevin Hogan's KISS

Nationals candidate Kevin Hogan with his keep-it-simple-stupid approach to voters in the Page electorate.

This from a man who is falling in line behind Tony Abbott’s plan to remove a benefit paid to an estimated 10,000 people in the Page electorate worth hundreds of dollars a year for each one of these local folk.

As well as removing the Schoolkids Bonus which is an annual payment of $410 for each dependent primary school child and $820 for each dependent high school child of a parent or carer who gets Family Tax Benefit Part A – affecting thousands of families in the Page electorate.

* Image found at  @Captainturtle

Australian Federal Election 2013: Where's Tony Abbott's third daughter?

This is Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott on the campaign trail with two of his daughters.

The third daughter, Louise, (pictured left) is rarely seen this time around and word is that it is more than living overseas that sees her avoiding ‘Dad’ while he is frenetically romancing voters.

Rumour has it that she is busy this year progressing the policies/aims of the current Australian Labor Government and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Sen. Bob Carr, as an Executive Assistant with the Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Not something the Abbott team might want to admit perhaps?

Australia, UPR Report of Netherlands, 13th Universal Periodic Review (video)

31 May 2012

Ms. Louise Abbott Australia 

Universal Periodic Review of Netherlands , 15th Meeting, 13th Session of the Universal Periodic Review , UPR Extranet .

Statement on fissile material by Ms Louise Abbott, 12 March 2013

UPDATE:

Unable to resist placing his own political priorities above his daughter Louise, Tony Abbott has obviously leaked to the media that Louise is returning to Australia for the last week of his election campaign
Whether he wins or loses, her diplomatic career will always be suspect from this point onwards.

The Herald Sun 30 August 2013:

SHE'S been a notable absentee from the campaign trail but in a Father's Day gift, Tony Abbott's eldest daughter is coming home.

Louise Abbott, 24, is due to fly in from Switzerland on Sunday and will be her father's strongest behind the scenes supporter.....

Ms Abbott was constantly by her father's side during the 2010 campaign but is cautious about being involved in political events as she forges a diplomatic career....

UPDATE 2

Louise Abbott barely back on Australian soil and her father begins to use her in his election campaign via Twitter:

Tony Abbott ‏@TonyAbbottMHR 1 Sep

“@abbott_frances: @TonyAbbottMHR look who's here! pic.twitter.com/uOEJc9dtTt” Welcome home Louise!

Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott promising to pay back a mate on the 2013 federal election campaign trail?

Abbott and Murdoch in April 2013

 US citizen and media magnate Rupert Murdoch continuing to assist Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s election chances in any way he can:

ABC News 21 August 2013:

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has taken his federal election campaign back to Brisbane where he promised funding for the Broncos to expand its grounds…...

If elected, Mr Abbott says the Federal Coalition will provide $5 million to build a gym.

"Five million dollars from the Commonwealth towards a $21 million upgrade I think is a relatively modest contribution," Mr Abbott said.

News Corporation and its subsidiaries (including News Ltd and its subsidiaries) continue to have a major share in Brisbane Broncos Limited owning 68.87% as of 30 June 2013.

The Murdoch family reportedly control 38.4% of News Corporation voting stock.

According to the 2013 Half Yearly Report and Accounts submitted to the Australian Stock Exchange, Brisbane Broncos Limited has net assets valued at $26.6 million, total liabilities of $7.8 million, holds cash/cash equivalents of $15.1 million, has consolidated revenue of $19.2 million (including interest revenue of $386,578) and a profit before income tax so far this year of $2.7 million.

So how can a reasonable person not see Abbott's $5 million pledge as a pot sweetener for his most powerful backer?

* Photograph from Google Images

Liberal Party candidate Ray King has a major perception problem

The Sydney Morning Herald 17 August 2013:

The sister of controversial former policeman Roger Rogerson is working on the election campaign of Ray King, the Liberal Party candidate for the western Sydney seat of McMahon.

Mr King is under pressure after Fairfax Media revealed on Friday that he had been called to front the 1996 Wood royal commission on police corruption.

He admitted to being one of a group of Fairfield detectives who provided informal security services to the Italian community Marconi Club in exchange for free meals and alcohol.

He was also the subject of an internal affairs investigation over his association with Cabramatta brothel owner Salvatore ''Sammy'' Lapa. The pair were seen drinking together at the Marconi Club.