900 more science jobs forecast to go by June 2015 in Abbott's Australia

ABC Rural 26 November 2014:

The CSIRO is set to lose one staff member in five over the next two years.

The effect of the Federal Government's cut of $114 million is now becoming clearer, with at least four regional research sites under threat.

National organiser for the CSIRO Staff Association, part of the CPSU, Paul Girdler, says 878 staff are to be cut over two years, until June 2015.

"It's over 100 more than originally forecast.

"Over two years, the CSIRO is losing 21.5 per cent of its workforce, or one in five jobs.

"This new analysis demonstrates the cuts are even worse than when they were announced."

Given the cuts last year, the total tally is 1,400 jobs at the Science Organisation.

Now it includes 36 scientists in agriculture and biosecurity fields, the majority in Canberra and Southern Queensland, while 75 scientists in Mineral Resources and Energy, and 71 in Land and Water, are targetted.

Mr Girdler says the futures of regional CSIRO sites are already threatened.

"The ones we have particular concerns about (include) Griffith in the Riverina.

"CSIRO has already announced it would close by 2016. We're trying to fight to keep that site open, but we have concerns.

"Three other sites will close unless they receives additional funding. One is Atherton in north Queensland, which is Ecosystem Science research.

"And two in NSW, the Radio Astronomy sites at Narrabri and Parkes."…..

"As of this week, two thirds of the people directly affected by the 2014 announced changes have been advised of or have completed their transition.  For the remaining positions that need to be identified and discussed with staff, leaders will be talking to individuals as soon as possible to resolve uncertainty.

"I appreciate these changes have been very difficult for all and I can assure you that your leadership team is committed to supporting staff through this time of change," says Mr Roy.

UPDATE

The Age 2 December 2014:

A world-leading CSIRO chemist who was  tipped to win a Nobel prize has been made redundant.

In September, the same month San Thang was nominated as a frontrunner for the illustrious prize in chemistry, he also ceased working as a senior researcher for the national science organisation, which has been hemorrhaging staff since June last year following severe budget cuts and a restructure.

As compensation, Dr Thang, who has worked at CSIRO for almost 30 years, was given an unpaid honorary fellowship. He continues to work at his former laboratory in Clayton, mainly supervising PhD students…..

A CSIRO spokesman confirmed Dr Thang had been made redundant as part of these changes.

As a direct consequence of the federal government slashing $115 million from CSIRO's funding over four years in the May budget, the organisation is expected to lose another 400 researchers and support staff by mid next year in addition to 300 positions being cut as part of an internal restructure.

This month, the CSIRO staff association released new data showing the size and scale of the job cuts were larger than expected, reporting that 878 positions were to be cut by June 2015.

But another CSIRO spokesman said the organisation did not expect a major variation from the number of staff reductions it announced earlier this year, around 720 positions.

National Congress of Australia's First Peoples writes to Prime Minister Abbott asking him to intervene in WA & SA plans to abandon remote communities

OPEN LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER – REMOTE COMMUNITIES

Posted on 28 November 2014

Dear Prime Minister,

The National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples has noted that the Western Australian and South Australian governments have threatened to shut down services to small and remote townships of the Aboriginal Peoples. We bring this matter to your government for urgent attention to Australian policy regarding the rights of First Peoples.

The First Peoples of Australia had, and will always have, inherent rights to exist on and develop our lands and territories. These rights derive from the continuing and ancient title to these lands and territories, and according to our collective rights to self-determination as Peoples.

By circumstances of Australia’s colonial and post-colonial history, and particularly in the absence of a consent agreement for acquisition and distribution of the wealth from our lands, territories and resources, our Peoples hold as a very minimum the right to enjoy equal outcomes from social and economic advancements benefiting all Australians. This must be clearly understood and respected by all governments in Australia.

The WA government apparently intends to target Aboriginal Peoples on the one hand, whilst continuing to provide high standards of municipal services to non-Indigenous citizens on the other. We cannot accept the WA and SA governments have legitimate authority under Australian or international law to racially discriminate to disrupt or destroy the livelihoods, accommodations or habitat of the First Peoples of Australia.

Congress must also take into account that other States may be contemplating reduction or withdrawal of services to our Peoples in the same way as Western Australia and South Australia.

Constitutionally, the Australian Government has the highest authority in the nation in order to promote and protect the rights of the First Peoples of Australia.

It is part of the international responsibilities and it is a responsibility that should not and cannot be discarded or devolved to other levels of government.

Congress brings to your attention that your government essentially reaffirmed its obligations to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples a few months ago at the United Nations General Assembly, during the high-level plenary session known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.

The national government holds ultimate responsibility to promote and respect equality and non-discrimination in the nation and, in that context, also to ensure our Peoples are correctly acknowledged as rights holders as Indigenous Peoples.

These standards to which we refer are enshrined in the human rights treaties that Australia has signed and ratified, along with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Congress requests your government immediately affirm to the states and territories that rights of the First Peoples are paramount in any fiscal arrangements to address social and economic development.

We consider it appropriate that this matter also be discussed at the next Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting.

Congress also requests an urgent meeting with you to further discuss this important matter.

Yours sincerely,

Kirstie Parker and Les Malezer,
Congress Co-Chairs

APN readers have spoken - they want Ginger Meggs!

Although the judges at APN are yet to officially declare the result of the readers' poll for their favourite comic strips and thus the three they want retained when APN 'restructures' its comics page Ginger Meggs polled very strongly and came in second with 23% of the votes.

Here's what APN's Daily Examiner displayed on its website after the poll closed.

World AIDS Day 2014

The global World AIDS Day theme for this year continues on from last year’s theme: Getting to Zero: Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths.

The aim of World AIDS Day is to encourage all Australians to be aware of HIV; to take action to reduce the transmission of HIV by promoting safe sex practices; and to ensure that people living with HIV can participate fully in the life of the community, free from stigma and discrimination.

As a community and as individuals, there is a lot we can do in relation to HIV. Working in partnership with people living with HIV, we can encourage others to understand how the virus is transmitted. We can support people to access testing and treatment, as we know that getting treatment at the early stages of infection results in better health outcomes. We can raise awareness that HIV positive people have the right to participate in a community free from stigma and discrimination.

Show your support for people living with HIV on World AIDS Day by wearing a red ribbon, the international symbol of HIV awareness and support.

Source: World AIDS Day Australia

More info here 

Which Tony?

On Google Trends first “Tony” was stupid. Then he was stupid, a bully and a liar. After that he was stupid, a bully, a liar and toxic - swiftly followed by being considered a bully, stupid, a liar, toxic and sexist.

Being thought of as a stupid bully seems to be something expected to continue into the future.

Sound like anyone Australian voters might know?

Metgasco considering leaving New South Wales for good?

Metgasco Limited Chairman Leonard Gill at the coal seam and tight gas exploration and wannabee production company’s 2014 annual general meeting, according to the Ballina Shire Advocate on 29 November 2014:

"The government's announcement has again given the green light in principle, but provided another set of traffic lights in practice," Mr Gil said.

He also suggested many gas companies in NSW would be contemplating the government's offer to buy back petroleum exploration licences.

"Given the continuing changing rules and ongoing delays in NSW, it would not surprise if all exploration licence holders - even the largest ones - gave some thought, at least in private, to this option."……

Mr Gil said the company will "continue to pursue opportunities to diversify outside NSW" as the best way to provide value to shareholders.

"Given ongoing delay in the Northern Rivers, the lack of investor confidence in NSW and the outlook for continuing sovereign risk, diversification remains a priority in order to set the company on a growth path," Mr Gil told the meeting.

The Australian Stock Exchange chart of Metgasco ordinary share daily price performance over the last twelve months:

At close of trade on Friday the company's ordinary share price stood at 4.7 cents.

Metgasco monthly ordinary share price charted over last ten years:

Current shareholder sentiment has been described as "depressed" by one AGM observer.

A state of affairs some shareholder comments on the HotCopper forum this month tend to support:

When do you think MEL lost community support and squandered their opportunity?

who says mel management cannot be matched for the ability to destroy shareholder value while holding a great assett?

Cast your mind back several years Henderson and tell me you weren't prepared to walk away then!
Or was that a silly, ill conceived bluff, that may have come back to bite. Still not happy!

Tweed MP Geoff Provest was quoted calling on companies with exploration licences on the North Coast to give them up.
My local MP sucks - does he mean without any compensation (how un-Australian)
Seem to remember you getting out at about 41c danebell when ERM bought in - smarter than me mate. The end may be nearer than we think - best to all Sean.

Wonder what ERM Power are thinking, our largest shareholder with 58,000.000 shares having paid up to 0.60 cents a share in 2011 like the rest of us longtermers, who have been stuck unable to sell our shares because the NSW govt, The Greens and Lock the Gate have ruined MEL's promising future and ours as well.

What 4-traders thinks of Metgasco's immediate future:

Metgasco : East Australia's future gas projects shrink

11/29/2014 | 07:01am US/Eastern

There were three upstream gas projects in east Australia culled during the past 12 months from the list of potential projects complied by the Australian government's commodity forecaster, the Bureau of Resource and Energy Economics (Bree).

The Casino coal-bed methane (CBM) gas Casino project operated by Australian independent Metgasco was taken off the list of potential gas, oil and LNG projects that could be sanctioned in the medium term. Also struck off were the two trains of the Fisherman's Landing LNG project, which was listed as two projects, operated by Australian independent LNG Limited (LNGL).....

Another Bree report this week showed that the 2012-13 fiscal year to 30 June was the first year in more than six years that a new gas-fired power station did not come on line. This was in contrast to 5,135MW of similar capacity coming on line between 2006-07 and 2011-12.

There still remains 7,928MW of planned gas-fired power capacity in Australia, or about 7pc of Australia's installed power generation capacity. But most of these projects are unlikely to be approved during the next two or three years given the current oversupply in the Australian electricity market that has depressed wholesale electricity prices.

The Australian Parliament may be in recess by 5 December, but the Abbott Government will be coming after us all again in February 2015

There are only three more sitting days until the 44^th Australian Parliament goes into recess until February 2015.

While we all may breathe a sigh of relief that the horrible fascination that is parliamentary question time is no longer occurring and The Speaker has gone to that dank, dark place biased and confused speaker’s go in recess, now is not the time to be idle.

Because it is almost inevitable that the Abbott Government will return in the first quarter determined to force the states into 'voluntarily' requesting increases in the Goods & Services Tax (GST).

It is highly likely that a call will come from Liberal and National party sock puppets to both increase and widen this consumption tax.

The argument for a tax increase will probably be along the lines of; any increase can be kept down to a reasonable level if it is accompanied by a widening of the tax base.

There are no prizes for guessing that taxing goods under $1,000 purchased overseas via the Internet will be mentioned, as this has been a favourite with local business for some time.

However, using the Abbott Government’s past performance as a guide, perhaps we all should be preparing to hear these puppets raise the possibility that educational course material purchased as a prerequisite of participation, along with certain health services and off-the-shelf medications, should all now attract the GST.

By the same token it is highly likely that all cooked or processed meats and some fish will be on any new taxed food wish list; such as BBQ chickens, ham on the bone, whole salamis etc. and smoked fish.

As of 23 October 2014 food in the groups listed below currently attract the GST according to the latest legislative compilation:

Prepared Food

Quiches, sandwiches (using any type of bread or roll), pizzas, pizza subs, pizza pockets and similar, food marketed as a prepared meal, but not including soup, platters etc. of cheese, cold cuts, fruit or vegetables and other arrangements of food, hamburgers, chicken burgers and similar, hot dogs.

Confectionery

Confectionery, food marketed as confectionery, food marketed as ingredients for confectionery or food consisting principally of confectionery, popcorn, confectionery novelties, muesli bars or health food bars, and similar foodstuffs, crystallised fruit, glace fruit and drained fruit, crystallised ginger and preserved ginger, edible cake decorations.

Savoury snacks

Potato crisps, sticks or straws, corn crisps or chips, bacon or pork crackling or prawn chips, seeds or nuts that have been processed or treated by salting, spicing, smoking or roasting, or in any other similar way, caviar and similar fish roe, other snack foods.

Bakery products

Cakes, slices, cheesecakes, pancakes, waffles, crepes, muffins and puddings, pavlova and meringues, pies (meat, vegetable or fruit), pasties and sausage rolls, tarts and pastries, doughnuts and croissants, pastizzi, calzoni and brioche, scones and scrolls, bread (including buns) with a sweet filling or coating.

Ice-cream food

Ice-cream, ice-cream cakes, ice-creams and ice-cream substitutes, frozen confectionery, frozen yoghurt and frozen fruit products (but not frozen whole fruit), flavoured iceblocks (whether or not marketed in a frozen state), any similar food.

Biscuit goods

Food that is, or consists principally of, biscuits, cookies, crackers, pretzels, cones or wafers.